Chapter 159: _ Her Calmness is Danger
Within seconds, the Duskwind girls are gravitating toward the car.
"Oh, here we go. Cue the parade." Morgan sighs, rolling his eyes.
Grayson chuckles, but he’s grinning. "Don’t be so grumpy. We used to enjoy this, remember?"
"Correction," Morgan says, tilting his head, "you used to enjoy this. I just enjoyed watching you make a fool of yourself."
The girls are closer now, waving, pretending to "pass by" the car. One of them, a brunette with glossy curls and too much lip gloss, leans down, pretending to tie her shoe just so her neckline dips just right. Another flicks her hair, deliberately slow, her perfume wafting in through the half-open window.
"Evening, Bellamys," one of them sings. "Didn’t expect to see you on this side of campus."
Morgan’s lips twist into something that’s not quite a smile. "And yet," he says dryly, "here we are."
Her giggle is instant. "You boys lost or something?"
Grayson laughs. "Depends. You offering directions?"
The girl blushes so hard it’s almost painful to look at. Her friends nudge her, whispering frantically like pigeons pecking at breadcrumbs.
Morgan watches the whole performance, unimpressed. The way their eyes sparkle at Grayson, the way they angle their bodies for attention—it’s all so predictable. So cheaply desperate. He feels the irritation tighten at the back of his neck like a leash.
He lets out a sharp hiss between his teeth. "Ugh. Isn’t this already getting boring?"
Grayson turns to him, surprised. "What is?"
"This," Morgan gestures vaguely. "All the pack girls are throwing themselves at anything that breathes luxury. It’s pathetic. You’d think evolution would’ve kicked in by now."
Grayson chuckles, resting his arm against the window. "I don’t know, man. You can’t blame them. Half of them grew up hearing stories about our family. The Bellamys, heirs to the Alpha, blah blah blah. It’s not like they stand a chance."
"Stand a chance?" Morgan repeats with a smirk. "They don’t even STAND a personality."
That earns him a laugh. "You’re cruel."
"I’m honest," Morgan corrects.
His gaze drifts back to the dorm entrance, where more students pour out in clusters. The chatter is louder now, mixed with the honking of cars and the rhythmic click of rolling suitcases. Yet amidst the chaos, his focus is on searching for her.
For Heidi Castell.
She’s not out yet. He knows that instantly. He’d spot her even in a crowd of a thousand. There’s something about her that vibrates differently like gravity bends for her and her alone. Perhaps, that’s one of the curses—or the perks of finally claiming and being mated to one’s fated mate.
Grayson must be thinking the same thing, because he says softly, "Haven’t seen her yet."
"No," Morgan murmurs.
He says it casually, but the truth is he’s watching for her like a hawk. Every heartbeat of delay builds an itch beneath his skin.
One of the stupid Duskwind girls leans in closer to the car, pretending to be bold. "So, Bellamys," she purrs. "Heading somewhere fancy tonight?"
Morgan doesn’t even look at her. "Away from you."
The rejection hits a nerve. She straightens as her fake smile falters. Her friends tug her arm, muttering something about him being "rude anyway," but the damage is done. They retreat in a flurry of offended perfume and hairspray.
Grayson chuckles lowly. "You didn’t have to kill her spirit like that."
"She was already brain-dead. I just pulled the plug."
That earns another laugh. It’s easy, brotherly, and yet something about it gnaws at Morgan’s patience. Grayson’s careless and unburdened laughter always reminds him of what he doesn’t have. Of what Tobias and Rayne denied his mother. Of the warmth that should’ve been his.
He turns his face slightly toward the window, hiding the whiff of bitterness that crosses his expression. The air outside is cool, tinted with pine and distant rain.
Grayson’s still watching the dorm. His voice softens as he says, "You know... I don’t know if it’s the bond or something else, but ever since we marked Heidi, I haven’t really been interested in anyone else."
Morgan’s eyes slide toward him. His tone stays mild, but the cold jealousy hisses to life again. "You’re saying that like it’s a bad thing."
"No, it’s not," Grayson says quickly, then laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. "It’s just... weird, you know? We used to go after anything in skirts. Now, it’s like..." He exhales. "She’s it. Like my brain doesn’t even register other girls."
Morgan studies him for a second with a blank expression. Outwardly, he hums in vague agreement. Inwardly, he’s seething. The bond, of course. It always meddles with the marker and the marked.
The idea that Grayson feels something sacred for his Luna makes the back of his throat taste like blood.
He shifts slightly, resting an elbow against the door, keeping his tone easy. "Guess the bond works faster on you than I thought."
Grayson chuckles. "Maybe. I mean, it’s not like I’m complaining. She’s..." He stops mid-sentence, his eyes flicking toward the dorm entrance. "Oh. Speak of the goddess."
What?
Morgan’s head snaps up before he can stop himself.
And there she is.
Heidi steps through the doorway, framed by the soft orange light spilling from the dorm. She’s dressed simply in jeans, a black sweatshirt, hair tied up messily, but she still steals the air from the world. The late-night breeze catches loose strands of her butterscotch hair, brushing them across her cheek. Her sharp eyes are sweeping over the crowd with the calm wariness of someone who knows she’s being watched.
Morgan’s pulse gives a single, quiet throb.
Around her, whispers stir like wildfire. The same girls who were just fawning over the Bellamys now shoot daggers of envy in Heidi’s direction. Some whisper behind their hands, others scoff loudly just to be heard. Just another night in Duskwind where the seniors oppress those they perceive as weaker juniors.
It’s a shame they don’t know how powerful she is, Morgan internally sighs. It’s a shame he didn’t know too and was once like them, making her school life difficult. Back then, he had a plan; to make her feel worthless so his half-brothers would never want to claim her, and then, he would go behind their backs to claim her, sparing himself from the madness that is sure to come from the rejection of one’s mate without any agreeable reason for the Moon Goddess.
That way, the Bellamy boys could destroy themselves without him lifting a finger. But now... now Morgan knows better. There’s no joy in watching her suffer, only anguish. Hell, he’s heard Grayson secretly weeping behind closed doors after acting tough and bullying her whenever he gets manipulated by him about how that’s the ’wisest choice’.
The worst was the day she wolfed out. As painful as it was to ignore her wolf’s cry and call, as much as Luke languished in peak craziness over being absent at the awakening of his fated’s wolf, Morgan stood his ground and stayed back because he would rather watch Grayson cry harder from the negligence than to give himself the satisfaction of doing what’s right by his wolf.
Back then, he hadn’t known that the pleasure that comes from behind there for Heidi or a taste of her succulent lips is unrivaled by that of watching his brothers suffer.
Once again, he now knows better.
Currently, speculations about Heidi who seems to be walking with her four-eyed friend, two Moon Blessed whom Morgan recognizes from the Labyrinth, and that cheeky Alpha Boy flies in the air.
"Can’t believe she’s showing her face after everything..."
"She probably loves the attention..."
"Bet she’s just pretending to be innocent..."
"A newbie is already a pornstar. Oh, gosh."
"Can’t wait to see who her wretched boyfriend is. Sierra won’t let her go scot-free."
Morgan feels his jaw clench. He wants to step out and make every single one of them eat their words. But he doesn’t. Not yet. He forces himself to sit still, the tension burning through his muscles like coiled electricity.
Grayson’s voice drops low. "She doesn’t look like she gives a damn."
Morgan’s lips curve. "That’s because she doesn’t. That’s what makes her dangerous."
He watches her stride down the steps with her group unhurriedly, backpack slung over one shoulder, like the chaos around her doesn’t exist. A few people glance her way, waiting for her to flinch, but she never does. Her calmness is almost weaponized.
Grayson exhales, leaning slightly forward on the steering wheel. "God, she’s something."
"Careful," Morgan says lightly. "You sound like you’re catching feelings."
Grayson laughs under his breath. "Too late."
Morgan’s gaze flickers to him, then back to Heidi. His inner voice whispers: That’s fine, brother. Feel all you want. You won’t have long to enjoy it.