Chapter 16

Seraphina

The party had gone on far too long, and despite the constant smiles and half-hearted laughter, I’d had enough. The last few hours had been nothing but forced interactions with women who hadn’t seen the truth of what was happening, the real reason why I was here. And all the while, the three of them—Marius, Damon, and Tyrone—had been watching, waiting. It was as if they were trying to figure out exactly how I fit into their game, but they weren’t winning. No, they were only digging themselves deeper into their own lies.

The leader had pulled me aside before I left, giving me a final promise: a room at the Alpha Phi house, available for me to move into as soon as tomorrow. “You’re one of us now,” she’d said, the words so sweet, almost syrupy with intention. It was too easy to see through.

I couldn’t wait to escape.

But of course, as soon as I stepped out of the door and into the cool night air, I felt their presence. Their eyes. The trio was shadowing me like the wolves they were, walking slowly but deliberately as if they knew what they were doing. The night had grown quieter, but there was no mistaking it—they were closing in.

It didn't take long before they made their move. They stepped out from the shadows as i neared my dorm building, surrounding me in the darkness, cutting off the path to my dorm. I didn’t even flinch.

Tyrone’s voice broke the silence first, low and smooth, like he was savoring the moment. “You know, you never did answer our questions. And the more I think about it, the more I wonder why you even bother to play at all. You clearly don’t know how to play these games.” His eyes scanned me like a predator sizing up his prey.

I crossed my arms, staring at the three of them. “Is that what this is? A game to you?”

Marius stepped forward, his usual composed demeanor slipping ever so slightly as irritation painted his features. “You’ve been playing your own from the start. So why refuse the gifts? Why all the bullshit about not being interested? You're playing hard to get, but for what?” His voice held an edge now, frustration barely contained beneath the cool surface.

I couldn’t help but smile, a cold and knowing smile. “Is that really what you think? You think I’m some puzzle you can solve with your tricks and your expensive little gifts?” I laughed softly, the sound almost mocking in the stillness of the night. “Please. You’re all predictable.”

Damon leaned in, his tone laced with mockery, trying to needle at me. “You think you’re above all of this, don’t you? Above us, above everyone else. What makes you so special, huh? What makes you think you’re untouchable?”

I let the silence linger for a moment before I spoke, taking in each of them, savoring the moment like a well-cooked meal. “It’s cute how you all think this is about power. Your power plays, your manipulations. But it’s not. It’s not about any of that.” I could see Damon’s eyes flash with irritation, but I wasn’t finished.

“No, what you don’t get—what you never get—is that I see all of you. I see exactly who you are, who you’ve always been. Marius, you're the cold strategist, always analyzing, always controlling. Your silence is your weapon, but it’s the silence of someone who’s afraid to truly speak. Damon, you think your charm is your greatest asset, but it’s nothing more than a shallow reflection of your need for control. And Tyrone…” I paused, my eyes locking with his, and I saw the flicker of something behind his eyes—something I wasn’t sure he was ready to face.

“You?” I smirked. “You’re the manipulator, the mastermind who thinks he’s five steps ahead, but really, you’re just compensating for something deeper. You use everyone, you play the long game, but when it comes to facing someone who sees through it all… that’s when you lose. All of you do.”

Tyrone’s jaw clenched, his eyes darkening. “You think you know us so well, huh? What makes you think you’re any different, Seri?” His voice was sharp now, the calm veneer starting to crack.

“I don’t think I’m any different. I know I’m different,” I shot back, my voice steady. “And that’s the problem, isn’t it? You’re so used to people falling into your games, to them chasing after the idea of what you represent. But I’m not some girl who falls for that. I’m not here for your little power trips or your manipulations. And you can keep sending your gifts, you can keep playing your little games—but it’s not going to work. Not on me.”

Marius moved slightly, as if weighing my words. “So, what? You think you’re above all of this? You don’t need us?”

“No, I never said that.” I let out a breath, slowly, deliberately. “I’m just saying that I’m not going to let you think for me. Not now, not ever. And that’s exactly what you want. You want me to play along, to give in. But guess what? I’m not like the others. I’m not looking for a seat at your table. I have my own to take care of.”

Damon scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You’re delusional. This whole ‘I’m too good for you’ act doesn’t work on us, Seri. You’re here now. You haven’t played the games we have. You will break one way or the other. We aren’t done with you.”

I raised an eyebrow, my expression calm. “No, you’re not done with me. But you will be. Soon enough.”

The air was tense as the three of them stood in front of me, still circling, their eyes burning with frustration. But I could feel the shift—could sense it as they realized that all of their moves, all of their careful planning, had led to this moment. They had underestimated me. And it had finally clicked for them.

The silence hung heavy, and I knew they were deciding something. Then, without a word, Tyrone nodded toward the others, a subtle but clear signal.

As my eyes landed on Tyrone, he looked beyond pissed. He moved closer, they all did, their imposing figures towering over me as they stalked forward with a dangerous calm. Their eyes burned with something more than irritation, something darker—something I couldn’t quite name yet, but it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“You think you have it all figured out, don’t you?” Tyrone’s voice was low, dangerous, carrying the weight of his frustration. “You think you’ve got us all pegged. But you don’t. You don’t know shit about me, Seri.”

I looked up at him, trying to steady my breathing, trying to hold on to whatever calm I had left. I wasn’t scared—no, not of any of them. Not Marius with his calculated silence, not Damon with his sharp words. But Tyrone? There was something about him. Something unsettling.

“And you don’t know me,” I shot back, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice. “You don’t know anything about me, what I've lived through.”

“Bullshit.” Tyrone stepped even closer, his presence overwhelming. “You think you’re so different, don’t you? Just like me, you’re playing the game, the same damn game we’ve all been playing. But here’s the thing—you don’t have the balls to admit it. You’re no better than us.”

I tried to look away, to open my mouth to retort, but before I could say a word, he reached out, his large hand gripping my chin, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. His fingers were like iron, holding me in place, making sure I couldn’t look away. I wanted to fight back. But there was something about the way he held me, the way his eyes bored into me, that froze me in place.

“You think you’ve got me figured out,” he continued, his voice thick with something I couldn’t place, something that made my pulse spike. “But you’re lying to yourself. You want this as much as we do, sweetheart. You just don’t want to admit it.”

Before I could respond, before I could even process what he was saying, his lips crashed down on mine.

It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle. It was raw, possessive, and it left me breathless.

The intensity of the kiss rattled me to my core. His lips were relentless, pressing against mine with a force that left me dizzy. His hand remained firm on my chin, holding me captive as he kissed me with the kind of desperation I didn’t know he was capable of. It was all heat and friction, a clash of raw need that left me reeling. The taste of him flooded my senses—sharp, intoxicating, dangerous.

I couldn’t breathe. My thoughts scattered, disintegrating in the wake of the kiss. Every part of me felt alive, every inch of my body tingling as if I had just been set aflame.

When he finally pulled away, I was left gasping for air, my heart hammering in my chest. My lips tingled, my body still humming with the remnants of his touch. I couldn’t process what had just happened. Couldn’t process the explosion of emotions I felt after one kiss.

Tyrone didn’t say a word at first, just stared down at me with those dark, burning eyes. I could feel the weight of his words even as he stepped back, his brothers moving in behind him. They shared a glance, a silent agreement, and in that moment, I knew what was coming next.

“You’re a liar, Seri,” Tyrone finally murmured, his voice like a dark promise. “You want this as much as we do, but you just don’t want to admit it to yourself.”

His words lingered in the air, thick and charged, and I could feel them seeping into my skin, crawling beneath my armor. I wanted to argue, to shout back at him, but my brain was still too scrambled from the kiss to form a coherent thought.

Marius and Damon took a step back, their eyes still locked on me, but it was Tyrone who stood out—his eyes blazing, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.

I stood there, my body still trembling, my breathing rapid, trying to gather my thoughts. But it was impossible. What the hell had just happened?

I glanced from one man to the other, their eyes unreadable, and the world seemed to slow around me. My pulse thundered in my ears as I struggled to regain control. They’d broken through my armor. They’d broken me in a way I didn’t know was possible.

Without another word, I pushed threw them and ran, my legs carrying me back to my dorm, my heart racing faster than I could keep up with.

What the hell was I feeling?

As I stumbled into the safety of my room, I locked the door behind me, my back pressed against it as I slid to the floor. The sensations of the kiss, Tyrone’s touch, still lingered on my lips. I was shaken, my mind swirling in a fog of confusion.

What the hell was I supposed to do with this? How had they gotten to me like this? And more importantly, why did I feel… alive?

I buried my face in my hands, trying to process everything. The kiss. The way Tyrone had looked at me. The way he’d held me, made me feel like I was the only thing in the world.

And then, a thought I couldn’t shake: I’m starting to feel something for all three of them.

And that terrified me more than anything else.