Chapter 21

Tyrone POV

I paced around the house, my eyes scanning every damn corner like a hawk, looking for her. For Seri. My mind wouldn’t let go of the way she ground herself against me yesterday, how desperate she was to get more but wouldn’t let herself give in. The way she looked at me with those damn eyes—like I had all the power over her, and she didn’t hate it. No, she loved it. She didn’t want to admit it, but I could see it in the way she avoided my gaze and in the way she fought me. She was practically begging me to break her down, to make her want me as badly as I wanted her.

I knew she was coming to the Sigma Phi party tonight. She had to. She was almost where we wanted her, the final piece of the puzzle just waiting to slip into place. All she needed was the push, and I’d happily give it to her. She had been so close the last time I saw her. One more taste of me, and she’d be mine.

But I couldn’t find her. Why wasn’t she here?

The more I walked across the quad, the more my patience thinned. She wasn’t anywhere. I checked the campus café, the library, hell, I even walked past the gym to see if she was in one of the practice rooms. But nothing. No trace. She wasn’t answering her phone either.

My heart was pounding in my chest, a sharp, uncomfortable thud that was driving me mad. I’d thought I had her pegged, but now… now, I was unsure. She’d been playing games, pushing me to the edge, to the point where I almost snapped the other night. But this? This was different. I couldn’t feel her anymore. Couldn’t sense her presence.

My thoughts were interrupted when I spotted Damon and Marius in the courtyard. Both of them had been looking around, too. They’d probably been on the same mission as I was: find Seri before anyone else could. I marched over to them, seething with frustration.

“She’s not here, is she?” I growled; my voice thick with anger. The sight of my brothers only made my temper burn hotter.

Marius gave me that cold look, his eyes piercing into me like he was trying to understand what I was feeling. "No sign of her," he said, his voice calm, almost too calm. He wasn’t as angry as I was, but that was nothing new. Marius had a way of controlling his emotions, never letting anyone see his weakness.

Damon was pacing, his hands running through his hair as he glanced around. "Fuck," he muttered. "She was supposed to come tonight."

The longer we stood there, the more I felt the heat of my frustration rise in my chest. I couldn’t stand the thought of her slipping away from me, of her avoiding me. Avoiding us.

“What if she was taken?” Marius suggested. I stopped and turned to stare at him. He was glaring hard at the ground hands in his hair, pulling hard on the roots, “She is the right target. Maybe this is the start of girls going missing.”

“No,” Damon cursed with a colorful string of words, “It's too soon. Pledges haven’t been finalized yet; it breaks the pattern of previous years.”

Without thinking, I grabbed a chair nearby and threw it across the courtyard, the loud crash echoing through the otherwise peaceful campus. "Goddamn it!" I yelled; my body taut with anger.

Both Marius and Damon turned to me in shock, but I didn’t care. My rage had taken over. I had no control anymore. I stormed off, heading toward the Sigma Phi house, knowing my brothers were following behind me.

We reached the house, and I walked straight inside. The party was in full swing, but all I could think about was Seri. She should’ve been here. She had to be here.

The alcohol, the noise, the laughs—it all blurred around me as I made my way through the crowd. I was searching for a glimpse of her, but nothing. No sign.

“Where the hell is she?” I muttered under my breath. My hands were trembling, my jaw clenched so tight it hurt.

"She’s not here, man." Damon’s voice was low, trying to be the voice of reason, but it only pissed me off more.

"Fuck!" I roared, knocking over a table filled with drinks. The glass shattered across the floor, the liquid spreading out like a sea of rage beneath my feet.

Marius was watching me, his expression unreadable. He didn't say anything at first, just stood there like he was calculating his next move. But even he knew I wasn’t going to calm down until I found her.

Without warning, I turned and stormed out of the Sigma Phi house, heading straight for Alpha Phi. My two brothers followed me, and the walk felt like it took forever. Every step I took fueled my anger, and by the time we reached the Alpha Phi house, I could feel my muscles tense, ready to explode.

We approached a couple of the new sisters who were standing outside, chatting. They stopped talking as we got closer, and I could tell they were nervous. But I didn’t care. I wasn’t here to be polite. I needed answers.

“Have you seen Seri?” I demanded, my voice cold and sharp. “Where the hell is she?”

The girls exchanged nervous glances, clearly not used to dealing with our kind of intensity. One of them finally spoke, her voice trembling. “She… she isn’t here. She went to see family for the weekend. She left last night.”

I froze. The words felt like a punch to the gut. She’d left?

“Where exactly did she go?” I asked, my voice low and dangerous, almost too calm for the anger I was feeling.

The girls shrugged, clearly unsure. “We don’t know. She didn’t tell anyone where she was going. She just said she was leaving for the weekend.”

I turned away from them, trying to process what they’d just told me. She had left campus, and no one knew where the hell she was.

I couldn’t believe it. I had been so sure she was coming, so sure that tonight was the night.

“She lied to me,” I muttered, my eyes darting between Damon and Marius. “She’s still playing all of us.”

“I don’t think so, not this time man,” Damon stepped up behind me and placed a hand on my right shoulder, “She will be back Monday, and we can get our answer then.”

Without another word, I turned and started walking back toward the Sigma Phi house. The guys followed me, the weight of the situation hanging heavy in the air. I had no idea where she was, and the fact that she’d slipped away from me like this only fueled the fire in my chest.

She was still going to be mine. I wouldn’t stop until I had her. But the fact that she wasn’t here tonight… that made me wonder just how far she would go to keep avoiding me.

I’d find her. I always did. Monday would be a day of reckoning when we found her and there was nothing she could do or say that would temper our resolve.