Chapter 22

Seraphina

The morning light felt like a harsh slap to the face as I stepped onto campus. My mind was foggy, my body dragging with exhaustion. I’d barely managed to grab an hour of sleep after making the long drive back to campus after spending the weekend away. The roads were long, the night relentless. My thoughts kept drifting back to the quiet of the farmhouse, the absence of distractions, and the reminder of why I was doing this.

I couldn’t afford to let them—any of them—get in my head. Not Marius. Not Damon. Not Tyrone.

But against my own logic to stay in bed and get some sleep, my legs carried me to class like they were drawn by invisible strings.

The door creaked open as I entered the lecture hall, and then my world froze. I hadn’t expected to see any of them here this early. None of them were in this class.

But there they were.

Marius, Damon, and Tyrone. Sitting in the second row, all of them waiting, watching, like they knew exactly where I’d be. Their eyes locked onto mine, and I felt every step I took reverberate in my chest, the weight of their gaze heavy and suffocating.

Marius’s piercing blue eyes swept over me first, his expression unreadable but intense. Damon was slouched slightly in his chair, gnawing on his lip ring but his eyes never left mine, an almost predatory gleam in them. And Tyrone—his gaze was like a storm, dark and restless. He didn’t try to hide it this time. He was pissed. But there was something more in his eyes now, something like hunger.

I didn’t hesitate. There was no use avoiding them, not now. So I walked in, calmly, like nothing was wrong, my shoulders set with determination, but my heart racing in my chest.

As I took my seat in front of them, my back straight, I could feel the tension in the air—their eyes on me like a magnet. The lecture started, but I could barely concentrate on anything except them. The way they were watching me, the way their presence filled the room with something almost tangible.

The whole time, I could feel them and their unspoken demand for my attention.

I could feel the pull, the tension between us, but I fought to keep my focus. I wasn’t about to give them any more than I already had. Not today. Sitting through the lecture almost felt like torture, with three dangerous men to my left. There was a storm coming and i knew this time i wouldn’t be able to get away from them.

The lecture felt like it would never end. They were pissed. And I knew why. Tyrone had told me to come to the party—he had made it clear that he expected me there. And I hadn’t shown up. I hadn’t given him what he wanted, and that was enough to send him over the edge.

The minutes dragged on, each second a reminder of how badly I’d pissed them off. When the professor finally wrapped up the lecture, I started to move to pack my things, as others were asking their final questions, eager to get out of the room and away from them. But I didn’t make it far.

“Don’t you dare,” Damon’s voice was low, the command sharp enough to freeze me in place. My body stiffened, my breath catching in my throat. I wanted to leave—really, I did—but his words held me captive. I didn’t dare move.

The professor finally finished his last sentence, and I was about to stand, but before I could, Marius rose from his seat, moving toward the professor to ask a question, with the same deliberate calm as always. Tyrone followed close behind him, while Damon stayed in the seat behind me, one hand gripping the back of my neck, waiting. They were stalling until we were alone.

As the professor turned to leave, i thought Marius would follow him but it was Tyrone who moved to the door. The sound of the lock clicking into place echoed in the now-silent room. His eyes met mine across the space, and there was no hiding what was coming next. The door was locked, and I was trapped.

“Thought you could just slip away, huh?” Tyrone’s voice was laced with anger as he moved toward me, his body a looming presence as he towered over me. “You think we didn’t notice? You think we didn’t see the way you looked at us all last week? We told you to come to the party, Seri. We told you that we wanted you there. And you didn’t show up.” His voice dropped lower, almost a growl. “You made us wait and come find you, and now you’re going to pay for that.”

I swallowed hard, trying to stay composed. I knew what they wanted, and I couldn’t deny the way my body responded to them. But there was something deeper, something I wasn’t ready to reveal. Not yet.

“I had to leave,” I managed to say, my voice steady even as my pulse raced. “I haven’t seen my family in weeks. I needed to go.” It was the truth, but not the whole truth. I couldn’t let them know everything.

Tyrone’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought he might snap. His fist clenched, and he took a step forward, forcing me to lean back in my chair. “You think we’re buying that bullshit excuse?” he spat, his anger barely contained. “You promised us, Seri. With your body more than your words, you promised you’d show up, and you didn’t. You think that’s just going to fly?”

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but Marius cut me off with a simple gesture. A wave of his hand, a slight shake of his head. He wasn’t even trying to reason with me. He was beyond that now. The disappointment in his eyes was enough to make my chest tighten.

“You owe us,” Damon added, his voice like steel, leaning forward in his seat to whisper in my ear. “You want this as much as we do and now you’re going to answer for it.”

I felt trapped. There was nowhere to go, no way to escape their fury. They had every right to be pissed, but it didn’t change the fact that I had done what I needed to do. I had gone to see my family. And they were not going to understand that.

“I needed to see them,” I said, my voice rising, a little too defensive. “It’s been weeks. I had to go. I couldn’t just... stay here, with you guys. I’m not your fucking toy.”

Tyrone’s eyes darkened, and in a split second, he right in my face nose to nose, looming over me. His hands gripped the back of my chair, his body caging me into the chair. “You’re damn right you’re not,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “But you’re also not going to keep running from us. And I’m done playing. You owe us.”

His words hung in the air like a promise, a threat, all wrapped into one. I knew what that meant.

I didn’t even try to move as Marius also stepped closer, “She isn’t going anywhere,” he nudged Tyrone out of the way to replace him leaning down over me, his hand coming around the back of my neck, his fingers sliding along my jaw and forcing my head to tip up fully to look at them. “You’re done running from this,” he said, his voice calm, but the threat was clear. “And we’re going to take what we want.”

He pulled me to my feet, all three of them moving in so they could surround me. There was no escaping now. I was trapped.