CHAPTER 46: THEY WOULDN’T LET ME REST

Andria’s POV

"I wasn’t staring," I lied quickly, jerking my eyes away from his chest and focusing on the wall behind him.

"Really?" Damon’s smirk deepened as he leaned against the bathroom doorway, water still glistening on his skin, some droplets falling from his chest to his torso. "Because if you stare any harder, you might just set me on fire."

"I wish I could," I muttered, yanking my suitcase handle up with more force than necessary. "I would have so that you would stop talking."

He chuckled, low and slow, like he was savoring my irritation. "You’re feisty this morning. Must be the Tristan effect."

I froze. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"That look in your eyes when you said you woke up in his bed..." He tilted his head, assessing me like I was a puzzle he intended to solve piece by piece.

"I know it wasn’t your choice, but the fact you didn’t claw his face off tells me something." He sniffed his nose and drew closer to where I was standing, close to the wardrobe.

"It tells you nothing," I snapped, wheeling my suitcase toward the door.

Before I could make it out, Damon’s hand shot out, gripping the handle of the suitcase. "I’m not letting you walk out without telling me why you didn’t fight harder to stay away from him."

Was he jealous that I slept on Tristan’s bed?

I turned to him, meeting his gaze dead-on. "Because I was asleep, Damon. Not everyone sleeps with one eye open like you. Besides, he told me he didn’t sleep in the room with me."

For a moment, we just stared at each other, his grip still firm on the handle. The air between us was thick and tense. My pulse was betraying me, thumping far too loudly for my comfort.

Finally, he let go, stepping back with a slight smirk. "Fine. But you’re not off my hook."

"I don’t need to be off or on any hook," I said, trying to keep my voice steady as I backed toward the door.

"Oh, you’re already on it, princess," he replied, his voice dripping with that infuriating confidence of his.

I didn’t respond to him because I didn’t need to. If I opened my mouth now, I’d probably say something I couldn’t take back.

"If you slept in his room, then you can bathe in mine, I promise to excuse you," Damon said, while making the cutest face.

I looked at his almost unclad body. "Maybe you should put some clothes on first."

I dropped my box and stormed into the bathroom. He excused me as he promised.

When I finished bathing, I quickly dressed up. I had to drop my suitcase back at my dormitory before heading to classes, so I had to hasten up.

Thankfully, there was no Damon or Tristan or even Aven to distract me, so I was done on time. I dragged my suitcase into the corridor, shutting the room’s door behind me.

Aven, Tristan, and Damon were already seated on the couch. They were watching a documentary or maybe the news on Television.

But as soon as I walked into the living room, they all turned to look at me. My heart did a sudden backflip stunt.

"Heading back to your dorm already?" Aven asked, staring intensely into my eyes like he was gauging my breath and thought process.

"Yes, or I’ll be late for classes if I don’t move now," I replied to them as I wheeled my suitcase behind me towards the door.

"You have made up your mind to leave, so I can’t change it," Tristan asked with a sullen look on his face, making Damon scoff.

The words from Tristan’s mouth sounded more like a question than an ordinary statement.

"I can’t change my mind, so bye!" I waved at them, reached for the handle of the door, and locked it behind me.

The journey back to my dormitory felt long and tiring, likely because I was constantly checking the time and walking alone.

I got to my dormitory, reached for my keys, unlocked it and strode in.

Larissa was at the far end of the living room, in the dining area. She was eating breakfast when she looked up at me and, as usual, averted her eyes.

No friendly greeting, just an awkward silence.

I wished to address the situation between me and Larissa, but I was so preoccupied with trying not to be late that I ignored her and went over to my room.

"You are back from your honeymoon!" Mel teased in her usual high-pitched tone, running to hug me. "I’ve missed you so much, Aria."

"I missed you too, but I have to unpack my suitcase and hurry to classes before the bell goes. Maybe when classes are over, we will catch up. Ok?"

Her face looked disappointed, but she answered, "Ok."

I rushed into my room, moving my hands almost as fast as the speed of lightening. I unpacked my luggage and was able to get to the class immediately after the bell rang.

I walked to my seat, just for me to notice that the seats behind me had been swapped.

These demons must be after my life, following me to my new class. I wonder what they told the allocation officer to make her do that.

Tristan, Damon and Aven walked into the class in their usual arrogant, attention-seeking manner, and I just wanted to dust the smirk off Tristan’s mouth with a slap and the gleeful glint off Damon’s eyes with a punch.

"Hey, little wolf," Tristan teased as he walked past me to the seat behind Arlo’s seat.

Aven just walked to the seat exactly behind me, while Damon winked at me.

"Can you three just give me a moment to myself without trying to encroach on it?" I snapped at them in a low hiss to avoid drawing some attention to myself.

"Your mates wouldn’t spare you any time alone now, can they?" Becca teased, letting her arm brush my arm.

Aven leaned into my ear in a whisper, "You decided to leave our place, and we decided to come to your class. One way or the other, your safety is our priority and is not up for any debate."

A cold shiver ran through my body as his words in my ear made goosebumps appear on my neck.

They wouldn’t stop torturing me now, would they?

Classes went by in a blur after that. I didn’t even notice what the teachers were saying. My mind kept flitting back to Tristan’s teasing smirk, Damon’s bare-chested smirk, Aven’s whisper and the dangerous fact that neither of them seemed inclined to give me space.

By the time lunch break rolled around, I was halfway through a plate of rice in the cafeteria with Becca, Arlo and the princess when the trio decided it was time for them to disrupt our peace.

"Hey there, little slut or whatever you are," Tracy called out, visibly angry.

"So now, you chose to move in with the Alpha successors to make them more attracted to you, or you just couldn’t keep your little cunt to yourself," Tracy spoke in a tone audible enough for the whole students in the cafeteria to hear, and of course, they gasped.