Chapter 1
Day 100
The first thing Elias Hart noticed was the rain.
Not the kind that arrived politely with gray clouds and a weather forecast.
This rain came angry.
The sky over downtown Denver split open just after sunset, sending sheets of water crashing onto crowded sidewalks and turning the city streets into rivers of reflected neon.
People scattered.
Umbrellas bloomed like dark flowers.
Traffic slowed to a crawl.
Elias adjusted the hood of his university jacket and cursed under his breath.
“Perfect.”
His Wolfball practice had ended late.
His bus had already left.
His shoes were soaked.
And he still had a six-hour shift waiting for him.
Just another ordinary day in his life.
At least that was what he kept telling himself.
At twenty years old, Elias Hart had become an expert at pretending everything was fine.
His scholarship barely covered tuition at Silverridge University.
His athletic grant covered equipment.
The rest was up to him.
Rent.
Food.
Transportation.
Books.
Every dollar mattered.
Every hour mattered.
Every decision mattered.
Especially now.
Because somewhere across the Atlantic Ocean sat an acceptance letter that could change his entire future.
Valemont Institute.
Switzerland.
The most prestigious supernatural athletic academy in Europe.
The dream.
The opportunity he’d spent years chasing.
The chance to become the youngest international Wolfball captain in league history.
If he got in.
If he could afford it.
If his parents finally stopped treating his dream like a temporary obsession.
Elias sighed.
One problem at a time.
Right now he needed to get to work.
A burst of shouting echoed down the street.
He looked up.
A crowd surged around the intersection ahead.
Banners waved through the rain.
Phones flashed.
Voices rose.
A protest.
Again.
Lately the city had been filled with demonstrations.
Most centered around the Lunar Equality Movement.
Young wolves demanding equal rights across Alpha, Beta, and Omega populations.
Some considered the movement revolutionary.
Others called it dangerous.
Elias didn’t know enough to pick a side.
He was too busy surviving.
A police siren wailed.
Then another.
The crowd erupted.
People began running.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
Elias stepped aside as protesters rushed past him.
Several officers followed close behind.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Excitement transformed into panic.
Someone collided with his shoulder.
Another shoved past.
Then—
A hand grabbed his wrist.
Hard.
Elias spun around.
“What the hell—”
His words died instantly.
The stranger standing before him looked like he had stepped out of a magazine cover.
Tall.
Dark hair dripping rainwater.
Sharp jawline.
Gray eyes.
The kind of face that made people stop walking.
The kind of face Elias usually avoided looking at for too long.
The stranger looked equally shocked.
For a brief second neither moved.
Then the stranger’s gaze flicked toward the approaching officers.
His eyes widened.
And before Elias could react—
The man wrapped an arm around his waist.
“What are you doing?”
“Sorry.”
“What?”
“Trust me.”
“I don’t even know—”
The stranger turned toward the officers.
Then smiled.
The smile should have been illegal.
“Everything okay, officers?” he asked casually.
The officers slowed.
One pointed directly at him.
“You were at the rally.”
The stranger shrugged.
“No, sir.”
“You match the description.”
“That’s impossible.”
The officer narrowed his eyes.
“And why’s that?”
The stranger squeezed Elias closer.
Because apparently ruining his evening wasn’t enough.
Now they had to stand chest-to-chest in the middle of a thunderstorm.
“Because I’ve been with my boyfriend all afternoon.”
Silence.
Elias nearly choked.
His what?
The officer glanced between them.
Suspicion lingered.
The stranger didn’t blink.
Didn’t hesitate.
Didn’t even look nervous.
Meanwhile Elias felt his brain shutting down.
Boyfriend?
Boyfriend?
Who was this lunatic?
The officer sighed.
“Move along.”
The stranger smiled again.
“Will do.”
The officers continued down the street.
Elias waited exactly three seconds.
Then shoved him away.
“What was THAT?”
The stranger burst out laughing.
Actual laughter.
As if the situation were hilarious.
“Sorry.”
“Sorry?”
“I panicked.”
“You called me your boyfriend.”
“It worked.”
“That’s not the point.”
The stranger rubbed the back of his neck.
Rainwater streamed from his dark hair.
“I know.”
“Are you insane?”
“Probably.”
Elias stared.
The man stared back.
Then unexpectedly offered his hand.
“I’m Kieran.”
Elias ignored it.
“Good for you.”
Kieran laughed again.
The sound was warm.
Annoyingly warm.
“Still angry?”
“You used me as human camouflage.”
“Technically successful human camouflage.”
“You are unbelievable.”
Kieran grinned.
“I hear that a lot.”
Of course he did.
People who looked like him probably got away with everything.
Elias rolled his eyes and resumed walking.
He expected the stranger to leave.
Instead footsteps followed.
“Where are you headed?”
“None of your business.”
“Fair.”
More footsteps.
Still following.
Elias groaned.
“Why are you walking with me?”
“You seem interesting.”
“We’ve known each other for thirty seconds.”
“Thirty-seven.”
“You counted?”
“Maybe.”
Elias glanced upward.
The rain intensified.
Fantastic.
Lightning flashed overhead.
For the first time Kieran looked genuinely uncomfortable.
His gaze lifted toward the storm clouds.
Something unreadable crossed his expression.
Fear?
No.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Almost as though he could hear something hidden within the thunder.
The moment vanished quickly.
Elias frowned.
Weird.
Very weird.
Kieran noticed him looking.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You looked like you saw a ghost.”
“I could say the same thing.”
For a second their eyes met.
Something strange flickered between them.
A pull.
A spark.
A sensation Elias couldn’t explain.
Then a taxi blasted through a puddle.
Dirty water splashed across both of them.
The moment shattered.
“Great,” Elias muttered.
Kieran looked down at his soaked clothes.
Then laughed.
Again.
Elias couldn’t understand how someone could be so cheerful while drenched.
“You’re impossible.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it’s true.”
They reached a crosswalk.
A convenience store glowed across the street.
Bright lights.
Warm interior.
Temporary shelter.
Elias checked his phone.
Three missed messages from work.
One from his coach.
Two from his mother.
Stress immediately returned.
Kieran noticed.
“Tough day?”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
Something in his voice must have slipped.
Because Kieran’s expression softened.
Not pity.
Understanding.
The dangerous kind.
The kind that made people talk.
Elias looked away.
He wasn’t interested in sharing his life story with a stranger.
Especially not one who lied to police and randomly adopted boyfriends.
The traffic light changed.
They crossed together.
Neither mentioned it.
By the time they reached the convenience store awning, the rain had become a wall of silver.
Elias exhaled.
At least he had made it.
His shift started in five minutes.
Kieran glanced at the sign.
“You work here?”
“Unfortunately.”
“I thought college athletes were rich.”
Elias barked a laugh.
“Not even close.”
“Scholarship?”
“Yeah.”
Kieran nodded slowly.
As though filing the information away.
“You play Wolfball.”
“How’d you know?”
“The university jacket.”
“That obvious?”
“A little.”
Elias shook his head.
Then noticed something.
Kieran wasn’t carrying an umbrella.
Yet somehow he wasn’t entirely soaked.
Almost as if—
No.
Impossible.
Still.
The observation lingered.
Kieran followed his gaze.
Then silently removed the umbrella hanging from his backpack.
Black.
Expensive-looking.
Probably worth more than Elias’s monthly grocery budget.
“Here.”
Elias blinked.
“What?”
“Take it.”
“I’m standing under a roof.”
“For later.”
“I don’t need it.”
“You do.”
Their eyes met again.
That strange sensation returned.
Brief.
Uncomfortable.
Electric.
Kieran held out the umbrella.
Eventually Elias accepted.
Mostly because refusing seemed harder.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
The smile returned.
Smaller this time.
Real.
For some reason that made Elias nervous.
His phone buzzed again.
Work.
Right.
Reality.
When he looked up again, Kieran had stepped backward into the rain.
“See you around, boyfriend.”
Elias groaned.
“Don’t call me that.”
Kieran’s grin widened.
Then he disappeared into the storm.
Just like that.
Gone.
Elias stared after him longer than he intended.
The city swallowed the stranger quickly.
Only the rain remained.
And somehow the umbrella felt heavier in his hand.
That night, nearly three hours later, Elias finally checked social media.
The moment he opened his feed, his stomach dropped.
A photo filled the screen.
Rain.
Crowd.
Police lights.
And two young men standing impossibly close together.
One looking startled.
The other smiling.
The caption read:
MYSTERY BOYFRIEND OF SILVERRIDGE HEIR KIERAN ASHFORD SPOTTED AT LUNAR RIGHTS PROTEST.
Elias froze.
His pulse stopped.
Then restarted twice as fast.
Because he recognized the face instantly.
Not from tonight.
Not from the protest.
Not from the rain.
From every business magazine in America.
From university news.
From headlines.
From interviews.
From articles.
From wealth rankings.
Kieran Ashford.
Son of Victor Ashford.
Future heir to the most powerful Alpha family in North America.
One of the richest young wolves alive.
And apparently—
The stranger who had called Elias his boyfriend.
Just a confirmation before I get started. this has young adult listed as the genre type but erotica listed as a tag. these are mutually exclusive and cannot exist at the same time in the same book. so is this a "everything is hinted at except the kisses which are heavy" or "we're gonna be seeing a lot of dong" I'm reading either way, but just want to be prepared before I step in.