Ciro P.O.V.
The first few days after the disagreement, I told myself I didn't care. Told myself I didn't want to see him anyway. I lied so well, I almost believed it.
But it got harder to ignore when the seat beside mine stayed empty. When the spot he always claimed in the library started gathering dust. When every hallway felt like a silent search for something I refused to admit I missed.
At first, I brushed it off. I told myself I was just tired from deadlines and the heavy air still clinging to campus after that stupid fight. But my body had other plans.
Every hallway felt like a silent search for something I refused to admit I missed. But lately, even my body was starting to betray me;head foggy, pulse erratic, skin hot for no reason.
By midweek, my head felt stuffed with cotton. Every lecture blurred at the edges. Standing too fast made the floor tilt under me.
Still, I kept going. Dragged myself to every class, hoping maybe this time he'd be there scowling at me for being late or poking at my notes just to be annoying. But he wasn't.
By Friday, my legs gave out on the library steps. I sat there with my bag digging into my spine, breathing through a spinning world until the dizziness finally faded.
When I got back to the dorm, Jacob didn't even look up from his game.
"You look like shit," he said.
"Thanks. I feel worse."
I dropped my bag and curled up on the blanket without even changing. The ache behind my eyes pulsed with every beat of my heart.
"Did you eat today?"
"I had coffee."
"That's not food, genius. You're pale. And you stink of Kenan's pheromones—even when he's not around. Did you two—"
"No," I cut him off.
I didn't want to think about Kenan's scent on me. I didn't want to think about how it made my bones feel like warm jelly or how my stomach twisted with something I refused to name.
Jacob sighed. "You need to see the nurse. This isn't normal."
"I'm fine. It'll pass."
It didn't pass.
By Monday, I could barely keep my eyes open in class. I forgot my lines during a presentation. I nearly threw up in the hallway.
When the nurse finally called my name, my vision blurred at the edges. Her hands were gentle, but her voice was firm.
"You're running a low-grade fever, and your pheromone levels are off. When was the last time you had your suppressant adjusted?"
Suppressant. The word stuck in my throat like glue.
She tapped her pen against her clipboard. "I'm scheduling a blood test and a check-up with Dr. Isabella. You need to come back tomorrow, Ciro. No excuses."
I nodded, because even arguing felt like too much.
When I stepped outside, the world was too bright. Too loud. I just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a week.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
No new messages.
Of course not.
Kenan was still gone.
And I was still here.
Falling apart.
Before I could spiral deeper, my phone rang.
Kenan P.O.V.
The meeting with the dean didn't go how I expected. No threat of expulsion. No disciplinary board. Just a quiet office, closed blinds, and my uncle behind the desk looking tired.
He didn't yell. Didn't even raise his voice. Just handed me a tissue box, like that could fix anything.
"Three students in the hospital, Kenan," he said. "And one of them swore he saw you smiling when you hit him."
I said nothing.
After a long pause, he leaned forward. "You're not expelled. But I want you off-campus for a while. Go back to the family house. Cool off. Recenter yourself."
I nodded. It was easier than arguing. What could I even say?
That I lost control? That I didn't regret it?
That I'd probably do it again?
I left the office heavier than when I walked in.
I told myself staying away would fix it. That putting distance between me and him would cut the fuse short.
It didn't.
The first day, I locked myself in my apartment with Polo pressed against my thigh. He whined every time I stumbled or snapped at him to stop pacing. My head burned behind my eyes. Every breath rattled like glass in my lungs.
By the second day, the fever had me seeing things. Shadows shifting in the corners of my vision. My own reflection snarling back at me from the bathroom mirror.
I tried masking it—scalding showers until my skin stung, suppressant pills like candy. Nothing worked.
My pheromones clung to the walls, thick enough to choke on. Polo refused to leave my side, pawing at my chest whenever I collapsed.
I couldn't smell him anymore. Couldn't smell anything. The world was just static in my nose.
I dragged myself out to the balcony once. Thought the breeze might help. It didn't.
I braced my arms on the railing, breath short and body dizzy. The city below spun like a carousel.
I should've gone to him. Before it got this bad. Before I burned from the inside out.
A rough laugh clawed out of my throat. My body trembled so hard I had to clutch the railing just to stay upright.
Who was I kidding?
No one else could settle this but him. And now I couldn't even find him if I wanted to.
Polo barked at the door, claws scratching the floor. He wanted me to move. Do something. Anything but rot here.
My phone buzzed weakly on the counter. I couldn't even see the screen through the sweat.
Didn't matter. Even if he called—I wouldn't smell him. Wouldn't feel him.
I pressed my forehead to the cold metal rail, breath shallow.
This was going to burn me alive.
I didn't need to pack. Everything was already prepared for me at the family house.
Like they expected me.
The house staff was already waiting outside. I dropped Polo off at Declan's lodge before heading in.
I nodded to the helpers and went straight inside. My chest already felt tight the moment I stepped onto the porch.
"My son. I missed you," came a familiar voice.
I looked down to see my mother's small figure. She pulled me into her arms, and for a second, all the tension slipped away.
"I heard what happened from Declan," she murmured.
Of course he told her.
Before I could say anything, the click of heels echoed down the hallway.
"I'm the first child, and I still don't get love like that," Isabella announced, strolling in and adjusting her hair.
My mother pulled back from me. "Don't be silly. I see you all the time. Kenan's a rare sighting these days."
I blinked at her. "You talk like I'm not even standing right here."
She smacked my hand playfully. "You know what I mean."
But before I could say anything else, she frowned. "Kenan... why are you so warm? Is your rut near?"
"No. I'm just a bit sick."
She looked around. "Isabella, come check your brother."
A voice from down the hall groaned, "You're a nurse. Why can't you do it?"
"I've been retired for ten years now. Come check him!"
Isabella let out a dramatic sigh and marched over.
"Kenan, you really need to finish your degree already. It's not safe being the only registered child in this family."
"I've got a few months left."
She stood in front of me, squinting. She grabbed my chin and tilted my face, examining me like I was a science project.
Then, loud and proud: "Mother, your son's in love."
My mother blinked, startled. "In love? With who?"
I stared at them both. "Wait, what?"
Isabella nodded like it was obvious. "If you could smell the hormones pouring off him right now... he's longing for him."
My mother, being a beta, could never read that kind of stuff.
With Isabella hands still clasped on my face "Oh, he's not just in love—he's in withdrawal. Like a junkie off his favorite substance."
She turned to Isabella. "Should I climb a mountain and praise the Lord?"
"You might want to start," Isabella grinned. "Remember that boy Kenan used to chase around when we were younger?"
"I beg your pardon. I never chased—"
"The one where they almost drowned each other in the river," my mother said, pointing. "If I wasn't there, you both would've died."
"Yes! That one," Isabella continued. "Apparently, they were paired up for that project Father helped fund."
My mother turned to me. "And no one thought to tell me this?"
Isabella just shrugged with a smirk.
I'd had enough.
I turned and headed upstairs, tuning out their gossip. I could still hear my mother yelling about checking on Father.
"Later," I called back.
"Check in with me at the hospital tomorrow—around noon," Isabella added, barely pausing before diving back into conversation with our mother.
I didn't answer. Just dragged myself upstairs, body heavier with every step.
I reached my room, collapsed onto the bed, and barely managed to pull the covers over me.
Didn't even care.
My eyes shut on their own.