Darius's POV: I had just wrapped up the deal for Astralis College's combat training rooms. I turned down the principal and board members who wanted to see me off and went straight to Class F to find Thora. It had only been a week since I'd seen her, but the longing inside me had doubled. I almost wanted to shift into my wolf form and run straight to her. But I had a reputation to keep. I couldn't act like some lovesick fool. From a distance, I spotted a crowd of students gathered in one place. In the middle stood Thora—the girl who had filled my mind all week. And some punk I'd never seen was picking a fight with her. I frowned and automatically quickened my pace.As I got closer, their voices grew clearer. "Who the hell dares call himself Thora's fiancé? She's ours—our future mate!" Lorcan's voice thundered in my head, snarling inside our shared mind. Damn it! That arrogant Argenvale brat. He's the one who doesn't deserve to be near Thora! Let me out. I'll teach him a lesson! I stayed calm, watching Thora's cool reaction. Relax, I told Lorcan through the mind-link. She can handle herself. And she was handling it. The only thing she showed toward Caleb was disgust. No fear. No interest. My panic eased. I stopped a short distance away and just watched. The crowd faded from my eyes. All I saw was her. She looked like she was glowing. And when she snapped at that boy, my chest tightened. She was adorable like that.When she said, strong and sharp, "Funny. I'd never marry a dull man like you," I nearly laughed out loud. My heart soared. Then Caleb lost control. His wolf power started to rise. Something felt off. I moved fast. "Thora, you're outrageous!" He lifted his hand to strike her ... I caught his wrist first. I hadn't even used wolf power, but I didn't hold back my strength either. Caleb yelped in pain. "Ouch! Let go of me!" He tried to pull free but couldn't budge me. His eyes burned with anger. "Who the hell are you? How dare you butt into my business?" "It's you?" Thora looked at me, surprised. I didn't answer. I let go of Caleb's wrist and quickly scanned Thora from head to toe, making sure she was unharmed. Only then did I glance at Caleb, who was clutching his swollen wrist. "You're the Argenvale Pack's alpha heir, and you're bullying a girl at school? How's that going to sound when word gets out?" Caleb opened his mouth to snap back, but his two lackeys glanced behind me. They caught sight of Carl and Phantom and whispered something in his ear. Caleb's expression shifted. He glared at me with the look of someone who wanted to explode but didn't dare. They'd recognized me. I clicked my tongue inwardly. Carl and Phantom still stood out too much. I'd have to lecture them about that later. Caleb finally forced out an answer, "She ... she's my fiancée, but she's been sneaking around with rogues. I just lost my temper." "Fiancée?" My voice went cold as I repeated the word.This punk had no idea how close I was to breaking his arm. "You just said you were breaking off the engagement," Thora said. Caleb swung his anger back toward her. "And you said I couldn't break it!" "You got insulted, and now you're not breaking it? Where's your backbone?" They were bickering like I wasn't even there. My brow furrowed. This felt bad. Like I was standing outside her world, unable to step in. "Who says I'm not breaking it?" Caleb snapped. "I'll go back to the pack today and cancel it!" Thora smiled. "Great. Do it. Otherwise, you're just a clown." "You ... " He raised his hand again, furious. This time, I released my alpha aura.Caleb froze, shuddered, then glared at me. "We'll see about this," he spat before storming off with his lackeys. I waved a hand at Carl to clear the gawking students. In moments, only Thora and I remained. Finally, no one to interrupt us. I felt a flicker of relief and stepped closer. "Why'd you cut your hair?" I asked, eyes on her sharp, short style. I reached out without thinking. "It actually looks pretty good." But before my fingers could touch, she turned aside. "Do we know each other that well?" she asked, puzzled. My hand hung there in midair. That wall between us rose up again. I hated the distance and the coldness. I opened my mouth to bridge the gap between us when another voice suddenly cut in.