*Two months prior*

My brother Aiden had introduced me to Owen. Aiden had been about to leave for his semester abroad.

“Owen’s my best friend,” Aiden said. Turning to Owen, he said, “I need you to take care of Stella for me while I’m abroad.”

I bristled with annoyance. Aiden was so overprotective. He always treated me like a little kid. “Aiden, I’m an adult now. I can take care of myself.”

Aiden gave me a soft smile. “Maybe, but you’ll always be my little sister. You can’t blame me for worrying about you.”

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

Aiden opened his mouth to speak, but Owen cut him off.

“I will take care of her,” Owen said like a vow.

The tension in Aiden’s shoulders eased. “Good. That’s a relief. Thank you.”

Neither man seemed eager to listen to me. Owen had only barely glanced at me the whole time.

I’d heard of Owen even before meeting him. His cold, standoffish reputation preceded him. I had no idea how he and Aiden, always warm and smiling, had become such good friends.

Regardless, I had purposefully avoided Owen since that moment, and he’d seemed content to keep his own distance. But now, standing in his dorm room with his hand on my arm, I was snared in his attention.

***Present***

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” He was still waiting for an answer. When I didn’t give one, his gaze narrowed.

“How long after Aiden left did you hook up with Ethan?” Owen asked. “It’s only been two months.”

I didn’t need my brother’s permission to date, and I certainly didn’t need to explain myself to Owen. “This has nothing to do with you!”

I attempted to rip my arm from his grasp, but he held firm. His hand was hot against my cold, damp skin.

“Ethan thinks he’s smart,” Owen said. “He walks down this hallway to use the side stairwell up to his room. He avoids using the main stairwell, but none of us are fooled. Everyone in this building knows what he has going on.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Stella, I’ve seen him bring at least six girls up to his room in the past two months...”

The air punched from my lungs. No, that couldn’t be right! Ethan had a solid reputation as a popular, future Alpha. He was a center forward on the soccer team, and never missed a practice. He always held doors open for women, and everyone said how much of a gentleman he was.

With me, he had always whispered soft sweet words in my ear when we were together. He’d complimented my looks, and my body. Sometimes he’d say how much he wanted to keep me wrapped up like a present just for him.

Until today, he’d returned all my messages, usually including lots of heart emojis.

There was no way he could be doing the same with other woman.

“You don’t believe me,” Owen said, not a question.

“I have no reason to trust you.” I had to get away from Owen. I needed to see Ethan! “You clearly don’t approve. I bet you’d say anything to keep me away from him, but it won’t work!”

I tried again to break free from Owen’s hold. When he wouldn’t budge, I grabbed his wrist with my hand and twisted.

He didn’t even wince. Instead, his free hand pried my grip away.

“Let me go!” I demanded.

Owen’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t say anything. His touch wasn’t hard enough to bruise, but it was firm, like a shackle.

I met his glare with my own. “You can’t stop me from seeing Ethan. tonight.”

“You want to see him so badly?” Owen growled. “Come with me.”

I dug in my heels. I didn’t want to go anywhere with him.

When we reached Ethan’s door, I squirmed against Owen’s hold with renewed fury. Owen couldn’t be here for this.

“Let go of me!”

To my surprise, he complied, but only to reach past me and open Ethan’s door.

A dim table light illuminated the large space bright enough for me to see the tangled sheets of the bed – and the two figures entwined under them.

Ethan had his mouth against the neck of another woman. His hips pushed between her open thighs. Her face scrunched up in pleasure.

My stomach dropped to the floor. “Ethan…?”

It couldn’t be him. It had to be some other guy who looked just like him, who had borrowed his room. Ethan wouldn’t do this to me.

The couple froze. The girl, gasping, snatched at the sheet to hide her exposed breasts. Ethan rolled away from her and up onto his feet beside the bed. Grabbing the comforter, he wrapped it around his waist.

“Owen?” Ethan ran a hand over his face, wiping sweat from his brow. He laughed. “Now isn’t the best time. Did you need something?”

That was Ethan’s voice. His laugh. His face. His body, walking toward us. I couldn’t deny what I was seeing anymore.

“Ethan?” I whispered again, chest aching. There had to be some explanation for this.

Ethan’s hand dropped. He looked at me as if noticing me for the first time, and with that recognition, anger followed. His brow furrowed.

“Stella? What are you doing here?” Glancing between me and Owen, his lip curled into an ugly snarl. “Are you checking up on me? Did you coax Owen to keep an eye on me?”

“N-No, I –”

He wouldn’t let me finish. “You didn’t have to bring him into this. If we had something to talk about, we could do it privately.”

“But there is something!” I said in a rush before he could cut me off again. I stepped into the room. “It’s really important, and we need to—”

“Get out,” Ethan snapped.

“But –”

“Now, Stella.” Stepping forward, he roughly shoved my shoulders, pushing me backwards. “I’m so sick of clingy girls like you, watching me every second.”

My feet skidded across the floor tiles. I struggled to stay upright.

“Do you think you own me? You think you can tell me what I can and can’t do?” His sharp scowl almost tore into me.

“If you would listen –”

“You’ve gone too far this time. We’re done.”

“Ethan, please!”

“Don’t call me. Don’t text me. Don’t speak to me!”

My heels caught on the doorframe, and I stumbled into Owen, who hadn’t moved an inch from where he’d been.

His hand caught my elbow as I righted myself against the wall of his body. When I was steady, his hand left away so quickly I wondered if I had imagined it.

I turned back to Ethan. I started forward again, ready to fight to get him to listen. “I only want to—”

Ethan slammed the door in my face. If I had been one inch closer, it would have broken my nose.

I stood frozen for a moment, staring at the grain of the wooden door. Disbelief pulsed through my veins.

I couldn’t move. How could this have happened?!