Chapter Nine: I am in the Shadows

Bailey’s footsteps echoed in the nearly empty hallway. His bag swung loosely at his side, and for once, he didn’t feel entirely alone. Something about the campus—today—felt… different. Safe. He couldn’t explain it.

And then he heard the click of polished shoes behind him.

He froze, tail brushing against his legs instinctively.

“Sunny,” a deep, calm voice said from just a few feet behind him.

Bailey’s heart jumped. Turning slowly, he found himself face-to-face with silver eyes that pierced him—not threatening, not cruel, just… intent.

Luca Ulric Skholl.

The Alpha had stepped out of the shadows as if he had always been there. And somehow, Bailey realized—he had been.

Luca’s presence filled the hallway. Not loud, not overwhelming, but undeniable. Strong, protective, unwavering.

“You… you’re here,” Bailey stammered, voice small. “I… I didn’t know…”

“You never needed to,” Luca replied, expression unreadable, but his wolf’s tension hummed beneath his skin. “I’ve always been here.”

Bailey blinked, realizing something he had suspected but never truly understood. Every small act, every coincidence that had made him feel safe, every brush of luck that kept him out of harm’s way—it had all been Luca.

His pulse quickened, tail wagging tentatively. He felt a warmth rise in his chest, nervous and exhilarated all at once.

“Always…?” Bailey whispered, voice trembling. “It’s… been you?”

Luca’s jaw tightened, lips curling into a faint, imperfect smile—the smile that had once slipped against his own control when Bailey had wagged his tail, eyes sparkling, unguarded and golden.

“Yes,” Luca admitted, voice low. “Every time. Every step. Every mistake I could correct. Every danger I could prevent. Always.”

Bailey’s knees went weak. For the first time, the Omega realized just how much someone had been looking out for him… and how much he had relied on that presence without even knowing it.

“I… I felt safe,” Bailey murmured, looking down. “Even when… when I didn’t know why. Even when I was scared.”

Luca took a step closer, the faint scent of winter and smoke mingling with something warmer—something Omega-drawing. His wolf rumbled softly in approval.

“That’s because I couldn’t—wouldn’t—let anything happen to you,” Luca said. “Not once. Not ever.”

Bailey lifted his gaze, eyes wide, sparkling, golden, and so full of trust it made Luca’s chest ache. “It was… you. All along.”

Luca’s lips curved again—this time, a little more fully. Not for the cameras, not for anyone else. Just for him.

“Yes,” he said simply. “It’s always been me.”

A moment of silence stretched between them. Not awkward. Not tense. Warm. Safe. Unshakable.

Bailey’s tail wagged slowly, a happy, tentative gesture. Luca’s wolf stirred beneath his skin, possessive, attentive, protective.

Sweet obsession had fully taken root.

And for the first time, Luca didn’t hide it.

Because this little golden light, this Bailey Copper, would never be alone again.