Chapter 5

Joy’s POV

I arrived at the university riding a high. Maybe it was the buzz from the stupid little crush I nursed for the Water Moon Pack’s devastatingly handsome newcomer.

But the euphoria shattered the moment I turned a corner—and walked right into hell.

There he was. Lex. The new Alpha. Tongue-dueling with that overpainted cheer-slut.

Against my locker.

LOCKER.

And they weren’t just kissing.

They were dry-humping.

Publicly. Brazenly.

Like animals in heat.

I felt sick. Like I’d swallowed a bucket of bleach laced with jealousy.

Because let’s be honest—I didn’t want to be her.

I wanted him to be mine.

His hands, his mouth... everything.

And judging by her moans echoing off the lockers, I was right—she was living every girl’s fantasy.

I hated them.

I hated him.

But most of all, I hated me. For wanting him that badly.

I was a walking contradiction. A ticking emotional bomb.

Then suddenly, like a scene from some twisted romantic drama, my Beta—my best friend—Dante shoved me against Lex’s locker.

“Don’t kill me for this,” he muttered before crashing his lips onto mine.

My brain short-circuited.

His kiss was scorching, desperate, as if he were trying to kiss away the chaos inside me. His hand slid under my top like he had every right, and I whimpered at the contact.

I clutched his shirt, drunk on the heat. He wrapped my leg around his waist, grinding into me like a lover claiming what was his.

It was messy. Raw. Carnal.

And I wanted more.

Even the slutty couple had stopped to gawk. And that’s when I felt it—Lex’s gaze, burning a hole through my skull.

Speak of the devil…

“Yo,” came his cocky drawl. “Don’t think we’ve met.” His hand slapped the locker beside my head, veins flexing, muscles bulging like he’d been carved out of sin itself.

The heat from Dante’s lips lingered, but I was yanked back to reality. Dante reluctantly let me go, placing me on trembling legs and pecking my lips one last time.

My breath was ragged. My body? Wrecked.

And not in the good way.

Dante might’ve been a damn fine kisser, but he was still just… a friend. A very helpful, mouth-skilled friend.

And what the hell was he thinking?! Kissing me in public? With Lex watching?

“You are—?” Dante started, arching a brow like he wasn’t the same guy who'd info-dumped Lex’s entire resume on day one.

“None of your business,” Lex snapped, still glaring at Dante like he wanted to devour him—and not in the sexy way.

His eyes flicked to me. “Hey there, beautiful. Got a name to go with that resting b*tch face? I am Lex by the way,” he introduced himself before extending his hand.

“And I am disgusted,” I retorted back, making everyone laugh. His jaw dropped for a split second but then the corners of the arrogant Alpha’s mouth turned upward in amusement before he dropped down his hand which I refused to shake.

“That is a pretty unique name, Disgusted,” he mused. Being the outrageous flirt that he was, he continued unfazed, “Do you wanna have coffee with me sometime ?”

That earned a round of laughter from the growing crowd.

“Du-uuuude! She’s my girlfriend!” Dante protested, sticking to the bit like a champ.

Lex smirked. “Not if she says yes.”

He turned to me. “So? You gonna say yes, sweetheart?”

I stared at him like he was five different brands of delusional. “What makes you think you’re so damn irresistible?”

He leaned in, lips curling with sin. “Because, babe… I can touch your belly button. From the inside.”

Gasps. Laughter. Screams. Chaos.

My jaw dropped for a full two seconds before I threw him a glare sharp enough to slice granite.

“Looks like Queen Bee Joy Stone finally found her match!” someone snorted behind me, and I stiffened.

Lex frowned slightly, and I panicked—did he just connect me to the infamous Stone family?

But instead of calling me out, he muttered, “Oh. So you’re the legendary nerd and local prankster.”

Excuse me?

Did this insufferable jerk just call me a crappy prankster?

“How tragic is your life, Lex?” I fired back, stepping into his space. “Had to stoop low enough to flirt with the ‘crappy prankster’?”

I feigned a pout. “Pathetic. Truly.”

Cheers erupted. The crowd was eating this up like popcorn.

“You could always ask me out, then,” Lex volleyed.

“Sure. Get out,” I shot back without blinking.

“I can make you happy.”

“Why? Are you leaving?”

“Your snark,” he deadpanned, “is like diarrhea. You can’t hold it in.”

Laughter again. His fans were basically swooning.

I could’ve melted the paint off the lockers with my glare.

Then, without warning, Lex stepped in, caging me between his arms and the cold metal. The air shifted—thicker, hotter.

His face was dangerously close.

He wouldn’t dare, would he? Not in public. Not in front of everyone.

But his lips hovered—just a breath away from mine. Minty and cool. Tempting as sin. His gaze dropped to my lips, eyes smoldering.

Holy hell, this guy was a sexual weapon. Certified. Lethal.

My heart was thundering like a drum solo.

But of course, the bastard didn’t kiss me. Instead, he leaned in and whispered:

“Smile sometime. Your face won’t crack.”

I swear, I saw red. I wanted to time travel and let the Rogue King kill him twice.

I shoved him back, seething. “Get the hell off me and crawl back to Dumbburgh or wherever you spawned from. Stay ninety-two million miles away from me, peacock.”

He grinned, unbothered. “Alright… but can I borrow a kiss before I go? I promise to give it back.”

I curled my fist. “The only thing you’ll get is my shoe to your face. Want that instead?”

The bell rang.

Perfect timing.

He chuckled, shameless. “You’re cute.”

And then he stole a kiss.

A real one.

Fast. Hot. Infuriating.

Then he vanished into the crowd, leaving my lips tingling and my brain fried.

What. The. Actual. Fvck. Just. Happened?