I was on my computer when I heard the door open and saw Torrance's arm over Chase's shoulder a couple days later. Torrance's body weight was being supported by him as his right foot levitated from the ground. I rushed right over and didn't hesitate from pulling Torrance's drenched body away from Chase.

"What happened?!" I asked, setting him on the bed.

"I slipped on some stairs and this nice guy, Jace...Chris...Chad-"

"Chase," Chase and I corrected.

"Yeah. He helped me back here," he finished. "Wait. You know each other?"

"Yes."

"Unfortunately," I replied, shooting glares at Chase. He was up to something. I looked back to an injured Torrance. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to your apartment after work?"

"I had exciting news," he beamed with his perfect white teeth, completely disregarding Chase's presence in the room. "I got promoted."

"Promoted?" I asked.

"As soon as I graduate this December, I'll be an official journalist for the New York Times," he smiled.

"Oh my God. Congrats!" I cheered before hugging him and nearly tackling him on the bed before any part of my body touching him began to throb painfully. I pulled away but he pecked my lips and I laughed.

"Anyways..." Chase said as he lingered at the door. I still avoided his eyes. "I guess I should go..."

"I guess you should-"

"No no no," Torrance interrupted. "You deserve some kind of praise. I mean, there could've been no one there. I can't believe you were just walking in the rain..."

"Yeah..." he said. At least he was wearing a hoodie to make it seem believable... "It was no big deal. Anyone would've done it."

"I doubt it," Torrance commented. "Do you go here?"

"Yeah. I just transferred," he answered causing me to roll my eyes.

"What's your major?" Torrance asked.

"I was military sciences, but I settled for political science when I got here," he answered. Of course. He was an authoritative Alpha. I wasn't surprised.

"Really? That's cool. My investigative journalism class is currently interested in-"

"Well it's getting late. Chase, you should be getting to your dorm or something of the sorts," I interrupted Torrance, who was too friendly for his own good.

"I can help you there. I can't walk, but I do have a car," Torrance offered. His blessed niceness was such a curse.

"Nah. I don't live in town. I live a couple hours away considering I don't have classes every day," Chase informed.

"Oh. Well, still, do you need a ride?" Torrance asked.

"I'm sure he has a nice, fast sports car of his own, babe," I said with clenched teeth.

"Actually, my car's in the shop," Chase informed. I was only mad because avoiding eye contact with him meant I couldn't see the lie glint a certain way in his eyes, "so a ride would be nice, thanks."

"Oh alright," Torrance shrugged while reaching for his keys and spinning them on his finger.

"I'm gonna go pick up a couple books from the book store that I ordered and then I should be ready to go," Chase said, pointing over his shoulder.

"I'll meet you in the lobby downstairs in say, about, ten minutes after I wrap my ankle?"

"Sure," Chase concluded before leaving. I glared after him until Torrance cupped my chin and made me look up at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing," I lied with a frown. Torrance flinched into a frown himself before noting my unhappiness.

"I'm just trying to return his favor," he said. "What's the harm in that?"

"I can think of a few," I mumbled.

"We'll talk about it when I get back," he decided while dropping his hand.

"Don't bother. I'll probably be asleep," I sighed.

"Fine. Then tomorrow," he compromised.

"Night," I said.

"Good night," he said, kissing me briefly.

"Be careful," I warned before he left.

What was Chase up to with this?

***

"So you're with Alicia," I started.

"Yep," Torrance smiled as he drove in the rain in his navy BMW. "Nine months."

"And how's that going?" I was impressed with the nine months. She didn't even last that long with Wes...not that she had the option to. I was only shocked because I had been gone a lot longer than nine months and couldn't see how guys weren't immediately infatuated with her as soon as she was single for the whole three years' time. She said she had been over me for a year...that's probably when she met this guy. I didn't care how good of a person he seemed. I wanted as much dirt and information on him as possible.

"Oh amazing. Alicia's the best girlfriend I've ever had," he smiled. Even though I could guess every quality he was thinking in reference to her superiority, my wolf was barking. She was my mate and another man was claiming her. Jealousy and regret flooded all of my senses and I was hoping Torrance had insecurities of his own I could play at.

"So no problems at all?"

"Nah. The only problems we've ever had were her friends, but it's our relationship not theirs so they don't really matter to me," he shrugged.

"Which friends?"

"Yeah. Wes Knight? Mason Russell? Do you know them?" he asked. I nodded. "Mason is just standoffish but Jasmine and Alicia said that's just how he is, but he's never around so again, it doesn't matter to me. But Wes just really hates me."

"Why?" I asked innocently with feigned confusion. I wanted to smile at the boys because I knew why they disliked Torrance. It was a defense mechanism as a combination of being my friends, being in my pack, and sharing a mate of their own and wanting Alicia to be with me so we would have the glory in the bond as well. Eli wanted us together too, but he was too nice to torment someone because something they had no control over. Normally, I'd think the same, but this was my mate we were talking about.

"I don't know. He's never liked me from day one," he shrugged, "he's Leee's best friend though, so it's just something I have to accept until I win him over."

"Leese?" I asked even though I really wanted to ask if he knew Wes was Alicia's ex. Maybe his knowledge about the guy who spends so much time with his girlfriend would make him mistrust Alicia and break up with her.

"Alicia, sorry," he clarified.

"Yet another one of her nicknames," I hissed because I had one of my own for her.

"Yeah. She didn't like Lili, so I came up with Leese," he explained. He suddenly smiled, oblivious to my sour demeanor in the seat beside him. "Jasmine and Eli still call her Lili even though she hates it."

"She's always hated it," I mumbled and looked out of the window so I wouldn't have to look at his perfect teeth that I wanted to smash in.

"So how long have you known Alicia?" Torrance asked. Of course she didn't tell him about me. I had to contain myself from smiling evilly, which took a second before I looked straightforward once more.

"Since high school," I answered. Even though it was just years ago, it seemed like a lifetime. As soon as I had looked at her junior year, I knew I wanted to look at her and her beauty for the rest of my life. I should've appreciated the times when I could rudely stare at her in school.

"So you do know Wes and them," he noticed.

"Yeah. Wes is my cousin, Eli's my best friend, and Mason's a family friend," I admitted. He suddenly snapped.

"I knew it," he exclaimed. "I thought you looked familiar. Maybe I saw you a glimpse of you at the wedding."

"Maybe," I replied even though I knew he hadn't seen me. But I had certainly seen him. I had seen him outside talking on the phone when I had ran up to give my toast to Jasmine and Eli. I didn't know who he was then, but as soon as Alicia returned to the reception to be in his arms, I couldn't forget his face. It was the face that caused me pain for existing with the reason for my existence. "So how'd you meet Alicia?"

"Oh. She was trying to get forced into a class that I previously TA'd for and I was in the professor's office asking for a letter of rec when she stumbled in. It sparked from there," he told. "She's pretty fantastic."

"She's fantastic now, but if you hurt her, she'll get vicious."

He laughed. Why was he laughing? I was serious, but I should've meant that I'd be the vicious one if he did hurt her. I'd be vicious to him if he didn't even do anything to her actually.

"Last time I checked, Wes is her ex-boyfriend and somehow hurt her in numerous ways and still got off scotch free," he scoffed, "so free that they're still best friends. I'm not excusing the behavior, but I know me and I know I wouldn't hurt her, so if he did and got that kind of treatment, then I-"

"So when you two break up, you would want to be best friends with her?" I asked. I thought it would be stupid for anyone to be best friends with their ex. It was a weird territory that Wes navigated, but I couldn't do it. I loved her too much to ever want to just be friends with her. I understood that now.

We stopped at a stoplight and Torrance looked over to me with his dark brown eyes.

"Who says we'll break up?" he challenged.

"Well isn't it obvious? You're just a fling for college," I lied so I could put the idea in his head.

"If we were just a fling, we would've ended a long time ago," he said confidently. The niceness of Torrance Shaw had been reduced into an act of protection. I respected it, but knew it wouldn't really get him that far with me.

"You sure about that?"

"More than anything," he said before driving past the now green light. When he said it, I heard more than protection in his voice. I heard absolute conviction. He loved her. She loved him. They were serious.

Even though his intent humbled me for what I couldn't do for year, I didn't care. Alicia was mine and I was hers. I didn't care if she was married with five kids when I came back. I was here for her. And as far as I was concerned, even though I knew I wasn't good enough for her, I knew no one else would be either-not even the naïve rich boy she was currently in a relationship with. He only raised her standards even more and I was going to uphold them. I had to. I needed to. And if it meant getting rid of Torrance then so be it.

"Here you go," he said as he pulled up to my old house, hours later. Thankfully we had stopped talking about Alicia as he shifted into asking me about my interests and what I had gathered from my major. I couldn't exactly tell him where I had been the last three years or that the university credits I transferred over were false, but I shared the basics of the information I had learned while being a political figurehead groomed to head a military of my own.

"Thanks for the ride," I returned.

"Thanks for helping me from falling," he responded with a pearly white smile. I still wanted to punch them out.

"No problem. Thanks again."

"Anytime," he offered. "You can ask a friend of a friend for my number if you need a ride back to the school."

"Oh. Nah. I'm sure I can get a ride," I said even though I didn't have any more classes until Thursday. I shut the door, but after he backed out of the driveway, I could tell her stopped in the street. I turned back from the porch to see him rolling his window down. What now? "You know, I may dislike Wes, but you and I could actually be good friends."

I tried my hardest to forge a smile that he accepted as an affirmation before waving to him so he could drive off. My fake smile immediately fell and my vision was coated in red as I glared at the car leaving my street.

There was no way I would ever befriend anyone standing between me and Alicia being together.