You weren’t supposed to be here.

Rafe Cameron’s Halloween party was alive with music and laughter, a flashing, chaotic world that you had no business entering. Last week’s sabotage still burned in your mind—the test he’d hacked just to humiliate you, the zero he had smirked over before “fixing” it. You hadn’t forgotten, and maybe that was why you had shown up tonight, defiance in your veins.

The backyard was crowded, but your eyes went straight to him. Rafe stood at the center like he owned the night, dressed as the Joker. His grin was painted on, but it only amplified the menace in his sharp blue eyes. Girls clustered around him, but he ignored them, scanning the crowd like a predator. And then he saw you.

Everything shifted. His jaw tightened. His posture sharpened. Step by step, he made his way toward you, cutting through the crowd with effortless authority.

When he stopped in front of you, the music and laughter fell away. He was close enough that you could feel the heat from his body. “What the hell are you doing here?” His voice was low, dangerous.

You didn’t flinch. I go where I want, you said, voice steady, edged with defiance.

“I told you not to come,” he growled, the warning clear in every word.

Before you could answer, someone tapped your shoulder. You turned to see a pirate grinning at you. “You’re cute—”

“She’s taken.” Rafe’s arm shot around your shoulder, pulling you close in a claim that left no room for argument. His voice was ice against your skin, cutting through the noise of the party.

You rolled your eyes but didn’t push him away. The pirate backed off immediately, the air around him charged with unspoken threat.

When Rafe let go, his gaze stayed fixed on yours. “That’s why,” he muttered, soft but sharp, leaving no question who controlled this space, who had the final word.

The party continued around you, oblivious, but for a moment, it was just the two of you—tense, charged, unyielding.