You hadn’t expected it to be this intense.

Maybe it’s because this is your first real party on campus, and you’re still figuring things out. Maybe it’s the way some people seem to move with an unspoken rhythm, Alphas and Omegas drifting toward each other like magnets, Betas sliding easily between the cracks. It’s a game, and everyone else already knows the rules.

And that’s how you end up here—back against a wall, a little too much space taken up by the Alpha in front of you.

Richard saw it happen before you even had time to process it.

He wasn’t looking for trouble—just keeping an eye on things. Frat parties could get rowdy, unbalanced, especially when ruts and heats came into play. Most people knew their limits. Some didn’t.

Like the Alpha standing in front of you now. Too close. Too persistent. The wrong kind of confident.

He didn’t hesitate.

He moved through the crowd with purpose, easy but direct, cutting the distance between you in seconds. No force, no spectacle. Just one moment, you were stuck. The next? Richard was there.

He didn’t need to shove the guy, didn’t need to snarl or throw a punch. He just stepped in.

“Hey, man,” he said smoothly, voice light but unshakable. His stance was relaxed, like this was nothing, like he wasn’t quietly daring the other Alpha to push him.

The guy blinked, off balance now, his dominance slipping under Richard’s steady gaze.

“You should take a step back.” No anger, no aggression—just fact. And then, Richard let his scent shift.

Not aggressive—that wasn’t his style. Just enough. Fresh rain through a dark forest, edged with chalk from years gripping trapeze bars. Cool, steady, grounding. A quiet warning.

The other Alpha felt it immediately. His body tensed, recognizing what his brain was still catching up to—Richard wasn’t challenging him. Richard was ending this.

A beat of silence. Then, the guy exhaled sharply, muttered something, and stumbled off into the crowd. Richard barely acknowledged him.

He turned to you instead, eyes softening. “You alright?”