30 days to save my alpha Chapter 2: The Alpha's Jealous Rage

The boy in front of her blinked. He was tall, with messy brown hair and innocent hazel eyes. A human. Not a wolf. Not dangerous. But his voice was warm when he spoke again.

"Uh... okay. That’s... intense. I’m Ethan, by the way. First year. You looked like you were about to cry in the rain. Thought I should check."

Ethan. Ethan Brooks. Aria remembered him. 10 years ago, he had been her only friend in this university. The only human who didn’t treat her like trash.

But this time, things were different. This time she didn’t have 4 years to make friends. She had 30 days.

Aria forced herself to stand. Her knees were still weak. Rain dripped from her hair, soaking her uniform. She looked pathetic. Weak. Exactly what Damon hated.

"Thanks, Ethan. I’m fine." She managed a small smile. "Just... bad day."

Ethan smiled back, wide and genuine. "Well, bad days are better when you don’t face them alone. Come on, let me walk you to the dorm. You’re shivering."

He reached out and brushed a wet strand of hair from her cheek. His fingers were gentle. Warm.

Aria froze.

She didn’t see the shadows move. She didn’t hear the low growl. But she felt it. The air turned heavy. Cold. Dominant.

Every hair on her neck stood up. That scent hit her nose a second later. Pine trees. Blood. Thunder before a storm.

Damon.

"Take your hand off her."

The voice was quiet. Too quiet. And that was worse than shouting.

Ethan pulled his hand back instantly, confusion on his face. He turned and his eyes widened.

Damon Voss was standing 5 feet away. Rain slid off his black jacket like it was afraid to touch him. His golden eyes weren’t golden anymore. They were molten. Burning. Fixed on Ethan’s hand like he wanted to break every bone in it.

The entire courtyard went silent. Students stopped walking. Even the rain seemed to fall softer.

Damon’s jaw was clenched. His fists at his sides. Every muscle in his 6'3 frame was pulled tight, like a predator ready to snap.

Ethan, being human and stupidly brave, tried to speak. "I was just—"

"Shut up." Damon didn’t even look at him. His eyes were locked on Aria. Only Aria. "I wasn’t talking to you."

Aria’s heart slammed against her ribs. This wasn’t in the plan. Damon wasn’t supposed to notice her for at least 2 weeks. He wasn’t supposed to care. He wasn’t supposed to be jealous.

But that look in his eyes... that was pure possessive rage.

Damon took one slow step forward. Then another. Each step made the ground feel heavier.

"She said she’s fine." His voice dropped lower, dangerous. "So why is a human boy touching her?"

Ethan took a step back, hands raised. "Dude, calm down. She was just upset. I was being nice."

"Nice." Damon repeated the word like it tasted like poison. His gaze flicked to Ethan for half a second. Pure threat. "Humans don’t get to be ‘nice’ to what’s mine."

Aria’s breath caught. _What’s mine._ He didn’t remember her. He didn’t believe in mates. But his wolf... his wolf remembered her scent.

The locket burned hot against her chest. *29:23:55:12*

"Don’t." Aria stepped between them. Her voice shook, but she forced it steady. "Damon, stop. He didn’t do anything wrong."

Damon’s eyes snapped to her. For one second, the rage softened. Just a flicker. Recognition. Pain. Like his soul knew her even if his mind didn’t.

Then the mask slammed back down. Cold. Ruthless. Alpha.

"Move, Aria." He said her name like a curse. Like it burned his tongue. "I don’t repeat myself."

"I’m not moving." She lifted her chin. Defiance sparked in her eyes. The same defiance that had made him fall in love with her 10 years later. "You don’t own me. You said it yourself. I’m not your mate."

The words hit him like a slap. Damon’s nostrils flared. His control snapped.

In one blur of movement, he grabbed Aria’s wrist and yanked her behind him. Not rough. But firm. Claiming. His body was a wall between her and Ethan.

"Maybe not." His voice was a growl now, low enough only she could hear. "But no one touches you. Not while I’m breathing. Understand?"

Aria’s wrist burned where he held her. His thumb brushed her pulse point, once, twice. Like he was checking if she was alive. Like he couldn’t stop himself.

Ethan watched this with wide eyes. He wasn’t stupid. He could see the danger rolling off Damon in waves. "Look man, I’m leaving. Sorry if I—"

"Don’t apologize to her." Damon didn’t turn around. "Apologize to me. For putting your hands where they don’t belong."

Ethan paled. "I— I’m sorry, okay? It won’t happen again."

Only then did Damon release her wrist. But he didn’t let her go far. He stepped to the side, and his hand settled on her lower back. Not holding. Not touching. Just... there. A warning to the entire world.

The message was clear: She’s under my protection. Touch her and die.

Aria wanted to scream. This was wrong. He was supposed to hate her. Not protect her. Not mark his territory like this.

But the locket pulsed. *29:23:53:00*

And for the first time, a small part of her wondered... what if he remembered faster than 10 years? What if the mate bond was stronger than his memory?

Damon finally looked at her. Really looked at her. Rainwater ran down his sharp jaw. His eyes searched her face, her eyes, her lips. Like he was trying to place her. Like he was fighting a memory that didn’t exist yet.

"You..." He paused. His voice dropped to a whisper only she could hear. "You smell familiar."

Aria’s heart stopped. "What?"

"Familiar." He said it again, almost angry. Like it annoyed him. "Like... death. And rain. And something else I can’t name."

His hand twitched on her back, like he wanted to pull her closer. But he clenched his fist instead. Control. Always control.

Then he turned away sharply. "Class starts in 5 minutes. Don’t be late, human."

He walked away. Long strides. Alpha aura crushing everything in his path. Students scattered. No one dared breathe until he was gone.

Ethan exhaled shakily. "Holy crap. What was that? I thought he was going to kill me."

Aria couldn’t answer. Her wrist still burned from Damon’s touch. Her back still felt the ghost of his hand.

She looked down at the locket. *29:23:50:00*

29 days left. And Damon already knew her scent.

But this was just the start. Because as Damon walked away, he didn’t see the girl watching them from the second floor balcony. Red hair. Red lips. Red eyes full of hatred.

Selena Voss. Damon’s cousin. And the girl who was supposed to become his Luna.

She smiled slowly. "So... the human has his attention already. Interesting."

Game just got harder.