15.

********

As Noah stepped out of the classroom, adjusting his wrinkled clothes and trying to steady his breath, the last thing he expected was to run straight into someone.

A sharp intake of breath.

Noah’s heart dropped.

The student standing before him—Daniel Foster, one of the more arrogant guys in his class—tilted his head, sharp eyes scanning Noah’s disheveled appearance. His lips curled into a smirk.

“Well, well,” Daniel drawled. “Didn’t expect to see you sneaking out of an empty classroom looking like that, Teach.”

Noah stiffened. His stomach twisted with dread. He darted a quick glance back, but Kieran was still inside, obscured by the doorframe.

Daniel’s smirk widened. “What were you doing in there, huh?” He leaned in, lowering his voice. “Don’t tell me our shy little professor is breaking the rules?”

Noah swallowed hard. “It’s none of your business,” he murmured, trying to sidestep him.

But Daniel wasn’t done. His hand shot out, grabbing Noah’s wrist. “You know…” He looked him up and down, eyes lingering a little too long. “It’d be a real shame if someone told the administration about this. A teacher fooling around in school like some cheap—”

A sharp sound.

Daniel froze.

Noah barely had time to register what had happened before the air around them shifted—before the temperature seemed to drop into something suffocating, something dark.

A hand had wrapped around Daniel’s wrist.

Kieran.

He stood behind him now, silent, deadly, his fingers tightening like a vice.

Daniel let out a choked breath, face paling as he turned to see who had grabbed him. His smirk faltered.

Kieran’s lips parted into a slow, wicked smile.

“You were saying?” Kieran murmured, his voice a low purr, dangerously smooth.

Daniel swallowed, his bravado cracking. “I—”

Kieran yanked his wrist tighter. Daniel winced.

“Say it again,” Kieran coaxed, tilting his head. “Call him that one more time. I dare you.”

Noah’s breath caught.

Daniel tried to jerk away, but Kieran’s grip was merciless. His nails dug into Daniel’s skin, an unspoken warning laced in the way his body remained perfectly still—like a predator deciding if it was worth playing with its prey before tearing it apart.

Noah’s pulse pounded. “Kieran,” he whispered.

Kieran ignored him, his attention still locked on Daniel. “You were threatening him just now, weren’t you?” His voice was deceptively light, but Noah could hear it—could feel it. The storm brewing beneath the surface.

Daniel’s jaw clenched. “I—I was just messing around.”

Kieran’s smile widened. “Were you?”

In one swift movement, he twisted Daniel’s wrist back.

A strangled grunt escaped Daniel’s throat as he stumbled, eyes going wide. Kieran leaned in, voice a dark whisper against his ear.

“If I ever hear your voice near him again,” Kieran said softly, “you won’t be walking away next time.”

A long silence.

Daniel trembled.

And then Kieran let go.

Daniel stumbled back, cradling his wrist, his face ashen. He didn’t say another word before turning on his heel and rushing down the hall.

Noah stared.

His chest was tight, breath uneven, but Kieran… Kieran just stood there, watching Daniel go, amusement flickering in his eyes.

Then, slowly, he turned back to Noah.

His smirk returned.

“Looks like you need me around more than you thought, baby.”

********

Noah took a shaky step back, his heart still racing from what had just happened. He shouldn’t have felt relieved by Kieran’s presence—by the way he had effortlessly made Daniel crumble—but a dangerous part of him did.

Still, he knew this wasn’t right.

“Kieran,” he breathed, forcing himself to meet those wild, dark eyes. “You need to stop this. You’re my student. I’m older than you.”

The moment the words left his lips, he knew he had made a mistake.

Kieran’s expression shifted instantly.

Something inside him snapped.

Before Noah could react, Kieran grabbed his wrist, yanking him back into the empty classroom with terrifying ease. The door slammed shut behind them, the air thick with something suffocating.

Noah gasped as his back hit the wall, Kieran’s body caging him in.

“You’re older than me, kitten?” Kieran murmured, his voice deceptively soft—dangerously smooth. His fingers traced Noah’s jaw, tilting his chin up, forcing him to look at him. “Is that what you think will keep me away, baby? , you're so little, my pretty boy ain't you?”

Noah’s breath hitched.

Kieran’s grip tightened. “Do you really believe that matters?” His lips brushed against Noah’s ear, his voice dark, intoxicating. “Because if you do… then you’re a fool.”

Noah shuddered. “Kieran—”

“Shh.” Kieran pressed closer, his hand sliding down, fingers digging into Noah’s waist possessively. “You don’t get it, do you?”

His lips curved into something sharp, something obsessive.

“You belong to me.”

Noah’s heart pounded as Kieran’s other hand traced up his chest, his thumb dragging over his rapid pulse.

“Older, younger, student, teacher—it doesn’t matter,” Kieran whispered. “Nothing will ever keep me away from you.”

Noah swallowed, trying to steady himself. “Kieran, please, you’re—”

Kieran cut him off, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin of Noah’s throat. “And if you ever try to run from me, to push me away…” His voice dropped lower, his breath hot against Noah’s skin. “I’ll remind you exactly who you belong to.”

Noah whimpered as Kieran’s tongue flicked against his pulse point before biting down—not enough to break skin, but enough to send shivers down his spine.

“You think being older makes you in control?” Kieran taunted, his fingers sliding lower, possessive and demanding. “You’re mine, kitten. And I’ll make sure you never forget it.”

Noah trembled, trapped between fear and something far more dangerous.

And Kieran just smiled.

Dark. Sinister.

Completely obsessed.

*****

Kieran's pov:-

Kieran’s hands trembled, his jaw locked so tightly it ached. The audacity. The sheer fucking audacity of his little lover to say something so ridiculous.

“You’re my student. I’m older than you.”

Older?

That pretty little kitten thought age would keep him safe? That it somehow gave him power? That it meant anything when Kieran had already claimed every inch of him?

The thought made Kieran’s lips curl into a cruel smile.

How adorable.

How utterly naïve.

Noah wasn’t older—he was just a pretty little thing who needed to be tamed properly. A fragile, delicate kitten who had no idea how dangerous it was to say something like that to him.

Kieran’s rage simmered beneath his skin, white-hot and unrelenting.

He needed to break something.

Someone.

And then he remembered.

Daniel.

That pathetic bastard who had dared to threaten his Noah. He didn't said anything to him in front of his sweet Noah, but now---

A slow, wicked grin spread across Kieran’s lips as he turned on his heel, heading straight for the locker room.

The second he stepped inside, the stench of sweat and cologne filled his nostrils, but he barely noticed. His gaze zeroed in on him.

Daniel.

Laughing. Chatting like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t just tried to blackmail Noah.

Kieran saw red.

Before Daniel even had the chance to register his presence, Kieran was on him.

The first punch landed with a sickening crunch, sending Daniel sprawling onto the cold tiles.

The room went silent.

Gasps. Shuffling. Someone cursed. But Kieran didn’t care.

He lunged.

Daniel barely had time to react before Kieran grabbed him by the collar, slamming him against the metal lockers with a deafening bang.

“W-What the fuck—” Daniel sputtered, eyes wide with fear. “Kieran, I—”

Another punch. Harder this time. His knuckles stung, but the pain was satisfying.

Daniel choked on a groan, blood dripping from his nose.

“Kieran, stop—”

Another hit.

And another.

And another.

Daniel begged.

He whimpered. He clutched at Kieran’s arms, trying to push him away.

But Kieran just laughed.

Dark. Low. Manic.

“Did you really think you could touch what’s mine?” Kieran hissed, his voice dripping with venom. His fingers wrapped around Daniel’s throat, tightening. “Did you really think you could threaten him?”

Daniel gasped, clawing at Kieran’s wrist. His face was turning red—his eyes wild with fear.

“P-Please—”

Kieran tilted his head, amused. “Please what?”

Daniel’s lips trembled. “S-Stop—”

Kieran leaned in, his voice a deadly whisper. “That’s what I thought.”

With a final shove, he let go, watching as Daniel collapsed onto the floor, coughing and gasping for air.

Pathetic.

Weak.

A fucking insect.

Kieran rolled his shoulders, stepping back, satisfied as Daniel curled into himself, shaking.

The locker room remained silent.

Everyone had seen.

Good.

Let them.

Let them know.

He didn’t give a fuck.

He owned Noah.

And if anyone dared to touch him again…

They wouldn’t be so lucky.