Unlikely Mates

12

**Chapter Twelve: Crossing the Line**

Max could hardly focus on the pizza in front of him. He had eaten two slices already, but it all tasted like cardboard in his mouth. It wasn’t that the pizza was bad—he was sure it was delicious—it was just that his mind was elsewhere. Every time he looked up from his plate, Bradley was there, sitting across from him in the small, dimly lit booth. Every glance between them carried something unspoken, a tension that had only thickened since they left the dorm room.

Bradley was calm, his usual smirk absent, replaced by something more contemplative. He was leaning back in his seat, one arm draped over the booth’s edge, his eyes never straying far from Max. It wasn’t the predatory kind of attention Max might have expected from an alpha; it was more watchful, attentive, like Bradley was waiting for something, but unsure of what.

Max took a deep breath and grabbed another slice of pizza, using it as a distraction from the thoughts racing through his mind. The conversation had been casual so far, dipping in and out of safe, neutral topics like classes, shared professors, and some stupid gossip Bradley had overheard on campus. But underneath it all, Max could feel the weight of what they weren’t saying—the quiet understanding that had been growing between them, the feelings they hadn’t fully acknowledged yet.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Max couldn’t take the silence anymore.

“You’re quieter than usual,” he said, not quite looking up at Bradley. “I thought you’d have some smug alpha thing to say about last night.”

Bradley raised an eyebrow, a small smirk tugging at his lips, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m trying something new. Thought I’d give you a break from my usual charm.”

Max rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t suppress the small smile that broke through. “How considerate of you.”

“I can be considerate, you know,” Bradley said, leaning forward slightly, his tone playful but his gaze serious. “Despite what you might think.”

Max hesitated, meeting Bradley’s eyes for a brief moment before glancing away. He could feel his heart beating a little faster, his pulse quickening under Bradley’s gaze. The truth was, Max wasn’t sure what he thought anymore. Everything had been so complicated between them, but now, sitting here with Bradley, it all felt so simple. And that was terrifying.

“I know,” Max said quietly, his fingers fidgeting with the edge of his napkin. “You were… last night, I mean, you were there when I needed you. I didn’t expect that.”

Bradley’s expression softened, and for a moment, the cocky mask he usually wore seemed to slip away entirely. “I told you I care, Max. I wasn’t going to leave you hanging, not when you needed someone.”

Max swallowed hard, his chest tightening at the sincerity in Bradley’s voice. He wasn’t used to hearing Bradley like this—earnest, open, vulnerable. It made everything feel more real, more immediate, like they were on the edge of something neither of them knew how to handle.

“Yeah, well,” Max mumbled, suddenly feeling too exposed. “Thanks, I guess.”

Bradley’s smirk returned, though it was softer now, less sharp. “You guess? That’s all I get?”

Max groaned, throwing his napkin at Bradley’s face. “You’re impossible.”

Bradley caught the napkin effortlessly, chuckling as he set it aside. “I think you secretly like that about me.”

Max rolled his eyes again, but there was no bite to it this time. The tension between them was still there, but now it felt different—less like something that was tearing them apart and more like something that was pulling them together.