"Open the door, Seren."
I yanked the brass handle down and ripped the door wide open.
Empty space greeted me. The dark hallway stretched out, silent and vacant. Not a single footprint disturbed the carpet.
"You are officially losing your mind," Lyra muttered in my head.
"He was just here," I whispered, gripping the doorframe.
"There is no one here. You are hallucinating."
"I heard his voice."
"You heard your own obsession. Go to sleep. We have school in three hours."
I slammed the door shut and locked it. I sat on the edge of the mattress until the sun came up, rubbing the phantom bite mark on my collarbone.
***
Sunlight did nothing to warm my freezing skin. The senior homeroom buzzed with chaotic energy. Paper wads flew past my head. Students shouted across the aisles, laughing and swapping weekend stories.
Maya Cole slammed her backpack onto the desk next to mine.
"You look like an actual corpse," Maya announced, pulling out a notebook.
"Thank you. I feel like one."
"Rough night?"
"Nightmares," I lied.
"Did you dream about failing calculus again?"
"Worse."
"Well, wake up. The rumor mill is on fire this morning."
"I am not in the mood for pack gossip, Maya."
"You will care about this. We are getting a transfer student."
"So what? People move all the time."
"An Alpha transfer. From the Northern Ridge."
"We do not need more Alphas in this school. The ego levels are already toxic."
"Speak for yourself. I hear he is huge. Like, scary huge."
"You are ridiculous."
"I am observant. There is a difference."
Mr. Thorne marched into the room, slapping his wooden ruler against the whiteboard.
"Quiet down!" he barked.
The chatter died instantly. Teenagers scrambled into their seats.
"Take your places. Now."
Maya slid into her chair. "Watch the door," she whispered.
"I am trying to read," I replied, staring at my open textbook.
"Class, we have a new addition today," Mr. Thorne announced. "Come on in."
Heavy footsteps crossed the threshold.
The air in the room shifted immediately. A suffocating weight pressed down on my chest. Pure, unfiltered Alpha aura flooded the space.
"Holy shit," Maya muttered under her breath.
I lifted my chin. My eyes found the front of the room.
All the blood drained from my face.
My hands went entirely numb.
It was him.
The man from my midnight hallucinations. The phantom who wrecked my bed and marked my collarbone.
He stood tall beside the podium. Dark, assessing eyes scanned the rows of desks. Broad shoulders stretched the seams of a black leather jacket.
"Lyra," I panicked.
"I see him," my wolf replied, her voice trembling.
"How is this possible?"
"I do not know. Duck your head. Now."
I snapped my gaze down to my desk. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.
"What is wrong with you?" Maya nudged my elbow.
"Nothing," I choked out.
"You are shaking, Seren."
"I need water. I am just thirsty."
I squeezed my eyes shut, praying to the Moon Goddess he would not look my way.
"Introduce yourself," Mr. Thorne instructed.
"Rook Vera," the low, gravelly voice echoed off the walls.
The exact same rasp that ordered me to spread my legs hours ago. A violent shiver ripped down my spine.
"Is that it?" Mr. Thorne pressed, crossing his arms. "Any hobbies? Where did you transfer from exactly?"
"No hobbies. I am here to finish the year," Rook stated. Cold. Unbothered.
"We expect participation in this pack, Mr. Vera."
"I will participate when it is required."
"Alright then. Find an empty seat."
I kept my chin glued to my chest. My fingernails dug deeply into my palms.
"He is looking at the class," Lyra warned.
"Is he looking at me?"
"His eyes just passed over us. He did not stop."
"Are you sure?"
"He does not recognize you, Seren."
Footsteps approached my aisle. Heavy, measured strides.
The scent of winter night and raw raven feathers wrapped around my face. The exact same smell from the dreamscape. My lungs seized.
"Do not look up," I ordered myself.
The leather of his jacket squeaked as he passed right by my desk. A freezing breeze trailed in his wake.
He walked straight to the empty desk in the back row and dropped his bag onto the floor.
"He sits right behind us," Maya whispered, thrilled.
"Stop talking," I hissed.
"Why are you acting so weird?"
"Just leave me alone today, Maya."
Mr. Thorne began writing equations on the board.
"Open your books to page forty," the teacher commanded.
I flipped the pages blindly. I could not read a single word.
Every nerve in my body pointed toward the back of the room. I felt his presence like a physical weight pressing on my neck.
"He is just a guy," Lyra tried to soothe.
"He is the guy who fingered us in a dream," I shot back.
"Keep your thoughts quiet. Alphas can sense distress."
"I am projecting pure terror."
"Then stop it. Breathe."
I hunched my shoulders, trying to fold myself into a tiny, invisible ball. I curled my legs tightly under my chair.
"Seren, answer the second problem," Mr. Thorne called out.
I flinched. My pencil snapped in half.
"I..." My throat felt like sandpaper. "I do not know the answer."
"You solved this exact equation yesterday on the board."
"I forgot the formula."
"Pay attention, please."
"Yes, sir."
I sank lower in my seat.
"You are embarrassing us," Lyra scolded.
"I am surviving."
The clock ticked endlessly. I stared at the second hand, counting every agonizing sweep.
Behind me, a chair scraped against the linoleum.
I froze.
Did he move? Did he lean forward?
"He is just stretching his legs," Lyra noted.
"I cannot do this for an entire hour."
"You have to. Do not draw attention to yourself."
A crumpled piece of paper hit the back of my head.
I jumped in my seat.
"Calm down," Maya whispered from the side, pointing at the paper ball on the floor. "Tyler threw it. Not him."
"Tell Tyler to screw off," I hissed.
"You are incredibly jumpy today."
"Just leave me alone."
The bell finally rang, a shrill sound that meant freedom.
"Class dismissed," Mr. Thorne yelled over the scraping of chairs.
I shoved my broken pencil and textbook into my bag. I needed to get out of this room. I needed air.
"Are you coming to the cafeteria?" Maya asked, standing up.
"I have to use the restroom first. Go ahead."
"Suit yourself."
I slung my backpack over one shoulder and rushed for the door.
I kept my eyes fixed on the exit sign. Just three more steps.
A large hand shot out, slamming flat against the doorframe, blocking my path entirely.
Black leather wrapped around a thick wrist.
"In a rush?" Rook's rough voice sounded right beside my ear.
