Meanwhile, Alexander Darrell was beginning to regret transferring to Midsummer Evelyn College.
The moment he stepped into the school building, attention followed him everywhere.
Girls whispered excitedly the instant they saw him. Some openly stared while others pretended not to. A few boldly surrounded him, trying to start conversations.
Normally, he was used to attention.
But this?
This was exhausting.
As he attempted to push through the crowd politely, something suddenly caught his attention.
A scent.
Alexander froze.
His sharp eyes instinctively searched the area until they landed on her.
A girl stood a short distance away, staring at him silently.
Dark hair danced softly around her face as the wind brushed past her. Her pale skin glowed beneath the sunlight, and for a moment Alexander forgot the noise around him completely.
She was beautiful.
Dangerously beautiful.
And her scent—
It was intoxicating.
Something deep inside him stirred violently.
The urge that rose within him shocked even himself.
It wasn't the familiar hunger he felt while hunting prey.
No.
This feeling was entirely different.
More possessive.
More primal.
Mine.
Alexander immediately looked away, clenching his jaw tightly.
No.
He had to stay calm.
Not here.
Not now.
Especially not around humans.
Taking a slow breath, he forced himself to continue walking into the school building.
Unfortunately, fate seemed determined to test him.
When he discovered his next class was chemistry, he entered with little interest and sat in one of the empty seats near the front.
The girls nearby giggled endlessly while staring at him.
Alexander ignored them completely.
Then the classroom door suddenly opened.
And she walked in.
The same girl from earlier.
Alexander's entire body went still.
She apologized softly for being late, and the moment he heard her voice, his chest tightened strangely.
Her voice…
It was soft.
Gentle.
Almost addictive.
He hated how much he already liked it.
Claire looked around awkwardly for an empty seat.
Only one remained.
The seat beside him.
Alexander internally panicked.
Oh no.
As she slowly sat down beside him, her scent wrapped around him completely.
His control nearly snapped instantly.
The beast inside him stirred aggressively.
She's mine.
The possessive thought nearly escaped him as a growl.
Alexander clenched his fists tightly beneath the desk, trying desperately to remain calm.
He could hear his own heartbeat increasing.
Could feel his canines threatening to grow.
Then suddenly—
A breeze drifted through the open classroom window.
Claire's hair brushed lightly against his face.
Alexander almost lost his mind.
He quickly covered his mouth and nose, struggling to control himself while her scent overwhelmed every one of his senses.
Beside him, Claire subtly sniffed herself in confusion.
Alexander nearly groaned aloud.
Great.
Now she probably thinks she smells bad.
If only she knew the real problem.
Alexander realized immediately that staying beside her any longer was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
His teeth were already beginning to sharpen.
"No… not now," he muttered internally.
Abruptly, he stood up.
"Excuse me, sir," he said quickly before leaving the classroom without waiting for permission.
The entire class watched him in confusion.
Especially Claire.
Claire stared after him in complete confusion.
Did he hate sitting beside her that much?
Slowly, she sniffed herself again when nobody was looking.
She smelled perfectly normal.
Then why had he reacted like that?
For some reason, the incident bothered her far more than it should have.
She barely focused on anything the chemistry lecturer taught afterward.
Luckily, she had turned on her phone recorder before class started.
Still, her thoughts kept drifting back to the mysterious new student.
Alexander.
Even his name sounded unfairly attractive.
Claire groaned internally and shook her head.
Why was she even thinking about him this much?
Needing to clear her thoughts, she decided to head to the library after class.
The library had always been her safe place.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
Far away from judgmental students.
The librarian greeted her warmly the moment she entered.
Claire smiled politely before walking toward the upper shelves where the older books were kept. She had already read most of the books downstairs long ago.
As her fingers traced across dusty spines, something suddenly caught her attention.
A strange book rested alone in the corner.
Claire frowned slightly.
Has that always been there?
Curious, she carefully pulled it out.
The book looked ancient.
A silver lock rested at the center while a deep red ruby sat embedded above it.
For some reason, the moment Claire touched it, a strange feeling washed through her body.
Excitement.
Curiosity.
Fear.
"This looks interesting," she whispered softly.
She carried the book to a nearby table and examined it closely.
Surprisingly, the lock clicked open easily beneath her touch.
Claire blinked in surprise.
"That was easy…"
Slowly, she opened the first page.
At the top was written:
April 22nd, 1985
Claire's eyes widened slightly.
"Forty years ago…"
Carefully, she continued reading.
My name is Andrea, crown princess of the Alvasta Kingdom located in northern Alvania.
My mother is the queen, but my father… I do not know him yet.
See you later, diary.
Claire frowned.
"A princess diary?"
She had never even heard of a kingdom called Alvasta before.
Curiosity immediately pulled her deeper into the book.
She turned the next page.
April 23rd, 1985
Mother gave me this diary after I turned twenty.
Ever since I became eighteen, I have been seeing strange things… people wearing black cloaks.
I do not know whether they are living or dead.
I tried telling Mother many times, but she always brushes it aside and calls me paranoid.
Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind.
She gave me this diary so I could write everything down.
But honestly… I think she is hiding something from me.
Claire froze.
Her grip on the book tightened.
Black cloaks?
Seeing things nobody else could see?
Her heartbeat quickened.
"So I'm not the only one…"
Excitement and fear mixed together inside her.
Quickly, she turned to the next page.
January 14th, 1986
Sorry for not writing lately.
I have been busy preparing for my wedding.
I married the love of my life, and I should be happy…
But something doesn't feel right.
Claire continued flipping through the pages rapidly.
January 30th, 1986
I'm pregnant!
I think it's a girl, though my husband insists it's a boy.
Either way, I only want my baby healthy.
Claire smiled slightly.
Then she turned another page.
March 2nd, 1986
There is an aunt in the palace who makes me uncomfortable.
I always see dark shadows surrounding her, but she has been kind to me, so I ignore it.
She listens to me whenever I talk about my visions and never treats me like I'm crazy.
I trust her more than anyone.
Claire swallowed nervously.
Every page felt heavier than the last.
Then she reached another entry.
October 15th, 1986
Claire immediately noticed the handwriting looked messier this time.
As though the writer had been afraid while writing it.
I gave birth to my daughter on October 2nd.
Ever since then, everyone around me has been acting strange.
My visions disappeared while I was pregnant, but yesterday they suddenly returned.
I entered my husband's room even though he strictly forbade me from doing so.
The moment I touched the doorknob, an electric shock ran through my body and my sight returned.
When he opened the door, I swear I saw something unnatural in his eyes.
Something terrifying.
I know something is wrong.
I cannot keep ignoring my instincts anymore.
Claire's breathing became uneven.
Her hands trembled slightly as she hurried to the next page.
October 26th, 1986
I was right all along.
My mother, my husband, and the aunt I trusted…
They have all been deceiving me.
I just discovered that—
"Claire!"
Claire jumped violently at the sudden voice.
She looked up to see Cleo standing nearby with a worried expression.
"There you are!" Cleo exclaimed. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
Claire blinked repeatedly, trying to calm herself.
"W-what happened?"
"School is over already."
Claire's eyes widened in shock.
"What? Already?"
How long had she been sitting there reading?
Cleo gave her an amused look before helping her stand.
"You seriously disappear into books like magic."
Claire laughed awkwardly before quickly packing her things.
But before leaving, she glanced at the mysterious diary once more.
Something about it felt important.
Important enough that she couldn't leave it behind.
Quietly, she slipped the book into her bag after signing it out.
As she and Cleo walked out of the library together, Claire's thoughts remained trapped on the unfinished sentence in the diary.
They have all been deceiving me…
Claire tightened her grip on her bag.
She couldn't wait to get home and show her mother the book.