The cold wind caressed my face as I leaned against the doorframe of the admissions building. I could feel the weight of the afternoon descending upon the campus, the scent of damp earth mixing with that of the trees surrounding the place. But none of that mattered to me. My eyes were fixed on her. Eliza.
There was something about the way she walked, the way she clutched that folder to her chest like a shield, that awakened in me a mix of emotions I didn't know how to handle. In other times, it would have been easy to ignore her, to reduce her to just one face in the crowd, but not now. Not this time.
Rage bubbled beneath my skin, like a caged animal fighting to break free. It was irrational, but it was there, undeniable. It wasn't just about her, but what she represented. Her presence complicated everything. She had no right to be here, to burst into my world with her fragility and ignorance. And yet, there she was, crossing the path toward me, with those eyes full of questions I didn't want to answer.
— Mate — Luca growled in the background, I silence him instantly.
When our gazes met, I felt a blow to my chest, like an echo of something ancient and forgotten. She shouldn't matter to me. I shouldn't look at her as if she were anything more than a simple human. But I couldn't help it. There was something about her that enraged and attracted me at the same time, a contradiction that made me want to destroy everything around me.
"Are you here to submit papers?" I asked, my voice loaded with disdain. I had no intention of being kind. I wanted her to feel my rejection, to understand she wasn't welcome.
She nodded clumsily, her uncertain movements fueling my irritation. How could someone so weak destabilize me this way? It was ridiculous. I moved away from the door with an abrupt gesture, letting her pass, but not before feeling her warmth as she crossed beside me. That warmth... it wasn't normal. It was as if her mere presence altered the air around us.
I watched her disappear inside the building, my hands closing into fists as I fought to control the storm inside me. This wasn't right. I couldn't allow myself to feel anything for her, not even this visceral anger that consumed me. But the more I tried to push her from my thoughts, the more she clung to them, like a thorn embedded in my flesh.
When she exited the building a few minutes later, my eyes were already on her again. I hadn't planned to stay, but something prevented me from leaving. Perhaps it was the way her hair moved in the wind or the confused expression on her face as she searched for me with her gaze. Or maybe it was simply my own inability to leave things as they were.
"All set?" I asked in a casual tone that didn't reflect at all the chaos inside me.
"Yes," she replied, but her voice trembled slightly. I could see how she avoided holding my gaze for too long, as if she feared what she might find in my eyes.
There was something almost amusing about her discomfort, but also something deeply irritating. Why did she look at me as if I were the monster under her bed? Didn't she know there were far worse things lurking in the shadows?
"You're not what I expected," I finally said, letting my words float between us like a challenge.
Her brow furrowed instantly, and I could see how confusion gave way to anger in her eyes. Good. Let her get angry. Maybe that would make her more interesting.
"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to maintain her composure.
I smiled, a sharp and cruel smile that I knew would disconcert her even more.
"Nothing. Just an observation."
Before she could answer, I felt a change in the air. Something dark was moving among the nearby trees, watching us from the shadows. My body tensed instantly, my senses sharpening as I searched for the origin of that presence. She had noticed it too, I could see how she explored the surroundings.
Without saying another word, I moved away from her. I needed answers. I needed to understand why Eliza was here and why everything about her seemed to scream danger and destiny at the same time.