Campus buzzed with its usual morning chaos. Students rushed between buildings with coffee cups and backpacks, complaining about assignments and exams. To everyone else, it was just another normal day. But Evelyn felt anything but normal.
She slowly walked across the courtyard, with her bag slung over her shoulder. The dream from the night before refused to leave her mind. Every detail felt too real.
The forest.
The moon.
And the white wolf.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the strap of her bag.
"Okay," she muttered under her breath. "Definitely stress dreams."
That had to be it. The end of semester exams, family drama, and the weird things happening to her body. They were all normal reasons for her brain to create something bizarre like that.
Unfortunately, Riley was off-campus today. Making it impossible for Evelyn to spam some of her worries on her.
Finally, she pushed the thought away and stepped into the lecture hall.
Students were already settling into their seats. Evelyn was no different. She moved toward her usual spot, near the middle row. As she slid into her chair, she pulled out her notebook.
Meanwhile, the lecture hall still buzzed with the low chatters as students slowly kept settling into their seats. But Evelyn barely noticed any of it. Her attention remained fixed on the notebook in front of her, though she hadn't written a single word in the last five minutes.
She had few minutes to complete her assessment before letures starts but her mind was elsewhere. On the dream. She tried to shake it off but it still lingered.
The quiet forest, the white wolf. And the feeling of standing beneath that enormous silver moon, still clung to her senses like mist.
Even now, she could almost feel the cool forest air brushing against her skin. It felt too real.
"Evelyn." A voice interrupted.
Her head slightly snapped up. "Kael." she muttered.
He sat two rows ahead, half turned in his seat. His sharp grey eyes studying her. There wasn't a smile on his face. But something about the way he looked at her, made it clear he knew exactly what was on her mind.
Faintly, her wolf stirred at his presence. Grounding, and steady. But before she could say anything, the classroom door creaked open. Someone walked through the doors, his prescence commanding, as several heads turned his direction simply out of curiosity.
The change in the atmosphere was instant. As he walked in like he owned the room.Tall, Relaxed and Effortlessly confident. His dark hair fell loosely over his forehead, and his jacket hung open over a simple black shirt. His movements were slow, almost lazy. Yet, carried a dangerous kind of grace to the way he carried himself.
It was the kind of presence that made people notice, whether they wanted to or not. Evelyn frowned slightly. Never had she seen him before. But something about him made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. His gaze casually swept the room. Then, stopped on her.
The corner of his mouth lifted into a slow, knowing smile. Evelyn's stomach tightened.
"Why is he looking at me like that?" The question echoed in her kind.
Without breaking eye contact, he made his way down the aisle. Students shifted slightly to let him pass, some whispering quietly. But he ignored them all. Instead of taking one of the many empty seats in the back, he walked straight toward Evelyn's row.
Her fingers tightened around her pen. "You have got to be kidding me." she muttered to herself.
At that moment, he slid into the seat beside her like it had always belonged to him. Casually, he scanned the hall before his eyes returned to her.
"So," he said softly, voice carrying that dangerous charm. "I guess this is the moment we finally meet."
Evelyn turned to him slowly. "Excuse me?" She said.
He leaned back in the chair, stretching his arms behind his head as if he were settling in for a show. "Relax," he murmured lazily. "I mean no harm." He added, voice smooth, filled with amusement and dangerously confident.
Evelyn's eyes narrowed. "Do you know me?"
That made his grin widen. "Oh?" He tilted his head slightly, studying her with a look that felt far too knowing for a stranger.
"There's always a first time in knowing someone, don't you think?"
Evelyn hesitated. Something about him made her instincts flare. Not out of fear but of awareness. It felt like standing near the edge of something unpredictable.
Before she could answer, the professor entered the room, cutting off the conversation as the lecture officially began.
But the strange tension remained. Throughout the entire class, Evelyn could feel his gaze. It drifted toward her more than once.
And every single time she glanced at him, she caught him already looking with a calculative gaze. Finally as the lecture ended, students began packing their things. Evelyn quickly shove her notebook into her bag. Eager to leave before the strange guy beside her decides to start another conversation.
But as she jerked to her full length, his voice stopped her. "You felt it, didn't you?" Her heart skipped.
Slowly, she turned towards him. He was still seated, watching her with that same faint smirk. The exact same words from the mysterious text flashed through her mind. "You felt it, didn't you?"
Her pulse quickened. "Excuse me?" she said carefully.
He rose from his seat, towering slightly over her now. Up close, his presence felt even more intense. Like standing near a quiet storm. His eyes glinted with amusement. "That power," he said softly.
Evelyn's breath caught. Slightly, he leaned closer. Not enough to invade her space. But enough to make the moment deliberate. "You're trying very hard to pretend nothing happened," he continued casually. "But trust me… pretending won't make it go away."
Evelyn stared at him. "Who are you?"He smiled at her words.
"Lyall." He slipped his hands into his pockets, stepping backward toward the aisle. "But you can call me the guy who knows exactly what you are."
She felt the tighteness in her chest. But before she could respond, another voice cut in. Cold, but firm
"That's enough." Evelyn turned to see Kael. Now standing a few steps, his expression hard as stone.
Lyall lazily glanced at him. "Oh look," he said with mock surprise. "The Alpha's here." His gaze flicked between Kael and Evelyn with open amusement. "Careful, Evelyn," he added smoothly. "Your watchdog doesn't like me very much."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Leave."
Lyall chuckled. "No need to get territorial." His eyes slid back to Evelyn for the last time. But the teasing expression faded slightly this time. Replaced with something darker, lingering beneath it. "See you soon, White Wolf."
With that, he turned and walked out of the lecture hall like the conversation had been nothing more than an entertainment.
Silence settled in, as Evelyn stood frozen. Her mind spinning.
Slowly, she turned to Kael. "How did he know?" Kael's gaze remained fixed on the doorway Lyall had disappeared through.
His voice when he spoke was low but tense. "Because Lyall isn't just another wolf." He finally looked at her. "He's a rogue Alpha."
Evelyn felt a chill crawl up her spine. And somehow, she had the sinking feeling that, this wasn't going ti be the last time he would show himself.