Chapter 3
The sharp buzzing of a phone cut through the quiet room.
Kaela groaned softly as her alarm rang beside her. Her hand fumbled across the nightstand until her fingers finally found the phone. With a sleepy sigh, she turned the alarm off.
Her head felt fuzzy.
For a moment she simply lay there, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, trying to remember where she was.
Then the memories from the night before began to rush back.
The club.
The music.
The stranger.
Kaela's eyes widened slightly.
Slowly very slowly she turned her head.
And froze.
Lying beside her in the bed was the same man from last night, and he was completely naked. Fast asleep.
Her heart nearly stopped.
Oh my God.
Her mind spiraled instantly.
Did I really sleep with him?
What did we do?
Am I… am I no longer a virgin?
Heat rushed to her face as realization crashed over her all at once. Images from the night before flashed through her head in scattered fragments his voice, his hands, the heat between them.
Kaela covered her mouth, mortified.
"What the hell have I done…" she whispered to herself.
The man beside her stirred slightly in his sleep, causing her heart to leap into her throat.
Panic hit her immediately.
She carefully lifted the blanket and slipped out of the bed as quietly as possible. Her clothes were scattered around the room her dress on the floor, her shoes near the chair, pieces of the previous night's chaos everywhere.
Quickly, she gathered everything and dressed, her hands trembling slightly.
She stole one last glance at him.
Even asleep, he looked breath taking. His broad shoulders rose and fell slowly with each breath, his dark hair messy against the pillow.
Kaela swallowed.
Last night was a mistake.
Without making another sound, she grabbed her phone and slipped out of the room.
The door closed softly behind her.
For a moment, the room was silent.
Then the man's eyes opened.
Slowly.
Calmly.
He stared at the door where Kaela had just disappeared.
A dark chuckle left his lips as he sat up in bed.
"So shy…" he murmured.
His eyes glinted with something dangerous.
"My mate."
The word rolled off his tongue like a secret he had been waiting centuries to speak.
He leaned back slightly, running a hand through his hair.
"And she doesn't even know it yet."
His gaze lingered on the closed door.
"Running away won't change anything, little human," he said softly.
A faint smirk curved his lips.
"You're mine now."
His fingers brushed over his own neck thoughtfully.
"She's lucky I didn't bite her last night," he muttered.
The thought seemed to amuse him.
Because if he had…
She would already belong to his world.
Completely.
Later that morning, the campus buzzed with the usual first-day energy.
Students filled the hallways, chatting loudly as they rushed to their classes. Kaela walked toward her lecture hall with Lila and Jade beside her, trying her best to act normal.
But her mind was anything but calm.
She could still feel the memory of last night lingering in her body.
Jade glanced at her suspiciously.
"You've been weird all morning," she said. "Did something happen after we left the club?"
Kaela nearly choked.
"N-no," she said quickly.
Lila raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Because you disappeared pretty fast last night."
Kaela forced a small laugh.
"I just… went home early."
Before her friends could press further, they reached their lecture hall.
Students were already taking their seats.
Kaela sat down near the front, placing her notebook on the desk.
As class representative, she usually helped organize things when professors needed assistance.
The room buzzed with conversation.
"I heard we're getting a new lecturer this semester."
"Yeah, the old one got transferred."
"I wonder what he's like."
Kaela barely listened. Her mind kept drifting back to the stranger.
To the way he looked.
To the way he touched her.
"Stop thinking about it", she scolded herself.
Just then, the classroom door opened.
The chatter in the room died down immediately.
Kaela looked up.
And her heart stopped.
Walking into the classroom was the man from the club.
The man from the bed that morning.
The stranger she had just run away from.
Her stomach dropped.
He looked completely different now, composed, professional, and impossibly confident. Dressed in dark slacks and a crisp shirt, he carried himself with the authority of someone used to being obeyed.
He set a few papers on the desk at the front of the room before turning toward the class.
And then his eyes met Kaela's.
Recognition flashed instantly.
A slow, knowing smirk appeared on his lips.
Kaela felt her face burn.
No!. No!. No!.
This could not be happening.
"Good morning, class," he said smoothly.
His voice sent a shiver down her spine.
"My name is Professor Ryker..."
He paused briefly.
His eyes never leaving Kaela.
"and I will be your new psychology lecturer this semester."
The tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Kaela looked down at her notebook quickly, pretending to focus, but her heart was pounding wildly in her chest.
The lecture began.
But she didn't hear a single word.
Every time she dared to glance up, she caught him watching her.
Like he knew exactly what she was thinking.
Like he was enjoying her panic.
Finally, the class ended.
Students began packing their bags and leaving the room.
Kaela quickly stood up, hoping to escape this daymare which she found her self in until she heard.
"Miss. Anderson."
Her body froze.
The classroom slowly emptied as the professor's voice echoed through the room.
He leaned casually against his desk, watching her.
"You're the class representative, correct?"
Kaela swallowed nervously.
"Yes… Professor."
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Good."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"Then I'll need you to come to my office after class."
Kaela's heart skipped.
Because the look he gave her made one thing very clear.
This conversation…
Was not going to be about school.