The morning sun slanted lazily through the classroom windows, too bright for Alex after the chaos of last night. His body still ached faintly, but Liam had been unusually gentle that morning, fussing over him in a way that made Alex want to both melt and roll his eyes.
The usual buzz of chatter filled the room until the door slid open.
Everyone turned.
He stepped inside.
Tall. Pale. Long, silken hair falling over his shoulders like molten gold. His uniform hung on him like it was tailored by aristocrats, and his eyes—sharp, amber-tinged, almost glowing—swept across the classroom with lazy disdain. For a moment, it felt like the air got colder.
"Class, we have a transfer student today," the teacher announced, clearly a bit unsettled by the boy's presence. "Introduce yourself."
The boy tilted his head, lips curving in something close to a smile but too sharp, too unreadable.
