The night was an ocean of deep shadows and icy breezes that slipped through the corners of the campus. Eliza stood on her room's balcony, her gaze lost in the horizon, but this time everything was different. The air seemed thicker, almost tangible, as if darkness itself enveloped her in an embrace she couldn't reject. Her trembling fingers gripped the railing, but it wasn't the cold that disturbed her; it was the feeling that something, or someone, was close. Very close.
Suddenly, she felt it. That unmistakable presence that had begun to haunt her since her arrival at Stanford. She didn't need to turn her head to know it was there. She knew it, felt it in the erratic beating of her heart, in the heat that ignited on her skin like a slow-burning fire. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself, but it was useless. A barely audible whisper brushed her ear, so intimate it made her shudder.
"Eliza..."
Her name floated in the air like a spell, and when she opened her eyes, there he was. Lucian.
Tall, with a presence that seemed to absorb all the light around him. His black hair fell messily over his forehead, and his golden eyes shone with an almost supernatural intensity. There was something in his gaze that disarmed her, a mixture of possession and desire that made her feel exposed, vulnerable. Yet, she couldn't look away from him.
"What are you doing here?" asked Eliza, though her voice came out more like a trembling whisper.
Lucian didn't respond immediately. Instead, he took a step toward her, closing the distance between them. Eliza instinctively backed away, but her back hit the balcony railing. There was no escape.
"I watch you," he finally said, his deep, grave voice resonating like an echo in her mind. "I always watch you."
Eliza felt the world fade around her. What did those words mean? Why couldn't she look away from those eyes that seemed to strip her soul bare?
"Why?" she managed to ask, though her voice was barely a murmur.
Lucian tilted his head slightly, as if he were evaluating her, studying her. Then he raised a hand and brushed her cheek with his fingers. His touch was cold as marble, but at the same time, it awakened a searing heat within her.
"Because you're mine," he replied with a certainty that left her breathless. "From the moment you arrived here, I knew it. You can't escape from me, Eliza. Not now, not ever."
She wanted to protest, to tell him he was wrong, that she belonged to no one. But the words remained trapped in her throat when Lucian leaned in even closer, so close she could feel his breath against her skin.
"I've waited so long..." he murmured, his lips mere inches from hers. "So long to find you."
Eliza closed her eyes, caught between fear and an inexplicable attraction that consumed her completely. Her mind screamed at her to pull away, to run far from him, but her body wouldn't respond. She was trapped in a spell she couldn't escape.
Suddenly, the surroundings changed. They were no longer on the balcony; now they were in a dark, silent forest, with tall trees rising like giants around them. The full moon shone overhead, bathing everything in a silver light that made Lucian's eyes shine even more intensely.
"Where are we?" asked Eliza, terrified and fascinated at the same time.
Lucian didn't respond immediately. Instead, he extended a hand toward her, as if offering her more than a simple gesture; a promise, a shared destiny.
"In my world," he finally said. "A world where there are no rules, where no one can separate you from me. Here you're safe, with me."
Eliza hesitated for a moment, but then took his hand almost without realizing it. As she did, she felt an electric current run through her entire body, as if something inside her was awakening for the first time. Lucian pulled her toward him with a gentle but irresistible force, and when his lips finally met hers, it was as if time itself had stopped.
The kiss was intense, burning and possessive, as if Lucian were marking her in some invisible but permanent way. Eliza felt the ground disappear beneath her feet; all that existed was him, his touch, his scent, his enveloping presence claiming her as his own.
When they finally separated, Eliza was panting, her cheeks flushed and her heart racing wildly in her chest. But Lucian didn't seem willing to let her go so easily. He encircled her waist with a firm arm while looking at her with those golden eyes that seemed to burn with dangerous intensity.
"Don't be afraid," he whispered to her. "I'll never let anything or anyone hurt you... because you're mine, Eliza. You always have been."
At that moment, a distant howl broke the forest's silence, echoing among the trees like a dark, primitive warning. But Eliza couldn't look away from Lucian; he leaned toward her neck, she could feel his fangs piercing her skin.
And then she woke up, the sound of her tearing scream in bed was the only thing heard in the silent campus, her hands automatically went straight to her throat. The cool night contrasted with the heat Eliza felt. It was the third consecutive night that Eliza had woken up startled, with her heart beating frantically in her chest. She couldn't understand why her subconscious kept insisting on playing these cruel tricks, she had barely seen Lucian for a few seconds, who she had just found out was a professor at the faculty.
She sat up slowly, with sweat beading on her forehead and a feeling of unease she couldn't shake off. She rubbed her arms in an attempt to calm the chill that ran through her body and, without thinking too much, headed to the small balcony of her room, the same one where moments ago she had been in her dreams. The night breeze enveloped her like a cold, but not unpleasant caress. From there, she could observe the university campus, stretching out like a labyrinth of buildings and paths illuminated by flickering streetlights. It was her refuge, her new beginning. However, something in these recent nights told her that things weren't as well as she had hoped.
She had arrived just three days ago to settle on campus; her mother had told her she could go to Alpha Phi, her former Sorority since she had a Legacy, but she had completely rejected it. She was a simple girl from San Diego, CA, who liked surfing, skateboarding, and the frivolities of sororities weren't her thing.
She was beginning her first year at law school. Everything had gone according to plan; she had been accepted to the university that was her first choice, far enough from her mother yet close to home; she had been assigned a room on the top floor just for herself, away from the hustle and bustle of the main hallways. It was perfect for someone like her, who preferred silence and tranquility. However, that long-awaited peace seemed to have been interrupted by something she couldn't understand.
Her fingers gripped the balcony railing while her eyes scanned the night landscape. Everything seemed normal, but there was something in the air that made her feel watched. Suddenly, a fleeting movement among the trees in the garden caught her attention. Eliza narrowed her eyes, trying to discern what she had seen. Maybe an animal, she thought. Trying to relax a bit.
The idea was absurd, but she couldn't help it. Since she had arrived on campus, she had heard strange rumors among the students. Stories whispered about figures moving in the darkness, about distant howls that broke the silence of the night. Some said they were just wild dogs; others talked about something older, more dangerous. She hadn't paid attention to that gossip. Until now.
When the clock struck three in the morning, she decided to return to bed. But just as she turned on her heels to enter her room, a sound stopped her in her tracks. It was a soft cracking, as if someone had stepped on a dry branch. Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes fixed on the darkness of the garden. There it was again, the golden flash of eyes that seemed to be watching her with an inhuman intensity.
Eliza slowly backed toward the interior of her room and closed the balcony doors with trembling hands. Her breathing was irregular, and for a moment she remained motionless, listening. Nothing. Just the whisper of the wind and the distant song of crickets. But those eyes... they were engraved in her mind.
The next morning, she decided to inquire a bit more with Amanda and Marco during breakfast.
"Have you heard anything strange at night?" she asked cautiously while stirring her coffee.
Amanda looked up from her plate and arched an eyebrow.
"What do you mean by 'strange'?" she asked.
"I don't know... weird sounds, or... have you seen anything? Like... big animals?" Eliza tried to sound casual, but her nervousness was evident.
Marco let out a sarcastic laugh from the other end of the table.
"You mean the werewolves?" he said mockingly.
Eliza blinked, surprised.
"Werewolves?" she repeated.
Amanda shot Marco a withering look before turning to Eliza.
"Don't mind him," she said quickly. "It's just an old campus legend. Something about wolves that transform into humans or vice versa... you know, stuff to scare newcomers."
But Marco didn't seem willing to let it go.
"It's not just a legend," he insisted. "My brother studied here years ago and said he saw strange things in the forest behind the campus. Howls, shadows... he even talked about people disappearing."
Eliza felt a shiver run down her spine. Amanda noticed and decided to change the subject.
"Since classes don't officially start until Monday, we're going to 'The Rose & Crown' tonight, want to join us?"
"Of course," With a warm smile. "I need to de-stress."