Chapter 6

Elena's POV:

The week of final exams draped the campus in a palpable tension. Blair and I trudged across the main lawn, our arms loaded with textbooks, on our way to the library for a last-ditch cram session. The sun was warm on my skin, but a faint, oppressive feeling had been nagging at me all morning, making Lyra pace restlessly in the back of my mind. I wrote it off as exam stress.

Suddenly, a ripple went through the student body around us. Conversations faltered. People stopped in their tracks, their gazes all turning in the same direction.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea.

I followed their line of sight and saw the source of the pressure.

Rick Miller. He was walking toward the library, dressed in nothing more than a plain black t-shirt and worn jeans, yet he moved with the unshakeable confidence of a king. He was flanked by two other guys, both built like linebackers, who moved in his orbit like loyal guards. The trio projected an invisible wall of pure Alpha dominance that had ordinary students scrambling to get out of their way.

"Behold," Blair whispered, nudging me with her elbow. "The king of campus has arrived."

I had to admit, he was physically impressive. Taller than he looked in class, with shoulders so broad they seemed to fill the entire walkway. Every movement was fluid, radiating a raw power and a self-assurance that bordered on arrogance.

But it was the Alpha aura pouring off him that made my skin prickle. It was undiluted, unapologetic, and it grated on every one of my nerves. It was the kind of power that didn't ask for respect, but demanded it. Lyra whined in my head, an instinctual reaction to a dominant male that my human side found infuriating.

Girls watched him pass, their expressions a mixture of awe and blatant desire. Rick seemed completely oblivious, or perhaps just indifferent. His handsome face was a cold, unreadable mask, his jaw set in a hard line.

His gaze, a deep, piercing brown, swept across the crowd and snagged on mine for a fraction of a second.

It was just a glance, but it felt like a physical touch. My breath caught in my throat, and my heart gave a painful lurch.

I immediately tore my eyes away, grabbing Blair's arm. "Let's go."

"See what I mean?" I muttered as we hurried away. "He walks around like everyone owes him something."

Blair just giggled. "That's called presence, Ellie. And you have to admit, it's kind of hot."

"It's called arrogance," I corrected her through gritted teeth.

As we were about to round the corner, a younger-looking girl, clearly an Omega from her timid posture, accidentally stepped into his path.

Rick didn't say a word. He just stopped and leveled a cold, impatient glare at her.

The girl went pale. She stammered a frantic apology and practically ran in the other direction.

The small, casual display of power solidified my disgust. This was exactly what I had run away from. The casual cruelty, the effortless intimidation, the rigid hierarchy where the strong tormented the weak just because they could.

Rick and his entourage walked past us, so close I could feel the air stir.

A scent hit me. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but it was there. Pine and the electric tang of an approaching storm.

My heart stopped.

The scent... it was the same as the dream.

I spun around, needing another look, another whiff to confirm, but he was already too far away, his broad back disappearing into the library entrance.

It can't be, I told myself, my mind reeling. A coincidence. Lots of Alphas wear cologne that smells like the woods. It had to be a coincidence.

But Lyra was whining again, a low, confused sound. She was drawn to the scent, yet terrified of its source.

"What's wrong?" Blair asked, noticing the color drain from my face.

I shook my head, forcing the absurd notion from my mind. "Nothing. Let's just go."

I forced myself to believe it. It was just a coincidence. The nightmares were making me paranoid, seeing monsters where there were only arrogant boys.