Chapter 5 The Way He Looked at Her

The music had dulled, and the party began to thin out. The real chaos had already happened-drunken hookups, spilled drinks, terrible karaoke-and now only the stragglers and night-lovers remained.

Aurora stood outside the back door of the Mason Row house, cool night air brushing over her skin as she breathed deep.

Her body was still humming from the dance. From his eyes.

Professor Lucien Dusk hadn't approached her all night, but his presence had haunted every moment. She could feel him watching.

She didn't know what she wanted more: for him to come closer, or for him to leave her mind altogether.

"You dance beautifully," said a voice low and close behind her.

Aurora stiffened, turning slowly.

Lucien was there.

Dark, magnetic, mysterious as ever, with the same unreadable look in his eyes. He leaned casually against the porch railing, his sleeves pushed up to reveal the veins in his forearms, his collar undone at the top. Moonlight silvered the edge of his sharp jaw.

"You shouldn't say that," she murmured, looking away.

"Why not?"

"You're my professor."

"And you're my student." His eyes narrowed slightly, voice dipping. "That doesn't make you any less captivating."

Her breath hitched.

The silence between them stretched.

"I wasn't expecting you to be here," she said, trying to calm the frantic flutter in her chest.

"I wasn't either. A friend dragged me." He tilted his head. "Then I saw you."

Aurora's heart thudded.

"You looked... alive. Like you were finally breathing."

Her lips parted, but no words came. She didn't know how to answer that. No one had ever seen her like this before-let alone said something like that.

Lucien took a slow step closer.

"I've read over thirty essays so far this week," he murmured. "Most of them were exactly what I expected. Yours wasn't."

"Was it bad?"

"It was honest."

She tucked a curl behind her ear, heart hammering. "It's just writing."

"It's more than that. It's a window."

Another pause.

Then he said softly, "You don't let people in, do you?"

Aurora froze.

"You've lost something," he continued. "Something big. And now you're carrying all that weight like it's just part of who you are."

She looked up at him sharply, anger and vulnerability flaring.

"You don't know anything about me."

"No. I don't." His gaze was steady. "But I'd like to."

She swallowed hard. His words felt like hands, carefully peeling away layers she hadn't even known were visible.

"This isn't allowed."

"I know."

"So why are you saying it?"

"Because I'd rather regret the truth than live behind lies."

Aurora stared at him.

And just like that, the breath she'd been holding escaped in a slow, quiet exhale.

There was heat in the air between them now. Not loud or rushed-but simmering. Unspoken. Dangerous.

If he reached for her, she didn't know what she'd do.

He didn't.

He just stepped back, eyes lingering.

"Goodnight, Aurora."

"Goodnight... Professor."

He left her standing there, full of chaos and ache.

Kade Enterprises – Private Office Suite

Damien stood over the marble bar in his penthouse, shirtless, glass of bourbon in hand.

Ares was restless.

The scent was stronger today-hers. It had been strongest when he entered earlier in the afternoon. She'd just left.

He knew it.

"She's close," Ares growled. "Too close to keep ignoring."

"We'll find her," Damien said aloud, pacing the room. "She can't hide forever."

"You think she's hiding from us on purpose?"

"No. I think fate's fucking with me."

Just then, the elevator doors pinged.

He didn't turn.

He knew the scent already: Celeste.

She sauntered in wearing silk and heels, her body poured into a clinging white dress. Her smile was sharp.

"Well, this is a nice view," she purred, stepping behind him to run her fingers along his bare back. "But I'd prefer it if you were waiting for me in bed instead of staring at the skyline like some brooding alpha in a romance novel."

"Not tonight."

Her eyes narrowed. "You said I could stay."

"I said you could come. I never said I'd be sweet about it."

That irritated her.

"Something's different," she said, circling him. "You're colder. Distant."

He didn't answer.

Celeste's gaze sharpened. "It's her, isn't it?"

He looked up, slowly.

"What did you say?"

"The girl. The one you've been smelling. The one your wolf's obsessed with." Her eyes flared, voice tightening. "You've felt her, haven't you?"

Ares snarled.

Damien's jaw flexed.

"Careful, Celeste."

"You think I don't know? You think I haven't noticed how agitated you've been? You won't even touch me unless you're half-drunk now. Whoever she is-she's not worth throwing away-"

"Don't." His voice was a low warning. Deadly.

She froze.

The Alpha in him rippled to the surface, and for the first time in months, Celeste backed down.

"Fine," she whispered, grabbing her coat. "But you'll regret walking away from someone who actually wants you."

"You don't want me," he said quietly. "You want what comes with me."

She left.

And Damien was alone again, the glass in his hand still full, his body vibrating with hunger for a girl he hadn't even touched.

"Soon," Ares growled.

"Soon."