Chapter 2 The Cold Alpha

Elena woke up before the sun even rose. She couldn't sleep. She'd been tossing around all night. That dream came back again. The one where she was running through the woods, barefoot, breath shaking, something chasing her but she couldn't see what. Only feel it. It was cold and angry.

She sat up slowly and wiped her face. Her shirt stuck to her back a little, and her heart was still beating like she ran a mile. It was just a dream, she told herself. Just a memory trying to sneak back in.

But it felt too real.

She didn't want to be here anymore. Not in this school, not in this dorm, not in this life. She wanted silence. She wanted to disappear for real this time.

But that wasn't possible.

After getting dressed in a sweater and some old jeans, she grabbed her notebook and left her room. She didn't bother with makeup or fixing her hair. Who was she trying to impress anyway? She just wanted to get through her day without anyone looking at her. Especially him.

Adrian Blackwood.

She didn't want to think about him, but his face kept showing up in her mind. The way he looked at her in class. The way he spoke. Calm, like he already knew everything about her even though they'd barely met.

She hated that she noticed.

---

Adrian leaned against the railing outside the campus gym, staring at nothing. He didn't usually hang around here during this time of day, but he needed to clear his head. Or maybe burn off some energy. His wolf had been restless ever since he saw her. Elena.

She walked into class that day like she was trying to disappear. But something about her wouldn't let her blend in, at least not to him. She smelled different. Not fully human. Not fully wolf either. Somewhere in between. That was part of what confused him. He didn't like being confused.

Adrian liked answers. Control. And Elena Rose was not something he could figure out just by watching.

"Bro, you're zoning out," Jax said as he stepped beside him, shaking his head. "You good?"

Adrian didn't answer right away. "You notice anything off about the new girl?"

"Elena?" Jax raised a brow. "She's hot, but real quiet. Not sure what her deal is. Why?"

"Nothing," Adrian muttered, pushing off the railing. "Just got a weird feeling about her."

Jax smirked. "You mean the 'I might be staring at my future mate' kind of feeling?"

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

But deep down... maybe Jax wasn't wrong.

---

Later that afternoon, Elena sat alone in the library, pretending to study. Her eyes were on the pages, but her mind wasn't there. She couldn't focus. The words looked like noise, and her thoughts kept drifting back to that note in his voice. The way he looked at her like he saw straight through.

She hated it. She didn't want to feel anything.

Not after what happened with Damien.

Her ex.

That word still felt heavy. Like a bruise that hadn't faded yet. He had promised to protect her. To love her. And then one day he just... stopped. Walked away like she never meant anything. Left her with nothing but shame and questions.

Elena pressed her hand to her chest, where the old mark used to be. It was gone now, faded and cold. She had buried everything, packed her life into one bag, and ran.

And now here she was. Sitting in a school surrounded by strangers. And being noticed by the one guy she wanted to avoid.

She shut her notebook and stood up. She needed air.

---

Adrian saw her leaving the library from the other side of the quad. He wasn't following her, not really. Just... watching. There was something heavy in her steps, like she carried a whole world of pain no one else could see.

He hated that it pulled at him.

She walked past the trees behind the campus, slipping into the quiet part of the woods. Most students avoided that area unless they were sneaking off to smoke or hook up. But Elena walked like it was the only place she felt safe.

He waited a minute, then followed. Not to scare her. Just... to be close.

She didn't see him at first. She sat on a low rock, staring up at the sky through the branches. Her face was calm, but he could tell her thoughts weren't.

"You always walk out here alone?" he asked gently, stepping into view.

She didn't jump. Didn't even flinch. Just looked at him, eyes tired.

"Do you always follow people into the woods?" she asked back.

He smiled a little. "Only the ones who act like ghosts."

She turned away. "Well maybe I want to be a ghost."

He walked a bit closer but kept a good distance. "That's not really working. I see you."

"Good for you."

They were quiet for a moment. The breeze moved through the trees, soft and slow.

Then Adrian said, "You're different."

"You don't know me."

"I don't have to. I can feel it."

She stood up. "You don't get to feel anything about me. You don't know what I've been through."

"I never said I did," he said calmly. "But I know hurt when I see it."

She looked at him for a long time. Her hands were at her sides, clenched.

"You don't want to know me," she said, voice low. "I'm not like the girls you're used to."

"I know."

"And I don't need saving."

"Maybe not," Adrian said, his voice softer now. "But that doesn't mean you have to do it all alone."

She didn't reply. She just stared at him, like she wanted to believe him but didn't trust herself to.

Finally, she turned and walked away.

He didn't follow.

He just watched her go, that strange ache growing in his chest.

---

That night, Elena couldn't sleep again. She stared at the ceiling until her eyes burned. Everything felt too close. Too loud. She didn't like how he made her feel. Like maybe, just maybe, there was still something left inside her worth holding onto.

But she didn't want hope.

She had buried that a long time ago.

She turned over and pressed her face into the pillow, whispering to herself like a prayer.

"No more Alphas. No more pain."

But deep down, she knew she was lying.

Because if Adrian Blackwood asked her to meet again... she might not say no.