Chapter 3 Collision Course

I froze, every instinct screaming at me to run. But my feet remained rooted to the forest floor as a massive shape emerged from behind a cluster of ancient oaks.

It wasn't quite a wolf-too large, too intelligent. Its fur was midnight black, and when it looked at me, I saw something disturbingly human in its amber eyes. Recognition. And hunger.

"Don't move." The voice came from behind me, low and commanding. I didn't need to turn around to know who it belonged to. Luca stepped into my peripheral vision, moving with fluid grace between me and the creature.

"Go home, Aria." His voice carried an authority that seemed far older than his apparent eighteen years. "Now."

The wolf-thing snarled, muscles bunching as if preparing to spring. But it was looking at Luca now, not me. Some silent communication passed between them-a challenge, a warning, a negotiation I couldn't understand.

"I said go." Luca didn't take his eyes off the creature, but I felt the force of his command like a physical push.

This time, I listened. I backed away slowly, then turned and ran, crashing through underbrush and low-hanging branches until I burst from the tree line into my backyard. My heart hammered against my ribs as I pressed my back against the cottage door, gasping for air.

What the hell had just happened?

That night, I dreamed of running through moonlit forests on four legs instead of two. I dreamed of howling at stars that seemed close enough to touch, and of amber eyes that watched me with ancient knowledge. When I woke, my sheets were soaked with sweat and my mouth tasted like copper.

School the next day was a blur of concerned glances from Emma and careful avoidance of Luca's corner table. But I could feel him watching me, could sense his presence like electricity in the air. When the final bell rang, I hurried to my locker, desperate to escape the weight of his attention.

"We need to talk."

I spun around to find Luca standing directly behind me, close enough that I could smell pine and rain on his skin. Up close, he was even more devastating-sharp cheekbones, full lips that looked like they'd never smiled, and those impossible storm-colored eyes.

"About what?" I managed, though my voice came out breathier than I'd intended.

"About why you were in the woods yesterday. About what you saw." He stepped closer, and I noticed faint scars along his jawline, white against his tan skin. "About why you're not afraid of me when you should be."

"Should I be? Afraid of you?"

Something flickered in his expression-surprise, maybe, or approval. "Most people are."

"I'm not most people."

The corner of his mouth quirked up in what might have been the ghost of a smile. "No," he said quietly. "You're definitely not."

The space between us seemed to crackle with tension, and I found myself leaning closer despite every rational thought telling me to step away. He was dangerous-I knew that instinctively. But he was also magnetic, pulling at something deep inside me that I'd never felt before.

"Luca." A harsh voice cut through the moment like a blade. We both turned to see an older man striding down the hallway-tall, broad-shouldered, with the same dark hair and storm-gray eyes as Luca. "We're leaving. Now."

Luca's jaw tightened. "Aria, this is my father, Marcus Thorn." The introduction carried a weight I didn't understand. "Father, this is-"

"I know who she is." Marcus's gaze raked over me with an intensity that made me want to shrink into myself. When his eyes met mine, I saw something that made my blood run cold. Fear. "Stay away from my son, Miss Blake. For both your sakes."

He turned and walked away, expecting Luca to follow. But Luca hesitated, his eyes locked on mine.

"He's right," he said finally, his voice rough with something that might have been regret. "You should stay away from me."

Then he was gone, leaving me alone in the empty hallway with more questions than ever and the lingering scent of pine and rain.