The murmur of students filled the air as I walked through the university hallways. The apparent normalcy clashed brutally with the chaos inside me. Coming back here felt almost like a mockery. As if everything I had experienced in the past few days had been part of a dream—or a nightmare.But it wasn't. Every image was imprinted on my memory with disturbing clarity. Aidan, with his intense gaze, trembling caresses, his need to protect me, and the mystery surrounding him. Gabriel, with his contained rage, his pain, and that bond that clung to me like invisible chains. And Elianne... her presence beside the rogues, her eyes filled with anger. That image wouldn't let me sleep.
I sat on a bench on campus, pretending to be focused on my notes. But the words unraveled before my eyes. My mind drifted back to the night at the apartment, to Aidan's warmth on my skin, to his broken voice when he stopped right at the edge of the abyss. And to the bond... that bond with Gabriel which, though it seemed to weaken, was still there. Beating. Reminding me that he had been chosen for me, even if he hadn't chosen me.
I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment.—"Sofía."That voice.I opened my eyes abruptly. Gabriel stood a few meters away, watching me with a mix of surprise and something darker. He wasn't wearing the university uniform—he didn't study here. He had no reason to be in this place.
My body tensed.—"What are you doing here?" I asked, more surprised than angry. I also had no idea how he knew I studied here.—"I needed to see you," he replied, voice low.—"Are you following me?"—"No. Well, not exactly. I just... I heard you were back in class. And I had to talk to you."
I looked around. No one seemed to be paying us any attention, but something about his presence stood out. It was like the air around him shifted. As if the instincts of those nearby recognized he didn't belong in this world of students and hallways.
Gabriel sat beside me. He didn't touch me, but I felt it. That uncomfortable electricity only he could provoke.—"I saw you with him," he finally said, bluntly.I stayed silent.—"I'm not here to scold you," he added, more softly. "I have no right. But I can't help feeling it. The bond. It's still there, Sofía. Even if I try to deny it, you're still burning inside me."
I swallowed hard. I didn't want his words to affect me, but they did.—"You're the one who rejected me," I reminded him quietly, looking away. "You're the one who broke me before anything even began."—"I know. And I never stop regretting it," he whispered. "But now... now it hurts to see you with him."
I turned to look at him, my heart pounding.—"And what do you expect me to do? Wait around for someone who already chose someone else?"Gabriel lowered his gaze, visibly affected. Then he looked up, and for a moment, his expression softened.—"I don't expect anything. I just... didn't want to walk away without telling you that I still feel all of this. That it hasn't gone away. And that no matter how hard I try, I can't hate you for being with him. Because if I were in his place, I wouldn't stay away from you either."
A lump rose in my throat. The closeness. The intensity in his eyes. I was still drawn to him. He was different from Aidan, but just as powerful, just as visceral.
Gabriel raised his hand, brushing my cheek with his fingers. The touch made me tremble.—"Tell me you feel it too," he whispered, resting his forehead against mine.
I couldn't answer. I didn't want to lie, but I couldn't fully open up about what I felt either.
And then, a sharp hum pulled me out of the trance. A tingling on the back of my neck. A premonition.
Gabriel tensed too.—"We're not alone," he said quietly, standing up immediately.
I stood as well, senses alert. Something was watching us. And like so many times before, there was no time for words.
As we walked away from campus, one certainty settled in my chest: what I felt for Gabriel was still alive… but it wasn't the only thing tying me anymore…
As I walked beside Gabriel, heading into a quieter side street, the presence of my wolf, Laisa, surged powerfully in my mind. It was as if she had been holding back, waiting for the right moment to speak."His wolf reached out to me," she whispered in my mind, her voice soft but filled with an emotion I couldn't fully decipher."When?" I asked silently, trying not to alter my expression."While you were talking. When you and Gabriel were sitting, he allowed his wolf to come forward. It was just a moment… but enough to feel it. He connected with me."
My heart skipped a beat. A connection between their wolves? That wasn't a small thing."And what did he say?" I pressed, feeling a weight in my chest."That he didn't agree with breaking the bond. That it was a forced decision."
The word "forced" echoed in my mind."Forced? By who?" I asked, throat tightening in confusion."He didn't say," Laisa replied with a hint of sorrow. "He just pulled away… as if remembering it hurt too much."
I fell silent. The air between Gabriel and me grew denser, as if my wolf had just reopened an old wound. It hadn't been an impulsive decision, not even a complete choice. There was pain behind everything. Pain and secrets.
And something inside me—something deep, primal, instinctive—still responded to him.
Laisa's words still echoed in my mind when we turned into a narrow alley, looking for a shortcut to a busier street. The city was unusually quiet, as if even the wind held its breath. That's when I felt it."Something's wrong," Laisa warned, tense.
A second later, the air filled with a sour, unfamiliar scent. It didn't have the earthy aroma of wolves tied to a pack, but something wild, corrupted. I recognized them instantly: rogues.
Gabriel stopped too, senses alert. His golden eyes gleamed brighter, more dangerous. Instinctively, he placed himself in front of me just as three figures emerged from the shadows, claws bared and eyes hungry."Stay behind me. No matter what, don't interfere." His tone was so firm it chilled my blood.
A growl rumbled from deep in his chest as he began to shift. His muscles expanded, his skin covered in dark gray fur, nearly black. In seconds, his majestic alpha wolf stood in his place.
The rogues launched the first attack, but Gabriel met them with an elegant brutality, the kind only a trained alpha possessed. One by one, they fell—but not without a fight. I stepped back, trying not to lose sight of him, while Laisa howled in my mind, ready to intervene if necessary.
One of the wolves managed to bite Gabriel's side, pulling a growl from him that cut through me. Blood stained his fur, but he didn't stop. With one lethal move, he snapped the neck of the last rogue. And just before that one took his final breath, he smiled, blood on his teeth, and murmured:—"It doesn't matter... more will come... for her..."
I froze. For me.
Gabriel, still in wolf form, staggered slightly before shifting back. He fell to his knees, gasping, one hand pressing against his bleeding wound.—"Gabriel!" I ran to him, my fingers trembling as they touched his face, his shoulders. "Don't die, please..."—"I'm fine..." he muttered through gritted teeth, though his pallor said otherwise. "They weren't after you... they're looking for something else..."
The rogue's final words still echoed in my mind.More will come for her.
My blood turned to ice. This wasn't just an attack.It was a message.And it was clear:I was the target.