"Spread your legs wider, Seren."

The voice vibrated against my ear, a low, gravelly rasp.

"It is too dark," I whispered. "I do not see you."

"You do not need to see me. You just need to feel me."

"Rook..."

"Say my name again."

"Rook. Please."

"Please what? Tell me exactly what you want me to do to your cunt."

"Fuck me. Just fuck me hard."

His scent slammed into my senses. A freezing blast of winter night and raw raven feathers. Pure, unfiltered wolf aura wrapped around my naked body.

His cold fingers dug ruthlessly into my hips.

"You are soaking wet for me," Rook growled, his thumb brushing my clit.

"Because you are taking too long."

"I want to hear you beg for my cock."

"I am not begging."

"We will see about that."

He thrust two long fingers deep inside my wet core.

I arched my spine off the mattress. A loud moan tore from my throat.

"Fuck!" I cried out.

"That is it. Take my fingers. Grind on them."

"Rook, your face... why is there mist?"

A thick, grey fog swirled around his jaw and eyes. I reached up to touch his cheek, but my hand met only freezing vapor.

"Focus on my cock, Seren. Stop looking for things you are not allowed to see."

"I want to see my mate."

"I am right fucking here."

He pulled his fingers out. The sudden emptiness made me whimper.

"Do not stop," I pleaded.

"I am replacing my fingers with my cock. Spread them."

He pushed inside me. Thick, hard, stretching my walls out completely.

"Fuck, Seren. You feel so fucking good."

"Deeper. Hit the back."

"I am going to wreck your pussy. I am going to fuck you until you scream the house down."

"Do it."

He pounded into me. Skin slapping skin. The brutal friction burned in the best way possible.

"Rook!"

"Look at me. Look at the mist."

"I hate it. Let me see your eyes."

"Not yet."

He bit down hard on my collarbone.

"Tell me who owns this pussy."

"You do. You do, Rook."

"Fucking right I do."

He grabbed my thighs, pulling them flush against his waist. Each thrust drove deeper, hitting a spot that sent lightning through my nerves.

"Fuck, Rook! Right there!"

"You like that?"

"Yes. God, yes."

"Tell me you belong to me."

"I belong to you."

"Say it louder."

"I am yours, Rook. Only yours."

He growled, a deep, vibrating sound that rumbled through my chest. The pace of his thrusts turned frantic, punishing.

"I am going to fill you up, Seren."

"Do it. Fill my cunt."

"Take all of it."

The mist thickened, pouring into my mouth, choking the air from my lungs.

"Rook?"

Silence.

"Rook, where did you go?"

The warmth vanished entirely. The cold raven scent turned to ash on my tongue.

Crack.

The dream shattered like a dropped mirror.

I bolted upright in bed. My lungs fought violently for oxygen.

"Fuck!" I gasped, clutching my chest.

"Breathe, Seren," my wolf, Lyra, snapped in my mind.

My throat closed up. I swallowed hard, fighting the panic.

My silk pajamas clung to my skin, heavy and drenched in cold sweat.

I sat completely motionless. The night outside the window pressed against the glass, heavy and impenetrable.

My hands gripped the blanket, twisting the fabric into tight knots.

"He was right here," I finally panted.

"He was in your head. Again."

I stared straight up at the dark ceiling. Phantom sensations crawled across my skin. The ghost of his heavy body pressing me into the mattress. The slick friction of his cock stretching my core. The freezing chill of his fingers on my hips.

"It felt too real, Lyra."

"It is a phantom touch. You are driving us crazy."

"I am not doing this on purpose!"

"Then stop obsessing over Alpha Rook before you sleep."

"I do not control my dreams."

I remained frozen, staring into the black void above my bed. The shadows seemed to shift, forming the broad shoulders of the man who tormented my sleep.

"Look at your hands," Lyra ordered.

I did not move my head. I just lifted my hands into my line of sight. My fingers shook uncontrollably.

"I still feel his cock inside me," I whispered to the empty room.

"You feel the mate bond pulling. A bond he refuses to acknowledge in the daylight."

"Why does he hide his face in the dreamscape?"

"Because he hides his true self from us every single day."

I kept my eyes locked on the ceiling. The heavy silence of the midnight hours pressed down on the house, thick and suffocating.

"I hate him," I muttered.

"You want to fuck him," Lyra corrected.

"Those two things are not mutually exclusive."

"Admit it. You are obsessed with a wolf who barely looks your way during pack meetings."

"I am not obsessed."

"Your soaking wet underwear says otherwise."

A flush of heat crawled up my neck. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Shut up, Lyra."

"Change your clothes. You smell like arousal and panic."

"I am fine right here."

"Suit yourself. But if anyone walks past our door, they will smell your slick."

My grip on the blanket tightened until my knuckles throbbed.

"Let them smell it," I challenged the darkness.

"Reckless."

"I am tired of playing it safe."

The phantom sensation of his teeth grazing my collarbone flared to life. I flinched, slapping a hand over the bare skin, breaking my motionless trance.

"Did you feel that?" I asked my wolf.

"Feel what?"

"His bite. Right here."

"There is nothing there, Seren."

"I swear he just bit me."

I scrambled for the bedside lamp. My hand smacked the switch. Warm yellow light flooded the room, chasing the shadows into the corners.

"Look in the mirror," Lyra suggested, her voice laced with doubt.

"I will."

I swung my legs over the edge of the mattress. I marched to the full-length mirror standing near the closet.

"See? Nothing," Lyra declared.

I leaned closer to the glass. My reflection stared back—wild hair, pale face, chest heaving.

"No," I breathed out.

"What is it?"

"Look at my collarbone."

Right where the phantom teeth had clamped down, a faint, undeniable red mark blossomed on my skin.

"That is impossible," Lyra whispered.

"It was not just a dream."

"He is miles away at the packhouse. He could not have marked us."

"Then explain this."

I traced the angry red skin. It burned hotly beneath my fingertips.

"Maybe you scratched yourself in your sleep," my wolf argued.

"This is a bite mark, Lyra. Look at the curve. Those are canines."

"Alpha Rook is not a ghost. He cannot bite you through a dreamscape."

"Then what the fuck is happening to us?"

A sudden, sharp knock hammered against my bedroom door.

I spun around. My heart slammed against my ribs.

"Who is there?" I demanded.

"Open the door, Seren."

The low, gravelly rasp belonged to the man from my dream.

"Open the door, Seren."

I yanked the brass handle down and ripped the door wide open.

Empty space greeted me. The dark hallway stretched out, silent and vacant. Not a single footprint disturbed the carpet.

"You are officially losing your mind," Lyra muttered in my head.

"He was just here," I whispered, gripping the doorframe.

"There is no one here. You are hallucinating."

"I heard his voice."

"You heard your own obsession. Go to sleep. We have school in three hours."

I slammed the door shut and locked it. I sat on the edge of the mattress until the sun came up, rubbing the phantom bite mark on my collarbone.

***

Sunlight did nothing to warm my freezing skin. The senior homeroom buzzed with chaotic energy. Paper wads flew past my head. Students shouted across the aisles, laughing and swapping weekend stories.

Maya Cole slammed her backpack onto the desk next to mine.

"You look like an actual corpse," Maya announced, pulling out a notebook.

"Thank you. I feel like one."

"Rough night?"

"Nightmares," I lied.

"Did you dream about failing calculus again?"

"Worse."

"Well, wake up. The rumor mill is on fire this morning."

"I am not in the mood for pack gossip, Maya."

"You will care about this. We are getting a transfer student."

"So what? People move all the time."

"An Alpha transfer. From the Northern Ridge."

"We do not need more Alphas in this school. The ego levels are already toxic."

"Speak for yourself. I hear he is huge. Like, scary huge."

"You are ridiculous."

"I am observant. There is a difference."

Mr. Thorne marched into the room, slapping his wooden ruler against the whiteboard.

"Quiet down!" he barked.

The chatter died instantly. Teenagers scrambled into their seats.

"Take your places. Now."

Maya slid into her chair. "Watch the door," she whispered.

"I am trying to read," I replied, staring at my open textbook.

"Class, we have a new addition today," Mr. Thorne announced. "Come on in."

Heavy footsteps crossed the threshold.

The air in the room shifted immediately. A suffocating weight pressed down on my chest. Pure, unfiltered Alpha aura flooded the space.

"Holy shit," Maya muttered under her breath.

I lifted my chin. My eyes found the front of the room.

All the blood drained from my face.

My hands went entirely numb.

It was him.

The man from my midnight hallucinations. The phantom who wrecked my bed and marked my collarbone.

He stood tall beside the podium. Dark, assessing eyes scanned the rows of desks. Broad shoulders stretched the seams of a black leather jacket.

"Lyra," I panicked.

"I see him," my wolf replied, her voice trembling.

"How is this possible?"

"I do not know. Duck your head. Now."

I snapped my gaze down to my desk. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.

"What is wrong with you?" Maya nudged my elbow.

"Nothing," I choked out.

"You are shaking, Seren."

"I need water. I am just thirsty."

I squeezed my eyes shut, praying to the Moon Goddess he would not look my way.

"Introduce yourself," Mr. Thorne instructed.

"Rook Vera," the low, gravelly voice echoed off the walls.

The exact same rasp that ordered me to spread my legs hours ago. A violent shiver ripped down my spine.

"Is that it?" Mr. Thorne pressed, crossing his arms. "Any hobbies? Where did you transfer from exactly?"

"No hobbies. I am here to finish the year," Rook stated. Cold. Unbothered.

"We expect participation in this pack, Mr. Vera."

"I will participate when it is required."

"Alright then. Find an empty seat."

I kept my chin glued to my chest. My fingernails dug deeply into my palms.

"He is looking at the class," Lyra warned.

"Is he looking at me?"

"His eyes just passed over us. He did not stop."

"Are you sure?"

"He does not recognize you, Seren."

Footsteps approached my aisle. Heavy, measured strides.

The scent of winter night and raw raven feathers wrapped around my face. The exact same smell from the dreamscape. My lungs seized.

"Do not look up," I ordered myself.

The leather of his jacket squeaked as he passed right by my desk. A freezing breeze trailed in his wake.

He walked straight to the empty desk in the back row and dropped his bag onto the floor.

"He sits right behind us," Maya whispered, thrilled.

"Stop talking," I hissed.

"Why are you acting so weird?"

"Just leave me alone today, Maya."

Mr. Thorne began writing equations on the board.

"Open your books to page forty," the teacher commanded.

I flipped the pages blindly. I could not read a single word.

Every nerve in my body pointed toward the back of the room. I felt his presence like a physical weight pressing on my neck.

"He is just a guy," Lyra tried to soothe.

"He is the guy who fingered us in a dream," I shot back.

"Keep your thoughts quiet. Alphas can sense distress."

"I am projecting pure terror."

"Then stop it. Breathe."

I hunched my shoulders, trying to fold myself into a tiny, invisible ball. I curled my legs tightly under my chair.

"Seren, answer the second problem," Mr. Thorne called out.

I flinched. My pencil snapped in half.

"I..." My throat felt like sandpaper. "I do not know the answer."

"You solved this exact equation yesterday on the board."

"I forgot the formula."

"Pay attention, please."

"Yes, sir."

I sank lower in my seat.

"You are embarrassing us," Lyra scolded.

"I am surviving."

The clock ticked endlessly. I stared at the second hand, counting every agonizing sweep.

Behind me, a chair scraped against the linoleum.

I froze.

Did he move? Did he lean forward?

"He is just stretching his legs," Lyra noted.

"I cannot do this for an entire hour."

"You have to. Do not draw attention to yourself."

A crumpled piece of paper hit the back of my head.

I jumped in my seat.

"Calm down," Maya whispered from the side, pointing at the paper ball on the floor. "Tyler threw it. Not him."

"Tell Tyler to screw off," I hissed.

"You are incredibly jumpy today."

"Just leave me alone."

The bell finally rang, a shrill sound that meant freedom.

"Class dismissed," Mr. Thorne yelled over the scraping of chairs.

I shoved my broken pencil and textbook into my bag. I needed to get out of this room. I needed air.

"Are you coming to the cafeteria?" Maya asked, standing up.

"I have to use the restroom first. Go ahead."

"Suit yourself."

I slung my backpack over one shoulder and rushed for the door.

I kept my eyes fixed on the exit sign. Just three more steps.

A large hand shot out, slamming flat against the doorframe, blocking my path entirely.

Black leather wrapped around a thick wrist.

"In a rush?" Rook's rough voice sounded right beside my ear.

"In a rush?" Rook’s gravelly voice grated against my ear.

His thick wrist, wrapped in black leather, blocked the classroom exit completely.

"Move," I demanded, staring straight at his chest.

"You dropped this." He held up my snapped pencil.

"Keep it."

I ducked under his massive arm and sprinted down the hall.

"Coward," Lyra muttered in my mind.

"Survival instinct," I shot back.

From that moment on, my daily routine shifted into an extreme game of evasion.

"Turn around," Lyra ordered during third period.

"Why?"

"He is at the end of the corridor. Next to the water fountain."

I spun on my heel, shoving past a group of freshmen.

"Hey, watch it!" a boy yelled.

"Sorry," I tossed over my shoulder, ducking into the nearest stairwell.

See a black leather jacket? Run. Catch the freezing scent of winter and raw raven feathers? Take the long way to class. I refused to create a single opportunity for our paths to cross.

"Why are we walking through the science wing?" Maya complained on Tuesday, dragging her sneakers across the linoleum.

"It is faster," I lied.

"No, it is not. The cafeteria is the opposite direction."

"I need to check the biology bulletin board."

"You are hiding from the transfer student."

"I am not."

"Every time Rook Vera walks into the east hall, you sprint to the west hall."

"Pure coincidence."

"You are a terrible liar, Seren."

I ignored her, keeping my eyes glued to the floor tiles. The daytime avoidance was exhausting, but the nights were infinitely worse.

Reality offered cold distance. The midnight hours offered brutal, inescapable intimacy.

Every time my eyes closed, the dreamscape pulled me under.

"Open your legs, Seren."

The gray mist swirled around his jaw, obscuring his eyes, but his heavy body pinned me flush against the mattress.

"Rook," I gasped, clutching his broad shoulders.

"Tell me what you want me to do to your pussy."

"Fuck me."

"Use your words. Be specific."

"Stretch me out. Fuck me hard."

His cold fingers parted my wet folds. "You are soaking for me again."

"Because you take too long."

"I want to hear you beg for my cock."

"I want your fucking cock, Rook. Please."

He positioned himself at my entrance. "Take it."

He drove inside me, thick and relentless. The brutal friction sent a shockwave of heat straight to my core.

"Fuck!" I arched my spine, my nails digging into his skin.

"You feel so fucking good," he growled, his hips snapping against mine. "Grind back on me."

"Deeper. Hit the back."

"I am going to wreck your cunt. I am going to fuck you until you forget your own name."

He pounded into me, skin slapping skin.

"Rook! Right there!"

"Say my name again."

"Rook!"

I woke up screaming his name into my pillow.

My bedroom was pitch black. My sheets clung to my thighs, drenched in sweat and slick.

"This is torture," I whispered, clutching my chest. My heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs.

"He is breaking our mind," Lyra whimpered. "We cannot keep living two different lives."

"He does not even look at me in the daylight. Why does he fuck me every night?"

"Because the mate bond is real. Even if he ignores it."

"I cannot take much more of this."

"Then shift. Let me out. Show him who we are."

"No. You know what happens if the pack finds out I have a wolf."

I dragged myself out of bed, exhausted and terrified. The secret of the dreamscape gnawed at my sanity. If anyone found out—if Rook found out—my life would be over.

***

By Wednesday morning, the lack of sleep left me shaking.

I stood at my locker, fumbling with the metal dial.

A hand slammed flat against the door next to mine.

"Still walking on two legs, Seren?" Chloe Mercer sneered.

I kept my eyes on my combination lock. "Leave me alone, Chloe."

"Pack run is on Friday. Are you going to sit in the dirt and watch us shift again?"

"It is none of your business."

"You are eighteen. If you do not have a wolf by now, you are a dud. A wolfless freak."

"Rip her throat out," Lyra snarled in my mind.

"I cannot," I replied silently. "They do not know you exist. If I shift, the Alpha will force me into the elite guard."

"Better than being treated like garbage by these weaklings."

Chloe shoved my shoulder hard. "Did you hear me, freak?"

"I heard you." I slammed my locker shut. "Now back off."

"Or what? You will cry to the human teachers?"

Laughter echoed from Chloe's friends down the hall.

"She does not even have a scent," one of the girls mocked. "Just smells like plain old human."

"A waste of pack resources," Chloe agreed.

I gripped the straps of my backpack and walked away. My fingernails bit deeply into my palms.

"She is pathetic," Lyra grumbled.

"I just need to survive until graduation. Then we leave this territory forever."

"You cannot run from him. He is everywhere."

I turned the corner toward the library, desperate for a quiet corner to hide.

The scent hit me first. Freezing winter wind. Raw feathers.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

Rook leaned against the brick wall, arms crossed, staring directly at the intersection.

"Turn around," I told my legs.

They refused to move.

He pushed off the wall and walked straight toward me.

"Seren," Lyra panicked. "He is coming."

"I see him."

I spun around to flee, but a hard chest collided with my back.

"Where are you going?" Rook's voice grated against my ear.

"Class."

"It is lunch period."

"I need to study."

He grabbed my elbow. His grip burned like dry ice against my bare skin.

"You have been avoiding me."

"I do not even know you."

"Then why do you run every time I enter a room?"

"I do not run."

He yanked me backward, pinning me against the row of lockers. His massive frame trapped me completely.

"Let me go," I demanded, shoving at his leather jacket.

He did not budge an inch.

He leaned closer. His nose brushed the shell of my ear.

"You smell like fear."

"I am late," I lied, yanking my arm away.

"And you smell like something else, too."

My stomach dropped to the floor.

"What are you talking about?"

"Vanilla." He dragged his nose down my jawline. "And sex."

I froze. The noisy hallway around us seemed to vanish into a vacuum.

"You are crazy," I choked out.

"Am I?" Rook tilted his head, his dark eyes locking onto mine with terrifying clarity. "Then why did you scream my name at three in the morning?"