Chapter 2

"Tasia, my baby. Wake up."

"Ana, please, talk to us."

"Ana."

Several voices pierced through the haze in my head, snapping me awake. I opened my eyes, and the harsh daylight hit me like a tidal wave, making my head throb painfully. A groan slipped out as I shifted in the softness of my bed.

"Tasia? Tasia!"

My mother's loud voice added to the pain, but the thick worry behind it also made me stop squirming and calm myself. Slowly, I opened my eyes and found three concerned faces hovering over me.

"Mom? Guys?" I murmured, attempting to sit up, but my limbs felt heavy and there was an unfamiliar emptiness in my chest like a piece of my heart was missing. "What happened?"

"You tell us," Talia shot, sitting beside me.

"Huh?" I looked at her, confused.

"After you left on your own last night, I couldn't just stay put. So, I came after you and—" Tyler's brows knitted like he was disturbed with the memory "—found you unconscious in the woods."

"Are you alright, baby?" Mom asked, gripping my shoulders and running her worried gaze all over me. "Were you hurt?"

I blinked, trying to remember. Last night... The woods...

The memories slammed back into me, and the ache in my heart intensified.

The wolf... The man... The pain...

My breath hitched as I tried to process it all. Was any of it real? Or just some bizarre, twisted dream? Maybe the alcohol had messed with my head. But would a bottle of beer really do that?

"Darling?" Mom's voice brought my attention back to her, and the deep anxiety in her brown eyes tugged at my heart.

After Dad's death, Mom hadn't been the same. She was a wreck for a long time—working herself to exhaustion by day and crying through the nights. It went on for a whole year until I pulled myself out of my own dark space and did everything in my power to make things beautiful again. I hadn't succeeded completely, but things had improved.

She wasn't crying or hurting herself anymore. But I knew the pain still lingered. Grief never truly leaves; we just learn to live with it. For Mom, living meant making me her whole world, turning her into an overprotective, always-worried parent. Now, she fretted over every little thing I did, always fearing the worst.

Her heart had grown weak over the years, something the doctors warned could lead to more serious issues if triggered. So I tried not to give her a reason, always abiding by her rules no matter how hard and suffocating it became for me sometimes.

Though, judging by the dark circles around her soft eyes, I hadn't been as successful as I hoped.

So, for now, I decided to keep whatever happened in the woods to myself. Whether it was real or a hallucination, I needed to figure it out before dragging Mom or anyone else into it.

A soft nudge on my shoulder brought me out of my thoughts. With a sigh, I nodded, forcing a smile, even though all I wanted was to bury my face into a pillow and cry my heart out. The worst part? I had no idea why.

"I'm fine, Mom. It was just—Wait." My eyes flicked back to her, inspecting her for injuries. "Are you okay? Why did you call me last night and not say anything?"

"What?" She frowned, confusion crossing her face. "No, I didn't call you." Then her eyes widened in sudden realization. "Oh. I—I might have fallen asleep on the phone and dialed you by accident."

I breathed in relief, closing my eyes briefly to fight the alien exhaustion settled deep in my bones.

"How did it happen?" Talia asked, her sky-blue eyes narrowed. "How did you faint?"

"I tripped," I lied, sneaking a glance at Mom. "But I'm fine. Really."

“You tripped,” she repeated, but it came out more as a question.

“Yeah. It's the forest. Fallen branches and twigs everywhere you know.” I laughed nervously. “I should have been careful.”

After a brief stare, she nodded, and Mom gently stroked my head, but the doubt from Tyler's gaze never eased. Why? Did he see something when he came for me? I needed to talk to him alone.

Once I’d managed to smile enough to convince them I was okay, they finally left me. But when the door closed behind them, a tear rolled down my face and soon more followed like waterfalls. The ache in my heart grew unbearable, as if I’d lost someone—someone very close to my heart.

But who?

Once the sobs died, I replayed the events of last night. The wolf and the man. There had to be some connection. Was it his pet? Did he use it to hunt down victims and inflict pain on them? Maybe he was some sort of a black magician. Those things existed, didn't they? And what had he said right before I collapsed?

Something about rejecting me…

The more I thought about it, the sharper the pain became. Maybe none of it was real. Maybe it was all in my head. Maybe I was losing my mind.

Oh God...

The following week went in a blur as I slowly turned into the previous version of my mother. By day, I studied like my life depended on it, and by night, I cried till my eyes went dry. Though, on the outside, I was still the same sweet, smiling Ana everyone knew.

But Inside? Inside, I was falling apart.

And for what? I hadn't the slightest idea.

To distract myself, my eyes scanned over the surroundings of Rogue Community. The college was built in between the woods with breathtaking landscapes in the far side. I had been finding solace there for the past month since I got here.

But today, as I stared at the rows of trees and bushes, I couldn't help searching for something fiery-red and gigantic.

"Ana."

I turned to find Tyler approaching, his shoulders tense, and his forehead lined with worry or guilt I couldn't tell.

"Hey."

"Are you okay?"

I frowned. "Do I not look okay?"

He stared at me, a thousand thoughts passing through his gaze. I wondered if one of them was a lie. I did ask him about that night the first chance I got after I thanked him for the rescue, but he said he saw nothing or even heard. As if that loud roar of the wolf that almost split my ears open, wasn't actually heard by the entire town.

But why would he hide it from me? He had no reason. Unless he was involved with the wolf and the man—

His shoulders relaxed with a breath as a smile tugged on his lips, highlighting the dimple everyone fangirled. "You do. You look fantastic. I was just making sure."

Gosh...what was I thinking? He had been nothing but a good friend since we met. How did I even allow that thought to enter my head?

Clearly, my messed up head was messing up my life. I needed to get myself back together. With a deep breath, I pushed the disturbing thoughts into the back of my mind and smiled back genuinely.

After Tyler left for his department, Talia and I headed to class. After hours of monotonous lectures, it was finally time for Algebra 2—a subject I both loved and hated. I was a decent student, but math took extra effort. What made it bearable was Professor Morton who always used the simplest formulas to help us understand. Plus, it was the one class where the seniors joined us, which had all the sophomores buzzing.

"Here he comes,” Talia muttered, rolling her eyes, drawing my gaze to the entrance.

The crowd bustled as the campus favorite, Jaxon Blaze, entered the room, followed by his group of minions. All tattoos and leather, he was as dangerous as the rumors went. Some even associated him with the mafia and all things illegal. Yet the looks of longing never ceased to follow around the six feet jock.

He directed his dark gaze to a girl at the front and winked, causing her to squeal and giggle.

"Ohh, there goes my heart," Samara groaned from beside me, literal hearts popping in her eyes.

The popular badboy sat in his usual spot at the south front and basked in the attention until the doors opened again, and instead of our sweet math teacher, in came the college president.

A question mark drew over everyone's faces as he signaled for silence.

"Alright, class. I’ll keep this brief,” he began, though there was something uneasy about his tone, like he was choosing his words extra carefully. The old man’s posture was stiff, and his gray hair slightly disheveled. "As you may have noticed, Professor Morton is… unavailable at the moment. He had to leave the country unexpectedly due to personal reasons."

He paused to give the students time to process the news.

I frowned before letting out a huff. Why? Why did it have to be my favorite teacher? And why the hell did the college president personally come to announce that? Did something serious happen to Professor Morton?

His eyes darted to the doorway before returning to us. “In his place, we have arranged a new professor. I understand change can be difficult, especially when it comes to someone as beloved as Professor Morton. But—” He cleared his throat, his eyes briefly flickering with something almost like nervousness, which he masked quickly, “the individual stepping in has a rather exceptional background.”

His voice lowered a fraction. “He’s highly esteemed and, uh, quite selective about where he lends his expertise. It’s an honor to have him here. So,” he eyed everyone with seriousness, “I expect you to show him the utmost respect.”

I shifted in my seat, catching the subtle tension in his voice. Why did it feel like this was more than just about a substitute teacher?

“Now, without further delay,” the president said, his voice sounding firmer as he turned towards the door, “please, welcome… Professor Zeus Valerious.”

The doors swung open again, and every set of eyes turned to that particular direction as a single Derby shoe of the finest leather and the darkest shine stepped into the threshold.

Silence prevailed as anticipation thickened the air.

I swallowed, feeling a funny sensation climb high in my belly.

Another of the pair joined with equal control. My eyes rose from those dark shoes, dragging over strong thighs hardly contained in dark slacks, a similar shade waistcoat struggling to keep a giant figure intact to those dress shirt sleeves rolled up over ripped forearms, and finally to his face.

My breath hitched in my throat.

Why did no one tell me that some Greek god sculpture came to life and escaped Rome? Only that could explain the carved jawline and straight nose.

With hair like the rich midnight sky, immaculately combed back, and an aura of authority practically buzzing around him, the man looked like he just stepped fresh out of a million girls' fantasy.

I wasn't drooling. I definitely wasn't drooling- I told myself, but the rhythm in which my heart beat probably a thousand miles per minute, told a different story.

Even that was until he walked into the room, gave a curt nod to the president and faced us.

Cold, dark green.

The world suddenly slipped off its axis as a gasp escaped my lips.

Those eyes. Those cruel, impenetrable eyes I could tell from anywhere.

He was that man from the woods.

He stalked me here.

Panic surged through my veins, quickening my breathing. What was he doing here? What did he want from me?

But... What if he wasn't? There were millions of people with the same green eyes. What if it was only a coincidence that I met two identical ones in the span of two weeks no matter how rare they were?

A shiver ran down my back all the way to my toes when they surveyed over the class, briefly pausing on the south front before resuming back to the president. They talked in hushed tones for a few seconds until suddenly he stopped, like completely frozen in his movements.

Slowly, his head turned back to the rows, his keen gaze dragging over student after student, past me, before bouncing back and settling on me.

Time seemed to have come to a drastic halt as we stared at each other. Nothing else mattered. Not even the class full of people witnessing the show.

Not even the panic or the pain.

A heart-pounding rush consumed me whole. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. I was hypnotized. Utterly so.

I could even hold that gaze forever if he let me.

But then his head jerked slightly as if coming out of a trance. His jaw set, and a glare that had the ability to melt the Arctic was sent my way, knocking me back to sense.

With a sharp turn of his massive physique, he disappeared out of the class, having the college president run after him.

My lungs burned, and I gasped for air. Gone was the strange bliss, and back was the pain with full force.

My eyes steered to the students around, all watching me with weird expressions excluding Talia. She looked almost identical to me, her tanned skin paling.

Then there was Jaxon Blaze. He too observed me as one corner of his pierced lips lifted in amusement.

"What just happened?" Samara whispered.

I gulped, pressing a hand over my aching heart.

He was the man.