CHAPTER ONE: THE HUNGER THAT WAITS

The hallway was too quiet.

Eden's steps echoed as she walked past the tall glass windows of Hollow Creek College. Her fingers gripped the strap of her bag. The soft breeze from outside pushed through the open window, but it did little to cool the strange heat in her chest.

Something had been off since the semester started. She could feel it in the air. In her skin. And worst of all, every time she passed the Dean's office.

She didn't understand it. But her body reacted before her mind could catch up.

She walked slower today, dragging her steps as she approached his door. Her gaze shifted to the nameplate outside the large wooden frame.

Dean Kael Draven

Office of Discipline

She stared at it too long. Again.

Behind the door, Kael stood still, breathing deeply. The scent hit him hard. Sweet. Pure. Warm. Like heat rolling off untouched skin. His jaw tightened.

He had smelled many things in his life. Fear. Blood. Lust. But nothing like this.

Nothing like her.

His claws pushed against the skin of his fingertips. His wolf was awake. Restless. Fighting the chains he had spent years keeping in place.

She was close.

Her scent told him everything. She was untouched. Human. Innocent. And most dangerous of all, she was his mate.

Kael stepped forward. Slowly. Each footstep measured, heavy with control. He reached the door but did not open it yet.

He waited.

Eden hesitated too. She looked down at her skirt, then back at the door. She didn't know why she wanted to see him. She just knew her body moved when it shouldn't.

She raised her hand to knock.

The door opened.

Kael stood in front of her. Tall. Dark suit. Sharp eyes. No smile.

Her heart skipped.

"Miss Vale," he said. His voice was low. Thick. Not warm. Not cold. Just... full.

She nodded, confused. "Yes, sir?"

His eyes dropped to the strap of her bag. Her hand. Her chest. Then back to her face.

He didn't blink.

"Come in."

She froze. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes."

He stepped aside. She moved. Slowly. Into the room. Into the silence.

Kael shut the door behind her.

The click was too loud.

He walked past her and sat at his desk. Fingers steepled. Eyes unreadable.

She stood near the door, bag still on her shoulder.

"Take it off," he said.

She blinked. "My bag?"

His mouth lifted slightly at the corner. Not a smile. A warning.

"Yes."

She slid it off her shoulder and held it in front of her.

"Sit."

She did.

Silence again.

The office smelled like wood and something darker. Stronger. The blinds were half closed. The lamp on the desk glowed with soft yellow light. Everything felt too still. Too warm.

Kael leaned forward.

"Has anyone ever touched you?"

She stared at him. Eyes wide. Her chest rose and fell too fast.

He did not repeat the question. He didn't need to.

Her silence gave him the answer.

"No," she whispered.

He sat back slowly. Eyes still on her.

"Good."

Kael watched her.

She sat across from him, small in the leather chair, legs pressed tight together. Her hands clutched the edge of her bag like a shield.

She looked innocent. Soft. Fragile.

But her scent told him the truth. Her body was waking up. Wanting. Changing.

And it was all because of him.

He leaned forward again, slowly.

"Do you know what you are?" he asked.

Her lips parted. "I don't understand."

"No," he said, voice lower now. "You don't."

He stood from the chair. Walked around the desk. His footsteps were slow and heavy. She turned her head slightly, but didn't look up.

He stopped beside her.

"You feel it, don't you?" he asked.

She looked up at him.

"Feel what?"

Kael's eyes darkened. He tilted his head as if studying her. Then he crouched beside her chair.

He was too close now.

She should have moved back. But she didn't.

His hand came up slowly. He touched her face. Just one finger. His knuckle brushed along her jaw, soft and warm.

Her breath caught.

"Your body is speaking," he said.

She looked away. "I don't know what's happening to me."

He smiled this time. Still small. Still dangerous.

"I do."

His other hand moved to her knee. She stiffened.

He didn't push higher. Just let it rest there.

"You're in heat," he said.

She frowned. "What?"

"Your body is calling," he whispered near her ear. "And I'm the only one who can hear it."

Eden stood suddenly. Her chair scraped against the floor. She stepped back, breathing hard.

Kael rose too. Calm. Unbothered.

"You should go," he said.

She looked at him, confused.

"Why?"

"Because if you stay," he said, voice deep and rough, "I won't let you leave untouched."

She stared at him. Her throat dry. Her heart racing. She didn't understand any of this.

He took one step toward her.

She took one step back.

"Leave, Eden."

She turned and reached for the door.

"Close it softly behind you."

She opened it, stepped out, and did as he asked.

The moment the door clicked shut, Kael's hands slammed on the desk.

He dropped his head and growled.

She was his. He had no doubt now.

And next time... he would not let her go.

A WEEK EARLIER

The sun hit hard that morning. Eden stepped onto the college walkway, tugging her hoodie over her head. Her earbuds were in, but her playlist was off. She liked the silence.

Hollow Creek College always looked peaceful this early. Clean stone buildings. Trees standing tall. A few students moved like ghosts across the grounds, clutching coffee cups and yawning.

Eden made her way to the bulletin board near the admin block. A small crowd had already gathered.

She pulled out one earbud and heard the whispers.

"Have you seen him?"

"That's the new dean?"

"He's too young to be in charge. Too cold."

Eden stepped closer and looked up.

There it was. A printed sheet, clean and sharp.

Welcome Dean Kael Draven

Effective today, he will oversee student discipline, administrative affairs, and senior programs.

Beneath the text was a photo.

Her stomach pulled tight.

He didn't smile in the picture. His eyes were sharp. His mouth flat. The suit looked perfect on him, dark and fitted. There was something in his face that didn't belong in this school. Or in any school.

Something wild.

Eden stared too long.

"Creepy, right?" someone said beside her.

She turned. A girl in a pink jacket popped her gum and kept talking.

"He doesn't even talk to people. My roommate said he walked into the admin office, looked at everyone once, then went into his office and locked the door."

Eden blinked. "Maybe he's shy."

The girl laughed. "Or maybe he's hiding a body in there."

She walked off.

Eden stayed.

She looked at the picture again. Something about his eyes made her feel... seen. Even through a photo. Like he was already watching.

She shook it off.

The bell rang. Time for first lecture.

As she walked toward the building, she didn't see the tall man behind the blinds of the second-floor window.

Kael Draven stood still, one hand pressed to the glass.

He wasn't looking at the crowd.

He was watching her.

Eden sat at the back of the lecture hall, notebook open but blank.

The room was full, voices echoing off the walls. Students whispered, scribbled, scrolled through their phones.

But her eyes kept drifting toward the door.

Everyone was still buzzing about the new dean. No one had seen him in person yet—not up close. He didn't speak at assembly. He didn't shake hands. He just arrived and moved like a shadow through the halls.

Some said he was strict. Others said he was quiet. But all agreed he was dangerous.

She didn't know why that word stuck with her.

Dangerous.

The professor walked in and set down his files. The room began to quiet down.

And then the door opened again.

He stepped in.

Not the professor. Not a guest.

Kael Draven.

The air changed.

The noise died.

He didn't speak. Just stood there near the doorway in a dark suit. His tie was perfectly in place. His eyes scanned the room slowly.

Every student dropped their gaze.

Except her.

He found her.

Eden didn't blink. Couldn't. Her chest rose too fast. She didn't understand why, but her heart beat like she had just run a race.

He didn't look away.

Seconds passed. Maybe more.

Then he turned his head and spoke to the professor. His voice was too low to hear from where she sat, but it rolled through her bones like thunder in the distance.

The professor nodded, said something quick, and then Kael left.

The door closed behind him.

The room came back to life.

"Damn," someone whispered. "Did you see his eyes?"

Eden sat frozen. Her fingers were tight around her pen. She had forgotten to breathe.

She didn't know what just happened.

But something had started.

Something she could not stop.