Chapter 4

CASSIAN’S POV

This was not what I had expected when I came into the bathroom to take off my shorts, now damp from a spilled drink.

The girl stood frozen. So did I. My lips slightly parted and I didn't know what to think, feel or even say as I stared at her while she did the same.

This was the men's bathroom. Why was there a woman in here?

Her chest heaved as if she had just run a marathon, her silver hair slightly disheveled, her wide, terrified eyes locked onto mine.

For a moment, neither of us moved. Then, I realized.

My shorts.

Shit.

I cursed under my breath and yanked them back up in one swift motion, my expression remaining as impassive as ever despite the flicker of horror and embarrassment that flashed across my features before I masked it again.

She blinked rapidly, her gaze darting downward…only for a second…but I caught it.

Heat creeping up my cheeks which was foreign, I cleared my throat, crossing my arms. “What the hell are you doing in here?” I asked, looking her over again.

She snapped out of it, her eyes jerking up to meet mine again. “I— I didn’t know someone was in here. I—”  She shook her head, took a step back, and then another like she'd rather be anywhere but here in this compromising situation.

“Wait,” I frowned, catching the red tint in her eyes, the uneven rise and fall of her chest and the way her lips wobbled slightly with each breath like she had been running and was trying to hold back tears. “Are you…?” I asked, taking a step forward despite my initial hesitation.

“I’m fine,” she cut me off sharply, turning away so fast I barely caught the tremble in her hands except that I liked to observe people a lot so I couldn't easily miss something like that. She was nervous.

Liar.

I tilted my head, my wolf stirring slightly in the back of my mind, sensing something was off. Dexter who had been my wolf since I was 18 had always preferred to nap so him being awake now made me know that something was going to happen.

She grabbed the doorknob, but I took a step forward. “You don’t look fine.”

She stiffened, fingers tightening around the knob.

I was about to push further when she suddenly yanked the door open and bolted without a second thought.

Did she just …leave my presence when I wasn't done talking to her? She wasn't elite but I had a feeling that she was more dependent on herself and didn't have any person she could trust.

I didn’t move.

Didn’t go after her.

I just stood there, eyes locked on the now-empty doorway, something unfamiliar twisting in my chest.

Who the hell was she? It felt like I had seen her before but considering how I barely paid attention to people around me these days, I wouldn't be surprised if I had forgotten about her.

Waitㅡ silver hair? I had seen someone with that in the hallway a few days back, right?

I wasn’t sure what bugged me more, the way she had looked at me like I was some kind of monster, or the fact that despite that, my gaze kept flickering back to her silver hair.

That hair. I wasn't in class yesterday and I was barely in school for a few days now but I had followed up with all the basic stuff and I wondered if she was the freak that my friend has kept mentioning.

If I had seen her in a party before, I would have surely remembered that. I knew every elite. She wasn’t one of us. So who the hell was she? Rare to see a student who actually fends for themselves in this situation.

I ran a hand through my hair, shaking my head, ready to push the whole thing out of my mind and then I felt it.

Heat.

Low. Deep. Stirring. My entire body locked up instantly and I seem to be frozen to the spot while I tried to understand what the hell was happening.

What the f—My gaze snapped down, and my breath caught in my throat at the sight that awaited me.

No.

No fucking way.

I could count the number of times this had happened in my entire life on zero fingers.

A girl. A random, nobody girl had just left me standing here, hard as a fucking rock.

My wolf rumbled in my head, shifting, restless, thrilled.

Finally. I was beginning to think that he had left me.

I scowled. “What?”

“She did it.” His voice dripped with satisfaction. “She’s the one.”

I stilled. The curse. The fucking curse.

Of course, yes. She had already done something. Literally. No woman had ever made my blood heat, not a single damn one.

And now?

One look.

One look from that silver-haired girl, and my wolf was practically rolling in joy.

Dexter growled at my use of words but I ignored him and I moved without thinking.

I yanked the door open and stormed into the hallway, scanning the crowded party for any sign of her.

Nothing.

I pushed through the bodies, heading for the front entrance when a firm grip caught my arm.

“Yo, where the hell are you going?” Kai, one of my closest friends, frowned at me. “We got some hot chicks waiting, man. You good?”

“Yeah,” I said shortly, shaking him off.

His brows pulled together. “Then where—”

“Did you see a girl with silver hair?” I interrupted.

Kai blinked. “What?”

“A girl with silver hair. Did you see her leave?”

His confusion only deepened. “Dude, since when do you care about random girls at a party?”

I clenched my jaw and tried not to stay mad. “Did you or did you not see her?”

Kai studied me for a second before finally nodding. “Yeah, I think I saw someone leave, might’ve been her. Why?”

I didn’t answer.

Instead, I exhaled slowly, mind racing.

If she could break my curse…

If she was the one person who could undo what had been done to me, then…

I needed her.

I turned to Kai. “Find out everything about her. By tomorrow morning.”

Kai’s brows shot up. “Wait, you’re serious?”

I shot him a sharp look and he cursed under his breath. “Damn, alright. But I swear, this is the first time I’ve ever seen you give a shit about a girl’s identity.”

So did I.

And that’s what scared me.

I didn’t know who she was.

But by tomorrow, I would know everything about her.