Chapter Four

Cassie's POV 

My heart thumps wildly in my chest as my fingers type fast on my phone. 

What are werewolves? 

Are they real? 

What does it mean to dream of one? 

G****e floods me with different images— picture after picture. Massive wolves with dark furs and glowing eyes that are identical to the monster that almost lunged at me in my dream.

I swallow hard, my skin prickling as I stare at them. Every article on my phone screen says the same thing. That werewolves do not exist. They are just fantasies and makeup stories. 

But why does my dream feel real? 

Why was a wolf actually spotted last night? 

And God, why does it feel like I have a connection to it? 

Suddenly, the air in the library shifts. I sense someone's presence before I see them. A strange scent creeps into my lungs, sharp and warm. My fingers freeze on my phone's screen. 

Slowly, I turn, my heartbeat drumming so loud in my ears that I can barely hear the silence. Then my breath catches in my throat.

Someone is at the door, leaning against it with their hands pocketed in their pants. My gaze drags upward, then I see him. 

Knox! My best friend's brother! 

What the hell is he doing here? 

A lazy smirk dances on his lips as he stares at me. Memories of last night rush into my mind. 

The insult, the hatred burning in his eyes, the humiliation and lastly… Lizzy's warning. 

My nose flares up, anger bubbling inside of me. I tear my gaze away from him, my hands moving fast in packing my books and shoving them into my backpack. 

I shouldn't be anywhere close to him. I push myself up to my feet, my fingers trembling and my palms sweaty. The plan is simple. Leave the library and head to class which is starting in about thirty minutes. 

“Rough night?” He smirks as I walk towards the door. 

I stop in my tracks, a frustrated sigh slipping from my lips as I roll my eyes. 

“Not your business,” I spit, trying to step past him. 

He catches my arm. A jolt shoots through my veins, my eyes widen and my pulse spikes in a rhythm that's not my own. He smells strange, like a mixture of something I can name. But his scent is intoxicating and overwhelming, pressing into my lungs until it feels like I can't breathe anymore. 

Why the hell am I feeling this way again? 

For a brief second, something unreadable passes over his features. His smirk falters and he suddenly drops my arm, like it burns him. My chest squeezes, traitorous with the smallest ache of disappointment. 

“Sorry,” he says, biting his lower lip like he was under a force he couldn't control when he grabbed my arm. 

My lips press into a thin line, my left hand clutching my backpack tightly. 

“Stay away from me, Knox Black,” I whisper-yell. 

“And if I don't?” He smiles as if this is a kind of joke to him. 

God, why is he so annoying? 

I exhale sharply through my nose and brush past him. That gives him his answer. 

Ignoring! 

I will ignore him like he doesn't exist, because I hate troubles. And I can smell trouble all over him— Knox. 

“Is this how you give up on your longtime secret-crush?” A tiny voice in my head asks. 

My heart aches in my chest, but I swallow it down. I'm giving up three years of secretly crushing on my best friend's brother who doesn't know of my existence until now just like that. But if that means surviving this damn college without trouble, I will do it over and over again. 

Knox says something behind me, but I don't stop to listen to him. I head straight to physiology class which starts twenty minutes after I settled in. During class, I perceive different scents, clouding my senses. It suddenly feels like my sense of smell has heightened. I can even smell coffee from someone's cup, too strongly. 

“That will be all for today.” I sigh in relief as the professor ends the class. 

It's not like I'm able to understand whatever he explained during the class. My mind is on something else— the wolf in my dream and… Knox. I shouldn't be thinking about him, I know. But I can't get him out of my head and even right now, his scent still burns in my lungs. 

Maya texts me after my first class, asking me to eat lunch with her. I do not hesitate, since I'm free for the next two hours. I grab my back pack and head straight to the school cafeteria. 

I feel eyes on me on my way to the cafeteria. As if someone is watching me from the shadows. It's creepy and scary, causing the hair on my skin to rise. I spin around so fast, only to find no one. 

A sigh slips from my lips in relief as I walk into the cafeteria, buzzing with different voices. I spot Maya tucked away in the corner, sitting at a table with a book propped open. But she's not alone. 

The smile on my lips die before it fully forms and my stomach plummets like I've been shoved off a cliff.

Maya is sitting and smiling with Knox, her brother, by her side. 

Why does he seem to be everywhere I am? 

I turn around in an instant, wanting to rush out before she sees me, but of course, the universe has other plans. 

“Hey, bestie!” Maya's soft tone reaches my ears, stopping me in my tracks. 

My face falls as I freeze in place. Then, I slowly turn towards her, a forced smile stretching on my lips. 

“Hi, Maya.” I wave at her, walking to her table. 

My legs tremble, and I fight not to collapse under Knox's sharp, infuriating and impossible to ignore gaze. 

“Brother, meet my best friend, Cassie,” Maya says, smiling innocently as she looks at her brother. “Cassie, I'm sure you know Knox is my brother.” 

I nod once as my heart does that stupid thing it does whenever I'm anxious.