His Eyes Burned Me

Chapter Two: His Eyes Burned Me

Lyla

“Is… is this the school?”

I leaned forward in the car, staring at the giant gates in front of me. The driver didn’t answer.

The gates opened slowly. Old. Rusty. They made this long, heavy groaning sound like they hadn’t been used in years.

The building behind it? Huge. Dark stone. Sharp towers reaching into the sky. Everything looked like something out of a horror movie.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” I asked again.

Still no answer.

The car stopped.

The door opened.

I stepped out with my bag, soaked from head to toe. The car drove off without a word.

Just like that.

Gone.

I turned toward the school. “Okay… you can do this.”

I took a step forward. The wind blew hard. Cold. Loud. Like it was whispering my name.

I pulled my hoodie tighter around my face and kept walking.

Something about the air felt strange.

It felt… heavy.

Like the ground was watching me. I didn’t know how else to explain it.

I tried to ignore it.

“Hello?” I called out. “Is anyone here?”

Nothing.

I kept walking toward the big stone steps. I wasn’t even running, but—

My foot slipped.

“Oh—!”

I reached for the railing, but there wasn’t one. My bag flew out of my hand.

I was falling.

Then suddenly—I wasn’t.

Two strong arms caught me.

My eyes flew open.

I was face to face with a guy. Tall. So tall I had to tilt my head back just to see him properly.

He was soaking wet, just like me. His hair was dark and a bit messy. But it was his eyes that froze me.

They were gold. Not like hazel or amber. Gold. Like fire and ice at the same time.

We just… stared.

Neither of us said anything.

He didn’t blink. Didn’t smile.

Didn’t move.

“I… I didn’t mean to fall,” I finally whispered.

He dropped his arms and stepped away like I burned him.

“You should be more careful,” he said sharply.

I blinked. “I said I didn’t mean to—”

“This place isn’t for the weak,” he cut in.

I took a breath. “I’m not weak.”

He looked me up and down. His jaw tensed. Then he turned and walked away without another word.

“Wait—what’s your name?” I called after him.

He didn’t stop.

Didn’t look back.

Gone into the mist.

I stood there for a while, trying to process what just happened.

“Okay,” I muttered, brushing my wet hair off my face. “First person I meet here, and he acts like I’m dirt.”

I picked up my bag and kept moving.

⸻

The dorm building was a little past the courtyard. I found the sign: East Wing – Dorm 3B.

I walked through the hallway slowly. Stone walls. Dim lights. Doors creaked when I passed.

“3B-10… 3B-11… here.”

I pushed open the door.

There was warm light inside. And a girl.

“About time,” she said. “I was starting to think they weren’t gonna drop me a roomie.”

She sat cross-legged on the bed, eating chips straight from the bag.

I stared.

“Uh… I’m Lyla.”

She raised a brow. “You talk like a lost bird.”

I blinked.

“I’m Rina,” she said, hopping off the bed and grabbing my bag before I could stop her. “You travel light.”

“It’s all I’ve got.”

She glanced at me for a second, then shrugged. “Window bed’s free. It leaks when it rains, but so does my life.”

I dropped my stuff. “Thanks…”

Rina plopped back on her bed and crunched another chip. “So. You okay?”

“I guess.”

“You look like you saw a ghost.”

I shook my head.

Her eyes narrowed. “Wait… tall guy? Dark hair? Cold eyes? Looked like he walked out of a movie trailer?”

I froze.

Rina gasped. “You met Dante.”

“I didn’t meet him. I almost fell. He caught me. Then he scolded me. Then he walked off.”

She sat straight up. “He caught you? Like, in his arms?”

“Yeah… for a second.”

Rina screamed into a pillow. “Girl, do you know what you just did?”

“What?”

“You physically touched the forbidden Alpha!”

I blinked. “I didn’t mean to. I just slipped.”

“Still counts.”

“I don’t want anything to do with him,” I said quickly. “Seriously. He’s… rude.”

“He’s not just rude,” she said. “He’s dangerous. People around here don’t play when it comes to Dante.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s the son of Alpha Darius. Top wolf bloodline. Everyone either fears him or worships him. There’s no in-between.”

“Well… I don’t care who he is,” I said. “He was cold and rude.”

Rina grinned. “You’re brave. Stupid, but brave.”

“I’m not looking for trouble.”

“You already found it.”

I sat down on my bed, completely drained.

Rina threw a chocolate bar at me. “You’ll need sugar. And maybe holy water.”

“What now?”

….

"Think Dante's your problem? Wait till Ariana hears about it."

"Ariana?"

Rina scowled around like she was searching for cameras. "Queen Bee. Queen Witch. Queen of This Whole Damn School. She's been crushing on Dante since the dawn of time."

"Okay?"

"Okay, nothing. You breathing on Dante is a problem."

"Oh" I whispered.

"Oh yes. And she's cruel. Last girl who even smiled at him had to switch schools."

"That's insane."

"This school is insane."

I fell back onto my bed next to Mando and glared at the ceiling.

"You okay?" Rina asked.

"Not really."

"You scared?"

"No," I breathed. "I'm tired."

Rina nodded. "Well. Try to sleep. We start classes tomorrow. And with your luck, you'll probably be sitting next to Dante."

"Don't joke."

“I’m not joking,” she said, biting into another chip. “This is Hawthorn Academy. Nothing here is an accident.”