KNOW YOU

ERYX

Aveline doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t have to. The look on her face tells me everything. The confidence she walked in with has completely drained away, leaving behind the kind of raw embarrassment most people spend years trying to forget.

I slide my other hand into my pocket and shift my weight, unhurried.

“I asked if you’re free tonight.” My voice stays calm, almost bored. “Are you planning to answer, or should I tell my father you won’t be coming?”

Her eyes widen instantly. “Wait…” She blinks rapidly. “You’re inviting me over? To your house?” She takes an instinctive step toward me before catching herself and stopping. “Oh my God… you’re actually inviting me to—”

“My father’s house,” I correct flatly.

A flicker of disappointment crosses her face before excitement buries it again.

“Eight o’clock.” I hold her gaze without warmth. “I’ll have a car pick you up.”

Out of everything I’ve forced myself to say tonight, that sentence is by far the hardest.

My father and I have never agreed on anything. Not once. My mother was always the one standing between us, trying to patch together a relationship neither of us seemed interested in fixing. When she died, whatever fragile bridge she had built between us died with her. Now there is only obligation. And this girl is simply another one of them.

Aveline’s smile stretches from ear to ear, almost giddy. For a second I almost think she is going to cry. “That’s…” She laughs softly, covering her mouth. “That’s so sweet of you, Eryx.” Another nervous laugh slips out. “I’ll be ready by seven.” Her cheeks flush. “Our first real date.”

I don’t bother correcting her. Let her believe whatever she wants. By tonight, she will understand this was never a date. It is a performance. One I am expected to deliver for my father’s sake, nothing more.

I turn slightly, already done with the conversation. Somewhere behind the lingering traces of her perfume, that softer scent — wild honey and clean aloe still refuses to fully leave the air.

I ignore it. For now. Because the only thing I want is for her to leave so I can finally track down whoever owns the scent still lingering somewhere inside this library.

When I look back at her, she's still standing where I leave her, wearing that annoyingly satisfied grin.

I don’t bother hiding my impatience. “We’re done, Aveline.” I nod once toward the door. “Leave. Now.”

She nods almost immediately. Either she’s too pleased about tonight to care about the dismissal… or she’s simply pretending it doesn’t sting.

"Fine." She smiles sweetly, though it never quite reaches her eyes. "See you tonight."

I don't answer. I wait till the door clicks shut behind her, then I stay where I am for another second before releasing a slow breath.

Finally, the sickly artificial rose perfume she insists on drowning herself in is already beginning to fade from the air. Beneath it, that other soft scent rises again, quiet but unmistakable.

My wolf stirs again. I turn and start walking deeper into the library. This time, I don't make a sound. Whoever she is… I’m going to find her.

VELORA

My heart pounds so hard I'm terrified they'll hear it. I don't know whether to stay hidden or risk making a run for my books while I still have the chance. Neither feels like an option.

It’s already dangerous enough trying to breathe without making a sound. If Eryx or, worse, Aveline finds out I've been hiding in here this whole time… I'm done for.

Especially Aveline. After everything that happened today, she would never let me hear the end of it. And she still holds the one thing that I can't afford to lose: the truth about my mother. One wrong move, and there's no getting it. Ever.

I sink lower behind the bookshelf, curling into myself until my knees press against my chest. One hand clamps tightly over my mouth while the other presses hard against my racing heart, as if I can force it to quiet down.

Please… Just leave.

I don’t even realize I’ve been holding my breath until the library door finally clicks shut. The soft sound sends a wave of shaky relief crashing through me.

I let out a trembling breath and slowly slide down the bookshelf until I’m sitting on the cold floor. My legs stretch out in front of me, trembling from how long I’ve been crouched.

“Goddess…” I whisper, pressing a hand to my chest as I try to calm the frantic rhythm beneath my palm.

For a few seconds I just sit there, trying to listen. I can't hear any footsteps. They're both gone.

I close my eyes and tip my head back against the shelf, letting the quiet settle over me. My cheek still stings from Aveline’s slap. My shirt is still damp. And somewhere in this library, Eryx Nightbane just told the girl everyone thinks is perfect to leave… I don’t understand why that thought makes my stomach twist.

Maybe because, deep down, I know I never stood a chance. If he can speak to someone as beautiful and admired as my sister that way... what hope could someone like me possibly have?

I push the thought away before it can settle. Right now, there's only one thing that matters. I need to get out of this library before the next class starts.

I hurry to the other side of the reading table where I left my physics textbook and sketchpad.

I barely manage to scoop everything into my arms when my pencil case slips from my fingers and clatters loudly onto the floor.

"Shit," I mumble under my breath.

I grab my last notebook and hurriedly lower myself to pick up the pencil case, balancing it on top of the already unstable pile resting against my forearm.

I turn quickly— and collide with something solid. The books fly from my hands. My stomach drops. I'm already bracing myself to hit the floor when a strong arm wraps firmly around my waist, stopping me before I fall.

Everything inside me freezes. Because I instantly recognize that scent.

Wild cedar… Fresh rain… And something impossibly clean underneath, like cold air after a storm.

No. No, no, no...

My pulse explodes against my ribs. Of all people in this school … Not him again.

I stay perfectly still. Partly because my brain has stopped working, and partly because I suddenly realize I am still standing inside Eryx Nightbane’s arms. One of his hands is splayed against my lower back, steady and strong. My soft body is pressed against the hard line of his chest. I can feel the heat of him through my clothes.

Oh Goddess… Move. Dammit, Velora, move… But my body refuses to listen. All I can think about is how close he is… and how I probably look right now. Flushed. Clumsy. Still faintly damp from earlier. The exact opposite of the kind of girl someone like him would ever want to hold.

A quiet beat passes. Then his voice comes, low and calm. Almost amused. "...You can stand on your own now."

The words jerks me back to reality like a slap. Heat floods my cheeks so fast it burns.

"Oh!"

I shove both palms against his chest and stumble backward so quickly I nearly trip over my own feet. The loss of his arm leaves me strangely unsteady.

“I'm... I'm sorry." My voice comes out smaller than I wanted. I still can't even bring myself to look at him. I keep my eyes fixed on the scattered books between us instead, as if staring hard enough will make the entire moment disappear.

Please don’t look at me too closely. Please don’t remember me as the girl who nearly knocked you over. Please just let me leave.

I start praying in my mind.

The next thing I know, Eryx crouches beside the scattered books and starts gathering them. Just like that. As if I hadn't nearly knocked us both over a second ago.

I blink at him, frozen. I'd expected him to snap. Maybe glare. Maybe simply walk away. Not because he'd ever struck me as cruel… But because nobody accidentally crashes into Eryx Nightbane and walks away without feeling like they narrowly escaped something more dangerous than death.

When he finishes, his eyes fall to the name written neatly inside the front cover of my notebook.

His gaze lifts back to me. "Velora." He says my name slowly, almost thoughtfully, like he’s tasting it. Like he’s committing it to memory. "I see you're the girl who disturbed the library earlier." A faint pause. "Seems you're making a habit of it."

He holds the books out. I take them so quickly our fingers barely brush, but even that brief contact sends a jolt up my arm.

"I'm... I'm sorry." My voice comes out more trembling than I intended. "It won't happen again."

I bow my head and try to slip past him, desperate to escape before he looks at me any longer.

He steps into my path, blocking it. I stop so suddenly my breath catches. We're standing so close I can feel the warmth coming off him. His impossibly clean scent wraps around me until it’s all I can breathe.

My knees suddenly forget how to work.

"Look at me, Velora."

It isn't loud. It isn't threatening. Yet somehow the quiet command makes it impossible to disobey.

Oh Goddess… Is he angry?

Slowly… I lift my head. For the first time since I've known Eryx Nightbane, I truly see him up close.

Those sharp grey eyes. That impossibly calm face. The strong line of his jaw. The closer I look, the harder it becomes to breathe. He is even more overwhelming than the last few years since I last saw him, and somehow more dangerous for how still he is.

I blink, trying to look away. Before I can… His fingers slide beneath my chin. Gentle. Firm. Tilting my face back up, holding me exactly where I am until I have no choice but to meet his eyes again. Every thought in my head scatters.

His gaze searches mine. Not with anger. Not with the cold dismissal he gave Aveline. With something closer to confusion. Almost… wonder.

Several seconds pass. Neither of us speaks. The air between us feels too thick.

His thumb shifts ever so slightly against my chin, almost absentmindedly, as though he's forgotten he's touching me… As if he can’t quite make himself stop.

Then, barely above a whisper, he says: "...Why does my wolf know you?"