CH-20

VIN POV

“No need. I am good.”

I could still hear him cursing behind me, but by then I was already halfway down the corridor. I did not bother turning back. Whatever he had to say did not matter anymore.

A girl stood a few steps away from him.

She was not moving.

She was simply… there.

Dressed in a simple white dress that fell softly around her frame, the fabric brushing lightly against her ankles as if even the air around her moved carefully. A deep red shawl rested over her shoulders, the colour striking against the pale softness of the dress—like blood spilled over snow.

Her long hair cascaded freely down her back, dark waves catching the faint light of the room.

But what truly caught his attention was the subtle movement of her silver earrings.

Every time she tilted her head—even slightly—the delicate metal chimed together with the softest sound.

A fragile sound.

Too fragile for the suffocating tension filling the room.

Vincenzo’s brows slowly knitted together.

His body instinctively stiffened.

Something about her presence did not feel… normal.

The air had grown heavier.

Thicker.

As if the space between them carried an invisible pressure.

She did not speak.

She simply stood there, looking at him.

Not smiling.

Not frowning.

Just watching.

And the way she looked at him made something dark curl inside his chest.

Vincenzo slowly pushed himself up from where he had been lying. The movement felt strangely difficult, as though his muscles resisted waking up. His shoulders tensed as he sat upright, eyes never leaving the mysterious girl standing before him.

“Who are you?”

His voice came out rougher than he expected, laced with a quiet warning.

Still, she did not answer immediately.

Instead, she took a step forward.

The soft sound of her heel touching the floor echoed unnaturally loud in the silence.

One step.

Then another.

Vincenzo felt the muscles along his jaw tighten.

His fingers curled slightly against the surface beneath him.

Every instinct inside him screamed that something about this situation was wrong.

But he could not explain why.

She stopped a few feet away from him now.

Close enough that he could finally see her face clearly.

And for a moment—

Just one moment—

Vincenzo forgot to breathe.

Her face held a quiet beauty that was almost unsettling. Not the kind that demanded attention with glamour or extravagance… but the kind that made people stare without realizing why.

Soft skin.

Delicate features.

But her eyes…

Her eyes held something far deeper.

Something unreadable.

Something dangerous.

She tilted her head slightly, the silver earrings chiming again.

“You woke up,” she finally spoke.

Her voice was calm.

Too calm.

The kind of calm that made a man uneasy.

Vincenzo’s gaze hardened.

“Answer my question,” he said coldly, his tone dropping an octave. “Who are you, and why are you here?”

The girl studied him for a moment longer.

Then—slowly—she smiled.

Not a warm smile.

Not a friendly one.

It was faint.

Almost… knowing.

“You don’t remember me?”

The question hung in the air like a blade.

Vincenzo felt irritation rise instantly.

“I wouldn’t be asking if I did.”

Another step.

Now she was close enough that he could feel her presence—like a subtle warmth brushing against the cold tension of his body.

The scent of something faint reached him.

Jasmine.

Soft. Sweet.

But it only made the moment feel stranger.

His eyes narrowed.

“You should leave,” Vincenzo said quietly.

The calmness in his voice carried a sharp edge of threat now.

Most people would have stepped back by now.

Most people would have been intimidated.

But she did not move.

Instead, she leaned forward slightly.

Just enough for their eyes to lock completely.

“You’re still the same,” she murmured.

That was when Vincenzo’s patience snapped.

In one swift movement, he grabbed her wrist.

The motion was sudden, firm—his fingers wrapping tightly around the delicate bone.

The contact sent a strange jolt through both of them.

Her skin was warm.

Too warm.

For a brief second, the room fell into complete silence.

Their breathing.

The closeness.

The tension between them suddenly felt dangerously physical.

Vincenzo pulled her a little closer.

Close enough that only inches separated them.

“Listen carefully,” he said, his voice low and dark near her ear.

“I don’t know who you think you are… but walking into my space uninvited was your first mistake.”

His grip tightened slightly.

“But staying after I told you to leave—”

His eyes locked onto hers again.

“—that’s your second.”

For the first time, something flickered in her eyes.

Not fear.

Not panic.

Something far more complicated.

And then—

Slowly—

She whispered, “You really don’t remember… do you, Vincenzo?”

The way she spoke my name was like ice sliding down my spine—slow, deliberate, and impossible to ignore. It was not just the sound of it; it was the weight behind it, as if she knew something I had buried deep inside myself.

My chest tightened. My hands itched with a dangerous impatience I could no longer control. Every nerve in my body screamed, urging me to act, to strike, to push. And before I even allowed reason to intervene, I shoved her lightly—but firmly—enough to make my presence undeniable.

Her wide eyes followed me for a fraction of a second, confused, vulnerable, yet fearless in a way that only made my pulse quicken. I did not answer her question. I could not. Not now. Not when my mind was already teetering on the edge of something darker.

I turned sharply and walked out of the building, each step deliberates, heavy with suppressed fury. My thoughts were a storm, unrelenting and chaotic, and I did not trust myself to stay inside without letting that storm spill over. I did not want to hurt anyone, but her presence—her careless intrusion into my already fragile control—was igniting a rage I had not felt in years.

Every heartbeat thudded like a drum of warning: keep distance. Stay away. Yet part of me, a darker, more forbidden part, wanted nothing more than to return, to corner her, to unravel the dangerous pull she had over me. But for now… I would walk. I would let the night swallow my tension and hope it did not follow me inside.

Even as I disappeared into the darkness, a single thought lingered in my mind, sharp as a blade:

She is my women. My Mate

**