Chapter 4

Rose Greyson

I didn’t know why, but I felt like there was some connection between us. Like I knew him before. My body completely went numb at the sight of him, and the beating of my heart increased when he stared at me.

“Who is he?” I found myself muttering without control.

“The English literature professor. And the reason behind my calmness.”

Wow. He looked young to be a lecturer, and I have to admit, he’s undoubtedly handsome. Like, he screams rich.

The whole class went silent as the professor began his lecture. No noise, just total concentration. I didn’t know when a laugh escaped me looking at how focused Nora was on the professor. She was literally staring him down.

“Hey,” his deep accent blared through the speaker. His eyes darted toward our direction. I glanced back to check whom he was referring to.

“You, turning back. Get out of my class.”

“Me?” I asked, confused.

“I don’t tolerate noise-making in my class, especially laughing. So get your dumb head out of my class.” It took me a few seconds to take in what he said. All eyes were on me then.

“Shit, Rose. You got yourself in trouble,” Nora whispered beside me.

“What trouble? Did I do anything?” I asked.

“Before you get yourself in more trouble, dear, I advise you to leave the class. Mr. Hunter isn’t a forgiving man,” someone said behind me.

Up to that moment, I was confused as hell. I knew I didn’t make any noise, and speaking of laughing, it wasn’t intentional, and I couldn’t call that laughing since I didn’t make any sound.

“Just go, Rose. We’ll figure it out later.”

And just like that, I grabbed my bag and made my way to the door. Just when I was about to open the door, his voice echoed all over, adding to my already embarrassed self.

“You’re banned from attending my class for the next month.”

Gasps followed all through. I bit my bottom lip and made my way out. I didn’t stop until I reached the nearest bench outside. I placed my palms over my racing heart.

“Why am I feeling this?” I asked no one in particular. My mind wandered to how his dark, alluring eyes attacked mine. There was something in his eyes that got me curious. Why?

The chiming of my phone made me divert my attention from my thoughts.

Come to the school infirmary, Rose.

My brows furrowed in confusion as I read the message. There was no name or number attached to it. Who could it be from? It could be spam, but the fact that my name was included made me curious. I scanned my surroundings for any sign of someone but found no one. I knew I could ignore the message, but my curiosity got the better of me.

“The school infirmary? Where even is that?” I muttered to myself, realizing that I barely knew my way around the school.

“Forget about it, Rose. There are plenty of girls named Rose,” I said out loud, trying to talk myself out of investigating further. I deleted the message and decided to go get a coffee to clear my head.

But as I walked toward the coffee shop, I suddenly felt an inexplicable pull toward the infirmary. I took a sharp breath as I looked at the infirmary door.

“Why am I here?” I whispered to myself.

“Because here’s where you belong,” a voice seemed to whisper back.

I looked around, but the hallway was eerily quiet. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door. It made a weird sound, even though I closed it gently behind me.

Some part of me was warning me to turn and leave, but another voice at the back of my mind was urging me forward, leading me deeper into the infirmary. I walked down the quiet hallway, conscious of every sound behind me.

“Hello?” I called out in a soft voice. But the silence was so profound that my voice echoed all around me.

“Anybody here?” I called out again, the sound of my own voice ringing in my ears.

I stopped in front of the treatment room. Like someone under a spell, I turned the doorknob and stepped inside. The white curtains fluttered in the breeze.

“Rose…”

My heart skipped a beat when I heard the same voice at the back of my mind, yet there was no sign of anyone there.

“Hello. Who’s h—”

“Hello, Rose.”

I literally flinched at the voice behind me.

“Who are you?” I asked, staring him down. He looked shady and rough.

“Don’t you remember me?” Even the sound of his voice sounded suspicious. Yet, I was curious to know who the person standing in front of me was.

“I don’t know you. And did you send the message? How did you know my name, and how did you get my number?” I asked all the questions at once.

He stepped forward, which made me step back, clutching my bag tightly around my shoulder.

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is you’re here. With me again.”

“Again?” I repeated, getting more confused. The last time I checked, I hadn’t met him before.

“Yes. How you slept so soundly in my arms. It was a moment to remember.” Now that he mentioned it, could he be the guy?

“Are you Rob?”

The corner of his lips twitched up into a smile. For some reason, I found it weird.

“Do you remember me now, love?”

He took more steps forward, and I took more back. The smile was still plastered on his face. Nora’s words rang in my head.

“Thank you for taking me home. So if you will excuse me, I have a class to attend.”

Maybe I thought thanking him would be enough. I merely took two steps when he held me by the arm.

“Where are you going, love? We’ve not gotten to the real deal yet.”

Is this guy okay? An annoyed breath made its way out of me.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything to do here. And stop calling me love. I’m not your love. Thanks for the help again.” I tried to pull his hand away from mine. “What are you doing? Let me go.”

“As I said, love, we’ve not gotten to the real deal yet,” he said. This time around, his smile was replaced with a smirk.

“Let me go, Rob! I’m not here for whatever deal you’re talking about.” I was almost livid. I didn’t even know why I came to the infirmary in the first place.

“I’ll see how he’s going to save you.” And that stopped me from trying to free myself from his hold.

“Who are you talking about? Stop playing mind games, Rob. Let me go this instant!” I exclaimed, my voice rising this time. However, it seemed as though I was only speaking in vain.

“Not until he appears before me. I will—” He didn’t finish his statement as a loud bang echoed from behind us. The sound almost made my legs give out, not to mention my pounding heart that felt like it would tear apart.

“Oh, he’s here earlier than I expected. Welcome, Hunter. Meet your mate, Rose.”

Eyes fixed on the figure, movement ceased, and heart rate doubled. My head spun at the sight of the enormous creature before me. I had read and heard countless stories about werewolves and their forms, but I never thought a day would come when I would come face to face with one. And a mate? This must be a dream, right? So the letter wasn’t a joke? Werewolves don’t exist. They’re just superstitions and human fantasy. How could I become someone’s mate? It wasn’t possible, was it?

Everything went still as I locked eyes with the creature. Voices began echoing in my head once again.

“Rose…”

“Come to me…”

“You belong to me…”

And just like someone being possessed, my legs began moving toward him. My heart rate doubled again. However, everything turned around, and I found myself falling to my knees. A disturbing sound penetrated my ears, and I covered them with both hands, closing my eyes as it grew louder. Before I fell into a pit of darkness, I heard the voice once more.

“Rose…”