Chapter 2
Aurora
It wasn't just that he was tall—though he was, easily over six feet—or that he had the kind of face you'd expect on a prince in a fantasy novel. High cheekbones, piercing storm-gray eyes, hair like spilled ink, slightly tousled like he'd just run a hand through it in frustration.
It was the way he moved. Like he owned the hallway, the building, and the school. Like the air bent around him slightly to make a room.
And when his eyes landed on me, it felt like gravity doubled.
"Is this her?" He asked, voice low and annoyed, like someone had dragged him away from something important. He didn't even look at my parents—just me. Like I was the problem.
The receptionist gave a tight smile. "Aurora Wells, meet Zayn Duskbane. He'll escort you to Dorm 3B.”
He didn't offer a handshake.
I didn't either.
"Come on," he said, already turning on his heel.
"Uh—thanks," I mumbled, casting a look back at my parents. Mom gave me a reassuring nod. Dad clapped my shoulder like it would help. And then I was following a boy who radiated fury down a dim corridor that smelled like rain and moss.
"Nice to meet you too," I muttered under my breath.
He didn't laugh. Didn't slow down.
We walked in silence, his footsteps somehow quiet on the stone floor despite the weight of them. Mine echoed like I was stomping. Or maybe I just felt louder than him. Louder and more human.
"Why are you staring?" I asked when I caught him glancing at me again.
He didn't answer right away.
"You smell weird."
I stopped walking. "Excuse me?"
He turned, folding his arms across his chest. "What are you?"
I blinked. "What kind of question is that?"
Zayn didn't blink. Didn't smirk. He just stared at me like he understood something I didn’t even get myself.
So instead, I gave him the safest one I could.
"I'm new."
He stared another beat. Then finally turned and kept walking.
I followed, heart suddenly pounding way too hard in my chest.
By the time we reached the dorm building, I was certain I was dreaming—or maybe in the wrong genre of my own life.
It looked more like an old manor house than student housing, with wrought iron lanterns glowing on the stone walls and moss creeping up the edges like time had stopped here.
Zayn pushed open the heavy door without a word. The hinges groaned.
Inside, the dorm smelled like cedarwood, worn leather, and something warmer underneath. A staircase split the foyer in two, curling upward like a spine. The ceilings were high, the walls dark wood, and the lighting warm but dim. Everything felt too ancient, too deliberate to be just dorm decor.
"This way," Zayn said, voice flat.
I followed him up the stairs to the second floor, down a hallway that was too quiet for my liking. Wooden doors ran along both sides, each with a shiny metal number
At the very end, he stopped and nodded toward one.
"3B"
He didn't wait for a thank-you or even glance back at me; he just walked away.
No goodbye. No warning. He just left me in front of a door that felt bigger than a usual dor—thee place I’d be living for the next four years.
I took a breath and knocked.
For a moment, nothing.
Then footsteps.
The door opened—and a girl with pink hair and sharp eyes nearly knocked me off my feet.
"Ohmigod, finally!" The girl squealed. "Roommate five has arrived!"
She grabbed my wrist and tugged me inside before I could introduce myself. I stumbled in with my suitcases, blinking against the sudden light. The room was way bigger than I'd expected—wide, open, and split-level. A circle of beds framed the perimeter, each space decorated in varying levels of chaos.
"You're Aurora, right?" the pink-haired girl asked. She was grinning. "I'm Mira, and that's Selene," she said, pointing to a dark-haired girl sitting cross-legged on her bed with earbuds in. "That's Lira—she's the one with the drawings all over her wall. And Riven is the quiet one with the books.“
The other two girls waved politely—Lira looked up from a sketchpad and smiled warmly. Riven offered a nod without lifting her gaze from the thick, ancient-looking book in her lap.
I tried to smile back. "Hi. Yeah. I'm Aurora.“
Mira flopped backward onto her bed like a starfish. „Freshman squad complete“
I dropped my suitcases near the only untouched bed and took a moment to breathe. The air here didn't feel as heavy as the rest of the college building. Still weird. Still woodsy and sharp. But lighter, like the room had soaked up enough girl energy to make the place more…normal.
"I was starting to think they lost you," Lira said gently. Her hair was long and wavy, almost golden in the warm light. Her walls were already papered with charcoal drawings—moons, forests, and wolves. I tried not to stare at the detail in the eyes. They felt real.
"I got escorted by a guy named Zayn." I said, sitting on the edge of my bed. „Tall, really intense“
Mira let out a dramatic 'oooh' and leaned up on one elbow. "Zayn Duskbane? The Lycan Prince? He took you here?"
"I guess?"
Selene finally pulled out one earbud. "Zaynn doesn't talk to freshmen. Or anyone beneath his rank. Why you?"
I shifted, uncomfortable under their collective attention. "Maybe the office asked him to? He didn't seem thrilled."
"He's never thrilled." Riven said without looking up. "Except when Charlotte is around."
"Charlotte?" I echoed.
"His mate," Selene said. "She's basically the queen of this place. Gorgeous. Deadly. The kind of girl you stay away from unless you want to lose your face."
"Oh," I said, not knowing what else to say.
The room quieted a little, the way it does when everyone's thinking the same thing but no one wants to say it. Then Mira broke the silence.
"So…" she said, wiggling her eyebrows. "What are your parents?"
I blinked. "What?"