Who? What do you mean—”

I didn’t even finish my sentence when suddenly I caught this faint scent of pine mixed with lavender—calming, yet intoxicating. Instinctively, I closed my eyes, letting myself drown in it.

“Where is this smell coming from, Isolde?”

A strange wave of happiness rushed through me.

“This scent… Ow!”

Out of nowhere, someone bumped into my shoulder. A weird jolt—like static electricity—shot through me, spreading fast across my body. I whipped around.

“Hey, Tyler, watch it!”

The moment Dave warned him, Isolde growled inside me. I, too, shot Tyler a sharp look without even realizing it.

“What the hell, Dave!”

And before I knew it, I’d shoved him hard. Dave staggered back, almost falling.

I froze, stunned, staring at both Dave and Tyler who were equally confused. My heart skipped, and I quickly backed away, trying to escape this bizarre moment.

“It’s okay, Selena. I’m fine.” Dave reached out, his voice gentle.

I stopped, forcing myself to calm down. He was clearly just trying to protect me—but weirdly, I hated it. Isolde snarled again, restless and ready to snap.

“Let me out, Selena. I’ll tear him apart. He dared to bark at Tyler.”

“Shut up, I need to focus.”

I shot back in my head, trying to shove Isolde down before she made things worse.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to. Excuse me.”

Tyler finally spoke, his voice low and warm, his gaze still locked on me.

I froze in place.

Those eyes… it was like I was being pulled into them. Something inside me stirred violently. I wanted to throw myself into his arms, to breathe in that intoxicating scent again and again.

Inside me, Isolde was a mess—pacing, growling, rolling in the dirt like a pup.

I bit down on my lip, fighting myself.

This wasn’t wolf territory. A random girl throwing herself at some guy? Yeah, that’d be a total disaster. Not exactly the first impression I wanted on my first day at college.

“Calm down, Isolde. You promised not to screw things up.”

She only growled softly, her excitement bubbling over.

“Don’t you feel it, Selena? That scent… that spark… he’s our mate!” she cried.

Her words hit me like lightning.

I snapped my gaze back to Tyler—only to realize he’d already walked away.

A pang of disappointment tore through me. Isolde howled restlessly, urging me to chase him.

“No, Ice. That’s rude,” I scolded. “I don’t even know him.”

But she was stubborn. Whining, growling, begging me to follow. And honestly? My heart and body screamed the same thing. But no—I couldn’t.

“That would be humiliating, Ice! No normal human girl follows some random guy like a creep. He’ll think I’m nuts,” I tried reasoning.

Dave kept talking, trying to continue the campus tour, but my mind was elsewhere. Tyler. The smell still lingered in the air, clouding my head. I could barely hear Isolde anymore.

“You okay? You’ve been quiet,” Dave asked, frowning.

He’d clearly noticed I wasn’t listening.

“Sorry, I just remembered something I need to do,” I blurted. “Thanks for the tour, Dave. I gotta go.”

Before he could answer, I bolted.

My only goal—find Tyler.

I didn’t even know what I’d say when I saw him. I didn't care. All I knew was I had to find him.

I half-ran across campus, chasing the direction he’d gone, but by the time I reached the courtyard, he was nowhere. The crowd swallowed him whole.

Isolde snarled inside my head, her voice sharp.

“His scent is faint. Too many humans around. Keep looking, Selena!”

I sighed, chest heaving. Sweat trickled down my temple.

“I’m exhausted, Ice,” I muttered.

Suddenly, Isolde’s voice exploded in my mind.

“There! He’s right there!”

I whipped my head around.

Under the shade of a tree, on a bench, sat Tyler—calm, book in hand.

“See him, Selena? Go to him,” Isolde begged.

I froze. My mom’s warnings echoed in my head—wolves who broke rules in the human world always paid the price.

“No, Ice. I can’t. What if I lose control?”

Tears burned in my eyes. The craving was unbearable. But this was the human world. If I slipped, if I exposed myself… it would ruin everything.

“I’ll help you, Selena. I promise I’ll behave. I just want him to know we’re his mate.”

Her voice cracked, mirroring my own pain.

I shook my head, but my body betrayed me. My feet moved forward on their own, like invisible strings were dragging me closer. My chest pounded with fear and anticipation.

And then—I froze.

A beautiful girl with sleek black hair appeared, stepping up to Tyler. She wrapped her arms around him, smiling warmly as she patted his shoulder.

Tyler looked up at her—and smiled back.

The smile that should’ve been mine.

My body trembled. Fists clenched. My face burned hot. Isolde howled, furious.

The pain was unbearable.

I almost lost it.

Then the girl turned her head—her eyes landing on me.

I panicked. Spun on my heel and walked away fast, my heart in my throat. But not before catching her curious look—the kind that made me want to claw her eyes out.

“Why are you walking away, Selena?” Isolde raged. “Let me out. Let me out right now!”

She thrashed violently.

I shook my head, but the shift was already clawing at me.

“No, no, no. Not here. I can’t lose it here. I need to find somewhere safe.”

My breaths came short, panic taking over.

“I need to come out, Selena. Stop fighting me!”

“Isolde, shut up!” I screamed inside

I ran without thinking, past the campus yard and all the way behind the building. It was quiet there, no one around. I stopped, my breath burning hot—sign that Isolde was starting to take over.

“No, Ice, please don’t!”

I begged, clutching my head that throbbed painfully. My nails started to grow, fine hairs covering my hands.

I bent over, trying to fight the stabbing pain, resisting Isolde’s anger that kept lashing out, wanting to break free. Tears streamed down my face before I could stop them.

“You okay?”