It's been two days since the encounter with Silas and Alaric. I've tried hard to avoid Alaric but I feel like it's becoming impossible. I have a class with him tomorrow and I'm dreading it.

The library parking lot was quiet and dark. It was nearly midnight, and my brain was fried from trying to memorize property laws, but mostly from trying to scrub the memory of Silas's touch and Alaric's voice out of my head.

I just wanted to get to my car. I wanted to go to sleep and wake up as a normal girl again-the girl who didn't feel like her skin was on fire.

"Elena! Wait up!"

I groaned, my shoulders dropping. Marcus was standing by my old car, looking smug. He'd clearly been waiting for me.

"I have nothing to say to you, Marcus. Move."

"You think you're so high and mighty now?" he spat, stepping into my path. He looked different, his eyes darting around. "I saw you getting into that silver car today. Who was that? Some rich sugar daddy? Is that how you're paying for this semester?"

"It's none of your business. Get out of my way."

He grabbed my wrist, and this time, he didn't let go. His fingers squeezed until I winced. "I made you, Elena. Without me, you're just a girl from the trailer park with a pretty face. If you don't come back to my place tonight and talk this out, I'll call the dean. I'll tell them you're 'servicing' donors for tuition. I'll ruin that scholarship so fast your head will spin."

"You wouldn't," I whispered, horror dawning on me. He was a narcissist, but this was a new low.

"Try me. I have nothing to lose. Now, get in the car-"

A loud bone-shaking roar cut him off.

The sound was deafening, it vibrated through my chest, I looked back and it was a massive black motorcycle, it moved into the parking lot, tires screaming as it drifted in a tight circle around us, kicking up smoke and dust.

The rider was a giant. He wore a worn leather vest over a black hoodie, the sleeves pushed up to reveal arms covered in thick, dark tattoos. He killed the engine, and the silence that followed was even more terrifying.

He hopped off the bike, moving closer to us, I felt terrified at his frame. When he pulled off his helmet, I nearly fell over.

It was the face again. Who the fuck did I offend, huh? 

But this version was different, more rugged. His hair was a wild, dark mess, and a rough scar ran through his eyebrow and down his cheek. He looked like he'd spent his life fighting, and winning.

"Let go of her," the biker said. His voice was deeper and more dangerous than Alaric's or Silas's. I can't help but compare because he looks like them but I'm sure they have no business to associate with his kind, not trying to sound bad but look at him.

"Who the hell are you?" Marcus yelled, trying to sound tough despite his voice cracking.

The biker didn't answer with words. He moved faster than I could blink. One second he was ten feet away, and the next, he had Marcus by the throat, slamming him against the side of my car. The door pressed from the force.

"I'm the guy who's going to feed you if you touch her again," the biker growled. He lifted Marcus off the ground by his neck. Marcus's face went purple, his legs kicking uselessly.

"Please! Stop!" I cried out, grabbing the biker's leather-clad arm.

The moment I touched him, the world exploded.

It was like sticking my hand into an open socket. The bite mark on my neck didn't just heat up-it burned my whole body. My knees buckled, and for a second, I thought I was going to faint.

The biker dropped Marcus like a sack of potatoes. Marcus scrambled away, gasping for air, and ran away without looking back.

The biker turned to me. He didn't offer a hand. He stepped into my space, his heavy boots making noise on the pavement, and pinned me against the seat of his motorcycle. He smelled of gasoline, expensive tobacco, and a musky, animal scent that made my inner thighs ache.

"You're a messy little thing, aren't you?" he muttered, his eyes-those same piercing, predatory blue eyes-scanning my face. He reached out, his calloused thumb dragging over my bottom lip.

"Who... who are you?" I whispered, my breath coming in short gasps. My body was betraying me again. I wanted to wrap my legs around his waist and kiss him. What's wrong with me, what are these men doing to me?

"Name's Killian," he said, his hand sliding up to my neck, his palm covering the mark Alaric had left. "And you're coming with me."

"No!" I shouted, the word finally tearing out of my throat. I shoved his chest with everything I had. "No! I don't know you! Leave me alone, Let me go for fuck sake!"

I was shouting, hoping that someone would hear me. 

"I am not that kind of girl!" I screamed at his face, my voice echoing in the empty lot. "I'm not some... some toy you can just pick up! Stay away from me! All of you, stay away!" I screamed like a mad woman, I was basically losing my mind here and all I could do was run.

I didn't wait for him to respond. I scrambled into my car, fumbling with the keys, my hands shaking so hard I dropped them twice. Killian didn't chase me. He just stood there, his arms crossed over his massive chest, watching me with a dark, knowing smirk.

I drove out of the lot, driving like a maniac until I reached my dorm. I ran inside, locked the door, pushed my dresser in front of it, and collapsed onto my bed.

I was losing my mind.

I laid there in the dark, staring at the ceiling. The Professor. The Billionaire. The Biker. They weren't just similar. They had the exact same eyes. The same way of looking at me like I was a piece of meat they were waiting to devour.

What is happening to me? Am I in some game? Where did I go wrong? 

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. Then again. And again. I tried ignoring it, I had serious things to settle but the constant noise wasn't doing me any good.

A notification lit up the screen. A different unknown number.

12:00 AM:"You're mine to protect, little bird. Try to run again and see what happens. - K"

There is only one person I know that has a name beginning with K and it is that motherfucker.

How did he get my number? I don't remember giving out any information about me. I dropped the phone on the mattress as if it had burned me. My neck began to glow, a faint, red light shining through the fabric of my shirt. 

The pain that followed was something else, I tried clawing at the wound but it only made things worse, what have I gotten myself involved in?

And then, I heard it.

Inside my head, three distinct, low growls vibrated against my skull, harmonizing into a single, terrifying command that made me freeze on spot 

"Ours."

Then everything went dark

I woke up before my alarm even had a chance to beep. The room was freezing, but my skin felt like it was on fire. I stayed under the covers for a long time, staring at the chipped white paint on my ceiling.

My life felt like a joke. A week ago, my biggest worry was whether Marcus and I would ever be able to afford a real apartment after graduation. Now, Marcus was gone, and I was being hunted by three different men who looked like they stepped out of a nightmare and a magazine at the same time. I was a scholarship student with no money, a broken heart, and a weird glowing mark on my neck.

"Pathetic," I whispered to the empty room.

I scoffed at myself, throwing the blankets back. I couldn't afford to be a victim. If I missed class or let my grades slip, I'd be back in the town I worked so hard to leave, working a dead-end job for the rest of my life.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and peeled back the bandage I'd put over my neck. The skin was still tender, and the two puncture marks were a deep, angry red. They didn't look like a hickey anymore. They looked fucking weird.

"Just a weird infection," I said to my reflection. "Or a reaction to the metal in the jewelry I don't even wear."

I applied a thick layer of heavy concealer, then topped it with a high-neck sweater. It was itchy and uncomfortable, but it was better than people seeing it and asking questions. I grabbed my bag, shoved my phone deep into my pocket so I wouldn't have to look at those three terrifying texts, and headed for the law building.

The campus was busy. Students were drinking coffee and laughing, complaining about midterms as if the world was normal. I kept my head down, my heart thumping against my ribs. Every time a motorcycle hummed in the distance, I flinched.

I reached the lecture hall ten minutes early. I took my usual seat in the back, trying to blend into the shadows. I just wanted to get through this hour without Alaric looking at me.

"You look like you haven't slept in a week, Elena."

I jumped, nearly knocking my coffee over. It was Jax, a guy from my study group. He sat down next to me, looking concerned.

"Just a long night of studying," I said, forced a smile.

"Right. Law will do that to you," Jax said. "Hey, did you hear about the fight in the library parking lot last night? Someone said a biker nearly killed a guy. Police were there this morning asking questions."

My blood ran cold. "I didn't hear anything."

"Lucky you. This town is getting weird," Jax muttered, opening his laptop.

The door at the front of the room swung open. The chatter died down instantly. Alaric walked in, his black coat billowing slightly behind him. He looked perfect-not a hair out of place, his glasses catching the light. He looked like a god of law and order.

He set his briefcase on the podium and scanned the room. His eyes passed over me without stopping, but I felt a pull in my chest that made it hard to breathe.

"Today, we are discussing the ethics of coercion," Alaric said, his voice echoing. "Specifically, when a contract is signed under duress. Can a person truly be held to a promise they made when they were afraid?"

He started pacing. He was a great teacher, but I couldn't focus on the words. All I could think about was the text he sent. See you in class, Elena.

Halfway through the lecture, he stopped right in front of my row. He wasn't looking at me, but he was close enough that I could smell him.

"Miss Vance," he said.

I stiffened. "Yes, Professor?"

"If a man offers you safety in exchange for your freedom, is that a fair trade?"

The room went silent. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I looked up at him, and for a second, the mask of the professor slipped. His blue eyes darkened, becoming that deep, predatory color I saw in the bar.

"No," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "Freedom isn't something you trade. If it's forced, it isn't a trade at all. It's a crime."

Alaric tilted his head, a small, cruel smile touching his lips. "A very textbook answer. But in the real world, Elena, some people don't give you a choice.

Some people simply take what they want because they have the power to keep it."

He turned on his heel and walked back to the podium. "Class dismissed. Miss Vance, stay behind. We need to discuss your last essay."

Jax gave me a sympathetic look as he packed up. "Good luck. He looks like he's in a mood today."

"Thanks," I whispered.

I waited until the last student left. I didn't move from my seat. Alaric stayed at the podium, clicking his pen. The sound felt like a ticking bomb.

"Come here," he commanded.

I walked down the stairs, stopping at the front row. "I didn't turn in an essay yesterday, Professor. We both know that."

Alaric looked up. He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I didn't ask you here to talk about school, Elena."

"Then why? To tell me you didn't send that text? To tell me you weren't the man who fucked me?"

He stood up and walked toward me. I backed away until I hit the edge of a desk. He didn't stop until he was inches away. He reached out, his hand wrapping around the back of my neck. His thumb pressed right against the spot where the mark was hidden under my sweater.

I gasped, my eyes fluttering shut. The heat was back, moving through my body like a drug.

"You're making this very difficult," he whispered.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, my voice breaking. "You act like you don't know me in front of the class, and then you touch me like... like you own me."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Vance," he said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous rumble. "I'm simply making sure you're paying attention. You seem to have a habit of wandering off into dangerous places."

"Like the Neon Moon?" I challenged.

He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against my ear. "I have never been to such a place. But if I had, I certainly wouldn't have let you leave so easily."

He let go of me suddenly and stepped back, putting his glasses back on. The cold professor was back.

"Go to your next class, Elena. Try to stay focused. You wouldn't want to lose that scholarship over a few... distractions."

I stared at him, my mouth dry. I turned and ran out of the room. I didn't go to my next class. I ran straight for the side exit of the building. My mind was a mess. Alaric was lying, I knew he was, but why? And how could I feel this way about him when Silas was so kind, and that biker...

I reached the courtyard and stopped, leaning against a tree to catch my breath. My phone vibrated. I pulled it out, my hands shaking.

12:15 PM: "Don't even think about the back exit, little bird. I'm already watching you. - K"

I looked around wildly. Across the courtyard, sitting on a black motorcycle near the library, was Killian. He was leaning against his handlebars, staring straight at me. He raised a hand in a slow, mocking wave.

I was trapped. I felt like a deer caught in the sights of three different hunters

I stared at the screen of my phone, the text from "K" burning into my eyes. My heart was thumping so hard against my ribs that I could feel it in my throat. I looked across the wide grassy area of the courtyard, and there he was.

Killian didn't look like he belonged at a university. He looked dangerous. He was leaning back, his thick arms crossed over his chest, just watching me. He wasn't hiding. He wasn't creeping around. He was just waiting.

"Just keep walking, Elena," I whispered to myself. "He's just one guy. There are hundreds of people here. He won't do anything in public."

I turned my back on him and started walking toward the student union. I tried to keep my pace normal, but my legs felt heavy, every few steps, I glanced over my shoulder.

He was off the bike.

He wasn't running, but his steps were so long that he was closing the gap between us effortlessly. He moved and people instinctively moved out of his way. Students stepped onto the grass just to avoid bumping into him.

I started to walk faster. My breathing was shallow. I could hear the heavy thud of his boots on the pavement behind me.

"Elena."

His voice was a low growl that seemed to vibrate right through my spine. I didn't stop. I hiked my bag higher on my shoulder and practically started jogging.

"I'm busy, Killian!" I shouted over my shoulder. "I have a library shift!"

I didn't have a library shift, but I needed an excuse. I reached the edge of the walkway, thinking I could lose him in the crowd near the cafeteria. I was wrong.

A large, rough hand clamped onto my upper arm. It wasn't painful, It felt like being caught in a  trap. He spun me around, and suddenly I was looking at a wall filled with muscle.

"I told you I was watching," Killian said. Up close, he was even more terrifying. The scar on his eyebrow made him look permanently pissed off.

"Let go of me," I said, trying to yank my arm back. "You're making a scene. People are staring."

Killian looked around with a bored expression. "Let them stare. I don't give a damn about them. I told you to stay put."

"And I told you I'm not your property," I snapped, my temper finally bubbling over the fear. "I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just follow me around campus."

He didn't argue. He didn't even look annoyed. He just stepped closer, forcing me to tilt my head back to see his face. "You're a runner. I like a chase, Elena, but I'm hungry and I'm out of patience."

Before I could even ask what he meant, he moved. In one swift motion, he leaned down and threw me over his shoulder like I was a sack of grain.

"Hey! Put me down!" I shrieked, my face heating up as my feet dangled in the air. "Killian! Everyone is watching! Drop me right now!"

"Stop squirming," he said, giving my ass a firm, playful tap that made me gasp in shock. "You're just making it harder for yourself."

He started walking back toward his bike. I pounded my fists against his back, but it was like hitting a wall. I was mortified. Students were stopping in their tracks, some pulling out phones, others just staring with wide eyes.

"Is she okay?" I heard a girl ask nearby.

"She's fine," Killian called out, his voice booming and full of dark humor. "She just forgot how to listen."

"I am going to kill you!" I hissed, hiding my face against his jacket so no one would recognize me. "My reputation is ruined. I'm going to get kicked out of school because of you!"

"You're too smart to get kicked out," he grumbled.

He reached his motorcycle and finally slid me down. But he didn't let go. He kept his hands on my waist, pinning me against the side of the bike. His heat was overwhelming.

"Put the helmet on," he commanded, holding out a black helmet.

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

Killian leaned in, his nose brushing against mine. His blue eyes were glowing, the pupils blown wide. "You can walk into that library and try to hide, but I'll just walk in and carry you out of there, too. You want to do this the hard way or the fun way?"

I looked at the helmet, then back at his stubborn, scarred face. I knew he wasn't joking.

He was the kind of man who didn't care about rules or scenes.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my voice small.

"Somewhere quiet," he said. "You need to eat, and I need to make sure you stop shaking from fear."

I took the helmet and pulled it over my head, clicking the strap. Killian climbed onto the bike and waited for me to get on behind him. I hesitated for a second before sliding onto the seat.

"Hold on tight, little bird," he said.

I wrapped my arms around his thick waist, my chest pressed against his back. He revved the engine, a sound so loud it made my teeth rattle, and then we were flying.

We left the campus behind, weaving through traffic with a speed that made me squeeze him tighter. I closed my eyes, feeling the wind whip past us. After about twenty minutes, the sound of the city started to fade.

When the bike finally slowed down, I opened my eyes and gasped.

We weren't at a house or a restaurant. We were deep in the woods, stopped in front of a massive building, It looked like a fortress hidden among the trees. Huge windows looked out over a private lake that was as clear as glass.

"What is this place?" I asked as Killian helped me off the bike.

"My home. And for today, yours too." he said, taking my helmet.

I looked up at the building, marveling at how hidden and beautiful it was. It felt a world away from the dusty library and my cramped dorm room. It felt powerful.

Killian took my hand, his fingers locking firmly with mine. "Come on. I prepared food for you. Don't run off, or I'll have to go find you again, and next time, I won't be so nice about it."

I followed him toward the doors, my heart racing for a completely different reason now. I knew I should be scared, but looking at his broad shoulders and the way he held my hand like I was something precious, I felt a strange sense of belonging that I couldn't explain.