Ayla's POV.
By the time I got to training, the news had already spread like wildfire.
It was all over the school.
"Alpha Rowan has a mate."
I heard it three times before I even reached the locker rooms. Girls were practically vibrating with excitement. The air was thick with whispers, tension, and too many perfumes. The scent of adrenaline and curiosity clung to the walls like a second skin. By the time I was pulling on my uniform, the buzz was electric. Girls whispering behind hands, eyes wide and full of rumors. Some were smiling like they just got invited to prom, others looked like their hearts had been stomped on.
I could barely breathe.
It wasn’t just a rumor. It was true.
Rowan had a mate.
Me.
And only he and I knew it.
He hadn’t marked me. Hadn’t claimed me. Hell, he bar
