Howling Moon

The Pursuit

Zara POV

Colton Shepard wasn’t my type.

He was the kind of guy who walked into a room like he owned it—expensive watch, perfect smile, and a reputation that stretched across campus. Rich, cocky, and dangerously charming. The heir to Shepard Oil, with more money than sense and girls who practically lined up to throw themselves at him.

I wanted nothing to do with that.

I didn’t like games. I didn’t like arrogance. And I definitely didn’t like spoiled rich boys who thought they could buy attention with a smirk and a credit card. So when Colton set his sights on me, I made it very clear I wasn’t interested.

But he didn’t back off.

He showed up at my study groups. Asked questions just to keep me talking. Dropped cheesy lines like he wasn’t embarrassed to try. At first, I rolled my eyes. Then I started to laugh.

He wore me down, little by little.

Somewhere between his relentless charm and those rare moments where the arrogance faded, I started to see the real him. Not the player with the perfect hair—but the guy who stayed up late helping me prep for exams, who walked me home in the cold just to make sure I was safe.

He wasn’t what I expected.

And eventually, I stopped running.

Colton became my first love—the kind that catches you off guard, sneaks past your defenses, and settles somewhere deep.

But even when everything felt right, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something inside me was still asleep. Like a part of me was waiting. Watching.

For what—I didn’t know.

Not yet.