AGAIN?
1601 Words
Ayla’s POV
I didn't sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Professor Arkon's glowing amber eyes. Heard his voice saying *you're different*. Felt his fingers against my skin.
I'll always know where you are.
What did that even mean?
By the time the sun came up, I had convinced myself I was reading too much into everything. He was just a protective professor. Nothing more.
Except professors didn't usually track their students across campus. Didn't show up at visitor lodges with their eyes glowing and veins in their neck pulsing like they were barely holding back from shifting.
I got dressed quickly, pulling on jeans and a sweater. My roommate was still asleep, her blonde hair spread across her pillow. She had come in late last night, whispering about how the entire campus security team was doing rounds every hour.
My phone buzzed.
"My office. 8 AM. Don't be late."
Professor Arkon.
I checked the time. Seven forty-five. My first class wasn't until nine, and it wasn't even his class.
I grabbed my whiteboard and bag, slipping out quietly.
The campus looked different in the morning light. Normal, almost. Students walked to class in groups, laughing and talking. But I noticed the security guards stationed at every building entrance, the way people kept glancing over their shoulders.
Professor Arkon's office door was open when I arrived.
He sat behind his desk, looking like he hadn't slept either. His dark hair was messier than usual, and there was a shadow of stubble along his jaw. He glanced up when I appeared in the doorway.
"Close the door."
I did, then stood there awkwardly.
He studied me for a long moment, his amber eyes unreadable. "Sit."
I sat, placing my whiteboard on my lap.
"Did you sleep?"
I shook my head.
"Good. Neither did I." He leaned back in his chair. "We need to talk about what happened last night."
I wrote quickly. "You mean when you stalked me to the visitor's lodge?"
His jaw clenched. "I wasn't stalking you."
"Then what do you call it?"
"Protecting you." He stood abruptly, moving to the window. His shoulders were tense beneath his shirt. "Something you clearly don't appreciate."
I wrote harder. "I don't need protection."
"Yes, you do." He turned to face me. "You just don't know it yet."
"Why? Because of some attacks?" I held up my board. "That has nothing to do with me."
"Doesn't it?" He crossed his arms. "Three students attacked in the forest. All from Silverstone Pack. All friends with your ex-mate who conveniently shows up the next day asking for you back."
"You think Damien had something to do with it?"
"I think there are things happening that you don't understand." He moved closer, perching on the edge of his desk. "Tell me something. When you were with Damien last night, did you notice anything strange about him?"
I frowned, thinking back. "Like what?" I wrote quickly.
"His scent. His behavior. Anything unusual."
I thought about it. Damien had seemed normal. Sad about his friends, desperate to win me back. Nothing strange.
I wrote, "No. Why?"
Professor Arkon was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "The wounds on those students. The healers said they came from claws, but not wolf claws."
My stomach turned. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying there's something else in those woods. Something that's been hunting." His eyes met mine. "And I think it followed your ex-mate here."
The room suddenly felt too small, too hot.
I wrote with shaking hands. "That's crazy."
"Is it?" He leaned forward. "Tell me, Ayla. Why did Damien really reject you?"
The question caught me off guard. I wrote slowly. "He said I wasn't strong enough. That a mute Luna would make his pack look weak."
"And you believed him?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Because I've seen the way he looks at you." Professor Arkon's voice was low, intense. "That's not a man who thinks you're weak. That's a man who's terrified of you."
I stared at him. "That doesn't make sense."
"Doesn't it?" He stood, pacing now. "Think about it. A strong, healthy mate bond. Then suddenly he rejects you in front of his entire pack with the cruelest words possible. Why? What changed?"
I didn't have an answer.
"I think someone made him do it," Professor Arkon said quietly. "Someone who wanted you away from that pack for a reason."
My head was spinning. "This is insane."
"Maybe." He stopped in front of me. "Or maybe there's more to your story than you know."
Before I could respond, there was a knock on the door.
Professor Arkon's expression darkened. "Come in."
The door opened and Dean Morrison entered, her silver hair pulled back in a tight bun. She looked between us with sharp eyes.
"Professor Arkon. Miss Ayla." She nodded at me. "I need to speak with you both."
Professor Arkon straightened. "Go ahead."
"The attacks." Dean Morrison closed the door behind her. "We've had a development."
My heart started racing.
"The three students who were attacked? They woke up an hour ago." She paused. "And they all said the same thing."
"Which is?" Professor Arkon's voice was tight.
Dean Morrison's eyes settled on me. "They said they were attacked by a white wolf. Bigger than any they'd ever seen, with eyes that glowed silver in the dark."
The room went silent.
Professor Arkon moved slightly, positioning himself between me and the Dean. "What are you implying?"
"I'm not implying anything." But her eyes stayed on me. "I'm simply sharing information. Although I do find it interesting that Miss Ayla here has a... unique appearance. White hair. Silver eyes."
My blood went cold.
"That's enough," Professor Arkon said sharply.
"Is it?" Dean Morrison raised an eyebrow. "The students also mentioned that the wolf seemed to be looking for something. Or someone. And it wasn't until they tried to stop it that it attacked."
I couldn't breathe.
"She was in her dorm last night," Professor Arkon said. "I made sure of it."
"Did you?" The Dean's smile was thin. "All night?"
I stood abruptly, my chair scraping loudly. I wrote quickly, my handwriting messy. "I didn't attack anyone."
"Of course not, dear." But Dean Morrison's tone suggested she didn't believe me. "Still, until we sort this out, I think it's best if you stay on campus. No forest runs. No leaving the grounds after dark."
"She's already doing that," Professor Arkon said.
"Good." Dean Morrison moved toward the door, then paused. "Oh, and Professor? A word of advice. Be careful how closely you involve yourself with students. People might get the wrong idea."
Then she was gone, leaving her warning hanging in the air.
I looked at Professor Arkon, my hands shaking.
He met my eyes. "Ayla," he said quietly. "When's the last time you shifted?"
I wrote without thinking. "Never. Why?"
"I need you to tell me the truth. Do you wake up in places you don't remember going to?"
I wanted to say no. Wanted to write that he was being ridiculous.
But my hands wouldn't move.
Because deep down, in a place I'd been trying to ignore, I knew the answer.
Yes.
His phone buzzed. He glanced at it, and his entire body went rigid.
"What?" I wrote.
He looked at me, and for the first time since I'd met him, Professor Arkon looked truly afraid.
"There's been an incident," he said carefully. "In the forest near the old warehouse district. They found..." He stopped, his jaw working. "They found evidence of another attack. A massive one."
The whiteboard trembled in my hands.
"The scene is bad. Really bad. And there's..." He ran a hand through his hair. "There's a lot of blood. They're trying to identify whose it is, but initial reports suggest it might be someone from Silverstone Pack."
"Who?" I wrote, my hand shaking so badly the letters were barely legible.
His phone buzzed again. He read the message, and all the color drained from his face.
"They found identification at the scene," he said quietly. "A wallet. Keys. A Silverstone Pack crest ring."
My heart stopped.
"It's registered to Damien Vane."
The whiteboard clattered to the floor.
No. No, this couldn't be happening.
"They haven't found a body yet," Professor Arkon said quickly, moving toward me. "Just evidence of a violent struggle. Blood. Torn clothing. But Damien's missing. He didn't return to the visitor's lodge last night, and no one's seen him since around midnight."
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.
Damien. Missing. Possibly dead.
And everyone was going to think I did it.
Professor Arkon's hands gripped my shoulders. "Look at me. Ayla, look at me."
I forced my eyes to meet his.
"Whatever happened out there, it wasn't you," he said firmly. "Do you understand? You were in your dorm. I checked. You have an alibi."
But did I? I had those memory gaps. Those missing hours I couldn't account for.
What if I had killed him and didn't even remember?
"We need to go," Professor Arkon said, already pulling out his phone. "They're going to want to question you again, and this time I'm making sure you have proper representation. No more interrogations without a pack lawyer present."
"Why would they question me?" I wrote frantically.
He looked at me, his expression grim. "Because you're the last person who was seen with him yesterday. Because you match the description of the white wolf. And because..." He hesitated. "Because they found something else at the scene."
"What?"
"Your scent, Ayla. Your scent was all over that warehouse."
- Writer
