The Alpha's Forbidden Vampire

Chapter 3 — The Names in Blood

For several seconds, neither of them moved.

The library seemed to hold its breath.

Elara stared at the two names written across the ancient page.

Her name.

Ronan's.

The black ink looked fresh.

Too fresh.

It glistened beneath the weak library lights as though it had been written only seconds ago.

Yet the book itself looked older than anything else in the room.

Elara slowly reached toward the page.

Ronan caught her wrist.

"Don't."

His voice was low.

Elara looked at his hand.

Then at him.

"Let go."

He did.

Immediately.

But neither of them looked away.

"What is this?" Elara asked.

"I don't know."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I don't care what you believe."

"That's convenient."

Ronan's eyes narrowed.

"You think I did this?"

"I think you know more than you're telling me."

"So do you."

The accusation landed harder than Elara expected.

She closed the book.

The heartbeat beneath the library stopped.

Silence returned.

Ronan stared at the cover.

"Put it back."

Elara shook her head.

"No."

"Elara."

"You said you didn't know what it was."

"I don't."

"Then why are you afraid of it?"

Something flashed in his eyes.

Fear.

Only for a fraction of a second.

But Elara saw it.

She always noticed things other people missed.

Ronan stepped closer.

"I said put it back."

"And I said no."

"You don't understand what you're dealing with."

"Then explain it."

"I can't."

"Can't?"

His jaw tightened.

"Won't."

Elara smiled without humor.

"That's more honest."

She slipped the book beneath her arm.

Ronan stared at her.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking it."

"You can't."

"Watch me."

She turned.

Ronan caught her shoulder.

Elara froze.

The contact sent a strange sensation through her body.

Not pain.

Not fear.

Something deeper.

Her instincts reacted instantly.

His blood.

She could smell it.

Something wild lived beneath his skin.

Powerful.

Ancient.

Her senses sharpened.

Ronan seemed to notice the change in her expression.

His grip loosened.

"You felt that."

Elara looked into his eyes.

"Felt what?"

He didn't answer.

Neither did she.

They stood too close.

Again.

The silence between them became uncomfortable.

Elara stepped away first.

"Don't touch me again."

Ronan's expression hardened.

"Then stop walking into dangerous places."

"Stop following me."

"I wasn't following you."

"You were in the restricted building last night."

"So were you."

"And now you're here."

"So are you."

Elara sighed.

"You are unbelievably irritating."

"And you're impossible."

"Good."

"Good."

They stared at each other.

Neither smiled.

Then a loud crash came from somewhere near the front of the library.

Both turned.

A librarian shouted.

Students began murmuring.

Ronan looked at Elara.

"Stay here."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

"I'll check it."

"And I'll do what?"

"Nothing."

"Absolutely not."

Ronan gave her a look.

Elara smiled.

"You're learning."

She followed him.

A display case had shattered near the entrance.

Glass covered the floor.

A dozen students stood around it, staring.

The librarian was crouched nearby.

"What happened?" someone asked.

"I don't know," she said nervously. "The glass just—"

She stopped.

Elara looked at the broken case.

Inside had been several old university artifacts.

Most were harmless.

A medal.

A silver pocket watch.

A collection of photographs.

But one object caught her attention.

A small stone pendant.

It had been sitting at the center of the display.

Now it was gone.

Elara's eyes narrowed.

Ronan noticed.

"What?"

"The pendant."

"What about it?"

"It's missing."

His gaze moved toward the empty space.

He went still.

"Don't touch anything."

Elara looked at him.

"Why?"

He didn't answer.

A professor pushed through the crowd.

"Everyone, please return to your classes. There's nothing to worry about."

The students reluctantly began leaving.

Elara remained.

Ronan remained.

The professor looked at them.

"Both of you."

His tone was calm.

Too calm.

"Class."

Elara recognized him.

Professor Elias Gray.

The professor who had been introduced during orientation as one of Blackwood's history lecturers.

He looked at the broken display.

Then at the book beneath Elara's arm.

His expression changed.

Only slightly.

But Elara saw it.

He knew.

Not what the book contained.

What the book was.

"Miss Veyne," he said quietly.

Elara stiffened.

"Yes?"

"Where did you find that?"

Ronan stepped forward.

"Professor—"

Gray lifted one hand.

Ronan stopped.

Interesting.

Elara looked between them.

"You know him?"

"Professor Gray teaches several advanced courses."

"That's not what I asked."

Ronan's eyes narrowed.

Professor Gray smiled faintly.

"You two should return to class."

Elara's instincts prickled.

"Why?"

"Because some questions are safer left unanswered."

The professor walked away.

Elara watched him disappear down the corridor.

Then she turned toward Ronan.

"Your university has interesting professors."

Ronan stared after Gray.

"You have no idea."

That afternoon, Elara sat beneath a tree in the central courtyard with her laptop open.

Mira dropped into the grass beside her.

"You're being weird."

Elara didn't look up.

"I'm always weird."

"More than usual."

"I'm studying."

Mira glanced at the screen.

"You've been staring at the same paragraph for ten minutes."

Elara closed the laptop.

"What do you want?"

"Food."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"I'll pay."

Elara looked at her.

Mira smiled.

"That's what I thought."

They headed toward the cafeteria.

The ordinary sounds of campus slowly returned.

Students talking.

Music playing from someone's phone.

Chairs scraping across the pavement.

Someone laughing too loudly.

It should have felt safe.

But Elara couldn't forget the book.

Or the names.

Or the symbol.

Most of all, she couldn't forget the way Ronan had reacted.

Mira nudged her.

"You know who I saw earlier?"

Elara already knew.

"Who?"

"Ronan."

She tried to sound indifferent.

"And?"

"He was talking to Adrian Vale."

"Who's Adrian?"

"His friend."

Mira lowered her voice.

"Apparently they're both kind of famous around campus."

Elara sighed.

"Why?"

"People say Ronan has never lost a competition."

"That's ridiculous."

"Maybe."

"Nobody is that good."

Mira shrugged.

"Apparently he is."

Elara glanced across the courtyard.

Ronan was there.

Of course.

He stood near the sports center with several students.

Adrian was beside him, talking animatedly.

Then Ronan looked over.

Their eyes met.

Elara immediately looked away.

Mira noticed.

"Oh."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You said something."

"I said nothing."

Elara narrowed her eyes.

Mira grinned.

"You two have chemistry."

Elara nearly choked.

"No."

"I didn't say romantic chemistry."

"Good."

"I said tension."

"There's a difference."

"Not always."

Elara gave her a flat look.

Mira laughed.

"Relax. I'm teasing."

Elara tried to ignore the warmth that had appeared in her face.

It annoyed her.

She wasn't attracted to him.

She barely knew him.

He was arrogant.

Controlling.

Infuriating.

And something about him made every supernatural instinct in her body scream.

Whatever was happening between them wasn't attraction.

It was danger.

That was all.

That evening, Ronan stood alone in the gym.

His shirt was damp with sweat.

He had been training for almost two hours.

It hadn't helped.

His mind kept returning to the library.

The book.

The symbol.

Her eyes.

Crimson.

He had seen them clearly.

There was no mistake.

Ronan struck the punching bag again.

The chain rattled violently.

He stopped.

His breathing was steady.

His wolf wasn't.

Something inside him had been restless since the moment he'd smelled her.

It didn't understand what she was.

But it recognized something.

Something old.

Something that made every instinct in him demand caution.

The gym doors opened.

Adrian walked inside.

"You've been avoiding me."

Ronan grabbed a towel.

"No."

"You've been avoiding everyone."

"No."

Adrian leaned against the wall.

"You know I'm your best friend, right?"

"Unfortunately."

"Then talk."

Ronan said nothing.

Adrian studied him.

"It's the girl."

Ronan looked at him.

"What girl?"

Adrian laughed.

"Please."

"There is no girl."

"Her name is Elara."

Ronan's expression changed.

Adrian pointed.

"That."

"What?"

"That look."

"What look?"

"The one that says I'm right."

Ronan threw the towel at him.

Adrian caught it.

"So she bothers you."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Adrian's smile disappeared.

"Is she supernatural?"

Ronan didn't answer.

That was enough.

Adrian straightened.

"Ronan."

"I don't know what she is."

"Then find out."

"I intend to."

Elara returned to the dorm after sunset.

Mira was at a student event, leaving Elara alone.

She shut the door.

Locked it.

Then placed the old book on her desk.

For several minutes, she simply stared at it.

Finally, she opened it.

The pages were blank.

She frowned.

She turned another page.

Blank.

Another.

Nothing.

The symbol was gone.

The names were gone.

Elara touched the paper.

Cold.

She turned back.

Still nothing.

"What the hell?"

She closed the book.

Then she heard something.

A faint sound from the hallway.

Footsteps.

Elara looked toward the door.

The footsteps stopped.

She waited.

Nothing.

She walked closer.

Slowly.

Then—

Three knocks.

Elara opened the door.

Nobody stood outside.

The hallway was empty.

She looked down.

Something had been left on the floor.

A small stone pendant.

Elara's breath caught.

The missing artifact.

She picked it up.

The moment her fingers touched the stone, pain exploded behind her eyes.

Images flashed through her mind.

A forest.

Moonlight.

Blood.

Two figures standing beneath a red moon.

One with crimson eyes.

One with silver.

Then screaming.

Fire.

A black symbol carved into stone.

And a voice.

Ancient.

Whispering.

They must never remember.

Elara gasped and dropped the pendant.

The vision vanished.

She stumbled backward.

Her heart raced.

That wasn't possible.

She had never seen those memories before.

They weren't hers.

They belonged to someone else.

A sound came from behind her.

She turned.

The old book on her desk had opened.

The pages turned by themselves.

One.

Two.

Three.

Then stopped.

A single line appeared across the page.

Blood remembers what the mind forgets.

Elara stared.

Her fingers trembled.

Then another line appeared.

And the moon remembers its other half.

The bedroom door suddenly slammed shut.

Elara spun around.

Mira stood there.

"Elara?"

Elara froze.

Mira stared at her.

Then at the book.

"What are you doing?"

Elara moved quickly.

She closed the book.

"Studying."

Mira frowned.

"At night?"

"Yes."

"With an ancient-looking book?"

"University reading is getting ambitious."

Mira laughed uncertainly.

"You're strange."

Elara smiled.

"Goodnight, Mira."

Mira shook her head.

"Goodnight."

She climbed into bed.

Elara waited until her roommate's breathing became steady.

Then she looked back at the book.

She wasn't imagining this.

Something had chosen her.

Or perhaps—

Something had been waiting for her.

Across campus, Ronan stood outside beneath the moon.

He stared toward Ravens Hall.

His instincts had been restless all evening.

Then his head snapped toward the forest.

A sound drifted through the trees.

A howl.

Low.

Distant.

Wrong.

Ronan's eyes hardened.

Another howl answered it.

Closer.

His body tensed.

Blackwood's territory was supposed to be neutral.

Nothing supernatural was supposed to hunt here.

Nothing was supposed to cross the boundary.

Yet something had.

Ronan took a step toward the forest.

Then stopped.

A scent reached him.

Blood.

Not human.

Vampire.

His expression changed.

He turned toward Ravens Hall.

The scent was coming from there.

From Elara.

Ronan's hands curled into fists.

For the first time, the truth formed in his mind.

Not certainty.

Not proof.

Just instinct.

She's not human.

And somewhere beneath Blackwood University, the ancient heartbeat began again.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

This time, it wasn't alone.

Something else answered from beneath the forest.

And Ronan knew one thing with absolute certainty.

Whatever had awakened—

It had smelled Elara too.