The Alpha's Forbidden Vampire

The rain had been falling for three hours when Elara Veyne first saw Blackwood University. She had expected something grand. Ancient gates. Gothic towers. Perhaps stone gargoyles glaring down at students who believed they were ordinary. Instead, Blackwood looked almost painfully modern. Glass buildings rose behind rows of dark oak trees. Soft lights glowed from the windows of the dormitories. Students hurried across the broad courtyard beneath umbrellas, laughing, complaining about classes, dragging suitcases over rain-slick pavement. Cars lined the entrance. Music drifted faintly from somewhere beyond the student center. Normal. That was the word Elara kept returning to. Normal. She stared through the tinted window of the black sedan as the university gates passed beside her. For the first time in years, she was somewhere her family could not simply walk through a door and tell her what to do. The thought should have made her happy. Instead, it made her suspicious. "You're frowning." Elara glanced toward the driver. "I wasn't aware." "You were." She turned back toward the window. "Then I suppose you'll survive." The driver wisely said nothing. Elara allowed herself a small smile. Sarcasm was easier than explaining herself. Especially today. Her fingers rose unconsciously to the area behind her left ear. A crescent-shaped birthmark rested beneath the curtain of her long black hair. She touched it once. Then lowered her hand. Blackwood University had been built on old ground. Very old ground. Her family had never told her exactly what had happened here. They had only given her one instruction before she left. Keep your head down. Her father's voice still echoed in her mind. Do not involve yourself with anyone. Her mother's had followed. And above all, Elara, remember what you are. A vampire. Pure-blood. Daughter of one of the oldest vampire houses still standing. She had heard those words so many times that they had stopped sounding like a warning. They sounded like a cage. The sedan came to a stop. "Blackwood University," the driver announced. Elara looked outside. Students were everywhere. Human heartbeats. Hundreds of them. The sound filled the air beneath the rain. Thump. Thump. Thump. Too loud. Too many. Her senses caught each pulse with irritating clarity. She closed her eyes. Breathed in. Rain. Wet pavement. Coffee. Perfume. Human blood. Her fangs pressed briefly against her lower lip. Control. She opened her eyes. "Thank you." Elara stepped out. Cold rain touched her face. She didn't react. Unlike humans, cold had never bothered her much. She pulled her black coat tighter around herself and looked up at the university. Blackwood's main building rose ahead of her, all steel, glass, and dark stone. Ivy crawled along one side despite the modern architecture, as though the building had been standing there for centuries and simply refused to admit it. Interesting. Elara picked up her suitcase. One step. Then another. Freedom was waiting somewhere inside. Or so she hoped. Her dorm room was on the third floor of a building called Ravens Hall. The name amused her. A little too much. Elara stood in the doorway while a girl with honey-brown hair wrestled a box across the room. "Don't just stand there!" Elara blinked. "Excuse me?" "Help me before I die." The girl dropped the box dramatically onto the floor. Elara stared at her. "You appear to be breathing." "Barely." A pause. Then the girl smiled. "Hi. I'm Mira." Elara couldn't help it. She smiled back. "Elara." "Mira Solen. Roommate. Future best friend. Occasional academic disaster." "That's quite an introduction." "I like to establish expectations early." Elara looked around. Two beds. Two desks. Two wardrobes. One window overlooking the courtyard. It was small. But it was hers. No family portraits. No servants. No ancient vampire council members waiting outside the door. Just a university dorm. For the first time in her life, Elara felt something unfamiliar. Relief. Mira pointed at the bed beside the window. "That's yours." Elara looked at it. "I'll take it." "I figured you would." "Why?" "You're wearing black, you have terrifyingly perfect hair, and you've been staring at that window like you're deciding whether to murder someone." Elara slowly turned toward her. Mira's smile disappeared. Then returned. "I'm joking." "Good." "You do joke, right?" "Occasionally." "Excellent. We're going to get along." Elara wasn't sure about that. But she liked Mira immediately. That was dangerous in itself. She had spent most of her life learning not to become attached to people. Mira, unfortunately, seemed determined to make that difficult. By evening, the rain had stopped. Blackwood came alive. The courtyard filled with students. Music spilled from an outdoor gathering near the student center. Groups formed everywhere—athletes, freshmen, upperclassmen, people already acting as if they owned the campus. Elara walked beside Mira, listening as she explained everything. "That building is the library. Don't go there after midnight." "Why?" "Because it's creepy." "That's your reason?" "Have you seen the basement?" "No." "Exactly." Elara almost laughed. They continued walking. "That one is the sports center. That's the cafeteria. Over there is the administration building." Mira pointed toward a distant stone structure partially hidden behind trees. "And that?" Elara stopped. The building stood apart from the others. Older. Much older. Its windows were dark. A rusted iron fence surrounded it. "That's restricted," Mira said. "Why?" "No idea." Elara studied it. Something was wrong. She couldn't explain what. The air around the building felt... still. Not empty. Still. As if something beneath the earth was holding its breath. A faint chill traveled down her spine. Her vampire instincts whispered a warning. Stay away. Elara looked away. "Probably boring." Mira nodded. "Definitely." They walked on. Neither noticed the tall figure standing on the upper balcony of the administration building. Neither noticed his gray eyes following them. Ronan Draven hated universities. Too many people. Too much noise. Too many pointless rules. Blackwood was supposed to be different. Neutral territory. That was what his family called it. A place where vampires and werewolves could coexist without bloodshed. Ronan had always thought the idea was ridiculous. He stood beneath the stone archway of the administration building, hands in his coat pockets, watching students move below. Adrian leaned against the wall beside him. "You look thrilled." "I am." "You look like you want to kill someone." "That's because I do." Adrian laughed. "Five minutes on campus and you've already made friends." Ronan ignored him. His attention shifted toward the courtyard. Something had changed. He could smell it. Rain. Human scents. Then— Something else. His eyes narrowed. A strange scent drifted through the air. Dark. Cold. Sweet in a way that made something primitive inside him stir. Ronan straightened. "What?" Adrian followed his gaze. "What?" "Nothing." But Ronan kept watching. A girl in black had disappeared into the crowd. He caught only a glimpse of long black hair. Then she was gone. His jaw tightened. He didn't know why that bothered him. He didn't know why his instincts had reacted. And he definitely didn't know why he suddenly wanted to find her. Later that night, Elara couldn't sleep. Mira was already unconscious, breathing softly in the darkness. Elara stared at the ceiling. The moonlight entered through the window. Her senses remained painfully awake. Too many unfamiliar smells. Too many unfamiliar sounds. She finally sat up. Perhaps a walk would help. She pulled on her coat. Ten minutes later, she was outside. Blackwood at night was completely different. The cheerful campus had vanished. The pathways were empty. The lamps cast long shadows between the trees. Elara walked without thinking about where she was going. Until she realized where she had ended up. The restricted building. She stopped. The iron gate stood open. It hadn't been open earlier. Elara stared at it. Then smiled faintly. "That seems like an invitation." She stepped inside. "You're not supposed to be here." The voice came from behind her. Elara stopped. Slowly, she turned. A man stood several feet away. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Black hair slightly disheveled. Dark clothing. Sharp gray eyes. He looked young. But there was something about him that didn't feel young at all. Something dangerous. Something controlled. Elara raised an eyebrow. "Neither are you." His expression hardened. "Leave." She glanced around. "Do you own the building?" "No." "Then you don't get to give me orders." His jaw tightened. He stepped closer. "You're trespassing." "So are you." "This place is restricted." "I noticed." "Then leave." Elara smiled. "No." His eyes narrowed. For some reason, that amused her. "You always this friendly?" "You always this stubborn?" "Only when people annoy me." "Then you're going to have a difficult time here." "Maybe." He stopped directly in front of her. Too close. Elara could feel something in the air change. Her instincts screamed. Not fear. Recognition. Impossible recognition. She inhaled without meaning to. His scent hit her. Rain. Cold earth. Something wild. Her heartbeat—usually so still—stuttered. She immediately stepped back. His eyes flickered. For the briefest second, something almost animal crossed his face. Then it disappeared. "Who are you?" he asked. Elara folded her arms. "You first." "Ronan." Just the name. No explanation. No surname. Elara studied him. "Elara." "I didn't ask." "You didn't have to." His mouth twitched. Not quite a smile. Almost. Then his expression became cold again. "You should go." She looked toward the dark building. "Why?" "Because you don't know what you're walking into." Something about the way he said it irritated her. "You sound worried." "I'm warning you." "How sweet." "Don't." "Don't what?" "Push me." Elara stepped closer. "Or what?" Silence. They stood barely a breath apart. Neither moved. Neither looked away. Then Ronan's gaze shifted briefly toward the side of her neck. His nostrils flared. Elara noticed. Her instincts sharpened. What is he? For one terrifying second, she felt his heartbeat. Not human. Too strong. Too powerful. And beneath it— Something that felt like a growl. Ronan suddenly looked toward the building. His entire posture changed. "Go." This time, there was no sarcasm. Only command. Elara frowned. "What—" A sound echoed from somewhere beneath them. A deep metallic scrape. Both turned. The old building groaned. Then came another sound. A heartbeat. Slow. Heavy. Impossible. Elara's crimson eyes darkened instinctively. Ronan looked at her. For the first time, his expression showed something other than irritation. Shock. "You heard that." It wasn't a question. Elara's blood ran cold. She hadn't realized her eyes had changed. Neither had he. Until his gaze locked onto hers. Gray met crimson. And somewhere beneath Blackwood University, something ancient woke up.