His Human Mate

The Intruder

The insistent chirping of her alarm dragged Rayla from sleep at six in the morning. Her first classes weren’t until ten, but she wanted to take a proper shower and make a list of things she needed for her dorm room. Considering she didn’t have a car—or even know how to drive—she knew she’d be relying on campus transportation or maybe an Uber. The thought of navigating this new world on her own was both thrilling and daunting.

After a thirty-minute yoga session to soothe her nerves, she grabbed her toiletries and headed toward the communal shower room. The shared space, separated only by semi-transparent glass walls, made her initially uncomfortable. She had never been naked in front of anyone before, not even her boyfriend Zack; they were saving that for marriage. But the warmth of the water quickly washed away her apprehension. Humming softly, she enjoyed the solitude of the early morning shower, the steam curling around her like a comforting embrace.

Once finished, she wrapped herself in her thick pink bathrobe, the idea of changing in the open shower room utterly revolting. She hurried back to her dorm room, drying her bronde hair with a small towel. As she opened the door, a gasp escaped her lips. Lying on Scarlet’s bed was the guy from the previous day—the one with navy blue hair. His eyes, when they finally met hers, were filled with a cold, calculating hatred that sent a shiver down her spine.

"What are you doing here? Scarlet’s not here," Rayla said, pulling her bathrobe tighter around her and eyeing him suspiciously.

He rolled his eyes with a huff and continued scrolling through his phone, ignoring her as if she didn’t even exist. Rayla’s irritation flared. "Hey," she said sharply, "I’m talking to you."

He didn’t bother to look at her again. Rayla scoffed and crossed her arms. "Can you leave? I’m asking politely."

He finally glanced at her, and a chilling smile spread across his face. "And if I don’t?"

Rayla’s blood ran cold. She was incredibly nervous, being alone in a room with this strange man, clad only in a bathrobe. He hated her—she could tell by the intense, predatory glint in his eyes. She didn’t know if she could trust him, if she would be safe with him.

She grabbed her phone from the desk, her fingers trembling slightly. "I’m calling security on you."

He laughed, a low, amused sound that sent another shiver through her. In a blink, he was in front of her, his hands on the table behind her, trapping her between his arms. "I own this school, kitten," he said, his voice a low growl. "Get your claws down. You’re only going to hurt yourself."

Rayla gulped, her eyes locked on his. She could hear her heart hammering in her chest as a weird sensation started to form in her stomach. A sweet, almost intoxicating smell seemed to emanate from him, tangling around her senses. She was frozen, unable to move, unable to scream like she desperately wanted to. He had an aura about him that completely disarmed her, leaving her feeling strangely powerless.

He was no better. His eyes, initially filled with annoyance, were now drawn to her mesmerizing green-hazel eyes. Her pale, milky skin peeked out from beneath the bathrobe, inviting him to leave a mark. His gaze dropped to her soft hands clutching the phone close to her heart, and finally landed on her pink lips, slightly parted, a few red lines marring their surface—a habit he assumed was from biting them too much.

Before he could stop himself, he was leaning closer, his hot breath fanning her face, bringing a deep crimson shade to her cheeks.

"Ugh, I have the worst hangover ever," a voice from outside the room brought them both back to reality. Rayla pushed against his chest, scrambling backward, while he cursed under his breath and fell back onto the bed.

Rayla clutched the bathrobe around her, feeling strangely exposed as she stood awkwardly beside the dresser, as if trying to hide from his gaze.

The door creaked open, revealing Scarlet and her boyfriend. Both of them stared at Rayla, who was slightly shaking, her face flushed.

"Hey, girl, are you okay?" Scarlet’s boyfriend asked, his gaze briefly flicking toward the man on the bed.

"Can, um… can you get him out of here?" Rayla stammered, still reeling from the intensity of the encounter.

Scarlet quickly glanced at the man on the bed and grumbled, "Jeez, Asher, we talked about this. Look at what you did!"

Without waiting for him to say anything, Scarlet looked back at her boyfriend. "Nick, take him out of here," she said firmly.

Asher was clearly not happy about the command, but nevertheless, he got to his feet and walked out of the room, shooting Rayla a look that made the air in the room seem to thicken. Rayla clutched the bathrobe tighter around her, feeling a strange mixture of fear and guilt. She wasn’t afraid of him, not exactly. But the intensity of his gaze, the way he had dominated the space, had left her feeling strangely… unsettled. She was guilty, too, guilty of the way her body had responded to his closeness, the way a thrill—a dangerous thrill—had coursed through her veins.

Scarlet’s hands gently rested on her shoulders, startling her. "Sorry about that, Ray. Ash can be an ass sometimes."

Rayla gently shrugged Scarlet’s hands off. "Can you please tell them not to come in here anymore? I can’t stay around with guys I don’t know in my room."

Scarlet smiled, but there was something in her eyes that Rayla couldn’t read. "Oh, that’s easy. Get to know them then."

Rayla frowned. "No, thank you. I have a boyfriend, and for the record, he’s not happy with them around me either."

Something flashed in Scarlet’s eyes—a flicker of disappointment, perhaps? Or was it something else? Rayla couldn’t quite decipher it.

After a brief moment of silence, Scarlet smiled again, but Rayla could tell it was forced. "Roger that. I’ll tell them that you’re uncomfortable with him around. Don’t worry."

Rayla gave her a small nod and started to get dressed. "Hey, are you going to the bonfire tonight?" Scarlet asked as she leaned over the desk.

Rayla looked at her reflection in the mirror, initially tempted to ignore the question. However, Scarlet had been kind to her, and Rayla felt a pang of guilt about treating her poorly. "What bonfire?" she asked instead.

Scarlet stood beside her, fixing her hair. "The seniors always throw a party for the freshmen in the woods behind the campus, so we can get to know each other better. We were supposed to have it yesterday, but the headmaster had some land business there, so we had to postpone it."

Rayla bit her lip, about to say a firm no. But the words "bonfire" sounded strangely appealing. She had left all her friends behind in Maryland and was eager to make new connections here in Virginia.

"Come on," Scarlet whined, gently holding her arm and batting her eyelashes in a way that was surprisingly effective. "It’s just a bonfire."

Rayla nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "It won’t hurt, so yeah, sure," she conceded.

Scarlet squealed, "Okay, we’ll meet at 7 p.m. Be ready, okay!" Then she grabbed a few things from her closet and walked out of the room.

Rayla sighed and looked one more time at her reflection in the mirror. Her wavy bronde hair looked messy in the bun above her head, but she liked it that way. She grabbed her sweater and walked out of the room, heading toward the library nearby. She still had two hours before her classes, so she decided to indulge in a bit of literary bliss.

After greeting the librarian and obtaining a membership card (she intended to make full use of this library!), she began browsing the shelves. As a budding literary scholar, Rayla always felt at home in libraries, surrounded by books and the echoes of countless stories. She dreamed of one day writing her own novel, a masterpiece that would captivate readers for generations.

Her eyes landed on a book by Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses. She had heard of the series before, but Rayla wasn’t typically drawn to fantasy novels. She preferred the classics, the works of Austen and Brontë. However, since she was starting a new chapter in her life here in Virginia, she thought it wouldn’t hurt to branch out and try something new.

She grabbed the book and turned toward the cozy window seat, eager to enjoy the morning sun while she read. But as she turned, she bumped into something hard. Or rather, someone.

"Sorry," he said, kneeling down to grab the book that Rayla had dropped when she bumped into him. "I wasn’t paying attention." He smiled at her, a genuine and disarming smile. "No worries."

He extended his hand. "Avri."

She shook his hand. "Rayla."

He put his hand back in his pocket. "Nice to meet you, Rayla. So, are you interested in hunting us?"

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