The early sunlight spilled across the academy courtyard like honey poured over white stone. Dew clung to the ivy-covered walls, the air crisp with the scent of leaves just beginning to decay. Autumn had begun its slow takeover of the elite academy, the season curling into corners and creeping along windowpanes. It was the kind of morning that felt almost peaceful if one wasn't already spiraling.
Elias kept his gaze fixed on the cobblestone path beneath his feet, shoulders slightly hunched beneath his uniform blazer. His black trousers were perfectly pressed, his boots scuffed but clean, and his shirt collar slightly too tight. He'd always looked put-together, neat, almost calculated. He had to be. In this school, perfection wasn't a choice. It was survival.
But inside?
He was a mess.
Lucien Thorn.
That name had lived in his chest since yesterday's class, echoing with a rhythm far too loud. The man hadn't said much. Just introduced himself. Laid out his expectations with a voice like carved marble and ice. And yet, Elias had barely been able to breathe the entire time.
Because Lucien had looked at him.
Only once.
But it had felt like a blade pressing against skin.
His stomach twisted at the memory. That single glance had been so precise, so direct, like a silent claim that made Elias want to both run and scream.
He hadn't even done anything. Why him?
"Oi, Elias!"
Juno's voice snapped him back to the present. His roommate was jogging to catch up, his wild auburn curls bouncing, tie hanging loosely around his neck, and his oversized backpack half unzipped like usual.
"You're early," Juno said, falling into step beside him. "What happened? Couldn't sleep 'cause of Thorn's jawline?"
Elias rolled his eyes. "Funny."
"I'm serious! That man has half the school foaming at the mouth. Even Calum said he'd let the professor step on him."
"That sounds like Calum," Elias muttered, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.
Juno grinned. "But seriously, did something happen? You've been off since yesterday."
Elias hesitated. Then, "He looked at me."
"Okay, and? He probably looked at everyone."
"No. I mean he looked at me."
Juno stopped walking, squinting at him. "Like, with weird eye contact?"
"Like he saw something," Elias muttered, eyes flicking to the side. "Like he knew something he shouldn't."
Juno whistled. "Damn. That's creepy and kinda hot."
"It's not hot," Elias snapped.
They resumed walking. The east wing loomed ahead, its towering glass windows glittering in the morning sun. This part of the academy was always quieter, more prestigious, home to the lecture halls for upper-year seminars, the ancient library, and the private offices of professors with long titles and longer egos.
Juno jabbed him with an elbow. "You think he's an alpha?"
"I don't care."
"Bet he is. No one walks like that unless they're packing serious dominance energy. Even Nadia said she felt her inner omega tingle just from hearing him say 'syllabus.'"
Elias flushed, his lips pressing into a tight line. He hated how his heart twisted at the word alpha.
Because if Lucien was one…
And if he sensed Elias for what he truly was
No. He was careful. Always careful. His suppressants were timed. His scent blockers were potent. No one knew. They couldn't. He wouldn't let them.
The hallway turned, and suddenly the chatter around them dropped to a whisper.
Elias didn't need to look to know why.
Lucien Thorn stood at the far end of the corridor, speaking quietly with one of the faculty assistants. Even dressed in something as mundane as a charcoal three-piece suit, he looked like something torn from a darker world too sharp, too still, too powerful.
His coat hung open over his broad shoulders, the lining a deep, blood-red silk. His dark hair was slicked back today, exposing a sculpted jawline that could cut bone. His skin was pale but smooth, expression unreadable, detached, almost cruel in its serenity.
Every student passing slowed. Gawked. Whispered.
Even the assistant seemed flustered, laughing nervously as she handed him a folder.
Lucien barely acknowledged her.
Then, slowly, almost absently, he turned his head.
And looked directly at Elias.
The breath punched from his lungs.
It wasn't just a glance. It was a silence that swallowed everything. A pull, like gravity had shifted and drawn a straight line between them.
Lucien's gaze didn't waver.
Didn't blink.
Didn't smile.
It just held him there. As if testing something. Measuring him.
Then, he blinked once. Almost bored.
And turned back to the assistant.
The moment broke.
But Elias felt like he'd been hit by a car.
He forced his legs to move. Fast. Away from Lucien. Away from the pressure of that stare that felt like it could see through every mask he wore.
Juno jogged beside him, wide-eyed. "Okay. Now I see what you mean."
Elias didn't answer.
He didn't stop until they'd reached the library, tall arched ceilings, ancient shelves lined with grimoires and modern textbooks alike. It smelled like ink, dust, and preservation spells.
Elias slumped into the farthest reading corner, dropping his bag with a heavy thud. He buried his face in his hands, fingers trembling.
This can't be happening.
He'd built walls for years. Stayed invisible. Kept everyone out. There were rules. And Lucien Thorn had just shattered every one of them with a single look.
"What if he knows?" Elias whispered.
Juno raised a brow. "Knows what?"
Elias hesitated. "Nothing. Never mind."
Meanwhile, back in Lucien's office…
The door shut with a soft click as Lucien leaned against the desk, fingers brushing the edge of the polished wood.
He exhaled slowly. Eyes narrowed.
Elias.
That name clung to him like a curse.
He hadn't expected to feel it so violently. The pull. The recognition. The echo of something ancient stirring in his blood the moment their eyes met.
Lucien Thorn had lived for centuries. Seen wars. Fed on kings. But nothing, nothing prepared him for this.
The omega's scent was faint. Hidden. But not from him.
His.
His fated mate.
And worst of all?
Elias didn't know.