The sun filtered through the tree leaves, creating small golden flickers that danced across the grass. Eliza closed her eyes for a moment, letting the breeze caress her face with the delicacy of a lover. There was something in the air, something she couldn't explain, a sensation that made her skin tingle and whispered to her that this day wouldn't be like the others. She laughed softly at her friend's comment, a joke as banal as it was harmless, but one that managed to draw a warm and carefree smile from her.
And then she felt it.
First came a shiver that slid down her spine, slow and cold, as if invisible fingers were trailing down her back. Then came that weight in her chest, a searing heat that forced her to open her eyes abruptly. Her laughter died instantly, as if someone had snatched the air from her lungs. She looked around, uneasy, searching for the source of that strange sensation enveloping her. Everything seemed the same, but something was different.
And then she saw him. He was there, standing a few meters away, as if the entire world belonged to him. Her gaze met his, and in that instant, the universe ceased to exist. The sounds of the campus faded away, the laughter of students died out, even the breeze seemed to stop. Only his eyes remained. Golden like fire, deep as an infinite abyss. The intensity of that gaze hit her like an unstoppable wave, tearing down any barrier she might have built around herself. It was as if those eyes could see beyond her skin, beyond her thoughts. As if they could reach the deepest part of her being and tear out every secret she jealously guarded.
Eliza felt her heart violently lurch before beginning to race. Logic disappeared; there was no reason to feel what she felt, but she couldn't ignore it either. Who was he? Why was he looking at her like that? That gaze wasn't normal. It wasn't casual. There was something in it that claimed her, something fierce and primitive that raised goosebumps on every inch of her skin.
She swallowed hard as she tried to regain control of her body. Her hands trembled slightly, so she hid them in her lap, hoping nobody would notice her sudden vulnerability.
He didn't move at first. He remained motionless, like a statue carved from marble, but the tension in his posture was evident: clenched fists, rigid jaw, tense muscles beneath the fabric of his shirt. There was a raw and savage energy radiating from him, an invisible force that filled the air between them. It was intimidating and seductive at the same time, like a predator stalking its prey.
"Do you know him?" her friend asked, breaking the silence with a carefree voice.
Eliza shook her head slowly, without taking her eyes off him. She couldn't. Something inside her told her that if she did, if she broke that eye contact, she would lose something important. Something essential. But then he did something unexpected; he took a step forward.
It was a small movement, almost insignificant, but enough to make her breathing quicken. Her body reacted before her mind; she wanted to stand up and run, to get away from that overwhelming presence, but her legs wouldn't respond. She was trapped under the weight of that golden gaze that claimed her without saying a word.
And then something even stranger happened.
A voice resonated in her mind.
"Mate..."
Eliza blinked rapidly, desperately looking around for someone who might have uttered that word. But nobody seemed to have noticed anything; her friend was still talking about something trivial, oblivious to the internal chaos consuming her.
"What the hell was that?" she thought as she brought a hand to her temple, trying to erase that disturbing echo that continued to resound in her head.
He also seemed to react in that moment. He stopped abruptly, as if something had brought him to a sudden halt. The fury on his face was now palpable; his eyes burned with a dangerous intensity as he stared at her. It was as if he were fighting an internal battle, as if every fiber of his being wanted to approach her, but something was holding him back.
Eliza didn't understand why he was so angry. Had she done something to offend him? Why was he looking at her with that mixture of rage and fascination? It was a contradiction she couldn't decipher. But before she could find answers, he turned on his heel and walked away with firm, determined steps.
She watched him disappear into the crowd, feeling as if a part of her was breaking as she saw him leave. It was absurd; she didn't even know him and already felt that strange and inexplicable emptiness in her chest. Something inside her wanted to follow him, wanted to demand answers to the questions bubbling in her mind. But fear kept her anchored in place.
The rest of the day passed like a blurry dream. Her professors' words were white noise; conversations with her friends lacked meaning. Everything seemed insignificant compared to those golden eyes that continued to burn in her memory.
That night, as she tried to sleep, the memories came back to her with disturbing clarity: the intensity of his gaze, the wild energy radiating from him, that strange whisper that had resonated in her mind.
"Mate..."
The word kept circling in her head like a persistent echo, loaded with a meaning she couldn't comprehend but felt deeply in her bones.
Something had changed that day.
And although she didn't fully understand it, she knew one thing with certainty; that man hadn't entered her life by chance.
There was something about him, in those golden eyes full of fury and desire, that seemed to claim her as if she already belonged to him.
And that was the most terrifying thing of all; a part of her didn't want to resist.