Aurora POV
Elora was acting different today.
I noticed it the moment I saw her.
She was already waiting outside the classroom, but instead of her usual loud energy, she was… quiet. Too quiet. Her fingers kept fidgeting with the strap of her bag, and her eyes kept drifting toward the hallway like she was expecting someone.
"You're early," I said as I walked up to her.
She blinked like she was pulled back into reality.
"Oh—Aurora," she said quickly, forcing a smile. "Yeah… I came early."
I studied her face.
Something wasn't right.
"You're nervous," I said.
"I'm not," she replied too fast.
I didn't push it. I just nodded slightly.
We walked inside together.
Classes started, but Elora wasn't herself.
She didn't talk much. She didn't even complain when the lecturer went on longer than usual.
That alone was strange.
Elora always complained.
I glanced at her from the side.
Her leg kept bouncing under the desk.
Like she couldn't sit still.
During a short break, I finally asked quietly, "What's wrong?"
She hesitated.
For a moment, she looked like she wanted to lie.
Then she sighed.
"…I think I met my mate."
My hand paused slightly on the notebook.
A mate.
In our world, that word always meant something serious. Something permanent. Something powerful… whether you liked it or not.
"Oh," I said softly.
Elora looked at me.
"But I don't like him," she added quickly.
I looked at her properly now.
That wasn't something people usually said about mates.
"Why?" I asked.
She frowned.
"He's too… intense," she said carefully. "He doesn't talk like normal people. He just… looks at me like I belong to him already."
A small silence followed.
I didn't know what to say to that.
Elora rubbed her arms slightly.
"I don't like that feeling," she whispered.
Later that day, we left class together.
The campus was louder than usual. Students were gathering near the entrance, whispering in groups like something important was happening.
Elora slowed down.
I noticed it again—her eyes kept scanning the crowd.
"You're looking for him," I said.
She shook her head immediately.
"I'm not."
But her voice wasn't convincing.
We kept walking.
That's when I felt it.
Not loud.
Not obvious.
Just… pressure.
Like the air changed slightly.
People stepped aside unconsciously in one direction.
Whispers grew louder.
"Is that him?"
"No way he's here…"
Even I felt it—something heavy in the atmosphere.
Elora stopped walking.
I stopped too.
"Don't turn around," she said quickly under her breath.
But it was already too late.
Elora POV
I felt my heart drop the moment I saw him.
I didn't need anyone to tell me.
I just knew.
He was there.
And he was looking straight at me.
My mate.
Mike.
He wasn't smiling.
He wasn't even blinking much.
He just stood there like he had already decided something about me.
And I didn't like the way that felt.
Not at all.
Aurora POV
I looked between the crowd, confused.
Everyone was staring in one direction.
Elora's hand grabbed my sleeve tightly.
"Let's go," she said quickly.
But I didn't move fast enough.
Because I saw him now.
A man standing among the students like he didn't belong in the same world.
Too calm.
Too confident.
And the way he was looking at Elora…
It wasn't normal.
It felt like ownership.
Something in my chest tightened.
"Elora…" I whispered.
But she was already pulling me away.
And whatever was happening here…
It was only the beginning of something I didn't understand yet.