Chapter 3 PARTNER AND UNKNOWN

At midnight, Blackwood Academy was as silent as a gothic cemetery.

When Ria, tossing and turning in bed, finally fell into a deep sleep, I silently pushed the duvet aside. I pulled my black hoodie over my head and tossed my flashlight into my pocket. My heart fluttered in my ribcage, but I didn't have time to be afraid. Kael's threats and Asher's rejection swirled in my mind, but my priority was survival.

My grandmother's will was clear: "Enter the Restricted Section of the library. Find the 'Founders' Journals.' The map is there."

I slipped out of the dorm on tiptoes like a ghost. The campus's stone paths shone in the moonlight. I could smell the patrolling guard wolves, but thanks to the potion, I was just a breeze to them.

The massive door of the library was in front of me. Using the old trick my grandmother taught me, I jammed a bobby pin into the lock.

The door creaked open.

When I stepped inside, the first things to hit my nose were the smell of hundred-year-old dust and ink. This was a temple of knowledge, but also a crypt where the wolves' dark history was hidden.

I turned on my flashlight and cast its dim light onto the shelves. The "History and Mythology" section was at the very back.

As I moved between the shelves, the locked wolf inside me grew restless. It sensed something. Danger? Or something else?

I found the shelf I was looking for.

Blackwood Legends, Volume 1.

My fingers trailed over the spine of the book. There it was.

I reached out, pulled the book.

And at that exact moment, a strong hand clamped over my mouth from behind.

My scream was stifled in the palm.

He pulled me roughly against him, pinning my back to the bookshelves. My flashlight fell from my hand and rolled on the floor.

"Be quiet," a familiar voice said, right by my ear. "Or the night patrol will tear you to pieces."

The scent... It was Asher's scent.

He released me slowly. He picked the flashlight up from the floor, shone it on my face, then immediately lowered it. His eyes were glowing in the dark. The expression of disgust from the morning was gone, replaced by anxiety mixed with anger.

"What are you doing in the Restricted Section at this time of night, Elara?" he asked, his voice a whisper but echoing.

I tried to steady my breathing. "Are you following me?"

"Your scent..." he said, taking a step closer. "That damn rotten scent of yours... It can be smelled from the other end of campus. I couldn't sleep."

It was a confession. The mating bond, no matter how much he denied it, was pulling him to me.

His eyes slid to the book in my hand. Blackwood Legends.

His brows furrowed. "What business do you have with the Founders' history? Those books are for Alphas only."

"I'm just... a history buff," I lied. I hid the book behind my back. "Are you going to report me? Go ahead. Throw me in front of the Headmaster. Maybe then you'll get rid of the 'unnatural' girl."

Asher looked at me. There was a war in his eyes. His wolf said "Protect her," his logic said "She is dangerous." He leaned toward me. Only a breath's distance remained between us.

"I won't report you," he said.

I was surprised. "Why?"

He lifted his hand, his fingers touching my shoulder hesitantly. It shocked like electricity again, just like in the morning, but this time he didn't pull away.

"Because," he said in a hoarse voice. "When I look at you... I feel sick, but my heart feels like it's going to stop. And you're hiding something, Elara. Beneath that rotten smell, there is a much bigger secret."

Heavy footsteps and metallic jingling came from the head of the corridor. Security.

Asher moved suddenly. He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the darkest corner, between two shelves. He shielded me with his own body. His back was to the corridor; I was trapped between him and the shelf.

The security guard's flashlight scanned the aisle. The light passed over us, but Asher's broad shoulders hid me. His breath fanned my hair. I could feel his heartbeat against my chest. It was fast. Just like mine.

When the guard moved away, Asher didn't pull back. His eyes slid to my lips. That forbidden attraction was practically sparking between us.

"Take the book," he whispered. "And go. But this isn't over."

I was just about to answer when...

My phone in my pocket vibrated.

Bzzz.

At the same moment, the phone in Asher's pocket vibrated too.

Bzzz.

We both froze.

In this silent, eerie night, that synchronized vibration had the impact of a bomb.

Asher reached into his pocket. I took out my phone too.

We had both received a message from an UNKNOWN NUMBER at the exact same time.

I opened the message. My hands were shaking.

Asher and I locked eyes. His face had gone white as a sheet.

He turned his phone to me. It said the exact same words as on my screen:

"I know what you are looking for in the library."

Asher whispered, "What is this?" He was horrified. "Who knows this? Who is watching us?"

I gripped my phone tightly. My eyes darted around the dark corridors.

"I don't know," I said, my voice trembling. "But it's not just the two of us anymore, Asher. Someone is watching us. And they have us both in the palm of their hand."

Asher looked at me. He was no longer looking at me as the "rotten" girl, but as an accomplice.

"Tomorrow night," he said with a determined voice. "We go together."

Look at the twist of fate... My soulmate who was disgusted by me, and I, had now become victims of the same blackmail. And the person writing the rules of the game was that third player in the shadows