Chapter 10
Nora's POV
Three years ago. Fall semester, junior year.
Kyle had transferred to my university that year, arriving with the kind of fanfare that made everyone stop and stare. A silver Porsche parked outside the administration building. The university president personally greeting him. Within weeks, he'd become a fixture in the business school—handsome, wealthy, confident, the kind of guy who seemed to collect admirers without trying.
Then he'd shown up at a cross-college mixer and, for reasons I still didn't fully understand, decided he wanted me.
"Mining fortune's golden boy falls for liberal arts college flower"—that's how the campus gossip mill spun it. I hated every second of the attention.
I had no interest in his pursuit. I was focused on my coursework and internship applications, on building a career that mattered. I'd seen too many women lose themselves after marrying powerful men. I'd watched them shrink and disappear, their dreams traded for financial security and social status.
I wasn't going to be one of them.
But Kyle had been relentless. Every morning, he'd wait outside my dorm with elaborate breakfasts I never accepted. He'd show up in my classes—classes he had no business attending—and sit behind me, trying to catch my eye.
He'd send flowers for every holiday, gifts I always returned through my roommates. He'd charm my friends, buying everyone coffee, becoming "the most sincere pursuer ever."
Slowly, my classmates were won over. "He's so committed," they'd say. "You should at least give him a chance."
I remained unmoved. I'd told him directly, multiple times: "I don't like you. I don't want to date anyone. I need to focus on finishing my degree. That's what matters to me."
But he'd just smile that patient, understanding smile and say he'd wait.
---
Winter, junior year. Outside the library.
The afternoon sun slanted across campus, weak and pale. I'd just rejected him again—I couldn't even remember what the specific occasion had been—and instead of getting angry, he'd looked at me with those amber eyes and said something that cracked my armor just a little.
"Nora, I really do like you. I know you don't believe in the whole 'destined mate' thing some Lycans talk about. But I'm going to keep waiting. If by the time you graduate you still don't feel anything for me, then I'll leave you alone. I promise. But until then... please just let me keep liking you."
I'd stared at him, not knowing what to say. He wasn't crossing boundaries. He wasn't being aggressive or entitled. He was just... there. Persistent, patient, and seemingly genuine.
"Do whatever you want," I'd finally muttered, and walked away.
But something had shifted. I'd started to wonder if maybe, just maybe, his feelings were real.
---
Senior year. DSW internship in Blackwood.
I'd thought distance would solve the problem. I'd landed a competitive internship at the Blackwood DSW office, hours away from campus. Surely Kyle would move on, find someone more receptive.
Instead, he'd followed me to Blackwood District.
He'd show up at the end of my shifts, offering rides back to my cheap apartment. He'd treat the entire intern cohort to coffee and lunch, getting to know my colleagues, making himself indispensable. Even Marcus had pulled me aside one day.
"That kid seems decent enough," Marcus had said in his gruff voice. "I heard he's been chasing you for over a year. Look, I'm not saying you have to date him. But if you don't actively dislike him... maybe give it a shot? Nora, you can't avoid relationships forever."
I'd found myself actually considering it. Kyle was objectively attractive—tall and fit, with thick brown hair and those striking amber eyes that marked him as Lycan. He had a sense of humor. He knew when to back off and when to push forward. As far as I could see, he treated people well.
When he was rejected, he didn't lash out or sulk. He just looked at me with those puppy-dog eyes, waved goodbye, and came back the next day with the same hopeful smile.
Maybe I'm being too harsh, I'd thought. Maybe he really is different.
The walls I'd built so carefully were starting to show cracks, letting in small slivers of light.
---
One year ago. Winter. Outside my apartment in Blackwood.
The night that changed everything had been brutally cold, snow falling in thick curtains that muffled all sound. I'd been working late on case files when my phone rang. Kyle's number. I'd almost ignored it.
"Nora?" His voice had been slurred, thick with alcohol. "I'm outside. Can you... can you come down? Just for a minute?"
I'd looked out my window and seen him in the parking lot, lit by the sickly yellow glow of the streetlights. He was crouched in the snow, his expensive coat dusted white, his shoulders shaking.
I'd grabbed my umbrella and gone down, more out of concern than anything else.
"Kyle, what are you—"
"Nora, why are you so hard to chase?" he'd interrupted, looking up at me with red-rimmed eyes. "Am I really that bad? Why won't you just look at me? I really like you. I really, really like you..."
His voice had cracked. "I've thought about giving up. God, I've thought about it so many times. It's so fucking exhausting, always wondering if today's the day you'll finally tell me to leave you alone for good. But every time I seriously consider walking away, it feels like someone's carving out my heart. Like my whole life would just... stop meaning anything."
I'd stood there, umbrella in hand, looking down at this boy begging for scraps of affection like a stray dog. And something in my chest had twisted and softened despite all my careful defenses.
I'd knelt down and brushed the snow from his hair. "Okay, Kyle," I'd heard myself say. "Let's try dating."
His eyes had lit up like gemstones catching light, brilliant and almost painfully bright. He'd surged to his feet, pulling me into his arms so suddenly that my umbrella went flying. Snow had fallen cold on both our faces as he held me tight.
"Nora, thank you," he'd choked out. "I swear I'll spend the rest of my life loving you. Every single day, I'll prove I was worth the wait."
The snow that night had felt warm on my skin, melted by the heat of his embrace and the unexpected tenderness blooming in my chest.