Evaline:
Despite everything that had happened throughout Saturday, despite the burning humiliation and the echo of cruel laughter, I woke up on Sunday morning feeling... different.
There was still an ache in my chest, the memory of shower incident was still lingering like a bruise under my skin. But it didn’t sting as much anymore.
Because last night, someone had made me feel like I mattered.
Draven left just before midnight, sneaking out with his usual stealth, leaving a half-empty food container beside my bed and a soft warmth still wrapped around my heart. He didn’t say goodbye... he didn’t need to. His scent was still lingering on my pillow, and I knew he would be back.
He always came back.
With a small, tired smile, I pulled on my clothes and tied my hair back in a loose braid before leaving my dorm. I could have taken the day off. Honestly, I probably should have. But after everything, I needed something to do, somewhere to be.
To my surprise, River didn’t show up. There was not even a whisper of his arrogant presence, not a sideways glare or clipped command.
The office was blissfully silent.
I managed to complete all the documents assigned to me without interruption, filing reports, updating the database, and organizing the scrolls in the backroom. It felt good to work with a clear head for once, to not have to watch over my shoulder.
By late afternoon, I packed up and left the building as the sun started dipping toward the horizon. Instead of heading to the dorms, I made my way to the Academy library.
I wasn’t sure why, maybe I just didn’t want to return to an empty room, or maybe I needed to feel prepared. After all, we were leaving for Halendor Ruins Tuesday morning.
I needed to be ready.
The library was as quiet as I expected on a Sunday evening. Most students were out enjoying the weekend, probably at one of the nearby town cafés or lounging in the Academy gardens.
But not me.
Books and solitude were far safer companions than people.
I settled into the far corner on the second floor and began sifting through ancient texts on the Halendor region - its history, magical significance, and the curious disappearance of wolves near the northern cliffs. The deeper I went, the more I realized how little we had been told during class. It wasn’t just a historical field trip, it was a place of buried secrets and lost magic.
And if I had to step foot there, I wanted to know everything.
"Of course you would be here."
My head shot up at the sound of the familiar voice as a smile already started tugging at my lips before I even saw his face.
Draven was standing just a few feet away, one hand shoved into his hoodie pocket, the other holding a cup of something steaming. He looked relaxed with that permanent lazy grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
"You are not on duty today," I said softly while closing the book on my lap.
"Nope," he said with a smirk. "But I like to stop by. You know, just in case a certain someone decides to hide out in the back corner of the library reading about ancient ruins."
My smile immediately bloomed into a big one. "You came here hoping to find me?"
"Guilty," he said as he took a seat beside me. His knee brushed mine under the table, and I didn’t move away. "And lucky today, apparently."
The sunlight filtering through the stained-glass windows behind us, casted multicolored shadows across his sharp jaw and tousled dark hair, highlighting the blue hue in them. He looked like something out of a fairytale, dangerous and devoted all at once.
"What are you reading?" he asked, peeking at the book I had been flipping through.
"Halendor Ruins," I replied. "I wanted to prepare."
He blinked once, then looked at me with a new kind of gleam in his eyes. "Wait... don’t tell me. Your class is heading out for the field trip?"
I nodded.
"Tuesday morning," I confirmed.
A knowing smile curved his lips. "First Academy expedition. Bet your professor didn’t tell you half the crap that goes down there."
"Obviously not." I turned the book toward him. "So, tell me. What really happens?"
What followed was possibly the most enjoyable hour I had spent in months.
He told me about his own trip during his first year - about the thunderstorms that trapped their group in a half-collapsed outpost, the magical beasts they weren’t supposed to engage but did anyway, and how he ended up carrying one of his classmates for three hours after he twisted his ankle trying to escape a cursed thorn maze.
"But the most important thing," he said, leaning a little closer, "is not to eat anything that grows in these areas."
"Why?" I asked curiously.
"Because you’ll hallucinate for hours and might end up confessing your love to a tree."
I burst out laughing, and this time, I didn’t even bother hiding it.
There was something so easy about being with him. So... natural. I wasn’t afraid of judgment or pity or even the mate bond anymore. In that quiet, sunlit corner of the library, it felt like two souls finding comfort in shared laughter and old stories.
And as he kept talking, I found myself watching him.
Not just listening... but really watching.
The way his hands moved when he described things. The light in his dark hazel eyes when he saw me smile. The subtle way his body leaned closer without him realizing it.
I stared too long. I knew I did. But I couldn’t stop.
He wasn’t just my mate anymore. He was becoming my safe place.
When he finally looked down at his watch and realized it was close to dinner, he let out a small sigh.
"I should let you get back," he murmured.
"Yeah." I swallowed the disappointment. "Tuesday morning, we leave."
"I know." He grinned. "Which means tomorrow night I get to see you before that. I’ll drop by after dinner?"
I nodded, feeling my chest warm with anticipation. "Okay."
"But before I go," he said softly and leaned closer... kissing my cheek. It wasn’t rushed, but a slow, deliberate kiss that made my skin tingle and my heart to skip a beat.
By the time I registered what happened, he was gone, leaving behind a warmth that lingered far longer than his presence.