Rachel walked into the huge university building, her heart pounding in her chest. The new beginning was everything she had dreamed for. The chains, the secrets, and the dread that had kept her down were gone. She was free here, at least for now, at the famous Blue Solstice University. She had taken on a new name, Ymir, which she picked at random to keep her safe from the past that still haunted her.
She pulled her coat more around her and thought of the new life that was coming up. She had come here because she had been promised privacy, but she couldn't shake the feeling that her past was waiting for her, eager to pull her back into its grip.
She couldn't help but appreciate the building's majestic architecture-the high arches and polished floors-as she walked down the hallway. But now it wasn't the walls or the marble flooring that attracted her eye. There were a lot of students around her, some conversing and some laughing, but they were all completely ignorant of the storm that was still brewing in her mind.
Then, as if the cosmos had just hit play on an unwritten script, their eyes met.
Luka Solstice. The Alpha King twins. His eyes were focused, as if the weight of the universe lay on his wide shoulders. He stood there, tall, with dark hair that fell into place easily and eyes that were as sharp as the night sky. She didn't want to see him, yet there he was.
He didn't move at all. Did not look away.
And what about Rachel? She couldn't move because his look was so strong. She thought, "Could this be a coincidence?" as the people around her seemed to slip away.
Luka walked towards her with purpose, as if an invisible force was pulling him. Rachel's breath caught and her body betrayed her with every step he went closer. She couldn't take her eyes off him, and as he got closer, the space between them seemed to be full of energy that she couldn't describe.
When he eventually halted in front of her, the world around them appeared to stop. The busy crowd, the sounds of people talking, everything else faded into the background when Luka's deep voice broke the silence.
His words were like a magnet, luring her in even though every instinct told her to go away. "You're new here," he added. "I would have remembered seeing someone like you."
He looked at me with a strong gaze and a commanding presence, but there was a touch of interest behind his austere countenance. She gulped hard and tried to keep her cool.
"I'm just here to start over," she said, her voice shaking a little. "I'm... Ymir."
The name sounded strange to her, but it was the one she had chosen, and she would wear it like armour.
A shadow covered Luka's face before he could say anything. She looked to the side and saw her twin brother Mika's penetrating gaze.
Mika's look was equally as strong, if not stronger. It was scary. His eyes looked like they could see right through her, like he knew something she didn't want him to know.
Luka's lips moved up a little, but his voice stayed firm. "Mika." He didn't stop looking at Rachel. "This is Ymir." "She's new here."
Mika didn't move for a time, and Rachel could feel the weight of his gaze, which was heavy and searching.
Mika whispered gently, "Something about you doesn't sit right." His voice was silky and deadly.
Rachel's heart skipped a beat. She was aware of it. Her past and her secrets were already catching up with her.
Rachel had never thought that fate was real. She didn't believe in fate or the way individuals seemed to be drawn to each other, like in a romance story. But as she stood there, caught between the two brothers, with their piercing stares on her, something stirred deep inside her.
Luka moved over a little so that Mika could get closer. It was almost like a basic fear that he was there. There was a link between them that she could feel, like an unseen thread that ran between her and the two brothers.
Mika reached up and brushed a piece of her hair away from her face with his fingers. It wasn't a normal touch. As his fingers caressed her skin, something odd and powerful surged through Rachel.
She took a step back without thinking because her body reacted before her head could catch up.
Mika said, "Don't be scared." His voice was low and almost mesmerising. "You are safe here." For now."
Rachel's heart raced as she tried to calm down. She didn't know what was going on, but the chemistry between them felt real. Too real.
But it was different when Mika's fingertips touched her hair again. This time, a rush of warmth swept over her body, and she knew for sure that it wasn't just a bodily reaction. There was something else here, something old and strong.
She stepped back again, and her heart started to race. "What's happening to me?" she muttered, not loud enough for him to hear.
Mika just grinned. "Something you can't get away from."
And at that instant, Rachel knew that her new existence was nothing like the escape she had hoped for.
Rachel went across the university campus, her heart still racing after the crazy thrill of the last several days. The new name, "Ymir," had helped her start over. But even though she was with people she didn't know, she couldn't shake the feeling that something else was tugging her, something she couldn't put into words.
Her eyes moved over the quad until they landed on Luka and Mika Solstice, the twin brothers who seemed to take over every room they entered. Luka was effortlessly charming, and people were drawn to him like a magnet. Mika, on the other hand, had a subtler, more sinister charm.
When Mika looked at Rachel, her breath caught. There was something in his eyes that made her feel naked, like he could see right through her.
"Ymir," he muttered in a quiet voice, nearly a whisper. "How are you getting used to things?"
She thought about it for a moment, and a little blush crept up her neck. "I'm... getting used to it."
His smile came slowly and on purpose. "I hope it's as exciting as it looks."
As he got closer, his fingertips brushed across her arm, sending an electric shock through her. She instinctively pushed back, but Mika didn't appear to notice.
Luka's voice disturbed the quiet. "Mika, don't stress her out. She's just gotten here.
At first, Mika didn't say anything, but he kept looking at Rachel. Then, the brothers shared a brief look that spoke something without words. Rachel could feel it, like an invisible tension, a quiet agreement or rivalry.
"What's up with you two?" Rachel said something beneath her breath.
But before anyone could say anything, she saw Luka look at Mika swiftly, and their eyes met for a second. Something unspoken went between them. It seemed like a secret, and Rachel was smack in the centre of it.
Rachel couldn't recall many of the faces and names she saw during her first few days at the institution. She had stayed away from him, burying herself in textbooks and campus tours to try to avoid the continuous pull of curiosity that seemed to follow her everywhere. But every time she walked by Mika and Luka, it was like the air changed. There was an electric charge between them, and it wasn't simply the ordinary kind.
Rachel couldn't figure out what was wrong. She had left the cult and started a new life. But now, late at night in her dorm room, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
She rolled over and over in bed, trying to get rid of the nagging thought in her head. She couldn't stop thinking about Mika and Luka. The way Mika had caressed her and the way Luka had gazed at her, like if he wanted to know more about her.
What was wrong with her?
Rachel stood up and headed to the window, where she pulled aside the curtains. The moonlight lit up the calm campus below, but she wasn't by herself. She felt like someone was watching her from the dark.
She heard a quiet click behind her, like a door opening. Rachel turned around, her heart thumping. There was no one there.
"I'm not alone," she said to herself in a trembling voice.
It seemed like they were waiting for her to break down and say something. But what did they know? What were they trying to hide? She didn't have any answers, only questions that were about to drive her crazy.