Damian felt the weight of the night on his shoulders as he walked toward the pub. There was something in the air, a scent he couldn't fully identify, but which seemed familiar. It was a mixture of damp wood, dry leaves, and something else, something that awakened a deep unease within him. His instinct was alert, as if something was about to happen. From the moment Caleb had insisted they go out that night, he'd had a strange feeling, a twinge in his chest that he couldn't ignore.
Upon entering the pub, his eyes quickly scanned the place. The warm atmosphere contrasted with the October cold, but he barely noticed it. His senses were focused, alert to any sign. Caleb moved ahead toward the table where their faculty companions were waiting, and he collapsed into a chair next to him.
The scent reached him before her presence did. It was sweet and subtle, a bit wild, like the Iron Blood pack. It made his skin bristle instantly. He turned his head toward the entrance and saw her.
The girl advanced with determined steps toward the table, but Damian barely noticed her movements. His attention was fixed on her face, on the way her blue eyes shimmered under the warm lights of the pub. There was something about her that completely disarmed him. It wasn't just her appearance; it was her essence. Every fiber of his being screamed that she was important, that she was familiar.
When their eyes met, the world seemed to stop. It was an eternal instant, a silent clash between two souls that recognized each other without understanding how or why. Damian felt a shiver run down his spine, but it wasn't fear; it was something deeper, more primitive. His inner wolf stirred, restless, as if trying to tell him something he couldn't yet comprehend.
"Eliza!" Amanda's voice broke the spell, bringing him back to reality.
Damian blinked and looked away as Caleb nodded to greet the newcomer. But he couldn't pretend indifference. Every movement Eliza made, every word she said, was etched in his mind like an echo impossible to ignore.
"A pleasure," he said when Amanda introduced them, rising from his seat to pull out a chair next to him.
Eliza accepted the gesture with a slight nod and sat beside him. Damian could feel the heat of her body so close to his, and that only intensified the whirlwind of emotions that overwhelmed him. He couldn't take his eyes off her; every time he did, he felt as if he was losing something crucial.
When Marco mentioned the news about the body found in the lake, Damian couldn't help but smile. It wasn't a smile of mockery or joy; it was something darker, an involuntary reflection of his mind working at full speed. He knew that incident wasn't a coincidence. There were too many things happening lately, too many loose threads tangling into a pattern he still couldn't decipher.
"What do you think?" he asked, addressing her for the first time.
His voice came out softer than expected, but charged with an intensity that made Eliza look directly into his eyes. In that moment, Damian felt a connection so strong it almost hurt. There was something about her that resonated with every part of his being, as if they were made of the same fabric.
"I don't know... It's horrible to think something like that could happen so close," she responded cautiously.
Damian nodded slowly, studying every nuance of her response. There was sincerity in her words, but also fear. And although he couldn't blame her for it, he knew there was more behind her reaction. She felt something, though perhaps she didn't fully understand it yet.
The conversation continued around the table, but for Damian everything else faded into the background. His attention was completely focused on Eliza: on the way her fingers nervously played with the beer bottle; on how her eyes drifted toward him now and then, as if trying to decipher him; on the slight tremor in her voice when she answered trivial questions from the others.
When they finally left the pub and began walking along the cobblestone streets, Damian kept one step behind the group. He observed Eliza discreetly, noticing every small detail: how her blonde hair moved with the night breeze; how her nervous laughter filled the awkward silences; how her steps seemed to falter slightly every time Caleb directed a word at her.
"Your parents?" he finally asked, breaking the natural flow of conversation.
Eliza paused a moment before answering. Damian could see how she lowered her gaze, as if searching for the right words to express something that still hurt her.
"It's just my mother and me," she said quietly. "My father died before I was born."
Damian felt a lump form in his throat upon hearing those words. Something inside him resonated strongly, as if that confession had touched a hidden fiber in his soul. His mind began working frantically, connecting pieces of the puzzle he had been trying to solve since the moment he first saw Eliza.
"It must have been difficult growing up without your father," he commented after a moment.
Eliza looked at him cautiously before responding.
"It was," she finally admitted.
Damian nodded slowly, processing each word carefully. There was something in her tone that confirmed his suspicions: Eliza was not a stranger to him. He couldn't explain it yet, but he knew it with absolute certainty. She was part of his history, part of his life, perhaps even part of himself.
When they finally reached the intersection where they had to part ways, Damian stopped and looked directly into her eyes again.
"See you soon, Eliza," he said simply.
It wasn't a question or a promise; it was a certainty.