Anya's POV
Anya walked to her psychology building with trembling fingers.
Her mind raced.
Someone followed me last night?
Why would Liam know?
Why was he watching me?
By the time she reached her classroom, her chest felt tight.
Students talked, laughed, and scrolled their phones—completely unaware of the storm inside her.
She tried to focus on the lecture, but her eyes kept drifting to the door.
He wasn't there.
Relief.
Anxiety.
Both at once.
The moment class ended, her phone buzzed.
Unknown number:
Come outside.
Her stomach dropped.
She stepped into the hallway and froze.
Liam was leaning against a locker, arms crossed, head bowed slightly—as if he was listening to the heartbeat of the building itself.
When he saw her, he straightened, eyes darkening like he had been holding his breath.
"You took too long," he said.
"I had class."
"That was an excuse," he murmured, noticing her fear.
"You're scared of me."
She looked away, voice small. "Shouldn't I be?"
Liam moved closer—slow, deliberate, like a predator making sure his prey didn't run.
"You don't need to fear me," he said softly. "If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it last night."
She shivered. "That doesn't make me feel better."
He gave a faint, amused smile.
"You really don't understand, do you?"
"Understand what?" she whispered.
"That I'm the only one on this campus who isn't pretending."
His hand lifted—just an inch from her cheek.
He didn't touch her, but she felt the heat.
"There were two men behind you last night," he said quietly.
"Off-campus. Near the shuttle stop."
Her heart stopped.
"That's not possible. I didn't see anyone."
"You didn't look. New people make mistakes."
His eyes sharpened.
"They didn't follow you inside. Because I stepped in."
The air left her lungs.
"You saved me?"
"I handled it," Liam replied calmly.
"Handled? What does that mean?"
"Exactly what you think it means."
Her pulse throbbed in her throat.
"You're… scaring me, Liam."
"Good."
His voice was low, rough.
"It'll keep you alive."
He stepped even closer.
"You walk alone, you don't check behind you, you trust strangers too quickly…"
He leaned down, lips near her ear.
"You're a walking invitation for danger."
"And you?" she whispered. "What are you?"
He tilted her chin up with one finger—finally touching her.
"Danger," he said simply.
"And the person who will keep worse things away from you."
Her breath shook.
He let her go.
"We're not done talking," he said. "Not even close."
He turned away.
But then he stopped, glanced back, and added with a voice that slid under her skin—
"Come to the north courtyard at eight tonight. I'll explain everything."
"What if I don't?"
Liam's eyes darkened.
"You will."
And she knew—
she would.
✨ Liam's POV – "What She Doesn't Know"
She was shaking.
And he loved it.
Not because he enjoyed her fear—
but because fear meant she finally believed him.
Anya Sharma had walked onto campus like she didn't belong to this world.
Like she was untouched.
Innocent.
Unaware of the monsters disguised as classmates and professors.
And unaware of him.
The first night he saw her, she wasn't careful.
Headphones in.
Distracted.
Lost.
Two men had begun following her—
men Liam already knew too well.
He'd been watching them for months.
They didn't belong here.
They didn't belong anywhere near her.
When they moved closer to her, Liam's control snapped.
He cornered them behind the engineering building.
The things he said—
the things he did—
would have terrified her.
But she'd never know.
What mattered was that they understood one thing clearly:
She wasn't to be touched.
She wasn't to be approached.
She wasn't theirs.
Standing in the hallway now, watching her look at him with fear, with confusion, with something dangerously close to trust…
Liam felt a dark satisfaction curl inside him.
She had no idea how deep his attention ran.
How long he'd been watching her even before she arrived.
How much of her life he already knew.
But he would show her.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Truth by truth.
She thought he was the danger.
She had no idea he'd already saved her life.
And tonight…
at eight…
she'd learn the first reason why she needed him.
Whether she wanted to know it or not.