RYAN’S POV

    Anna let out a small sigh, ncing back at me like she was already regretting whatever she was about to say.

    “Follow me,” she murmured, her voice low but steady. “You’ll have to sneak in.”

    She didn’t even wait for me to answer, just started walking ahead as if she wanted to get this over with, and I followed, my hands shoved deep into my pockets, my chest still tight from the way she’d been acting since earlier. There was something formal about the way she was moving, as if we were strangers, as if she was purposely putting this invisible wall between us, and I hated it.

    When we got to the dorm entrance, two women stepped in front of us, clearly the coordinators, both looking me over with that suspicious “you don’t belong here” expression.

    One of them narrowed her eyes and asked Anna, “Who’s this?”

    “He’s my brother. He just wants to see my room.”

    The coordinators looked us over as if they were trying to see if she was lying, but after a pause, they nodded. “You can go in, but visiting time for the opposite sex ends at eleven. He has to be out by then.” I nced at the clock on the wall and saw I had about an hour and some minutes left.

    “Sure,” I said without hesitation, because I’d take whatever time I could get.

    They made me sign in before Anna started leading the way inside.

    We walked down the hallway, passing a couple of girls who were clinging to their boyfriends as if they were about to be shipped off to war. Others wereughing in doorways, pulling guys in for quick kisses while closing the door behind them. A few girls gave me curious looks, some whispering to each other, but I didn’t give a damn. My eyes stayed on Anna.

    When we reached her room, she unlocked it and pushed the door open. She stepped inside first, and I followed, my gaze scanning over the space. It was a single, one bed, a closet, her own little bathroom. Not bad at all. It actually suited her.

    She turned to me, already talking as if she was giving me some kind of official tour.

    “So… the bathrooms are private for each room,” she said, pointing at the door. “We share the kitchen though, four people per kitchen. And, um, theundry room’s on the ground floor-”

    I nodded, but I wasn’t really hearing her. I could see her mouth moving, the way her lips shaped each word, soft and pink and making me go insane. I caught bits and pieces of what she was saying, “rules are strict,” “time out by twelve” h h h, but all I could think about was how much time I was wasting just standing here when I could be feeling her mouth on mine.

    She gestured toward the window. “From here, you can actually see the park-”

    I didn’t let her finish. I stepped forward, closing the space between us in two strides, and kissed her, hard, deep, as if I was making up for every second I hadn’t been touching her.

    She froze for a moment, as bif /bshe hadn’t expected me to just cut her off, but then I felt her hands grab my shirt, holding me, kissing me back. My heart was hammering. But then, just as suddenly, she broke the kiss, her breath shaky while she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

    “Ryan…” She took a step back, her voice low but firm. “This… this is wrong. You know Mom’s totally against our rtionship. It’s a mistake. It’s time this ended.”

    That word, mistake, was like pouring gasoline over an open me in my chest.

    I grabbed her arm before she could turn away, my voice sharp. “You know it’s not a mistake, Anna. So why are you letting Mom get in your head and make you think it is?”

    She yanked her arm free, shaking her head. “Just go, Ryan. This can’t work. Mom’s not in support, and I don’t want us doing anything that’s going to disrupt the peace in our family. Just ept it, what we did… it was a mistake.”

    My jaw clenched so hard it hurt. “You know damn well it isn’t.” My voice rose without me meaning it to, and I could feel my chest heaving. “You can lie to yourself, but don’t stand here and lie to me.”

    She walked to the door, pulled it open as if she was done with this. “We can’t work. Leave, Ryan. It’s best if you just focus on Sophie while I focus on my studies and act like a normal student. That’s the perfect n for this. And it’s best if you forget me too. Don’t visit me anymore. You’ve seen the dorm, it’s perfect for me. Sasha’s room is three doors down, she’s my best friend here, and this ce… this ce is perfect for me to move on.”

    “Move on?” I took a slow step toward her, my voice low. “That’s what you want?”

    “It’s best for both of us,” she said quickly, as if she was trying to convince herself more than me. “It’s best we go our separate ways. It’s best we don’t see each other again until we finally get over each other.”

    Something inside me snapped. I stepped forward and pushed the door closed, the click echoing in the room. Then I grabbed her waist, pulling her flush against me so she had no room to back away.

    “There will be no getting over anyone, Anna,” I said, my tone sharp but quiet, my anger mixing with something darker that I couldn’t and wouldn’t hide. “Not when I mark you and finally im you as mine.”

    Her eyes went widened but before she could speak, I felt the familiar burn in my gums as my fangs pushed through, my vision sharpening, my eyes turning a darker shade. I threw her onto the bed, climbing over her, my weight pinning her down.

    “Ryan-

    And then, without hesitation, I sank my canines into her skin.

    L