Chapter 1: New Roommate, Old Rivalries

The dorm room was small, a dingy-walled box and scuffed wooden floor. Jake slumped over his desk, pencil marking scribbled notes from a biology textbook, marking cells and ecosystems. One flickering lamp droned above him, humming tiredly too. Outside the window, the nighttime sky stretched wide over Moonrise College, the stars twinkling like small secrets. The hills loomed dark over the campus, and the wind smelled of pine and cold. Jake liked it quiet like this—alone, safe, no one to intrude.

He was 20, with messy black hair falling into his blue eyes. His hoodie was loose on his thin frame, hiding the strength he didn't show. Jake was a werewolf, son of Lisa's pack. His mother was an alpha, fire and rules and he'd be skinned alive if he stepped out of line. He kept that part of himself behind closed doors, buried under books and late nights. Outdoors, the woods whispered with wolves, but indoors, there was only him and his thoughts.

The door burst open, and Jake sprang, pencil soaring across the paper. A man entered—tall, loud, with a duffel bag that thudded on the floor. Silver hair caught the lamplight, wild and pointed, like it ought to be on a wolf, not a man. His green eyes twinkled, bright and lively, and a grin split his face as he dropped the bag.

Hey, you must be the roommate," he added, his voice booming like the room could not hold it. "Name's Zane.".

Jake blinked, mouth dry. Zane smelled like the woods—earth and wind and something feral. Werewolf. Not just any pack—Max’s pack. Lisa’s rival. Jake’s stomach twisted. Max and Lisa had been at war for years, tearing up the mountains over territory. Blood feuds didn’t fade easy, and now one of Max’s wolves was standing in his dorm.

“Uh, yeah. Jake,” he muttered, shoving his book aside. “You’re… loud.”

Zane laughed, a sound that bounced off the walls. “Gotta be. Quiet gets boring.” He kicked his bag toward the empty bed across the room, the mattress creaking as he flopped onto it. His leather jacket slid open, showing a faded shirt stretched over broad shoulders. “This place is kinda dead, huh? All I’ve seen is trees and nerds.”

Jake scowled, tugging down his hoodie sleeves. "It's fine. I like it quiet."

"Quiet's overrated," Zane said, reclining on his elbow. "You could use some fun, biology boy."

"Don't call me that," Jake growled, rougher than he meant. He turned away from his desk, pretending to read. His heart beat too fiercely. Zane wasn't just loud—Zane was trouble. Lisa's words kept replaying in his head: "Stay away from Max's filth. They're liars, all of them." If she learned Zane was on campus, she'd storm the campus herself.

Zane didn't notice Jake's distress. He rummaged in his bag, producing a dented speaker and plugging it into the outlet. Music flooded out—some frantic beat that made the air hum. "There. Better," he said, flashing his smile again. "Gotta make this place interesting."

Jake gave him a glare over his shoulder. "Some of us study.".

“Some of us live,” Zane shot back, kicking his boots off. They thudded to the floor, dirt flecking the wood. “Relax, man. I’m not here to eat you.”

Jake blushed and covered his face. Zane's scent dominated the room now—wild and hot, crawling under his skin. He gripped his pencil in a last-ditch effort to focus on the page. Cells. Science. Not the man who was sprawled out on the bed like he owned the world.

The room was smaller with Zane in it, the white walls closing in, the window containing stars and blackness. Outside, the woods hushed, a gentle wind carrying the far-off howl of something. Jake's skin crawled. He'd heard those howls his whole life—Lisa's pack, Max's pack, always fighting. And now the fight was within, five feet away from him.

His phone buzzed on the table, its screen lighting up with an incoming message. Mia. His cousin. "Heard your new roommate's hot. Who is he?" Jake's thumbs paused, then flew across the keyboard: "Just some guy." A lie. Mia was 19, nosy as a hound, and she'd dig up the truth if she ever got close to Zane. "Visiting soon," she wrote. Just what he needed. Another complication.

Zane’s phone rang then, a harsh buzz cutting through the music. He groaned, picking it up. “Yeah, Rico, what?” His voice dropped, annoyed. “I’m fine. No, I’m not screwing up. Tell Max to chill.” He hung up, tossing the phone on the bed. “Brothers, man. Always on my back.”

Jake didn't inquire. Rico had sounded like trouble too—probably Max's second in command. The air was thick now, thick with things neither of them discussed. Zane reduced the music by a notch and reclined on the bed, arms folded behind his head. His shirt pulled up, exposing a strip of tanned skin just above his jeans. Jake quickly glanced away, throat closing.

Hours passed, the dorm settling into quiet. Jake had his face buried in his book, but the words blurred together. Zane stayed there, breathing normally, taking up space. The lamp flickered again, shadows dancing across walls. The stars outside burned a bit brighter, as if they were observing.

Jake risked a glance. Zane was watching him, green eyes shining in the light. "You're kinda cute when you're nervous," he said, smiling slow and lazy. "What's got you so nervous, huh?"

Jake's face grew hot. "Nothing," he snarled, slamming the book shut. He turned off the lamp and climbed into bed, pulling the blanket over his head. The darkness did nothing to alleviate. Zane's scent lingered, wild and close, and his laughter echoed still in Jake's mind. Sleep would not be simple—not with a rival wolf in the bed, not with that grin etched in his mind.

He didn't know it yet, but Zane was already trouble he couldn't get away from.