(Ash's POV)
The moment I stepped out of the cafeteria, I let out a slow breath.
That was… exhausting.
The stares. The whispers. The suffocating attention. I had expected it, but it was still overwhelming.
But none of that compared to the real problem.
Alice Cullen.
I rubbed a hand over my face, barely restraining a groan.
She was my mate. I knew it. The second our eyes met in that hallway, something inside me snapped into place, locking onto her like a gravitational pull I couldn't escape.
It made no sense.
She was a vampire. I was human. And yet, every fiber of my being was screaming at me to go to her, to be near her. It was unnatural—wrong.
I should've left it alone. Pretended I didn't notice.
But then Jessica had called her 'weird.'
And I had nearly lost control.
I had no right to feel possessive over Alice Cullen. No right to want to protect her. She was stronger than me, faster than me, could tear me apart with a flick of her wrist. And yet, my entire body had tensed with the urge to correct Jessica, to shut her up for speaking about Alice that way.
It wasn't rational. It wasn't normal.
It was the mate bond.
And I hated it.
I wasn't some lovesick fool. I wasn't going to throw myself into a relationship just because fate decided it for me. I had a choice.
Right?
I exhaled sharply, pushing the thought away. I needed a distraction. Something to keep my mind off Alice and the way her golden eyes had searched for me across the cafeteria.
Something normal.
Unfortunately, Forks High School had other plans.
----
When I walked into the classroom for the last lecture thinking that I could escape all this after this hour, I immediately knew something was wrong.
Or rather—someone was waiting for me.
Alice Cullen sat in the seat next to mine.
I froze for half a second before forcing myself to move, walking toward my assigned seat like I hadn't noticed her.
I could feel her watching me.
The way her golden eyes tracked my every step. The way the air around her seemed charged with something I couldn't describe.
I clenched my jaw and sat down, keeping my expression carefully blank.
"Hi," she said softly, her voice like a bell ringing in my ears.
I didn't respond.
She tilted her head, her smile unfaltering. "You're Ash, right?"
Silence.
I stared straight ahead, my fingers tapping against the desk, refusing to acknowledge the way my entire body was screaming at me to look at her.
She wasn't deterred.
"I'm Alice," she continued, her tone light but filled with curiosity. "I wanted to introduce myself earlier, but you seemed… occupied."
I said nothing.
She sighed, leaning forward slightly. "You don't talk much, do you?"
Still nothing.
I could feel her gaze searching my face, trying to read me, trying to understand.
"…You know, ignoring me won't make this go away," she said after a moment, her voice softer now. Almost hesitant.
I swallowed hard, my grip tightening around my pencil.
The bond hummed between us, an invisible force pulling me toward her, pressing against my resolve.
She's your mate. She's yours.
I shoved the thought away.
The teacher walked in, and I latched onto the distraction, staring straight ahead as the lesson began.
For the next hour, I pretended Alice Cullen didn't exist.
---
(Alice's POV)
He ignored me.
The entire class.
I had never experienced anything like it before.
People were naturally drawn to me—whether it was my charm, my energy, or simply the unnatural allure of my kind. But not him.
Not Ash.
He was fighting this. Fighting me.
And it hurt more than I expected.
Every time I spoke, every time I tried to get even a single reaction from him, he shut me out. Kept his gaze forward. Refused to acknowledge me.
Like I wasn't even there.
I wasn't used to this kind of rejection. It stung.
But at the same time… it fascinated me.
Because no matter how much he ignored me, he felt it too.
I could see it in the way his shoulders tensed whenever I shifted closer. The way his fingers twitched whenever my voice cut through the silence. The way his heartbeat stuttered—just for a second—whenever I said his name.
He was trying to deny the bond.
But he couldn't escape it.
No one could.
So I waited.
Waited for the moment he would break.
And when the final bell rang, I knew exactly where to find him.
---
The rest of the hour passed was a blur.
More stares. More whispers. listening to lectures, answering questions when called on—but my mind was elsewhere.
Or rather—on someone else.
I kept feeling her the entire time. Not just seeing her out of the corner of my eye, but sensing her presence, like a warmth that brushed against my skin whenever she was starying at me.
It was driving me insane.
By the time the final bell rang, I was more than ready to leave.
I stepped out into the parking lot, inhaling the crisp Forks air.
And then—
A vision.
Not mine.
Alice's.
It hit me like a ripple through time, barely more than a flicker—a glimpse of the future through her eyes.
A forest. Me, standing in the clearing. Alice walking toward me, hesitant, hopeful. Our hands reaching for each other—
No.
I clenched my jaw, forcing the vision away before it could settle.
Alice was seeing a future where we accepted this. Where I accepted her.
But I couldn't.
Not yet.
Not when I didn't even know who I truly was in this world.
I turned on my heel, heading for my car. I needed distance.
I needed time.
But fate had other plans.
Because standing just a few feet away—waiting for me—was Alice.
---
(Alice's POV)
He was avoiding me.
I could see it by our last interaction with him and in the way he walked—determined, focused, refusing to meet my eyes.
But it didn't matter. Because no matter how hard he tried to fight it, he was mine.
And I was his.
I had spent decades watching others find their mates, seeing the bond form in an instant, unbreakable, undeniable. But I had never expected to experience it myself.
Not like this.
Not with a human.
And yet, when I looked at Ash Nightsun, I knew.
I wasn't going to let him run from this.
Not without a fight.
So, I stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
He froze.
"…Alice."
His voice was careful, guarded. Like he was afraid of what would happen if he let his emotions slip.
I tilted my head, studying him. "You're leaving?"
He hesitated then finally takeld in a way to end this conversation as soon as possible. "Yeah. Long day."
I smiled slightly. "You get used to it."
A beat of silence. He didn't move. Neither did I.
The bond between us hummed, invisible but unrelenting.
He felt it. I knew he did.
"…This isn't normal, is it?" he finally muttered.
I swallowed. "No. It's not."
He looked away, jaw tightening. "I don't like it."
Something in my chest clenched, but I kept my expression light. "You don't have to like it."
His blue eyes snapped to mine, frustration flickering behind them. "Then what do you want from me, Alice?"
Everything.
I wanted him to stop fighting this. I wanted him to understand that this wasn't a curse or a mistake—it was real.
But I couldn't force him to accept it.
So instead, I just said, "A chance."
His breath hitched.
I took a step closer. "You don't have to decide anything right now. Just… don't push me away, Ash."
For a moment, he didn't respond. His fingers twitched at his sides, and I could feel the war inside him—the conflict, the fear.
Then, finally, he exhaled.
"…I'll try."
It wasn't a promise and I wasn't sure enough .
But it was enough.
For now.
---
(Ash's POV)
She left me with too many emotions and not enough ways to deal with them.
I sat in my car, gripping the steering wheel, trying to ignore the way my heart was racing.
A chance.
She wanted a chance.
And somehow, I had agreed.
I groaned, leaning my head back against the seat. What the hell was I doing?
Everything in me screamed that this was dangerous. That getting close to Alice—a vampire—was reckless and stupid.
And yet, I couldn't stop myself.
The bond was winning.
I had spent my whole life making my own choices. But now, for the first time—fate was pulling me toward something I couldn't control.
And I wasn't sure I wanted to fight it anymore.
---
End of Chapter 6