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Chapter One

Noah Everly didn't like attention.

He preferred quiet spaces, shadows over spotlights, books over people. That's why he had taken a teaching job at Blackwood Academy, one of the most prestigious private schools in the city. Here, students came from old money, political dynasties, and powerful families. They had no interest in a shy literature teacher with ink-stained fingers and a tendency to disappear into his own world.

Or so he thought.

It started with a feeling.

That heavy, prickling sensation of being watched.

At first, he ignored it. Blackwood was a vast, towering institution, its high-ceilinged hallways lined with dark oak and stone. It was easy to imagine ghosts in the corners or eyes lingering a second too long.

But then, little things began to change.

His coffee cup, empty when he left his desk, would be mysteriously full when he returned. His classroom door, always locked at night, would be slightly ajar in the morning. And sometimes, he swore he heard footsteps following him down the halls-measured, patient steps that stopped the moment he turned around.

It was ridiculous, of course. He was just being paranoid.

Then he met him.

Kieran Wolfe.

Eighteen. Football star. Six feet of muscle and barely controlled aggression.

And the only student who never looked away.

---

The first time Kieran walked into his classroom, Noah felt it like a shift in the air.

A presence.

Most students slouched into their seats, eyes on their phones or notebooks. Kieran didn't. He sat in the back, one arm slung lazily over the desk, dark eyes locked onto Noah with an intensity that made his breath hitch.

It was unnerving.

But Noah refused to react. He placed his books on the desk, cleared his throat, and began the lesson.

"Today, we're discussing Gothic literature-"

He felt it. That stare.

Burning. Unwavering.

By the time class ended, Noah's nerves were stretched thin. He gathered his papers quickly, desperate to escape before Kieran's gaze pinned him in place again.

He almost made it to the door.

"Mr. Everly."

His breath caught.

Kieran's voice was deep, smooth. Too mature for an eighteen-year-old. Noah turned slowly, gripping his books against his chest like a shield.

"Yes?"

Kieran didn't move. He leaned back in his chair, legs spread wide, completely at ease.

"Your tie is crooked."

Noah blinked. "Excuse me?"

Kieran tilted his head. His eyes-dark brown, intense, filled with something Noah couldn't name-dragged over him, slow and deliberate.

"Your tie," Kieran murmured, voice almost amused. "It's off-center."

Heat crept up Noah's neck. He reached up, fingers fumbling with the silk, suddenly hyper-aware of himself.

Kieran chuckled.

"Looks cute, though."

Noah's stomach twisted. His grip tightened on his books.

"Go to class, Wolfe."

Kieran grinned. It was sharp, knowing. Like he had learned something valuable about Noah in that small moment.

And that terrified him.

---

After that, it got worse.

Kieran was everywhere.

At first, Noah convinced himself it was coincidence. Kieran passing him in the halls. Kieran lingering outside his classroom after hours. Kieran always choosing the seat closest to his desk.

But then the coincidences became intentional.

Noah would go to his car after a long day, only to find Kieran leaning against the hood, smirking like he had been waiting for him.

Noah would sit in the staff lounge, trying to enjoy a rare moment of peace, only for Kieran to stroll in, despite students not being allowed there.

Noah would go to his favorite coffee shop before work, only to find Kieran already there, a second coffee sitting across from him.

"I got your usual, Mr. Everly," Kieran would say, sliding it toward him, as if he had any right to know what Noah drank.

Noah stopped going to that coffee shop.

But Kieran still knew.

Because the next morning, there was a cup of his exact order sitting on his desk.

Waiting for him.

With no note. No explanation.

Just there.

Noah didn't drink it.

But the next day, it was there again.

And the day after that.

---

He told himself he was imagining things.

That Kieran was just a student. That the possessiveness in his gaze was just a trick of Noah's paranoid mind. Maybe he just wants to annoy him or bully the shy teacher.

Then he got the first note.

It was slipped between the pages of his textbook. A single line, written in deep red ink.

I wonder how your voice sounds when you say my name.

Noah's heart nearly stopped. His hands trembled as he crumpled the note, breath coming in short, uneven gasps.

This wasn't normal.

This wasn't safe.

He needed to do something. Tell someone.

But who would believe him?

Kieran was the golden boy of Blackwood Academy. A star athlete. A student with perfect grades and a spotless record.

And Noah?

He was nothing.

Just a quiet, forgettable teacher.

So he swallowed his fear. Pushed it down. Ignored the way his hands shook when he locked his classroom door at night.

And prayed Kieran would lose interest.

He didn't.

He got worse.

And by the time Noah realized how deep he was in, it was already too late.

Because Kieran wasn't just watching him.

He was controlling him.

And there was no way out.

---

End of Chapter One