Chapter 60: A collision.

July 2 2026, 8:32am.

For the next three days, Nyx’ara was fortunate enough not to see or run into any of the quadruplets, and as the time went by, she also almost began to forget about her last run-in with them.

True to Draven’s words, she was indeed accepted into NYU, so for that reason, she was forced to visit the school for some of her physical registrations as well as to complete the necessary paperwork required before she could officially begin her classes.

The trip should have been nothing more than a tedious obligation, but the moment she stepped onto the sprawling campus, Nyx’ara found herself feeling strangely lighter.

For the first time in days, she had somewhere else to focus her attention. Hence, she spent the better part of the morning moving from one office to another, submitting documents, confirming her admission details, collecting her student identification card, and listening to administrators explain schedules and requirements she barely cared enough to remember.

It was mundane.

Normal.

And after everything that had happened recently, normal was exactly what she needed.

By noon, she was sitting beneath the shade of a large oak tree, scrolling through some information on her phone when a sudden movement caught her attention.

She looked up.

A group of students walked past, laughing amongst themselves, their voices blending with the usual hum of campus life. Nyx’ara watched them for a moment before looking away.

Maybe this was what she needed.

A fresh start. A place where she could exist without constantly looking over her shoulder.

She had barely allowed herself to entertain the thought when her phone buzzed. Her brows furrowed as she glanced at the screen to see that an unfamiliar message had appeared.

Unknown Number:You shouldn’t have come to NYU.

For a moment, Nyx’ara simply stared at the words as her heart gave a strange, uneasy thud. She couldn’t remember giving her new number to anyone at all. Slowly, she looked around the campus and sure enough, there were dozens of people everywhere.

Students, professors, and visitors all blending into the background. Yet suddenly, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her, and that feeling made the back of her neck prickle.

She typed a quick reply.

Nyx’ara:Who is this?

The message opened almost instantly. But no response came. Another beat of silence passed before another message appeared.

Unknown Number:You really thought you could escape us that easily?

As soon as Nyx’ara saw this, her fingers instinctively tightened around her phone until her knuckles turned chalk-white. The relief she’d felt only moments ago vanished, turning into a fear that enveloped her as she cast another weary glance at her environment.

Her heart raced with tension and panic as her grip on her phone tightened, because deep down, she knew that there was only one group of people who could make a threat like that feel so personal.

Elara and Tristan... and maybe Flynn.

This new revelation forced her to her feet. She glanced sideways as if half expecting to be jumped any moment from now.

Her breath left her ribs in harsh pants and hell, she could almost feel her legs trembling as she walked. She had, however, just rounded a corner when she stumbled into a hard wall of muscle.

"Argh!" She groaned, falling backward.

Large arms clamped around her waist pulling her flush against the warm muscular body. Her face colored a bright pink when thick fingers laced into her hair, keeping her in place.

With wide eyes, she looked up at the auburn-haired young man in front of her who had a smile so dazzling, it rivalled the sun. Freckles scattered across his nose, making him appear warmer than his hands around her waist.

His lips brushed faintly above her head as he muttered; "Hey there, you should watch where you’re going."

But his words didn’t come off as hard or scalding. If anything, it was so soft, it washed over her body like a caress. And for a moment, Nyx’ara did not respond to him. She was too shaken to. She slowly shrugged out of his hold, her face twisting into a half smile as she drawled;

"Th-thank you."

She hated that she had stuttered at a time like this but what she hated the most was how her heart jumped into her throat the moment her body collided with this young man.

She also hated the way he stared at her like she was something fascinating, his brows drawn as his eyes bore intense holes into her flesh.

He took one glance at the papers in her arms and flashed her another dazzling smile. "You’re new?" He asked and she nodded.

"Do you know your way around yet?" He continued, taking in her flushed face.

She shook her head.

Before Nyx’ara could get the opportunity to find the right words, he laced his fingers through hers and began to tug her forward. "Come, let me show you around, Silver." He said softly, and in that moment, she smiled.

A genuine one.

Maybe NYU could help her find true friendships or love... anyone.

—

Elara had been strolling through the beige-colored halls that always felt like her personal runway with her head held high when suddenly she halted on her tracks as a sudden scent hit her nostrils.

She turned her gaze to a corner of the busy hall and her breath hitched when she saw a familiar head of Silver gliding through the crowd.

At first, she had suspected that it was her eyes playing dirty tricks on her until she blinked and wiped her eyes. Rinse and repeat over and over again; but the image before her didn’t change.

In fact, Nyx’ara was still standing in front of her with her head buried into a pile of paper. Her silvery blonde eyebrows were drawn together in concentration and her hands twitched in the way it always does whenever she was anxious or curious.

"Fuck!"

Elara couldn’t believe that her peaceful bubble was about to be disrupted. Hell, even though NYU was big enough to accommodate both of them, she was not about to share one of her accomplishments with her pesky irritating stepsister.

A frown made its way up her face when she saw the amount of attention Nyx’ara was getting from ogling passersby. But before she could allow her rage to bloom into something ugly, a beautiful thought suddenly struck her mind.

She smiled and turned to Derek, a riffraff beta from a different pack who would do anything for her, her voice dropping into a honey-like whisper as she said; "Derek love... Could you do me a favor please?"

At the sound of her voice, Derek’s head snapped up, causing his auburn locks to dance around his head. He shuffled closer to Elara like a puppy to its master and lowered his lashes slowly as he muttered; "Anything you want, Elara. Tell me."

Her eyes gleamed with evil intent as she leaned into him, whilst pointing at Nyx’ara as she muttered instructions into his ears.

He nodded once as soon as he understood and walked over to a completely oblivious Nyx’ara who seemed lost in thought as she strolled down the hall with her head bowed.

Elara on the other hand let them get into a smooth discussion before she slipped out her phone and began to take pictures of them.

She then forwarded the pictures to a certain number, her smile widening when the owner of the said number viewed the photograph almost instantly.

But no response came.

She was expecting one. Her face fell.