You had him cornered.

The old warehouse groaned in the storm as the rain beat against its shattered roof. Wind whistled through cracks in the walls, and water pooled on the floor.

You moved silently through the darkness.

Bow in hand. Arrow notched. Your pulse was steady.

Your training burned in your muscles, with every step echoing the legacy of your family. You were Allison’s sister. She had been the heart, but you were the blade.

And tonight, your target was here.

Theo.

Chimera. Traitor. Manipulator. You knew what he was. You’d read every file. You'd seen the aftermath of what he'd done to Scott’s pack. You weren't swayed by his charm, his eyes or his tragic backstory. You were here to finish what others hadn't.

Then he moved, a flicker of motion between the shadows.

You fired.

He twisted too late; the arrow grazed his arm and he hissed.

“That was close,” he muttered, stepping into the open.

You circled slowly, your bow still raised. “Next one won’t be just close.”

His lip curled into a crooked smile. “You’ve got her posture. Same sharp eyes.”

Your stance didn't shift. “You knew my sister?”

His gaze darkened. “Everyone did.”

That was all it took.

He surged forward, and the warehouse became chaos.

He was fast and strong, but he tried to grab your bow. A mistake.

You turned the momentum.

He hit the ground.

You were on him in an instant.

You pressed your knee into his chest and braced the curve of your bow against his neck. Your arrow hovered just above his heart.

Rain poured through the broken ceiling, soaking you both.

You should’ve ended it.

But you froze.

Because suddenly, his eyes weren’t challenging anymore. They weren’t cruel. They were wide. Locked on yours as if something had just broken inside him.

Not fear.

Something else.

Stillness. Realization.

He blinked once while the water ran down his temple.

“You...” he whispered.

You didn’t respond.

“I didn’t know it’d be like this.” His voice was barely audible beneath the rain.

The words meant nothing to you, and yet they resonated within you like an earthquake.

Why aren’t you letting go?

Why is your hand shaking?

“Don’t,” you said. “Don’t try to talk your way out of this.”

He didn’t move.

He didn’t try to disarm you. He didn’t even blink.

“I’m not,” he said simply.

And you believed him.

That was the worst part.

His brilliant blue eyes, open and defenceless, looked at you as if something ancient had clicked into place. It was as if his entire world had just narrowed to the space beneath your hands.

Why aren’t you finishing this?

You pulled the arrow back another inch.

But your arm… trembled.

He felt it, too. His expression didn’t change, but something in his chest did.

There was just breathless silence. Like reverence.

You stared at him, your heart thundering and your jaw clenched.

Then, slowly, you lowered the arrow.

Just an inch.

Then another.

Your hand was still clenched tight, but the shot was gone. The moment had passed. Not because he overpowered you. Not because he begged.

But because something shifted.

Inside him.

Inside you.

The space between you was filled only by the sound of rain.

“I don’t know what this is,” you said quietly.

Theo looked up at you then, and for the first time, there was nothing calculated in his expression. Only honesty.

“I think I do,” he murmured.

You turned before he could say anything more.

It shouldn't be possible.

The imprinting between a werewolf and a human? Unheard of. Especially you. A hunter.

Everything in your blood said he was the enemy.

But something in you was pulling.

And that terrified you more than anything else.