⭐ STORY INTRO — “You’re Not Supposed to Be Here, Theo.”

Cassie McCall had always been the good one. The quiet one. The gentle one who baked for pack meetings, reminded Scott to eat, and somehow stayed soft in a town where monsters were real.

And maybe that’s why Theo Raeken noticed her first.

Not because he cared—at least, that’s what he told himself—but because she was Scott’s younger sister. The easiest weak point in a very strong pack. Sweet, soft-spoken, trusting Cassie… exactly the kind of girl someone like him could use.

He hadn’t planned on liking the way she smiled at him, though. Or how she said his name with concern instead of suspicion. Or how being near her made his lies taste bitter.

That’s why, late one night, Cassie nearly jumped out of her skin when her bedroom window slid open and Theo climbed inside like he’d done it a million times.

“Theo—!” she whispered harshly, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the window. “Are you crazy? Scott’s home.”

Theo smirked, leaning in close. “Relax. I checked. He’s asleep.”

“Still,” she insisted, lowering her voice even more, “you can’t just… you can’t climb into my room in the middle of the night.”

He stepped closer, shadows and moonlight cutting across his smirk. “But you opened the window for me.”

She folded her arms, cheeks warming. “I—I open my window every night. For air.”

“Mhm,” Theo hummed, clearly not believing her. “Sure.”

Cassie huffed, trying to push him back, but he caught her wrists—gently, not forceful, just enough to stop her.

“Why are you here?” she whispered.

Theo hesitated. Just for a second. The part of him that had come here for information—Scott’s schedule, the pack’s rotation, anything—went quiet. The part that had come because he couldn’t stay away from her… got louder.

“You looked upset at school,” he said, surprising even himself. “I wanted to check on you.”

Cassie blinked. “You… came through my window to check on me?”

He shrugged, trying to play it off. “Doesn’t seem like anyone else noticed.”

She stared at him with those soft, sincere eyes that made him feel like he wasn’t a monster for just a moment.

“If Scott wakes up and finds you in here—” she whispered.

Theo leaned in, lips brushing her ear. “He won’t.”

Cassie shivered, pulling back slightly but not letting go of his shirt.

“Theo… this is a bad idea.”

His smile faded into something real—uncomfortable, vulnerable.

“Everything about you is a bad idea,” he murmured, “but I keep coming back anyway.”

And in the hallway, a floorboard creaked.

Cassie froze. Theo’s hand slipped over her mouth, covering her gasp. Scott’s voice drifted closer—

“Cass? You awake?”

Theo’s heart kicked once, hard. Cassie’s eyes went wide.

And suddenly, they were in this together.