The forest was too quiet.

You ran harder, your lungs burning, your heart pounding in your chest.

You shouldn’t have been running alone.

You could still hear Scott’s voice from earlier—“Don’t go off on your own.” You hadn’t listened. You’d wanted to prove you weren’t just his little sister, always needing protection.

Now look at you.

A low growl cut through the air behind you—close. Too close.

You turned, and there he was.

Theo.

He stepped out of the darkness, smirking. His eyes glowed gold in the moonlight.

“Theo—” you breathed, backing away.

“You know,” he said casually, circling you like a predator, “I wasn’t planning on doing this tonight. But then I thought… what better way to get Scott’s attention?”

You froze. “What are you talking about?”

He tilted his head. “You’re his weakness. His little sister. His heart.” He grinned. “I want to break it.”

You barely had time to react—

One moment you were standing, the next you were on the ground, his weight pressing you down.

His teeth sank into your shoulder.

You felt it all: the bite, the change, the power coursing through you.

---

You woke up in a room that didn’t feel like yours.

The air was warm, thick with the smell of pine… and something unmistakably him. Every sound—every heartbeat, every breath—was too loud.

You tried to sit up, but your body felt heavy.

And then you felt him.

Theo was lying beside you, propped up on one elbow, watching you. “Morning, my little one... my little moon,” he said softly, like this was normal.

You flinched, pulling the sheets tighter around you, suddenly aware that you were wearing one of his shirts—soft, oversized, and scented like him.

“Where… where am I?”

“My place,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You passed out. The bite takes a lot out of you the first time.”

And then you remembered. Him against you. The bite. His voice, low and amused, while he carried you through the woods like you weighed nothing.

This should’ve been a nightmare… but it wasn’t.