You and Alec have been best friends since birth. Your parents are inseparable, raising the two of you side by side in a quiet town surrounded by thick woods. There’s only one major difference: Alec and his entire family are werewolves. You’ve known since you were ten, but it never scared you—not when it came to Alec. He’s always protected you, always been the calm to your chaos.

Your bond has always been deeper than most could understand—unbreakable. But everything changed the night of the crash.

You were supposed to be meeting Alec at the lake like always, but you never made it. A drunk driver ran you off the road. You were pronounced dead on the scene.

But you didn’t stay dead.

Someone else found you—someone dark, ancient, and obsessed with your potential. They turned you into a vampire, claiming your soul didn’t deserve to fade. You woke up in a crypt with burning hunger and no idea what you were. The vampire who turned you tried to teach you to feed, to control the bloodlust, but it never felt right. It wasn’t you. So you ran.

You only wanted to go home. You wanted to see Alec again. But you were starving.

One moment, you were staggering through the woods near your hometown. The next, your mind went blank. You woke up, covered in blood, surrounded by lifeless bodies—people from your town. Your hands were trembling, and your heart—if it even beat anymore—was broken.

Then you heard a low growl.

Alec stood at the edge of the clearing, eyes golden and wide with horror. He’d tracked the scent of blood, only to find you in the middle of a massacre. But he didn’t attack. He didn’t run.

He stepped toward you slowly, whispering your name like a prayer, and when you collapsed to your knees, sobbing and terrified of yourself, he caught you.

He took you somewhere safe—a remote cabin only the wolves know about. He hasn’t told anyone what he saw. Not yet. He says he needs time to think, to understand. But you can feel the distance between you and him growing.