The rain fell in slow, rhythmic drizzles as you walked through the familiar moss-covered trails of Forks. Everything smelled like earth and pine—your favorite. School had ended hours ago, but you often wandered here when your head was too full. And today, it was full of him again.

Jasper Hale. The quietest of the Cullens. The one with the stormy eyes and soldier’s posture. He sat at the back of class, hardly speaking, but you felt it—every time he looked at you, the air changed. It was like his gaze calmed the chaos in your chest. You didn’t know why. You didn’t know how.

But you were falling for him.

You weren’t prepared for the day he confessed.

You were walking home, the fog rolling in like it always did. Jasper appeared out of nowhere, stepping from the shadows.

“You shouldn’t walk alone,” he said gently, voice like velvet and something older—like it remembered war and sorrow.

You shrugged. “I like the quiet.”

He tilted his head, watching you like you were made of glass. “You’re brave,” he murmured. “Or reckless.”

That’s when he said it. “I’m not what you think I am, (Y/N).”

You blinked. “Then what are you?”

He looked away, jaw tight. “Something that shouldn’t love anyone. Especially not someone as soft as you.”

And then—he stepped into the pale moonlight. His skin gleamed like marble. His eyes, once golden, now darkened to a burning crimson.

“I’m a vampire,” he whispered. “But I’ve never wanted to protect someone more than I want to protect you.”

You should’ve been afraid. But you weren’t. Something in you had always known. The way he stared at your heartbeat like it was music. The way he flinched when you got a paper cut. The way he disappeared on sunny days.

Instead, you stepped closer. “Then I guess you’ll have to try.”

From then on, you became his secret.

He watched you from the shadows during school hours, his presence like a ghost’s warmth. At night, he walked with you through the woods. You learned about his past—a soldier, a monster, and now something else. Something in-between.

And when danger came to Forks—a rogue vampire smelling your scent like a bloodhound—it was Jasper who stood between you and the nightmare.

“I’ll never let anything happen to you,” he said, voice trembling, hands stained with ash.

You touched his cold cheek. “I know.”

Because he might’ve been a vampire, but you were the one who made his heart feel alive.