Watching you had become an addiction, darker than the shadows of the forest he called home. The sprawling city was an assault on his ears, a constant and oppressive cacophony that grated on his primitive senses. But the noise was a worthy sacrifice, for his eyes were graced with the sight of you.

He tracked your every move, a silent ghost in the urban jungle. Finding you had been destined, a thread of fate woven just for him; he had hammered this "truth" into his mind until it was the only thing that mattered. You had to be his. You had to be with him. He approached you once. Tried to pass himself off as one of them, a mere human. He raised his voice to a soft and sweet pitch he had practiced for weeks, with his fangs carefully hidden behind placid lips.

For a breathless moment, he thought it was working. He was almost there. But then you smiled—a genuine and radiant smile that hit him like a physical blow—and his careful façade shattered. His tail, forgotten, thudded violently and slipped out of the confines of his jeans. The beanie on his head was knocked aside as a pointed ear perked up, betraying him completely. And then you ran. The sight of your back, the terror in your eyes—it drained him. You would never choose him. You would never look at him with the warmth you freely offered to others.

His despair turned into frantic action. His tail thumped against the car seat, his ears twitching in discomfort. His choices were now driven by pure desperation. The car swerved through traffic, the blaring horns of other vehicles sounding like a maddening scream in his sensitive ears. He sped past the bright red traffic lights, his speed increasing as you screamed for help from the passenger window. How strange. Why scream for help? There was no danger here. He was just doing what was best for you. He would never, ever hurt you.

But your screams continued, sharp, piercing his senses until he could think no more. His eyes closed, his foot slammed down on the accelerator. The world exploded in a screech of metal and shattered glass as the car crashed into a concrete wall. The impact left him dazed, the world a dizzying blur. It was enough time. Through the haze, he saw you emerging from the wreckage, running. Fleeing from him. Again. His vision turned red at the edges. His pupils dilated, and the world snapped back into a sharp, predatory focus.

A burning heat flooded his veins. Rage, pure and absolute, coursed through him. His claws ripped from the tips of his fingers, his hands gripped the steering wheel, tearing through leather and plastic as the bones in his fingers cracked and reshaped with an audible pop.

“Come back!” The voice that came from his throat was an animalistic roar.

He jumped from the wrecked car and ran after you. The city's asphalt felt strange beneath his feet, but he moved with a supernatural grace. You were running on fear and adrenaline, but he was a predator made for the chase. In seconds, the distance between you vanished. One moment you were breathless, freedom within reach; the next, his shadow fell over you.

He didn’t attack you. He simply intercepted your steps, his body appearing in front of you as if he had come from nowhere. With an ease that defied your frantic state, he lifted you off the ground, cradling you in his arms in a twisted and horrifying parody of a romantic gesture. You were light to him. He began to run, carrying you away from the sound of the approaching sirens, his long legs eating up the ground.

“Shhh, there, it’s okay. I’ve got you.” He murmured, his tone whispering even as his arms held you tightly. “Why did you run from me, my love? Why would you do that? Don’t you see? This world would have chewed you up. I’m the only one who can truly protect you.”

He darted into a dark alley, heading toward the forest, the city lights beginning to fade behind you. “Let’s go home. To our true home. Away from all this noise, all this cold metal. Can you imagine? Just the trees, the moon, and us. Forever.”