The scent of blood hits me first.
It's everywhere. The screams have died down, leaving behind an eerie silence that makes my skin crawl. My parents' bodies lay lifeless before me, their blood staining the ground.
"No! Please, don't leave me!"
My voice breaks as I clutch my mother's hand, begging her to wake up. But she doesn't. None of them do. My pack, my family, all gone.
Tears stream down my cheek as I cry harder.
"Please…" I beg.
A low snarl rumbles from behind me, snapping me out of my grief. I turn sharply. A vampire. I wipe my tears and stand on my legs.
I won't show my weakness to these bloodthirsty fuckers.
My body moves before my mind catches up. My legs burn as I sprint into the dark forest, branches slashing at my arms.
A root snags my ankle. I hit the ground hard, pain jolting through me. A shadow looms over me. The vampire.
Then—
The vampire's body splits in half, blood spraying across the ground. Standing behind it is a man, his blade dripping with fresh gore.
My breath shudders out. He's tall, broad, and radiates something dark, something terrifying. His obsidian eyes glint in the moonlight, cold and calculating as they lock onto mine.
"Get up," he orders, his deep voice cutting through the thick silence.
I don't move. My chest heaves with ragged breaths as I push myself up onto my elbows, glaring at him. "Who are you?"
He doesn't answer. Instead, he steps closer, towering over me. "Now."
My body screams at me to obey, but I force myself to stay still. I don't know who he is. I don't trust him. Right now, everyone is a threat.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," I snap, shifting into a defensive stance.
His expression remains unreadable, but something in his gaze flickers. Amusement? Annoyance? I can't tell.
He exhales sharply. "I don't have time for this."
He reaches for me, but I lash out. My fist swings toward his face. He moves too fast, sidestepping effortlessly. I go for a kick—he dodges again. Frustration burns through me, my rage mounting as I attack again and again. He avoids every strike with infuriating ease, never once retaliating.
Finally, with a sharp growl, he catches my wrists, twisting them over my head and pinning me against the rough bark of a tree. A startled gasp escapes me as his grip tightens, his body pressing just close enough to radiate heat.
"Enough. You may be strong but you are not invincible." I glare at him, hatred burning in my chest.
"Let me go."
His eyes flick over my face, and for a second, something unreadable crosses his expression. Then, his lips curl into something bitter-sweet, cold yet teasing.
"You have an awful way of thanking the person who just saved your life."
"I didn't ask you to," I spit back.
His smirk fades. His grip tightens, his warmth vanishing into something icier. "And yet, here you are. Alive. Because of me."
I grit my teeth, refusing to look away from his intense gaze. He's infuriating and unreadable.
"Get off me!" I scream.
With an exhausted sigh, he lets go and steps back. I dusted off my clothes, glaring at him. He looks calm as if he hadn't just sliced a bloody creature in half.
"I don't need your help mister," I say.
He scoffs, stepping closer. His obsidian eyes burn into my soul as he studies my face, searching for particularly something.
"You don't have a choice here" He states.
"Then, I'd rather die here!" I snap.
"That can be arranged."
I groan, running my hands through my hair. Frustration kicks in as I calm my breath, turning to him fully. I was about to open my mouth when my eyes darted behind him.
More of them.
"Still wanna be a hero by yourself?" He raises his brows as I sigh before nodding my head. One, two, three, eight and more of them. They began to circle us. Thirst visible in their red eyes.
"Fine. But don't think I am some weak—"
"Shut up and run."
His grip on my wrist tightens as he pulls me through the dense forest, his pace unrelenting. The scent of blood still lingers in the air, mingling with the earthy dampness of the trees. My heart pounds, fury and grief clashing inside me like a violent storm.
"I can walk on my own," I snap, yanking my arm back. But his hold is like iron, unyielding.
"Stop struggling," he orders, not even sparing me a glance. "Unless you want to attract more of them."
My jaw clenches. "Maybe I do."
He halts so suddenly that I nearly crash into his back. His piercing obsidian eyes meet mine, a flicker of something unreadable passing through them before they harden. "Then you're a fool."
I push against his chest, my breath heaving with anger. "And you're a bastard for dragging me with you. I didn't ask for your help."
"No," he says, voice like a blade against ice. "You didn't. But you needed it."
A muscle ticks in my jaw. I hate him. I hate his arrogance, his cold detachment, the way he looks at me like I'm something fragile. Like I'm a responsibility. Not a person.
My legs burn from the relentless pace, but I refuse to show weakness. If he thinks I'm going to submit to whatever twisted sense of protection he thinks he's offering, he's dead wrong.
"They're coming," he mutters, scanning the darkened woods.
A figure emerges from the trees, breathless and urgent. "Alpha Damien! The others are securing the perimeter. We need to move."
I freeze.
Alpha Damien?
Recognition slams into me like a tidal wave. I've heard of him. His ruthlessness, his power, the way he commands with an iron fist. My heart stutters as I realize who I've been arguing with—who I've been shoving and cursing at like an idiot. And he hasn't killed me for it.
His pack member nods at his silent command and vanishes into the woods. When Damien turns back to me, I suddenly feel smaller. I clear my throat, forcing my voice to be steadier.
"I—thank you. For saving me."
A slow, knowing smirk tugs at his lips. "Now that you know I'm an Alpha, you're suddenly that one polite girl?"
I scowl, opening my mouth to argue, but he moves in closer, his heat radiating against me. His fingers trace my face, his face close enough that I can feel his breath on my face.
I swallow hard, my breath catching as his obsidian eyes darken.
"What—what are you doing?"