Eira's POV
I still didn't understand what Adrian's problem was.
Why did he always have to be so cold? So rude?
I barely knew him, yet every sharp word from him somehow managed to hurt more than it should.
The thought lingered in my mind, making my chest feel strangely heavy.
Before I could dwell on it any longer, Jake cracked another ridiculous joke.
I rolled my eyes and laughed despite myself.
Just like that, my mood lightened.
I didn't even realize when we finally reached our destination.
The entire class gathered in a breathtaking clearing.
Snow-covered flowers stretched across the ground like a white and silver blanket.
Frost glittered on every petal, making the entire place sparkle as if thousands of stars had fallen from the sky.
It was beautiful.
Almost unreal.
The teachers instructed us to stay nearby and enjoy the area for a while before moving further into the forest.
Jake and I wandered away from the group.
Not too far.
At least, that was what we thought.
The deeper we walked, the more mesmerizing everything became.
Snow-laden trees towered around us.
Strange flowers bloomed despite the cold.
The air carried an almost magical silence.
We were both so captivated by the scenery that neither of us noticed how far we'd drifted from everyone else.
Then Jake's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
Something changed in his expression.
"I need to take this," he said.
I nodded absentmindedly, still admiring the flowers.
Jake walked away while speaking on the phone.
I continued wandering.
That was when I saw it.
A strange stone structure partially hidden beneath layers of snow and vines.
Beautiful white flowers curled around it.
Ancient symbols were carved into its surface.
Something about it drew me closer.
As if it was calling me.
I brushed the snow away.
The symbols became clearer.
Without thinking, I reached out.
My fingers touched one of the carvings.
A soft click echoed through the silence.
My eyes widened.
The ground trembled.
Then a section of stone slowly slid aside.
A doorway.
A hidden doorway.
"What...?"
Curiosity immediately overpowered caution.
I stepped inside.
The moment I crossed the entrance, I found myself standing in a massive chamber.
Dust coated everything.
Ancient furniture lay abandoned beneath thick layers of snow that had somehow seeped inside over the years.
The place looked forgotten.
Lost.
As if no one had entered for centuries.
My footsteps echoed through the silence.
At the far end stood an enormous painting hidden beneath dust and ice.
I walked toward it.
Carefully brushing away the snow.
A strange symbol appeared beneath.
One I had never seen before.
Yet somehow...
It felt familiar.
A shiver ran down my spine.
"What is this place?"
I whispered.
No answer came.
Only silence.
I continued exploring.
Ancient staircases curved upward.
Drawn by curiosity, I climbed them.
The second floor revealed several rooms.
One contained a giant portrait of a regal-looking woman.
Dust covered most of her face, but even through the dirt, her beauty was breathtaking.
Something about her eyes felt hauntingly familiar.
I couldn't explain why.
In another room, I discovered an old piano.
The instrument looked impossibly preserved compared to everything else.
Beside it lay a faded sheet of music.
I picked it up.
The notes looked strange.
Ancient.
Yet somehow I could read them.
Without thinking, I sat down.
My fingers touched the keys.
And began to play.
A beautiful melody filled the chamber.
Soft.
Melancholic.
Filled with longing.
With love.
The music wrapped around me like a warm embrace.
For a moment, it felt as though the entire chamber was listening.
As though the walls remembered the song.
As though someone had once played this very melody while waiting for the person they loved.
The feeling made my heart ache.
When the final note faded, I realized how much time had passed.
"Oh no."
Everyone would be looking for me.
I stood quickly.
That's when I noticed something on a nearby drawer.
A small ornate box.
Ancient.
Covered in silver carvings.
Curiosity won again.
I opened it.
Inside rested a crystal vial.
Dark red liquid swirled within.
Blood.
Or something very similar to it.
A strange unease crawled through me.
I reached toward it.
The moment my fingers touched the glass—
CRACK.
The vial shattered.
The liquid splashed across my hand.
A blinding pain exploded through my body.
"Aahhh!"
I screamed.
The agony was unbearable.
It felt like fire spreading through every vein.
Every bone.
Every nerve..
I grabbed the edge of the piano to keep myself from falling.
The pain spread through my arm and into my chest, making it difficult to breathe.
My vision blurred.
For a second, I thought I was going to faint.
Then—
Images flashed before my eyes.
Not dreams.
Not memories.
Something else.
I saw the woman from the painting.
Not covered in dust this time.
Alive.
Beautiful silver hair flowed behind her as she laughed.
Snowflakes drifted around her.
She was standing in a grand hall.
Across from her stood a man.
Tall.
Dark-haired.
His face was blurred, as if something was preventing me from seeing him clearly.
Yet I could feel what she felt.
Love.
Pure, overwhelming love.
The scene changed.
The woman was dancing with him beneath countless lights.
Her hand rested in his.
They were smiling at each other as though nobody else existed.
The happiness between them was so strong that my chest tightened.
Then another image appeared.
The two of them sitting together beside a piano.
The woman playing softly while the man watched her.
His eyes never left her face.
He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
The tenderness of the gesture made my heart ache.
Then I heard voices.
Faint.
Distant.
As if they were coming from very far away.
"I'll find my way back to you."
The man's voice.
Low.
Gentle.
The woman smiled.
"You always say that."
"Because it's true."
He lifted her hand and pressed his forehead against it.
Jake's POV
I was walking with Eira when my phone rang.
Roy.
I answered immediately.
His voice was urgent.
"Jake. Lisa's condition is getting worse. The pain has become severe."
My expression hardened.
Damn it.
Not now.
Not today.
"I'll be there."
The call ended.
I looked back toward Eira.
She was completely absorbed in the flowers.
For a second I considered staying.
But Lisa needed help.
"I'll be back soon," I muttered.
Then I quietly moved away from the area.
The moment I was far enough from human eyes, I shifted.
Bones cracked.
Muscles stretched.
The wolf emerged.
I sprinted through the forest.
Fast.
Adrian's POV
The forest, trying to outrun my thoughts.
It wasn't working.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her.
Standing beside Jake.
Defending him.
Looking at me as if I was the one who had done something wrong.
My jaw tightened.
I shouldn't care.
I couldn't care.
Yet all I could think about was how naturally she gravitated toward him.
How easily she smiled around him.
How comfortable she looked at his side.
The memory burned.
Jake's hand brushing hers.
The way he always stood too close.
The way Eira never seemed bothered by it.
A growl rose in my throat.
Ridiculous.
Pathetic.
She wasn't mine.
She would never be mine.
So why did every instinct inside me hate seeing him near her?
And it wasn't just any male.
It was Jake.
A werewolf.
Everyone saw a loyal friend.
I knew better.
I knew what lurked beneath that smile.
Jake wasn't harmless.
He was dangerous.
Violent.
A predator every bit as deadly as I was.
Maybe worse.
Because monsters like me never pretended to be anything else.
Jake did.
And Eira trusted him.
That was the part I hated most.
Every time I saw him making her laugh, touching her, standing too close, something savage inside me stirred.
Not because he was a wolf.
Because he was near her.
I couldn't decide whether I wanted to drag Eira away from him...
Or remind Jake exactly why wolves once feared vampires.
I clenched my fists.
Stop.
I was a vampire.
Not some jealous fool.
I didn't care who she spent her time with.
So why did it hurt?
Why did her words keep replaying in my head?
"Just leave, Adrian."
The memory hit harder than it should have.
I laughed bitterly.
What had I expected?
For her to choose me?
Then suddenly—
Pain.
A sharp burning sensation exploded in my chest.
I froze.
My eyes widened.
The feeling wasn't physical.
It was something deeper.
The world disappeared.
There was only that pain.
And her.
"Eira."
Her name left my lips instantly.
Something was wrong.
I could feel it.
Her pain.
Her fear.
And worst of all—
She was alone.
My eyes flashed crimson.
The forest trembled around me.
"Where are you?" I whispered.
I only cared about finding her.
The pull in my chest tightened.
Leading me deeper into the forest.
Toward her.
Without another thought, I vanished.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
One thought echoed through my mind.
Please be safe, Eira.