Eira's POV
I woke with a scream trapped in my throat.
My eyes flew open.
For a moment, I couldn't understand where I was.
Darkness surrounded me. The only light came from the pale moon above the forest, its glow slipping through the branches and casting faint shadows across the ground.
I was lying beside an old tree.
My body was drenched in sweat, and my heart pounded violently against my chest.
Then the memories came rushing back.
The man.
His body twisting unnaturally.
Bones cracking.
Claws pushing through his fingers.
A massive wolf standing where a man had been.
And then—
Adrian.
His fangs.
The blood on his hands.
I suddenly sat upright.
"No…"
My hands trembled.
It had been a nightmare.
It had to be.
But then I saw him.
Adrian stood beside the river a short distance away, filling a small bottle with water.
The moment he heard me move, he turned.
His eyes widened.
"Eira."
He immediately rushed toward me and knelt beside me, holding the bottle out.
"Drink some water."
I stared at the bottle.
Then at him.
Something inside me snapped.
I slapped the bottle from his hand.
It struck the ground, spilling water across the grass.
Adrian froze.
My voice came out broken.
"What is going on?"
He said nothing.
"You killed a man…"
My voice trembled.
"And how… how did he turn into a werewolf?"
Adrian's expression tightened.
"What is all this? Answer me!"
I pushed myself farther away from him.
"I thought you just hated me."
My eyes filled with tears.
"But…"
I swallowed hard.
"I never thought…"
My voice broke.
"You could actually kill someone."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"How could you do this?"
Adrian looked away.
"Eira, try to understand. He would have killed you."
"I don't care!"
"He was going to attack you."
"I saw what you did!"
"I was protecting you."
His voice softened.
"I will never hurt you."
He slowly tried to move closer.
I immediately screamed.
"I don't want to see you!"
Adrian stopped.
"Leave me alone!"
He stood completely still.
"You are a…"
The word refused to leave my mouth.
Something changed in Adrian's expression.
For a moment, he looked as though those unfinished words had hurt him more than anything else.
Then he slowly walked toward me.
"Say it."
I stared at him.
He stopped a few steps away.
"Go on, Eira."
His voice was strangely calm.
"Say what I am."
I shook my head.
"No…"
"Say it."
His eyes remained fixed on mine.
"I am a monster."
I froze.
"I am an animal."
He took another step.
"I am a disgusting creature who kills."
His voice grew quieter.
"Who feeds on people to survive."
Tears slipped down my cheeks.
Adrian looked directly into my eyes.
"I am a vampire."
The word echoed inside my head.
Vampire.
"The creature you are meant to hate."
A bitter smile touched his lips.
"All of this is true."
He looked away for a moment.
"But I am not leaving you."
My eyes widened.
"Not until you're safe."
He looked back at me.
"I won't let anyone touch you."
Before I could react, he pulled me toward him.
I stiffened in his arms.
But this time, I couldn't scream.
I just cried.
I looked into his eyes.
They were black.
But they weren't completely empty anymore.
There was something inside them.
Something I had never seen before.
Pain.
So much pain.
Adrian slowly released me.
He looked at me for one final moment before turning away.
Then he walked into the darkness.
I remained beside the tree, staring after him.
I still couldn't believe it.
Adrian was a vampire.
A creature I had believed existed only in stories.
The man who had always seemed cold, arrogant, and cruel was something far more terrifying.
I should have hated him.
I should have been afraid of him.
But somehow…
The truth hurt.
And I didn't understand why.
Why did knowing what he was hurt me so much?
Why did seeing the pain in his eyes make my heart ache?
I pressed a trembling hand against my chest.
"I should hate you…"
But the words didn't feel true anymore.
Adrian's POV
I destroyed trees with my bare hands.
I tore branches from their trunks and hurled them into the darkness.
Then I wrapped my hands around the trunk of a tree and ripped it from the ground.
The earth cracked beneath its roots.
I threw the tree aside.
It crashed through the forest with a deafening sound.
But none of it helped.
Because her eyes wouldn't leave my mind.
The fear.
The disgust.
The way she had looked at me.
I laughed bitterly, but there was no happiness in it.
"She should hate me."
I clenched my fists.
"I am a vampire."
I looked down at my hands.
"An animal."
A painful smile crossed my face.
"No one will ever want a creature like me near her."
I looked toward the darkness where Eira was.
"I am worse than an animal."
My voice cracked.
"Animals can die."
A bitter smile touched my lips.
"But I don't even deserve that."
I slowly lowered myself onto one knee.
"I was meant to be hated."
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
"What did I think?"
I slammed my fist into the ground.
"What did I think she would do?"
Another punch.
"Love me?"
My voice trembled.
"How could she ever love something like me?"
I stared at the ground.
"A creature like me is meant to be feared."
I closed my eyes.
"Not loved."
Then I heard it.
A sound.
My head snapped upward.
Footsteps.
Not one.
Many.
My senses sharpened instantly.
Wolves.
They were close.
Too close.
I rose to my feet.
"They've surrounded us."
I immediately ran toward Eira.
When I reached her, I grabbed her hand.
"Eira, we have to leave."
She looked at me in confusion.
"It's not safe here."
I pulled her along.
Then—
A howl tore through the night.
Another answered.
Then another.
My instincts screamed at me.
There were too many.
I stopped.
I quickly removed my coat.
"Eira, put this over your head."
"What?"
"Just do it."
I dragged one of my fangs across my palm, opening a small wound.
Dark blood slowly surfaced.
Eira stared at me.
"What are you doing?"
"Don't worry."
I smeared the scent of my blood across the coat.
"It will hide your scent."
I pulled her behind a large tree.
"Stay here."
Her eyes widened.
"Adrian—"
"Don't come out."
My voice became firm.
"No matter what happens."
I looked directly into her eyes.
"And no matter what you see…"
I paused.
"I won't let anything happen to you."
I stepped away from her.
"Stay here, Eira."
Then I turned toward the darkness.
The wolves were coming.
Eira's POV
I didn't understand.
Who was Adrian protecting me from?
Why did these creatures want me?
Why were there so many wolves in this forest?
I stayed behind the tree, barely moving.
Then I saw Adrian.
He was standing a short distance away.
Alone.
Or at least, I thought he was.
Suddenly—
Wolves emerged from the darkness.
One after another.
Then more.
They surrounded him.
My heart stopped.
Where had all these wolves come from?
Then I heard a laugh.
A familiar laugh.
A man stepped forward.
At first, I could only see his back.
His voice carried through the forest.
"I caught you!"
He laughed.
"I win this game of hide-and-seek."
Then he turned.
My blood ran cold.
"No…"
I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Jake.
It was Jake.
But what was he doing here?
And why were all these wolves with him?
Then I noticed the way they stood around him.
The way they followed his movements.
The way he looked at them without fear.
A terrible realization settled over me.
Jake wasn't merely travelling with them.
He was one of them.
He was a werewolf.
He looked at Adrian and smiled.
"Well, well…"
He spread his arms slightly.
"My friend."
He laughed.
"Are you lost in the forest?"
His expression became mocking.
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to go into the forest at night?"
He paused.
Then smiled cruelly.
"Oh, I forgot."
His voice became colder.
"Your mother died many, many years ago."
He tilted his head.
"So who was left to teach you?"
Adrian's expression remained completely calm.
"Actually…"
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I didn't have an animal for a mother."
Jake's smile disappeared.
Adrian's gaze hardened.
"But looking at you now…"
He paused.
"I can see you weren't so fortunate."
Before I could understand what was happening, Jake suddenly pulled out a silver knife.
He lunged.
The blade plunged into Adrian's shoulder.
"Adrian!"
His body jerked violently.
His fingers immediately closed around the blade.
The silver burned through him.
His jaw tightened, but he made no sound.
For a moment, he simply stood there, his face locked in a mask of controlled agony.
A faint tremor passed through his arm.
He dropped to one knee.
Jake calmly pulled the knife from his shoulder.
Adrian pressed a hand against the wound, fighting to steady himself as the silver's poison continued to tear through his body.
"Don't worry."
Jake smiled.
"I'll teach you everything."
He stepped closer.
"Tell me where she is."
Adrian slowly raised his head.
"I know she's here."
"She isn't here."
Adrian forced himself to stand.
Jake's voice hardened.
"Again. Same boring answer."
He stepped closer.
"You know how much time I've spent searching for her."
His eyes darkened.
"How much time I've spent searching for Selenathyx."
The strange name sent a shiver through me.
Selenathyx?
What was that?
"And now…"
Jake smiled.
"I know the Stone is inside Princess Lunaria's daughter."
My heart stopped.
Princess Lunaria?
Daughter?
What was he talking about?
Jake's gaze hardened.
"The vampires want to destroy the Stone before we can get it."
He took another step.
"They'll kill her on instinct because of the Stone."
My breath caught.
"Yet here you are, protecting her."
His eyes narrowed.
"Going against your own clan."
He studied Adrian for a moment.
"Why?"
"Where is she?"
Adrian stared at him for a moment, almost amused.
"All this for one girl?"
His gaze moved across the wolves surrounding him.
"You brought an entire pack just to find her."
A cold smile touched his lips.
"Tell me, Jake…"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Do you actually have any strength of your own?"
His eyes hardened.
"Or is this what you need to feel powerful?"
Jake's expression darkened.
He stepped closer.
"Who is she?"
His eyes returned to Adrian.
"Who is this girl you're willing to go against your own vampire clan for?"
Adrian's expression hardened.
"I will get Selenathyx."
Jake smiled.
"No matter what happens."
Adrian slowly straightened despite the silver wound burning through his shoulder.
"You will never touch her."
His voice was low.
"Not while I'm alive."
Jake stared at him.
Then his lips curved into a cold smile.
"Then…"
He raised the silver knife.
"I'll kill you."
My body went completely still.
I couldn't breathe.
Kill him?
I looked down at my chest.
A faint light suddenly appeared beneath my clothes.
My eyes widened.
The light grew stronger.
My hand trembled as I touched my chest.
"Selenathyx…"
A terrible realization struck me.
"I have Selenathyx…"
My dreams.
The strange visions.
The baby.
The woman.
The ancient place.
The Stone.
All of it.
It wasn't a dream.
They had been fragments of something real.
My breathing became faster.
"That's why…"
I stared at the light beneath my chest.
"That's why the werewolves want me."
Another thought struck me.
I looked toward Adrian.
"Princess Lunaria's daughter…"
My voice trembled.
"That's me."
But another question broke through everything.
Why was Adrian protecting me?
Why would Adrian protect the girl who could destroy his entire vampire clan?
Why was he willing to stand against both vampires and werewolves for me?
I looked at Adrian.
"Why…"
Before I could finish—
A scream of pain tore through the forest.
My entire body froze.
I turned toward Adrian.
Two wolves stepped forward, holding long silver chains.
Before Adrian could react, they threw the chains around him.
The silver wrapped tightly around his arms and torso.
Adrian's entire body stiffened.
A raw, agonized scream tore from him.
The silver burned through his skin.
He tried to tear the chains apart.
But every time he moved, the silver tightened around him.
His face twisted with unbearable pain.
"Adrian!"
My hand flew to my mouth.
I had never seen him like this.
The strongest person I had ever known was struggling against two simple chains.
Then another wolf approached.
He held a silver knife.
Jake laughed.
The wolf drove the blade into Adrian's leg.
Adrian's body jerked violently.
Another silver blade struck his other leg.
A second agonized scream escaped him.
His knees finally gave way.
He crashed onto the ground.
My chest tightened painfully.
I couldn't breathe.
"Stop…"
The word barely escaped my throat.
I immediately covered my mouth, terrified that even that faint sound would reveal me.
But I couldn't look away.
Adrian was trembling beneath the silver chains, every movement forcing another wave of agony through his body.
Tears blurred my vision.
My fingers dug into my palms as I fought against the desperate urge to run to him.
I had never seen him like this.
Adrian had always seemed untouchable.
Fearless.
Dangerous.
Strong enough to make everyone else afraid of him.
But now—
He was on his knees.
Bound by silver.
Barely able to move.
And there was nothing I could do.
My heart shattered at the sight.
Another wave of pain crossed his face.
I couldn't take it anymore.
My legs moved before I could stop them.
I stepped out from behind the tree.
Adrian's head snapped toward me.
His eyes widened.
He fought harder against the chains.
"Leave!"
His voice was filled with desperation.
"Get out of here!"
But I couldn't move.
I couldn't leave him like this.
Jake turned toward me.
At first, he couldn't see my face. The coat was still covering my head.
His smile returned.
"Come here, my dear."
His voice was disturbingly calm.
"We've been waiting for you for a very long time."
Adrian struggled harder.
The silver chains tightened around him.
"Leave her!"
He fought against the restraints.
The pain was unbearable, but he kept fighting.
Jake barely glanced at him.
"Can you stop yelling, Adrian?"
He sighed.
"It's annoying."
Then he looked toward me.
"Please…"
He smiled.
"Show me your face, my dear."
He took a step closer.
"I promise I'll make it quick."
My hands trembled.
Tears rolled down my cheeks.
Jake continued walking toward me.
"Come on."
He stopped only a few feet away.
"Let me see you."
I slowly reached for the coat covering my head.
My fingers trembled.
Then, very slowly…
I lowered it.
Jake's face went completely white.
His smile vanished.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Eira…?"
Tears rolled down my cheeks.
I looked past him.
Straight at Adrian.
He was still trapped in the silver chains.
Still struggling.
Still trying to reach me, even though he could barely move.
Something inside me broke.
"Please…"
My voice trembled.
"Let him go."
Jake stared at me.
I stepped forward.
"Please."
More tears slipped down my face.
"Let him go."
I looked at Adrian.
Then back at Jake.
"If you want me…"
My voice cracked.
"Take me."
I swallowed my fear.
"Just let him go."
Jake said nothing.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Then whispered—
"Kill me."
I opened my eyes again.
"Just let him go."
The forest fell silent.
And for the first time, I understood something that terrified me more than Adrian being a vampire.
I wasn't afraid of dying.
I was afraid of watching Adrian die because of me.