Alex had just dropped Sarah off at her house and was now driving David home. Along the way, he began telling David how deeply Sarah had been affected when he was captured.
David scoffed. "Stop kidding with me."
"I'm serious, man. She likes you," Alex insisted.
"You're just seeing things," David replied.
"Okay, then tell me why she can't like you?" Alex pressed.
David sighed. "Because she has a mate-and I'm not him."
Hearing this, Alex abruptly pulled over. He turned to David with a serious look. "So you're just going to let that guy take the girl?"
David opened his mouth to respond, but Alex cut him off.
"No. You're not. Listen-maybe she liked Jack in the past, but not anymore. Now she likes you. And you like her. I don't see the problem."
David frowned. "But Sarah is his mate. And last time I checked, a mate is for life."
Alex rubbed his face in frustration. "Sometimes, I really don't get people."
He dropped his hand and turned to David again. "Have you seen the movie The Runaway Bride?"
David shook his head. "No."
Alex sighed dramatically. "It's a romance movie. Ana was deeply in love with Sebastian, and they were about to get married. But in the end, she didn't marry him-she ended up with Elijah instead. So, in this case, Sarah is Ana, Jack is Sebastian, and you are Elijah-the guy who gets the girl."
David raised a brow. "That sounds like a happy ending."
Alex winced. "Uh... not exactly. Sebastian got angry, killed Ana and Elijah, and then killed himself."
David stared at him. "Oh my God! Why would you use that as an example?!"
"Because they followed their hearts," Alex replied. "So you should too... just, you know... try not to die."
David shot him a dry look. "Wow. Very motivating."
Alex grinned. "You're welcome."
He started the car again. "Of course, all of this depends on whether Sarah's dad approves. And considering he's a werecoyote whose wife was killed by a werewolf, I'm guessing he's not a big fan of your kind."
David swallowed hard.
"And knowing werecoyotes," Alex continued, "he might try to kill you. Maybe rip your flesh apart slowly... or break every bone in your body one by one. Or he might torture you for fun, like Jack. Or, if he's feeling merciful, he might just behead you-or rip out your heart like Sebastian did to Ana and Elijah. Hell, he might even feed you to his pack."
David, visibly pale now, pressed a hand to his chest. "Weren't you just telling me to follow my heart?"
Alex shrugged. "Yeah. I'm just being realistic. You've got to be prepared for anything."
"My heart is racing now," David muttered.
Alex elbowed him lightly. "Relax. I'm just messing with you. I've got your back."
He raised his fist. David bumped it with his own.
"Alright," Alex said with a smirk, and they continued down the road.
Alex dropped David off at his house and drove away. David went inside and headed upstairs, only to find his mum still asleep. He gently shook her awake and said, "Mum, you're late for your night shift."
Her eyes shot open. Realizing the time, she sprang out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. Moments later, she was dressed and hurrying toward the door when David suddenly grabbed her hand.
"Mum, I need to tell you something."
She paused, already halfway out the door. "Can it wait?"
David hesitated. He knew she was already running late. Finally, he nodded. "Sure."
She gave him a quick, tired smile, then hurried off to work.
David went back to his room, but Alex's words wouldn't stop echoing in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more restless he became. Finally, he made up his mind. Summoning every ounce of courage, he opened his window, climbed out, and jumped down to the ground below.
Without looking back, he took off running toward Sarah's house.
When David reached Sarah's house, he climbed the tree beside her bedroom window and knocked softly on the glass. Sarah heard the sound, opened the window, and gasped when she saw him.
"David? What are you doing here?"
He slipped inside as she shut the window quickly. Before he could speak, she grabbed his arm, her eyes wide with worry. "Do you have any idea where you are? This is the house of the alpha coyote of Beacon Hills. My dad doesn't like wolves."
"I know, but-"
She cut him off again. "What if he heard you? Do you know what he would do to you? You're still healing."
"I'll be fine," David said gently. "I just... wanted to see you."
"That doesn't mean you should risk your life," Sarah replied, her voice shaking.
"I'll be okay," David said softly. When she calmed a little, he continued, "Alex told me how worried you were when I got hurt. I just wanted to thank you."
"For what?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
David stepped closer, touching her cheek. "For caring about me."
Sarah drew a shaky breath and stepped back. "This shouldn't be happening."
"I know," David replied. "But I can't stop thinking about you, Sarah. I can't help how I feel."
"Stop," she whispered, but David kept going.
"I know you might not feel the same way, but I needed to say it. I love you."
Sarah looked torn. "How can you say that? I'm Jack's mate."
"So?" David's voice rose. "Are you really going to let your whole life be controlled by an old pack law? No one should be forced to be with someone they don't truly love."
Sarah's eyes filled with pain. "Years ago, before my father became an alpha, he made a blood oath with Jack's father. He promised that his first daughter would marry into the Clintons' family in exchange for help finding the werewolves who killed my mother. I can't escape this, David. It's fate."
David stepped closer, holding her face gently in both hands. "I don't care. We make our own destiny."
He leaned in and kissed her, but Sarah pulled back, shaking her head. "No, David. We can't."
"Then look me in the eyes and tell me you don't feel anything for me," he said.
She didn't answer.
"Sarah... tell me you feel nothing."
Her silence said everything. Finally, she whispered, "You should go."
Hurt, David climbed out of the window and headed home, heart aching.
Later that night, rain hammered against the windows. David lay in bed, unable to sleep, when he heard a knock at the front door.
Confused, he went downstairs and opened it-only to find Sarah standing there, drenched from the storm.
"What are you-"
She didn't let him finish. She stepped forward and kissed him, rain dripping from her hair. When she pulled back, she whispered, "I do."
David smiled, relief washing over him. He pulled her inside and shut the door, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. They just stood there, holding onto each other as if afraid the moment might disappear.
But then the space between them closed again, and they kissed once more-slower this time, deeper, filled with everything they had been holding back.
Suddenly, David broke away,David's breathing changed first-uneven, sharper. His body tensed as something inside him reacted violently to the surge of emotion.
Strands of hair began forming along the sides of his face. His eyes flickered-something inhuman flashing beneath the surface.
"I don't know why I'm changing," he said through clenched teeth, stepping back slightly as if trying to hold himself together.
Sarah didn't panic. Her gaze locked onto him with focus, steady despite the danger rising in the room.
"Newly turned werewolves and werecoyotes don't fully control it yet," she said firmly. "Emotions trigger the shift. It's instinct."
David shook his head, struggling. "But I'm in control."
A low sound rumbled in his chest-half human, half something else entirely.
Sarah took a careful step closer, her voice softening but staying firm. "Then prove it."
That was all it took.
The tension snapped-but not into chaos. Into focus.
David closed his eyes, breathing hard, forcing himself to ground the storm inside him. He stepped closer to her again, grounding himself in her presence.The shift resisted, clawing at the edges of his control... but slowly, it began to settle.
When he opened his eyes again, they were human.
Sarah smiled softly, understanding what was happening between them without needing more words.
The storm outside faded into the background as they stayed close, everything else forgotten. Fear, doubt, and destiny all blurred into something simpler-something real.
And in that quiet, they chose each other, ready to face whatever came next-together.Because whatever they had just awakened between them wasn't just love-it was dangerous, unstable... and already tied to something much bigger than both of them.
And they both knew: this was only the beginning.