Matteo moved like a shadow.
Silent. Careful.
Every step echoing like a secret.
The citadel slept behind him.
The forest waited ahead.
If anyone caught him…
he would be branded a traitor.
Or worse
a spy for the wolves.
But he couldn't stop.
Not when her eyes still burned in his mind.
Kiaro.
Golden eyes. Dark hair.
Wild and untouchable.
And yet… somehow, the only thing in this world that felt real.
Into the Dark
The gates of the vampire city fell away behind him like the edge of a dream.
Ahead, the forest rose like a wall of black teeth. Trees stood tall and silent, their branches clawing the sky. Cold mist curled between the roots like ghostly fingers.
The instant he stepped inside, the world changed.
No lanterns. No whispers.
Only darkness. Only breath.
The forest swallowed him whole.
Cold wind. Damp earth.
The moon slipped behind clouds, as if hiding.
Matteo's vampire sight cut through the shadows, silver-bright…
but still, something felt wrong here.
Every sound was sharper.
Every shadow heavier.
Even the air seemed to resist him, thick and old and full of watching.
It was like the trees themselves were alive—
and they were staring.
Old Wounds
Hours passed.
His boots sank into moss. Thorns snagged his cloak.
Not a single bird sang.
Even the insects were silent, as if holding their breath.
As he walked, memories whispered around him—
stories of the old war, told to him as bedtime warnings.
Hives, the vampire war hero.
Deja, the wolf who became his sworn enemy.
And Matha… the woman caught between them.
Matteo had heard their tragedy since he was a child,
but only tonight did it feel real.
He could almost see their ghosts in the branches,
hear the clash of fists and the crack of bones.
The soil here was still heavy,
as if soaked in blood no one dared speak about.
His father had fought in that war.
He had returned with medals…
and eyes that never smiled again.
Matteo had never understood.
Until now.
Eyes in the Dark
A branch cracked behind him.
Matteo froze.
Silence.
Then—
a low growl curled through the trees.
Deep. Hungry.
Golden eyes flickered between the shadows.
One pair.
Then five.
Then ten.
They glimmered like coins in the dark, circling closer.
Wolves.
Real wolves.
Not the shape-shifters he'd seen in battlefields
these were pure, primal, and terrifying.
Their breath steamed in the cold air.
Teeth flashed like slivers of moonlight.
They moved like smoke, silent and coordinated.
Matteo's heart thudded like a drum.
He knew he should draw his sword…
but he didn't.
Surrounded
They fanned out around him, paws whispering on the leaves.
The biggest of them padded forward, lips peeled back, ears flat.
Matteo slowly raised his hands.
"I'm not here to fight," he whispered.
"I'm not here to hurt anyone."
No one answered.
Only the soft pad of paws, closer… closer…
The circle tightened.
Matteo's breath fogged white in the cold.
Every instinct screamed at him to run—
but he stood his ground.
And then—
A voice from the dark.
Low. Calm. Lethal.
"You shouldn't be here, vampire."
The Girl and the Pack
Matteo's breath caught.
She stepped out of the shadows like the moon come to life.
Bare feet. Dark hair tangled by the wind.
Golden eyes that burned.
Kiaro.
Her wolf pack melted behind her like living shadows.
Their growls stilled, but their eyes never left him.
Matteo stared at her like she was the first star he'd ever seen.
"Kiaro…" he breathed.
She said nothing.
She just studied him, head tilted, eyes sharp enough to cut.
Her gaze flicked to his sword, then back to his face.
"You crossed into Tukwai," she said.
Her voice was soft.
Too soft.
Like velvet hiding a blade.
"That means," she went on,
"you want to die."
The Standoff
Matteo's heart slammed.
But he didn't move.
"I'm not your enemy," he said.
"You are vampire," she replied.
"Every vampire is our enemy."
"I'm not like them."
"That's what they all say," she said.
Her eyes glinted. "Right before they burn our homes."
A ripple of growls moved through the wolves.
Their claws dug into the earth.
Their teeth glimmered.
Matteo forced himself not to flinch.
"I didn't come here to fight you," he said quietly.
"I came here… because I had to."
"Had to?" Kiaro's brow arched.
"You broke the oldest law in the world. No vampire crosses Tukwai. Not kings, not hunters, not princes. Anyone who steps in this forest dies. No exceptions."
"Then kill me," Matteo said.
The words shocked even him.
But they were true.
Kiaro blinked. Just once.
"Why?" she asked.
Why
Matteo's throat felt tight.
The words tangled like thorns.
"Because ever since I saw you," he said,
"nothing else makes sense anymore."
The wolves went still.
Even the wind paused.
Kiaro's eyes softened for half a second
then sharpened again like lightning.
"That's not a reason to risk your life," she said.
"It's the only reason I have," he whispered.
The Shift
The pack shifted, restless.
One of them snarled, stepping forward.
Kiaro held up a hand.
The wolf froze instantly.
Her eyes stayed locked on Matteo.
"You're either very brave," she said,
"or very stupid."
"Maybe both," Matteo said, and almost smiled.
Kiaro's mouth twitched, as if she almost smiled back.
Almost.
Then her face hardened.
"If the elders find you here, they will kill you before you can speak. And they will not care about your… feelings."
"Then let me speak to you," he said.
"Just you."
"That's worse," she said.
"If they smell your scent on me, they'll call me traitor."
Matteo's chest ached.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't come to hurt you."
"Good," Kiaro said softly.
"Because you wouldn't survive if you tried."
The Choice
She stepped closer, slow and deliberate.
Her wolves parted silently for her like a tide.
When she stood right in front of him,
Matteo realized just how dangerous she truly was.
Not because of her teeth.
Because of her eyes.
Because looking at her
felt like standing on the edge of the world—
and wanting to jump.
"Go back," Kiaro whispered.
"Before they find you."
"I can't."
"You must."
Matteo shook his head.
His voice cracked when he spoke.
"I came here for you."
Unspoken
The night held its breath.
Even the forest seemed to lean closer.
Kiaro's lashes lowered.
Something unreadable flickered in her golden eyes.
For a heartbeat, Matteo thought she would tell him to leave.
Or kill him herself.
Instead, she stepped back.
"Follow me," she said.
Matteo blinked. "What?"
"Follow. Quietly. One wrong sound and they'll smell your blood."
Then she turned, hair flashing like ink in moonlight,
and melted back into the trees.
Her wolves flowed after her like living smoke.
Silent. Deadly.
Matteo hesitated only once.
Then he followed her
into the heart of Tukwai.