Luka sat on the edge of a rooftop, the cool night air swirling around him, its chill biting at his skin in a way that only served to remind him of the heat he could never feel. Below, the city stretched out in a sea of twinkling lights, but his mind wasn't on the bustling streets. It was on Anna. Ever since he'd started following her, Luka's thoughts had been consumed with the pain she carried—the loss of her parents, the betrayal by her uncle, the hollow loneliness that shadowed her every step when she wasn't with the children. She hid it well, better than most humans he had encountered. But he could see it. He could feel it in the way she held herself, in the way she sought to pour love into others, trying to fill the void left behind by the violence of her past. It was that sorrow, that quiet suffering, that had drawn him to her in the first place. Because in her, he saw a reflection of himself. Though centuries separated them, the pain they had endured was eerily similar. He too had once lived a life touched by tragedy, before the night everything changed. Before he became what he was now. Luka closed his eyes, letting the memories flood back. It had been years—no, centuries—since he had allowed himself to think about it. The night it all began. The night he lost everything. He had been a different man then, still human, living in a small village with people he considered his family. They weren't connected by blood, but by something deeper—loyalty, friendship, trust. He had loved them fiercely. And they had been taken from him in the blink of an eye. It was an ambush. A group of men, armed and desperate, had descended upon their village like a storm, their motives unclear but their intent unmistakable. It was a slaughter. Luka had fought, tried to protect his friends, his chosen family, but he had been young, naïve, and unprepared for the savagery of it all. Blood soaked the ground, cries filled the air, and one by one, the people he cared about fell. His own life had been hung by a thread. He remembered the moment when he thought it was over—when a blade had sliced through him, leaving him bleeding and broken in the dirt. He had felt his life slipping away, the world around him fading to darkness. But then, there was Zoran. The Alpha had appeared in the midst of the carnage, his presence commanding, his strength undeniable. Zoran had been the leader of their group, a man—or rather, something more than a man—who had lived for centuries and carried the weight of countless battles. He had been the one to save Luka that night, pulling him from the brink of death and offering him a new life. A darker life. Luka hadn't understood at the time what was happening. All he knew was that he was dying, and Zoran had given him a choice: die as a human or live as something else. Something more. In his desperation, Luka had chosen life. And so, he had been turned. The transformation had been brutal, every cell in his body screaming as it tore itself apart and rebuilt into something faster, stronger, and colder. When it was over, Luka had emerged no longer a man, but a vampire. Immortal. Forever changed. But the cost of that immortality had been high. He had lost his humanity, his connection to the world he once knew. The people he had loved were gone, their blood still fresh in his memory. And the darkness that came with his new existence had followed him ever since. He had survived. But at what cost? Luka opened his eyes, staring out over the city. The weight of those memories pressed down on him, heavy and unrelenting. He hadn't thought about that night in years. It was easier to keep those memories buried, locked away where they couldn't hurt him. But Anna had brought them back to the surface, reminding him of the parallels between their lives. Both of them had lost everything. Both had been betrayed by the ones they should have been able to trust. And both had been left to carry that grief alone, even as they tried to find meaning in a world that had taken everything from them. The difference was, Anna still had her humanity. She still had the capacity for love, for kindness, for hope. Luka had lost those things long ago. But watching her, he realized that maybe that was why he was so drawn to her. She represented everything he had once been, everything he had lost. And as much as he knew he should keep his distance, there was a part of him—a deep, hidden part—that longed to be close to that warmth again. But what would that mean? What could he possibly offer her, other than more pain? He shook his head, trying to push the thoughts away. He couldn't afford to think like that. He couldn't afford to get close to her. It was too dangerous. And yet… His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice, deep and commanding. "You're thinking too much again, Luka." Luka turned sharply, his senses suddenly alert. Zoran stood behind him, his arms crossed, a knowing look on his face. He hadn't heard the Alpha approach—typical. Zoran had always moved like a shadow, his presence unnerving even to those who knew him well. "Zoran," Luka acknowledged, trying to mask the turmoil in his mind. "I didn't expect to see you here." "I could say the same for you," Zoran replied, stepping forward to join him on the rooftop. "You've been distracted lately. Unfocused. That's dangerous." Luka clenched his jaw, knowing what was coming. Zoran had always been able to read him too well. It was one of the things that had kept Luka alive in the early years of his transformation, but now it felt like a burden. "I'm fine," Luka said, though the words felt hollow. "Just… thinking." Zoran raised an eyebrow, his sharp eyes scanning Luka's face. "About the girl?" Luka stiffened, but he didn't deny it. Zoran always knew. "She's… different," Luka said quietly, the confession hanging in the air between them. Zoran studied him for a long moment before speaking again. "You're seeing too much of your past in her. That's dangerous." Luka met his gaze, his voice firmer this time. "I know what I'm doing." "Do you?" Zoran's tone was laced with scepticism. "You're walking a fine line, Luka. You're attached to her. And that attachment will only lead to pain—for both of you." Luka looked away, his mind racing. Zoran was right. He knew that. But it didn't change the way he felt, the pull he couldn't seem to resist. "Anna… she's been through so much," Luka said after a pause. "I see it in her eyes, the same grief, the same loss. I feel it." "And what does that change?" Zoran's voice was cold, practical. "You've lived long enough to know that our kind doesn't mix with theirs. Not without consequences." Luka sighed, running a hand through his hair. He knew this conversation was inevitable, but it didn't make it any easier to hear. "I'm not trying to mix with her," Luka said, though even as he spoke the words, he wasn't sure if he believed them. "I'm just… keeping an eye on her." Zoran snorted, his expression darkening. "Keeping an eye on her? Is that what you're calling it now? You're stalking her like a predator, Luka. And you know where that road leads." Luka flinched at the harshness in Zoran's voice, but he couldn't argue. The Alpha had seen countless vampires fall into the same trap—fascinated by humans, drawn to their warmth, only to end in ruin for both sides. "I'm not going to hurt her," Luka said quietly, almost to himself. "No," Zoran agreed, his tone softening slightly. "But you're going to hurt yourself." Luka didn't respond, his mind too tangled with emotions he didn't want to confront. Zoran watched him for a moment longer before speaking again, his voice low and steady. "Luka, I've known you since the night you died. I've seen you survive things that would break most men. But this… this is different. You can't bring her into your world, and you can't go back to hers. There's no future for you there." Luka swallowed hard, the truth of Zoran's words hitting him like a blow. He didn't want to admit it, but deep down, he knew the Alpha was right. No matter how much he cared for Anna, no matter how much he wanted to protect her, there was no place for him in her life. "I know," Luka finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. Zoran nodded, the conversation over but the weight of it still heavy between them. "Then let her go," Zoran said, his voice softer now, almost kind. "Before it's too late." Luka said nothing, his gaze fixed on the city below but Alpha Zoran's words echoed in his mind. "One small step," he thought, "and I'll expose my kind to humans, a secret we've guarded for centuries. But what will the consequences be?"
