Cold.
That was the first thing I felt.
Not the comforting coolness of night air, but a deep, bone-chilling cold that seemed to seep into my skin and settle inside my chest.
For a moment, I wondered if I had died.
Maybe this was what it felt like when a rejected wolf finally gave in and let the pain take them.
My eyelids fluttered.
Darkness surrounded me.
But slowly, shapes began to form.
A stone ceiling loomed above me, carved with strange symbols I didn't recognize. Flickering candlelight danced along the walls, casting long shadows that twisted across the room like silent watchers.
I wasn't in the forest anymore.
Panic shot through me.
I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain tore through my chest the moment I moved.
A broken gasp escaped my lips.
The rejection bond.
Even hours later, it still felt like someone had carved a hollow space inside my heart.
My wolf remained silent.
Too weak to even whimper.
I forced myself to look around the room.
The place was enormous, built from dark stone that looked older than anything I had ever seen in the pack territory. Heavy black curtains covered tall windows, blocking the moonlight completely.
This wasn't a werewolf den.
This was something else.
Something wrong.
My pulse began to race.
Then I noticed the figure standing near the far wall.
At first, I thought it was a statue.
Tall.
Still.
Watching.
But then he moved.
Slowly stepping out of the shadows, the stranger revealed himself in the dim candlelight.
My breath caught.
He was… terrifying.
His hair was black as midnight, falling loosely around a pale face so sharp it looked almost unnatural. His eyes glowed faintly crimson in the darkness, like embers burning beneath ice.
And his presence…
It pressed down on the room like an invisible weight.
Predatory.
Ancient.
My wolf, weak as she was, stirred in sudden fear.
Danger.
The realization struck me like lightning.
Vampire.
My body reacted instantly.
I scrambled backward across the bed, ignoring the pain ripping through my chest.
"Stay away from me!" I cried.
My voice sounded small and fragile in the massive room.
The vampire didn't move.
He simply watched me.
Expressionless.
Cold.
The silence stretched long enough to make my skin crawl.
Finally, he spoke.
"You're awake."
His voice was deep and calm, carrying a quiet authority that made the air itself seem to listen.
But there was no warmth in it.
None.
"Where am I?" I demanded weakly.
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he began walking toward me.
Each step was slow and deliberate, like a predator approaching wounded prey.
My heart hammered violently.
"Stop!" I shouted.
He ignored me completely.
Within seconds, he was standing beside the bed.
Up close, he looked even more inhuman.
His skin was pale like marble, flawless and cold. His red eyes studied me with detached curiosity, as if I were something strange he had discovered in the forest.
Not a person.
Not a wolf.
Just… an object.
I swallowed hard.
"Are you… going to kill me?" I whispered.
The vampire tilted his head slightly.
Something almost like amusement flickered in his eyes.
"If I intended to kill you," he said calmly, "you would already be dead."
That did absolutely nothing to calm my fear.
I glanced toward the door behind him, calculating the distance.
Too far.
And even if I reached it…
This was a vampire.
I wouldn't get two steps before he caught me.
His gaze followed my movement easily.
"Running would be pointless."
Heat rushed to my face in humiliation.
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked.
Silence.
He studied me for several long seconds before answering.
"You collapsed in my forest."
Your forest.
My stomach dropped.
The forbidden territory.
The place every werewolf was warned about since childhood.
The land ruled by the vampire king.
Fear crawled down my spine.
"Please…" I said quietly. "I didn't mean to trespass. I'll leave if you just let me go."
His expression didn't change.
"Leave?" he repeated.
The single word carried quiet disbelief.
I nodded quickly.
"Yes. I won't tell anyone I was here."
He stared at me for a long moment.
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
"You are not leaving."
My heart skipped.
"What?"
"You are too weak to travel," he said flatly.
"I'm fine," I insisted quickly.
The lie was obvious.
My body trembled with exhaustion, and the rejection pain still pulsed through my chest.
But I would rather crawl through the forest bleeding than stay trapped in a vampire's home.
The stranger watched my shaky attempt to stand.
I barely made it halfway off the bed before my legs gave out.
Pain exploded through my chest again.
The room spun violently.
Before I hit the floor—
A cold hand caught my arm.
The vampire had moved so fast I hadn't even seen it.
One second he stood across the room.
The next, he was holding me upright.
My breath froze.
His skin was ice against mine.
Instinct screamed at me to pull away.
But I was too weak.
His red eyes narrowed slightly as he studied my face.
"You were rejected."
It wasn't a question.
Shame burned through me instantly.
I looked away.
"That's none of your business."
His grip tightened slightly.
"You are lucky I found you," he said coldly. "Another hour in the forest and the rejection would have killed you."
My throat tightened.
A part of me wondered if that would have been easier.
His gaze sharpened.
Almost as if he sensed the thought.
"Do not mistake my assistance for kindness," he added calmly. "You are alive because I allowed it."
The words sent a chill down my spine.
"Why?" I whispered.
For the first time, he hesitated.
His eyes darkened slightly.
Then he released my arm and stepped back.
"You will recover here," he said simply.
"That does not answer my question."
His gaze snapped back to mine.
Cold.
Ancient.
Unreadable.
"You are in no position to question me."
Fear and frustration twisted inside my chest.
"Then at least tell me your name."
Silence.
The candles flickered softly between us.
Finally, he spoke.
"Adrian."
Just one word.
But something about the way he said it felt heavy with power.
My wolf stirred weakly again.
Not with fear this time.
But confusion.
Because deep inside me…
Something strange reacted to his presence.
Something unfamiliar.
Something that made my heart beat just a little faster.
I didn't understand it.
And judging by the cold look in Adrian's eyes…
He didn't care to explain it either.