Right at that moment, *I could feel my eyes bulge*—something wasn’t right. My vision blurred, my heart thudded uncontrollably. That *intoxicating smell of blood*…

I was craving it.

*Craving it.*

I lay there, wide-eyed, trying to breathe through the madness curling through my body like smoke. My stomach twisted. My head pounded like drums of war, and a strange heat crawled under my skin. I couldn't sleep. Couldn’t even close my eyes.

I kept *tossing and turning*, the urge growing worse with every second.

“Are you alright?” Lucien’s voice came, low and cold from the other side of the bed. “You’re distracting me from sleeping.”

I froze. *I wish I could explain it to him.*

That something inside me was clawing to get out.

That his bleeding friend lying there… smelled like something I wanted to sink my teeth into.

*Vampires are fiction. Right?* I told myself, gripping the sheets so tight my knuckles hurt.

But it was getting worse.

I bolted from the bed and *ran into the bathroom*, shutting the door behind me and locking it with shaky fingers.

I barely made it to the sink before I dropped to my knees, hands on the cold tile. *My head felt like it was splitting.* The groan that escaped my throat didn’t even sound human.

I looked down at my palms—only to see something sharp, metallic… *claws*.

Fangs, sprouting from beneath my skin like twisted, glinting talons.

I couldn’t scream. I wouldn’t.

I clawed at the tiles, scratching deep grooves into the floor as tears ran down my face.

“What is happening to me?” I whispered, pressing my forehead to the cold wall.

*Am I becoming a monster?*

I wanted to cry louder. Scream for help.

But some deep part of me was terrified of what I was becoming—and didn’t want anyone to see.

Then suddenly, I heard it—*a knock on the door.*

“Aria…”

Lucien’s voice. Low, firm. Concern buried beneath his usual coldness.

“Open the door,” he said.

“You’re not fine.”

-----

Lucien's POV

I’m not the kind of guy who gives a damn about anyone.

But something about the way Aria ran into that bathroom, the way her breathing changed, the way the air shifted—*I knew she wasn’t fine.*

Maybe it was just because she’s my roommate. Maybe I didn’t want a dead body to deal with. Who knows. But I found myself knocking on the door.

“Aria,” I said again, quieter this time, “what’s wrong?”

A beat of silence passed before she finally answered.

“The smell of the blood… irritates me. I couldn’t sleep,” she said, her voice shaky.

*Liar.*

I could smell the lie dripping from her words.

I don’t know how I knew—but I knew.

There was something dark clawing underneath her calm. Something primal. Something that didn’t feel human.

*No… it can’t be. Not what I’m thinking…*

Moments later, the bathroom door creaked open.

She stepped out, eyes swollen and red like she’d been crying for hours. Her body looked drained, shoulders slumped, but whatever had happened in there… she wasn’t ready to talk about it.

Fine by me. As long as she didn’t explode into something in her sleep, I didn’t care.

I turned my back and went to bed.

***

The golden light filtered through the wide windows of the room, soft and warm. I blinked into the brightness and stretched before I heard a low grunt from the other bed.

Damon.

He was waking up, finally.

“Take it easy, bro,” I said, walking over and helping him sit up.

His shirt was stained in dried blood, his face bruised but healing fast. The perks of what we are.

“What happened last night?” I asked, voice groggy, fingers gripping the edge of the bed.

Just as he was about to answer me, I felt the bed shift behind me. Aria was awake.

His eyes met mine and he immediately clamped up.

“Excuse us,” I said without even looking at her.

She blinked, sitting up slowly, confused and still a little tired. But I didn’t wait. I grabbed Damon by the arm and helped him to the empty room at the back.

I had too many questions. And I needed answers before *she* started asking hers.

When we were sure Aria was far enough, Damon finally spoke, his voice low and rough.

“I was on my way home last night when I noticed someone in my car,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Before I could react, I got hit with something—sedated instantly.”

My jaw clenched. “Where did you wake up?”

He looked up at me, his eyes hard. “In the woods.”

My fists balled.

“What? Don’t tell me it was…”

“Yeah. *The Nightfang Pack.*”

A growl rumbled low in my throat.

“I tried to fight that brat of an Alpha, but I was too weak,” Damon said through gritted teeth. “They laced the sedative with bane. My wolf was barely responding.”

“Cowards,” I spat. “They knew they couldn’t face you head-on, so they ambushed you.”

Damon nodded. “It wasn’t a warning, Lucien. It was personal. That bastard wanted me to deliver a message.”

I narrowed my eyes. “He’s trying to provoke me.”

“Exactly. That brat just took over after his father’s death. He’s desperate to prove himself.”

“Well, he’s poked the wrong beast.”

I stood tall, my blood already heating.

“I’ll speak to my father. This isn’t just some petty rivalry anymore. They targeted *my* Beta. They want war? They’ll get one. The Nightfangs are no match for the *Valeblood Pack*, and they know it.”

Damon smirked weakly. “I’ve got your back, Alpha.”

But even as I said those words, my thoughts flicked back to Aria.

The wrong war is coming.

And I had no idea what side *she* belonged to yet.