The first time my childhood friend Nathan Sinclair awakened as a werewolf, our friends called me over to help him through his heat.

But Nathan shook his head. "I really don't want her to get this so easily. Werewolf love is loyal above all, and the first person I mark becomes my only mate for life. When Bella shows up, I won't give in even if she begs to help me."

He waited and waited, but I never came.

Nathan didn't know that his brother's bodyguard, Liam Smith, had already flooded my phone with messages.

"Ms. York, Mr. Theodore has already claimed you as his mate. Please, can you come and give him a kiss?"

It turned out that I had fallen while skiing and died five years ago. His brother, Theodore Sinclair, marked me and gave me half of his lifespan, pulling me back from the jaws of death.

That night, I wrapped my arms around Theodore's neck and teased him, "Theo, stop holding back. Tell me, how many years have you secretly been in love with me?"

My childhood friend's family were all werewolves. After turning twenty, they would enter a heat cycle every full moon. The first person they mark would become their one and only mate for life.

I always thought Nathan Sinclair would choose me.

When he first awakened as a werewolf, his friends called me over to help him through his heat.

But before I could go in, I heard Nathan's irritated voice from inside the room.

"I really don't want her to get this so easily. I've got my eye on the school's most popular girl, but she's not the type to fall for anyone. Unlike Bella, who's always hanging around me like some lovesick puppy that's always at my beck and call. When she shows up, I won't give in even if she begs to help me. I'm not about to ruin my life over one stupid night and end up wrapped around her forever."

I froze outside the door, my mind completely blanked.

Nathan was the boy who grew up next door, the one I'd known my whole life. Never in a million years did I think he would see me that way.

His friends laughed, and it was loud and cruel.

"So she's just a plaything to you, huh?"

"Want me to call her and tell her not to come? Wouldn't want her taking advantage of you and trying to get ahead by sleeping with you. Honestly, girls like her aren't worth it."

Nathan stopped them, though his voice sounded strained, and his breathing uneven.

"Forget it. If you tell her not to come now, what will she think? Even if she's just a toy, I've spoiled her since we were kids, and I can't bear to see her getting hurt. I'll see if I can resist her when she shows up. There are some things I'd rather not spell out. This is the perfect chance to make her see for herself."

At that moment, I wanted so badly to burst through the door and scream at him, "You say you can't bear to see me hurt, but you still call me a lovesick puppy that's always at your beck and call, and let your friends mock me. How dare you think you deserve my love?!"

But I didn't.

Why waste words on someone who never valued me in the first place?

I turned and walked away, stumbling as I fled the scene, telling myself not to cry,

After a moment, I pulled out my phone and called Liam Smith, the bodyguard of Nathan's brother, Theodore Sinclair.

"Earlier, you asked if I could help Nathan's brother through his heat. Do you still need me to? If you do, send me the address and I'll head over right away."

-

Half an hour earlier, Liam had told me the truth that Nathan had kept hidden from me for years.

"Ms. York, do you remember when Mr. Nathan took you skiing in the mountains five years ago, and you fell into the ravine? Mr. Theodore led the rescue team. It took them three entire days before we found you buried in the snow, frozen solid. By then, you weren't breathing.

"Mr. Theodore told Mr. Nathan that werewolves can share half their lifespan with their mate through a blood ritual on a full moon night. The ritual is another form of marking, and once it's performed, the person becomes their mate for life.

"But Mr. Nathan refused. He couldn't accept losing you, yet he wouldn't save you that way either. He held you and cried for hours. In the end, it was Mr. Theodore who brought you back.

"You were lucky that it happened to be a full moon that night. To save you, Mr. Theodore performed the blood ritual and gave you half his life. By doing so, he marked you as his mate, and he couldn't love anyone else but you from then on.

"Mr. Nathan begged Mr. Theodore to keep it from you. For the past five years, Mr. Theodore has endured the full moons alone. He never bothered you and ordered everyone around him to keep the incident a secret.

"But he can't hold on tonight. He's gravely injured, and it's the full moon. He won't make it through without you."

"I'm begging you, Ms. York. Can you please come and help Mr. Theodore?"

For a moment, my mind went blank. I couldn't believe what I'd just heard.

Five years ago... I died?

Nathan, the boy who'd always treated me like his whole world, refused to give up half his life to save me. Instead, it was his brother, the cold and emotionless boy, the one everyone called the Grim Reaper, who pulled me back from death.

Even so, I steeled myself and said, "Sorry. Nathan needs me more tonight."

I would rather be seen as ungrateful than fail Nathan.

But the moment I hurried to his side, I was met with mockery. I was called a lovesick puppy, always at his beck and call, and nothing more than a plaything.

'Yeah, I really am pathetic. Serves me right for letting myself be treated like this.'

But I wouldn't make the same mistake again.

I wiped away my tears and forced back the hurt, then tightened my grip on my phone.

"Is it too late to repay the man who saved my life? If Theodore really needs me tonight, I'll go. I'll give him everything he needs!"

Liam's voice was filled with relief. "There's still time, Ms. York. I'll send you the location right away. If Mr. Theodore wasn't gravely injured and it wasn't a full moon on top of that, I'd never dare go against his orders and tell you this. He runs a real tight ship."

I understood that Theodore probably saved me out of duty, not affection, and he didn't want me clinging to him because of gratitude.

And I wasn't going to his side because Nathan broke my heart.

I just wanted to repay the man who once saved my life.

-

But when I rushed to the hospital's VIP ward, I froze.

Standing outside the door was Madeline Lewis, the school's most popular girl. She was anxiously trying to force her way in.

"Let me in! It's the full moon, isn't it? How do you know he doesn't need me? Theo! Theo, please let me in. I'll help you through this!"

For some reason, I almost laughed. Nathan said Madeline wasn't that kind of girl, yet here she was, throwing herself at his brother's bed.

Liam refused to let her in. When he saw me, he immediately opened the door, his eyes wet with relief.

"Ms. York, thank goodness you're here. Please come in. Mr. Theodore needs you tonight. No one else will do."

Madeline's face twisted with jealousy and rage.

"Why does Isabella get to go in? Theo got seriously hurt saving her! She's a jinx! How can you let her anywhere near him?"

I froze for a second.

Theodore saved me? Again? What is she talking about?

Inside the room was chaos.

I saw Theodore lying on the bed. He was shirtless, his face flushed a deep red, and his short hair was soaked through. His fingers curled tightly against the sheets as waves of pain and desire rippled through him, and the thick white bandages wrapped around his back were already seeping through with fresh blood.

Oliver Lloyd, the doctor beside him, was shouting in panic. "Sir, you can't hold out like this! Please just find a woman to help you! The bandages I just changed are already soaked. How much more blood can you lose before it's too late?

"And it's the full moon. Your wolf blood is in overdrive, and your blood isn't clotting properly. Even the strongest medication isn't helping. If we don't find a way to calm your body down, you'll bleed out before the night is over! Where is that girl—the one who can save you?"

The other bodyguards standing by the bed all turned to me at once. They saluted all together, gratitude in every move they made.

"Dr. Lloyd, she's here."

At those words, the man on the bed, who had been writhing in pain like he was burning in hell, suddenly opened his eyes.

His dark red eyes were intimidating, cold yet dazzling. He restrained the fierce desire surging within him, but his gaze landed on me unexpectedly, surprise and irritation flashing across his face.

"Who brought her here? Get her out!"

Liam stepped forward and lowered his head. "It's me, sir. If Ms. York can help ease your pain tonight, I'll accept whatever punishment comes my way. You got hurt saving her, not once, but twice, and never sought any recognition for it. You may not care, but we truly feel wronged for you."

I couldn't help but glance at the man sprawled on the bed, radiating an overwhelming presence. Although Nathan and I were childhood friends, I usually avoided Theodore like the plague.

Theodore had a reputation as a living Grim Reaper.

Even the loudest troublemakers in our circle would shrink away when he walked into the room.

It wasn't just fear. It was the way Theodore could crush you with a glance, the absolute dominance of his presence.

Normally, I went out of my way to avoid him.

But now, the man who struck fear into everyone was clutching the sheets, his legs curling instinctively as he struggled to endure the pain. Heat radiated from every inch of his body, his labored breath growing louder.

The contrast was overwhelming, and the terrifying but striking man lying in bed was utterly captivating.

But something was bothering me.

"You said he got hurt because of me again?"

Liam opened his mouth to explain, but Theodore cut him off sharply. "Shut up! Try saying one more word, I dare you."

Then, he softened his voice and nonchalantly said, "Leave, Isabella. I don't need you here."

Liam stepped forward fearlessly. "Mr. Theodore, stop pretending. Being stubborn won't win her heart. You may act tough, but your heart is softer than it seems. If Ms. York were ever in danger, you'd throw yourself into the fire to save her without a second thought. Do you think we're blind?!"

Liam wasn't the only bodyguard in the room who fearlessly started sharing their stories.

"Yeah! Last full moon, someone found you staring at Ms. York's photo on your phone until you couldn't think straight. You kept calling her name even in your sleep. I bet your dreams are full of her, right?"

One bodyguard snapped his fingers and said, "Oh, and remember that time, two months ago? You parked and stayed outside Ms. York's dorm all night. You thought of barging in a dozen times, but each time you forced yourself to stop. Your self-control was so damn impressive that superheroes would call you their role model!"

Another bodyguard nodded. "If we don't tell her, she'll never know. Do you really want to suffer like this forever?"

"Shut up. I can endure it," Theodore flatly said as his gaze dropped.

Oliver the doctor snapped frantically, "Endure what? Keep this up, and you won't live to see the sun tomorrow morning!"

Then, he turned to me. "My dear, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and help him."

The bodyguards by the bed lowered their heads respectfully, but I panicked.

I had no idea what to do.

"What am I supposed to do? I don't know how to help him."

As Oliver cut away the blood-soaked bandages, he replied without missing a beat, "Kiss him."

My face burned.

I stood by the bed, not knowing how to kiss that distant, untouchable man in front of everyone.

Then one bodyguard suddenly shouted, "Ms. York, do you even know how Mr. Theodore got hurt? Two days ago, a fire broke out at your school auditorium. You were trapped inside, passed out from the smoke, and almost suffocated to death, right?

"It was Mr. Theodore who saved you. Because of the mark, Mr. Theodore can sense when his mate is in danger. He ignored everyone's warnings and ran straight into the flames to find you. When he was carrying you out, a beam collapsed on him and his back caught fire. Even so, he didn't stop. He fought through the pain and used the last of his strength to get you our alive.

"Then Mr. Nathan swooped in and took all the credit. He saw Mr. Theodore carrying you out of the fire and snatched you right out of his arms instead of helping him. If Mr. Nathan cared so much, why didn't he go in to save you himself?"

What?!

I couldn't believe it. That was how Theodore got hurt?

When I woke up after the fire, Nathan was the one sitting at my bedside, so I thought he was the one who saved me.

Too much had happened tonight, so much that I didn't even have time to feel shy or overthink it.

None of that mattered now. Saving him came first.

Without thinking, I leaned down toward Theodore. My heart pounded in my ears as I pressed my lips firmly against his.

"Don't," Theodore growled.

His voice was cold and distant, but his fingers dug deeper into the sheets. He swallowed hard, his eyes bloodshot from the effort of trying to restrain himself.

The sight of that beautiful man on the bed was enough to make anyone sin.

But his tone grew colder. "Isabella, do you even know what you're doing? Normally, you'd act like you'd run the moment you see me. Don't do something you don't want to do just because you're grateful. And ignore what they say. It won't change anything. I don't feel a thing from your kiss."

Then, Oliver suddenly shouted excitedly.