Ava

I always believed that I was a typical girl. I spent hours buried in literature while I was a scholar at Duke University. Research, classes, and the occasional night out with pals were the mainstays of my life, but today was different.

I asked Nikolai, my boyfriend of two months to accompany me since he knew the place better than I did. We went into the woods behind campus to pick a landscape for my next painting. I lost track of time as we continued to travel until Nikolai led me to a gorgeous lake and wonderful clearing.

As I busied myself with art, I experienced an odd force in the air that caused the hair on my arms to stand on end. At that moment, Nikolai was suddenly on alert. He stood before me in a protective stance while staring at the woods.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I slowly stood beside him.

“Ava, listen to me. Whatever happens and whatever you see, you have to keep staying close to me. When I move, you move. Don't run away unless I tell you to, got it?" Nikolai warned.

I slightly tugged on Nikolai's shirt to let him know I understood, and I exhaled slowly. Just then, three enormous wolves materialized in front of us. Strangely, their eyes gleamed with intellect I couldn't understand. I instantly froze, unsure of what to do.

These were different from the wolves I had read about. They appeared to be almost... supernatural. A part of me wanted to run, but I knew if I did, I'd be easy prey. When the largest of them all strode toward us with its pointed fangs, my heart began to rush.

"Oh, my God! We're going to die!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

My body froze and all I could do was watch in terror. But just as the wolf leaped, Nikolai stood tall, a fierce look in his eyes. Before I could process what was happening, he transformed into a massive black wolf, so I stumbled back, terrified.

Soon, teeth clashed, and growls filled the air. As Nikolai fought two, one had successfully lunged itself at me, causing me to fall to the ground, screaming for help, my left arm slightly caught inside its mouth.

I thrashed, punched, and yelled in pain, fighting for my dear life. As if sensing distress, Nikolai suddenly slashed at my attacker's head and neck with its massive claws before biting down on its throat with sheer force.

He fought all three of them as if they were no match for him and when he had killed the last of them, he suddenly turned to me. He stood in front of me, staring. His eyes glowed like two burning embers in the dark.

I thought I was losing my mind. I had spent years in my cozy dorm room at Duke University, studying and focusing on my future, but this? This was beyond anything I had ever read. My boyfriend just turned into a wolf.

"Don't come near me!" I shouted when he took a step toward me.

He snarled, then shifted. In an instant, Nikolai transformed back into a man. I stumbled back, my breath hitching in my throat as I screamed again. This wasn't a nightmare. This was real.

He looked right at me and said. "Ava, please trust me. I'm not going to hurt you."

I blinked, not knowing what to think now. "What are you?" I asked.

"I'm a werewolf. I'll tell you everything you need to know, but I have to make sure that you're healing first," he explained, pointing at the arm that the other wolf had bitten.

"Why should I trust you? You're not even a doctor, Nikolai." I questioned, still terrified.

"No, but I need to check on your wound."

He took slow steps toward me and held his hand out, waiting for me to make the next move. His brows furrowed at the sight of my bitten arm.

"I promise I'm not going to do anything to hurt you, but you have to come with me because your bite wound seems to be dangerously spreading."

As if on cue, a burning sensation radiated from my bitten arm all over my body, causing me to gasp and scream in pain.

Ava

My bones started cracking in different places all at once for what felt like an eternity. I whaled and squirmed in pain. My skin stretched and tore, and I felt trapped in my own body. It was pure agony.

"Ava, breathe," Nikolai stated as he held me down, his grip firm but gentle.

The pain ebbed and flowed like a tide, and I was caught in its grip. My muscles twisted, and my bones rearranged themselves. It was like being reborn in fire. And when the agony finally faded, I lay there, trembling and confused.

"What just happened?" I managed to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

Nikolai's brows furrowed. "I wish I knew how to explain it. You were bitten, but this… this is something else."

"What do you mean?"

"It seems that the bite made you turn into your wolf form several times, but that wasn't supposed to happen to someone like you," he vaguely explained, causing me more turmoil.

"Can't you just get straight to the point?" I demanded.

"You're not just human, Ava. You are half werewolf and half vampire. What it means is getting bitten isn't supposed to make you turn without your control."

His words hung in the air, heavy and unsettling. Half-werewolf? Half-vampire? It felt like a story I would have read in one of my books, not something that applied to me. I scoffed. "That's insane! You expect me to believe I'm some kind of monster?" My words came out sharper than I intended.

Anger bubbled up within me, fueled by disbelief. The words felt like a punch. I shook my head, trying to process it. I could feel my heart racing, a sense of panic creeping in. I needed to get away, so before I could think, I turned and ran.

"Ava!" Nikolai yelled after me, but I kept running.

I couldn't believe what he had told me. A werewolf? Half-vampire? It felt like a bad joke and I felt betrayed because it seemed that Nikolai knew something about me, so his intentions were confusing.

As I broke through the underbrush, I nearly stumbled into Liam. He stood there, his eyes wide, concern etched on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, stepping closer.

I shook my head, breathless. "I need to get out of here," I gasped.

He hesitated, then nodded. "I can help you."

I agreed, desperate to leave what had transpired behind. We moved quickly, but my mind raced. What was I going to do now? I couldn’t think straight. My blood felt hot, the air thick around me.

Suddenly, everything went dark. One moment, I was running with Liam and the next, I was falling into a void. I lost consciousness. When I woke, I was lying on a bed. Liam was crouched beside me.

"What happened? Where's Nikolai?" I asked, my voice shaky.

"You're in my room. He's not here. You're safe with me," Liam replied, his tone steady.

However, the calmness in his voice made me a bit suspicious because, just like Nikolai, I had only met Liam at school. We were never friends, so it was odd that he was looking out for my safety.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood, wobbling slightly suddenly, having the urge to leave as I realized that this couldn't be Liam's real dorm room since it was way too dark and too small.

"Where do you think you're going?" Liam questioned as he stood next to me.

"I'm going back to my dorm," I answered.

I took a step toward the door, but Liam immediately blocked my path.

"You can't leave yet," he said. "We still have something to talk about."

My instincts suddenly kicked in, so I tried to push past him, but he grabbed my arm with so much force, making me wince.

"Let me go!" I shouted, but he didn't release me.

Instead, he pulled something from his pocket—a vial filled with dark red liquid. My breath caught in my throat, thinking that he was about to poison me.

"What is that?" I asked, fear creeping in.

He didn't answer. Instead, he stepped closer and, before I could react, forced the vial to my lips.

"Drink!" he fiercely commanded.

I struggled to break free, but he was too strong. Just then, the thick metallic taste flooded my mouth. He was forcing me to drink blood. I gagged, trying to spit it out, but it was too late. My body reacted violently.

I convulsed, feeling the heat, and then cold washed over me. Just as quickly as it began, the convulsions stopped. I lay on the floor, gasping to breathe. My vision was clearing and blurring all at once. What had he done?

Nikolai

I had just told Ava the truth. I revealed my identity as a wolf, and more importantly, that she was a hybrid. But the moment those words left my mouth, fear crossed her face. She bolted, and I let her go. I figured she needed space.

But as the minutes turned into hours, something gnawed at me. She didn't come back to her dorm, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. I had to find her. I focused, trying to catch her scent in the middle of the woods where we were earlier.

Instead of Ava's sweet, familiar scent, I caught a whiff of Liam's. That made my blood run cold. Liam was a known rival, always lurking around, always looking for a chance to stir up chaos.

I rushed to his dorm room, my heart pounding, but when I got there, the room was empty. No clothes strewn about, no sign of life, just silence. My gut twisted.

I whipped out my phone and called my pack members. I needed them to search for Ava.

"Ava's missing. Look for her. Anywhere. Everywhere." I hung up and tried to focus.

The more I thought about her, the more I feared her safety. Ava was raised as a regular human being. A hybrid like her could be the most powerful being, but her powers remained dormant since she was young, so she was still vulnerable in ways she didn't understand.

Minutes felt like hours as I paced outside Liam's dorm. I couldn't shake the image of Ava's frightened face from my mind. I couldn't help but feel disappointed at how I handled everything earlier.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was one of my pack members.

"Alpha, we may have found her. Her scent led as far as the old warehouse by the river."

Relief washed over me, but it was mixed with dread. What had she been doing there? I took off, my feet pounding against the pavement.

I stepped inside the old warehouse, the darkness swallowing me. I called out Ava's name, but only silence answered, so I felt my heart race again. I rushed forward, sniffing for clues until I was led into a small makeshift room.

The room was empty, save for the faint smell of dust and something metallic, the smell of human blood. My eyes landed on the floor, where a tiny vial lay shattered. Rage surged through me.

I could almost hear Ava's voice in my head, urging me to stay calm. But how could I? She was missing, and the empty vial of blood told me everything. My mind raced with thoughts. Had she drunk it?

I rushed out of the warehouse. I had to gather my pack. I needed them with me. We had to confront Liam’s pack. I wasn’t even sure if he was involved in Ava’s disappearance, but the anger inside me didn’t care about uncertainty. I had to do something. I had to act.

As I reached the clearing where my pack gathered, their faces turned serious. They could see it on me—the desperation, the fury. I told them what I found. Their eyes widened. Whispers spread through the group. They knew what it meant. They knew how dangerous this was. I felt the weight of their eyes on me, waiting for directions.

"Liam's pack may have Ava," I announced. "You know what this means, right?" Some members hesitated, but others nodded. They knew the stakes.

When we reached Liam's territory, I could see the shadows of his pack. They were already waiting for us. I stepped forward, my pack flanking me.

"Where is Ava?" I shouted.

Liam arrogantly stepped out from the shadows, a smirk on his face.

"Looking for her, are we? What's wrong? Did she finally realize what a loser you are?" he taunted.

I clenched my fists. I wanted to lunge at him, but I held back. I needed answers. "Did you take her?"

When he didn't answer, I stepped closer, fists clenched. "Did you take her?"

Liam shrugged, his indifference infuriating. "Search the territory if you want. She's not here."