The sky was heavy that night.
Dark clouds drifted over the full moon, but nothing could hide its silver glow completely. It shone like a silent warning over the quiet town, its light pouring through Ahaana's bedroom window like a curse.
She sat at the edge of her bed, her hands trembling slightly. Her skin burned from the inside. Her heart beat too fast. Her breath came in sharp, shallow waves.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The restlessness had started a few days ago—small at first. Sleepless nights. An aching in her bones. Sudden anger she couldn't explain. She'd snapped at a professor. Almost shoved a classmate who bumped into her. She had nearly bitten through her lower lip trying to stay calm.
And now… this.
This *thing* inside her was growing. Pushing. Scratching at the walls of her sanity.
She looked at her hands.
They were shaking uncontrollably.
Her eyes went to the moonlight streaming through the window.
Suddenly, her vision blurred. Her head throbbed. A low growl escaped her lips—one that didn't sound human at all.
She clutched her head, gasping. "What's happening to me…?"
---
Vikram stood at the entrance of the old cemetery on the edge of town.
He had come here to think, as he often did when the moon was full. Full moons made his senses sharper. His memories clearer. The thirst harder to control.
But tonight, something else pulled at his instincts.
A feeling.
Ahaana.
He didn't know why, but his thoughts kept drifting to her. Something inside him told him she wasn't okay.
He closed his eyes and listened—not with his ears, but with the ancient sense that came with his curse. He listened to the wind, the heartbeats of the forest, the shadows whispering through the trees.
Then he felt it.
*Pain.*
A scream—not loud, but echoing through his senses like a ripple in a still lake.
He moved.
Fast.
---
Ahaana had run into the woods. She didn't know how she got there. Her body moved on instinct—wild, uncontrollable instinct. Her legs carried her through branches, mud, roots.
The pain grew worse.
She fell to her knees, clutching her sides. Her bones *shifted*. Her skin *burned*.
Then it happened.
Her scream turned into a howl.
Her body twisted, snapped, reshaped.
Muscles grew. Fur erupted from her skin. Her face stretched into a snout. Claws tore through her fingertips.
Where Ahaana had once been, now stood a black wolf—eyes glowing gold. Fierce. Terrified. Lost.
She let out a loud, furious howl that shook the forest.
Then she ran—fast, wild, desperate.
---
Vikram reached the edge of the forest in seconds. His eyes scanned the trees, his ears alert.
That sound… It wasn't a normal wolf.
It was *her*.
He ran.
Branches whipped past his face. The moon broke through the clouds again, lighting the path. Then, ahead of him, he saw movement—blurry and fast.
A black wolf, larger than any natural creature, bounded between the trees.
Chasing something. *Or someone.*
Vikram pushed harder, his vampire speed blurring the forest around him.
Then he heard it—screams.
Humans.
---
The next morning, the local news reported a tragedy.
Two hikers were found mauled in the woods. Authorities blamed a wild animal—possibly a bear.
But Vikram knew better.
He stood outside the crime scene tape, expression grim, sunglasses hiding his glowing eyes.
It wasn't a bear.
It wasn't random.
It was *her*.
---
That evening, Ahaana sat in her room, wrapped in a blanket, her hands covered in scratches and dried blood.
She didn't remember everything.
Only flashes.
Trees. Blood. Fear. A scream.
Her eyes were red from crying. Her body ached all over. But worst of all was the guilt clawing at her chest.
She didn't want to look at herself.
Didn't want to believe what she had become.
A knock came at her door.
She didn't answer.
"Go away," she whispered.
But the door opened slowly anyway.
It was *him*.
Vikram stepped inside, his face unreadable, but his eyes soft with concern.
"Ahaana," he said quietly.
She looked up, startled, but said nothing.
"I know," he added gently. "I know what happened."
Her lips trembled. "I didn't mean to— I don't remember— I just—"
He knelt in front of her and took her cold hand in his.
"I believe you," he said. "I know what it's like to wake up from the darkness and hate what you've done."
Tears spilled from her eyes. "I killed people, Vikram. I'm a monster."
He shook his head slowly. "No. You're a girl who's hurting. A girl who needs help."
She stared at him. "How do you know?"
His next words were soft… but they changed everything.
"Because I've been where you are," he whispered. "And because I'm not human either."
She froze.
"What?"
Vikram met her eyes, and for the first time, he didn't hide.
"I'm a vampire, Ahaana."