The warmth of the bed felt unfamiliar to Shawn Geller.
He couldn't quite understand what was making his body feel so relaxed and satisfied, so much so that he didn't even want to open his eyes.
But even though his body wanted to stay in that comfortable state, his mind refused to rest until it understood the reason behind the feeling.
He suddenly sat up, and the weight that was resting on his chest rolled off to the side. A groan immediately came from the person beside him.
It was a young man with blond hair, the upper part of his body was bare down to his stomach, revealing smooth skin. His figure was slender, neither quite feminine nor entirely masculine.
Shawn abruptly got out of the bed. Standing there, he realized he was completely naked.
"Get up and leave," he said. His voice was still rough from sleep, but it carried enough firmness to show he was serious.
The person only groaned, and lazily turned to face Shawn. "For the last time…" he said, "stop pretending you don't like that I keep showing up. You literally let me stay over last night. I won't offer this again- let's just be friends with benefits. I know you don't like emotional investment, so I won't ask you for any of that,"
"I'm going to the bathroom," Shawn said almost coldly, already walking toward the bathroom that was just within the room. "And when I get back, you better be gone, and never show up here again. I have work to go to, and you're wasting my time."
The young man's brows arched in amazement, a faint smirk playing on his lips, "How are you able to say that with a straight face? Seriously, you should at least feel ashamed of your own words. You tell me never to show up every time, but the moment I show up you're all over me. Wil..."
"Leave." Shawn cut him with a single word, and this time it sounded final even though Shawn said it without turning back to the boy, he couldn't turn back even if he wanted to, just to show how serious he was, because he could already feel his eyes beginning to glow.
He had made too many mistakes already, and if this stubborn stranger saw that, everything would be ruined.
"Okay, fine. I'll leave…" the young man said with mock fear.
He got up and began gathering his scattered clothes while Shawn stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
He hated himself in that moment, especially knowing that stubborn stranger had been right- he had told him never to show up again, but whenever he did, he couldn't stop himself from pressing him close, losing himself and forgetting everything that had brought him back to the city.
He had broken the rules again and again, and he was angrier at himself now than he had ever been at anyone or anything.
The plan had been simple... After six years in hiding, he returned wearing a hyper-realistic mask that gave him a completely new face.
He had planned to live quietly among humans, avoid any attachments that might distract him, and build a semblance of a normal life.
He had already used every trick he knew to secure a job as a high school history teacher, despite never having gone to college.
Once everyone believed he was just an ordinary man, he would make his move. He needed to find them before they found him, because if they did, they would end him, just as they had ended the rest.
The image of that day was still fresh in his mind, as though it had happened seconds ago. He knew how dangerous they were, but he would not let them get away with what they had done to him and to others.
The governor and the mayor of Haven City, the city's power couple, they had ruined his life and stripped him of his humanity.
All he had ever wanted was to be a great soldier. But when war broke out with a neighboring country, the "great" governor and mayor decided they wanted to produce heroic soldiers for the war.
They created a medical research project aimed at making soldiers stronger, faster, and better.
They told the troops it was just antibiotics and steroids to protect them during the war. No one was given a choice, the injections were mandatory.
And after Shawn and the others received the serum, they immediately noticed heightened senses and faster reflexes.
At first, everything seemed perfect, they won the war, and countries around the world honored and feared their nation, but it wasn't long before things went terribly wrong.
The side effects became uncontrollable, and it turned out the researchers hadn't accounted for everything.
All the soldiers who had been injected began to transform into uncontrollable monsters- Animalistic features appeared... fangs, claws, golden glowing eyes, and their strength became impossible to contain.
The government ordered them all eradicated, they lured them into a single house under the pretense of discussing an antidote, promising a way to return them to normal, but it was a lie.
Once the soldiers were inside, the building was set on fire, consuming everyone in it. Shawn managed to escape, and apart from one female doctor who had been hiding with him, he didn't know if anyone else had been lucky enough to survive
The public was told of a tragic fire that claimed the country's "great soldiers." The story circulated for a while before fading, but no one ever learned the truth about the injections.
"Fuck!" Shawn cursed, his voice harsh, as memories of the past clawed at him, threatening to make him lose control.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself into control, and after a long struggle to regain composure, he swallowed hard and forced himself into a black shirt and trousers.
He stared at his reflection in the mirror, hating the flawless but fake face he now wore.
He checked himself to see if he looked like a teacher, it was Monday, and he was already late, first impressions mattered.
Using his heightened reflexes, he moved through abandoned streets at impossible speed, arriving at the school gate in no time.
Once inside, the principal assigned him a guide teacher to show him around, and eventually, he was led to his first class.
The moment he stepped into the classroom, a ripple of gasps and quiet whispers ran through the students, mostly from the girls.
It wasn't surprising, he had been in high school once, and everyone knew how seniors like these thrived on drama.
At eighteen, they already carried themselves like adults, testing boundaries, flirting with danger, and imagining they could charm their way around teachers like him.
The air seemed charged with that delicate, thrilling spark of forbidden attraction.
"That's not a very good impression for the new teacher," the guide teacher said, silencing the room.
Just as she was about to introduce Shawn, the door swung open without a knock. The young man Shawn had been with less than an hour ago, back in bed, walked in.
Shawn froze, his heart stopping. His eyes locked on the young man, whose reaction mirrored his own.
"Mr. Cade Green," the guide teacher said, "Lucky timing, you've arrived just as I was about to introduce your new History Teacher. Come in and take your seat." Her tone carried more respect for Cade than he probably gave her himself.
"Mrs. Smith, how many times have I told you that just call me Cade," he said casually. But Shawn could hear the rapid beat of his heart, matching his own.
Twenty-three years old. Bank employee. Didn't he say all this? And now… he was a high school student?
Shawn's mind raced.
Had he just slept with a highsch…?
Mrs. Smith leaned close and whispered, "Not many people know him for his safety, he's the governor and mayor's son. Whatever he does, just… don't mind him, for your own good."
"Oh God…" The words slipped from Shawn's lips in a low murmur, heavy with shock and disbelief.
Emotions crashed over him in a torrent, threatening to overwhelm every rational thought.