The moonlight draped the world in silver, soft and calm. It wasn't a full moon tonight, but I could still feel its quiet pull on me. I was on my way back from the library, more disappointed than I cared to admit.
For the past two days I'd been digging for answers — any answers — about what I'd become. The internet was a mess: half-baked myths, movie scripts, and… way too much erotica. Not exactly useful. The library wasn't much better. To my surprise, they also had erotica novels out in the open, not even tucked away in a "restricted" section. I won't lie — some of it was entertaining — but it wasn't what I needed right now.
I sighed, walking down the quiet road that cut through the woods on my way home. The night air was crisp, the scent of pine sharp in my nose. For a moment, I almost forgot the frustration, almost let myself enjoy the trip home.
Then I heard it.
A scream.
High, desperate, and close.
I froze, instincts kicking in. A moment later, a woman came tumbling out of the tree line, sprawling across the ground in front of me. Before I could even move to help her, something stirred behind me.
My body reacted before my brain did. I swung my elbow back with all my strength.
Crack.
The impact was solid — bone snapping. Whatever was behind me flew into the bushes. A sharp, manic laughter echoed around me. I spun, trying to locate the source, but it was already moving — fast. Faster than I could track. Faster, I realized with a chill, than even I was in my wolf form.
The laughter circled me, darting closer, then away. My pulse raced.
Then silence.
Panic surged through me. I lashed forward blindly with a punch — and felt my fist sink into something solid. The shape tumbled back, landing hard, before rising again with unnatural grace.
It laughed once more, then blurred into motion, circling again. My every nerve screamed danger. My body tensed on its own. Left side. Now.
This time, instead of swinging wild, I forced myself to follow the instinct but change the move. I shot my hand out and grabbed.
My fingers closed around a throat.
It snarled and thrashed, claws raking across my arm. I held tight, dragging it into the moonlight.
What I saw was almost human. Almost.
Sunken cheeks. Skin pale as ash. Long black hair falling wild around a face stretched with hunger. And those eyes — glowing red like coals. Its mouth snapped open, revealing fangs, while its clawed fingers tore at my wrist.
"Jesus Christ…" I muttered, tightening my grip.
Before I could decide what to do, movement caught my eye. The woman from before had gotten to her feet, bruised but alive. Her expression was hard, focused. In her hand was a sharpened wooden stake.
Before I could stop her, she drove it straight into the creature's back.
The thing shrieked, a sound that scraped down my spine, then went still. Its body crumpled to the dirt.
I dropped it, chest heaving, and turned to the woman.
She wiped blood from her lip, her eyes studying me with a strange mix of gratitude and caution.
"Thanks for holding it," she said flatly. "That would've been a lot uglier without you."
I nodded slowly. "You want to tell me what the hell that was?"
She hesitated, then answered, "A vampire. One of the creatures of the night."
I blinked. "Like… Dracula?"
Her lips twitched in a humorless smile. "More like vermin. Fast, strong, predatory. They usually stick to big cities where there are more people to feed on. I've never seen one here before."
She extended a hand. "Name's Selene. I'm a witch."
I hesitated, then shook it. "Daniel Cole."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, scanning me. "You're not… entirely human, are you?"
I let out a sharp breath. "I was. Three days ago. Something happened, and now—" I gestured vaguely at the dead vampire. "—I can do this."
Her brow furrowed. "Werewolf, then." It wasn't a question.
I didn't answer right away, just looked down at my still-trembling hands. Finally, I muttered, "That's what I've been afraid of."
Selene adjusted her torn sleeve, wincing at a shallow cut on her arm. "You'd better come with me. If vampires are starting to crawl out of the woodwork here, it means trouble. And I think you and I both need answers."
I swallowed hard. My life had already been flipped upside down once this week. Now it seemed like the rabbit hole went even deeper.