The night Lira Hale turned twenty-two, the world stopped making sense.
It started with the dream.
Dark forest.
Cold wind whispering through towering trees.
A full moon hung in the sky, enormous and silver, bathing everything in ghostly light.
Lira stood barefoot in the middle of the clearing, her heart racing even though she didn't know why.
She wasn't alone.
Something moved in the shadows.
A pair of glowing silver eyes appeared between the trees.
Large. Dangerous.
Watching her.
Her breath caught in her throat.
A deep voice echoed in the darkness.
"I've finally found you."
The voice was rich, dark, powerful… sending a strange heat down her spine.
Lira tried to run.
But her body refused to move.
Heavy footsteps approached.
Closer.
Closer.
Then a massive black wolf stepped into the moonlight.
It was enormous—far larger than any wolf she had ever seen before. Its fur was midnight black, its eyes glowing like molten silver.
The creature stared at her like she belonged to it.
Like it had been searching for her.
For a long time.
Her heart pounded violently.
"W-who are you?" she whispered.
The wolf stepped closer.
"Mine."
Lira jerked awake with a gasp.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she stared at the ceiling of her small apartment bedroom.
Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains.
Her alarm clock read 7:13 AM.
She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.
"Just a dream," she muttered.
But something felt… wrong.
Very wrong.
Her skin tingled like electricity was running beneath it.
And her senses felt sharper.
Too sharp.
She could hear everything.
The ticking clock on the wall.
The neighbor's television.
Someone walking three floors below.
Lira sat up slowly.
"What the hell…?"
She swung her legs off the bed and stood.
The moment her feet touched the floor, a sudden wave of dizziness hit her.
Images flashed through her mind.
A forest.
Blood.
Silver eyes.
A man's deep voice whispering in the dark.
"You belong to me."
Lira clutched her head.
"Stop…"
The visions vanished.
Leaving her trembling.
Later that evening, Lira walked home from work beneath the dim glow of streetlights.
The air felt unusually cold.
The city seemed quieter than usual.
Her shift at the small café had been exhausting, mostly because she couldn't stop thinking about the dream.
And the strange sensations she'd been feeling all day.
Her hearing was still weirdly sharp.
Her sense of smell too.
She could smell rain in the air even though the sky was clear.
It was impossible.
Or at least it should have been.
Lira sighed.
"Maybe I'm getting sick."
She turned the corner toward her apartment street.
That's when she noticed something strange.
The street was empty.
Completely empty.
No cars.
No people.
Just silence.
An uneasy feeling crept up her spine.
Then she heard it.
Footsteps.
Behind her.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Lira turned around.
Three men stepped out from the shadows.
They looked… wrong.
Too pale.
Too still.
Their eyes glowed faintly red under the streetlights.
Her stomach dropped.
One of them smiled, revealing sharp fangs.
"Well," he said smoothly. "Looks like we found her."
Lira froze.
Her brain struggled to process what she was seeing.
Fangs.
Glowing red eyes.
That wasn't possible.
"Stay back," she said nervously.
The second man laughed.
"Oh, she's adorable."
The third one stepped closer, sniffing the air like a predator.
Then his eyes widened.
"Incredible…"
"What?" the first one asked.
The man stared at Lira with sudden excitement.
"Her blood."
His voice trembled.
"It's real."
The first man looked at her again.
Now his expression had changed.
From amusement.
To hunger.
"Grab her."
Panic exploded through Lira.
She turned and ran.
Her feet pounded against the pavement as adrenaline flooded her veins.
Behind her, the men laughed.
They were fast.
Too fast.
One suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking the road.
Lira skidded to a stop.
Her heart hammered violently.
"What do you want from me?" she cried.
The man grinned.
"You don't even know what you are, do you?"
Before she could respond, he lunged.
Lira screamed.
Then something inside her snapped.
A strange heat burst through her body.
Her eyes flashed bright silver.
A powerful force exploded outward.
BOOM.
The man flew backward like he'd been hit by a truck, crashing into a parked car.
The other two stared in shock.
Lira gasped, staring at her hands.
"What did I just—"
A low growl suddenly echoed through the street.
Deep.
Terrifying.
Not human.
All three men turned toward the sound.
A tall figure stepped out of the shadows.
He was huge—easily over six feet tall—with broad shoulders and dark hair.
His eyes glowed silver in the darkness.
The vampires instantly went pale.
"Impossible…" one whispered.
The stranger's voice was cold as ice.
"You touched what's mine."
The air suddenly filled with terrifying power.
The vampires backed away in fear.
"The Alpha King…" one breathed.
Lira stared at the man in confusion.
Alpha King?
The stranger slowly turned toward her.
Their eyes met.
And the world seemed to stop.
Something ancient and powerful snapped into place between them.
A bond.
Unbreakable.
His voice dropped into a dangerous whisper.
"Mate."
Lira's heart skipped.
"What…?"
But the man's expression suddenly darkened.
He looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world.
And the most dangerous.
"You shouldn't exist," he said quietly.
Behind him, the night filled with distant wolf howls.
And Lira realized something terrifying.
Her life was about to change forever.