The Bite That Shouldn’t Exist

Pain.

That was the first thing Amara felt.

Not ordinary pain.

Not something she could scream through or fight against.

This was different.

This was destruction.

Her body arched violently against the cold ground as a scream tore from her throat, raw and broken. It felt like her veins were being set on fire—like something was crawling beneath her skin, ripping her apart from the inside.

“Make it stop!” she cried, her fingers clawing at the earth.

But there was no stopping it.

No escape.

Her bones cracked.

The sound echoed in the empty street, sharp and horrifying.

Amara choked on her own breath, her vision blurring as tears streamed endlessly down her face.

“I’m dying…” she whispered.

Her body convulsed again, harder this time, and a sharp cry left her lips as her back arched unnaturally.

No.

This wasn’t death.

This was worse.

⸻

Lucian stood over her, unmoving.

Watching.

His expression was cold… but his eyes burned with something deeper.

Something dangerous.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

A simple bite.

That’s all it should have been.

Either she dies…

Or she turns.

That was how it worked.

That was how it had always worked.

But this?

This was wrong.

Her scent filled the air—stronger now, richer, intoxicating in a way that made his wolf restless beneath his skin.

It wasn’t just human anymore.

And it definitely wasn’t normal.

“…What are you?” he murmured under his breath.

Amara screamed again, her body shaking violently.

Lucian’s jaw tightened.

She should be dead by now.

A human body couldn’t handle this much strain.

Yet…

She was still breathing.

Still fighting.

Still alive.

⸻

“Help me…” she sobbed weakly.

The sound did something to him.

Something he didn’t like.

Lucian stepped closer.

Then stopped.

No.

He didn’t do this.

He didn’t help.

He didn’t save.

He ended things.

That was who he was.

That was what he had built his empire on.

So why…?

His eyes darkened as he watched her curl into herself, her body trembling uncontrollably.

“Pathetic,” he muttered.

But he didn’t walk away.

⸻

Amara couldn’t feel her body anymore.

It was too much.

Too overwhelming.

The pain had consumed everything.

Her chest tightened as her breaths became shallow, uneven.

She was slipping.

Fading.

Her mind grew hazy, distant.

This was it.

She wasn’t going to survive this.

Lina…

A tear slid down her temple.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered weakly.

Her body went still.

⸻

Lucian’s eyes narrowed.

“No.”

The word came out sharper than expected.

He stepped forward quickly, crouching beside her.

She wasn’t breathing right.

Her pulse—

Weak.

Too weak.

A low growl rumbled in his chest.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.

Not after what he felt.

Not after what he sensed.

“Wake up,” he said, gripping her shoulder roughly.

No response.

His jaw clenched.

“Don’t die on me.”

Still nothing.

For the first time in a long time…

Lucian felt something unfamiliar.

Annoyance.

No.

Something worse.

Frustration.

⸻

And then—

It happened.

Amara’s body jerked violently.

Her eyes snapped open.

But they weren’t the same.

They glowed.

Not gold.

Not human.

But something else.

Something… brighter.

Something unnatural.

Lucian froze.

“What the hell…”

A pulse of energy shot through her body, forcing him back slightly.

The air shifted.

Changed.

Even his wolf reacted—restless, alert, wary.

That had never happened before.

Never.

Amara gasped sharply, her body lifting slightly off the ground as another wave of power surged through her.

Her scream this time—

Was different.

Deeper.

Stronger.

Not entirely human.

⸻

Bones cracked again.

But this time…

They were changing.

Her fingers curled as her nails lengthened into sharp claws. Her senses exploded all at once—every sound, every scent, every movement crashing into her mind violently.

“It hurts!” she screamed.

Lucian watched, his expression now completely focused.

This wasn’t just a transformation.

This was evolution.

And it was happening too fast.

Too aggressively.

Too… perfectly.

“No one survives this,” he said under his breath.

Yet here she was.

Not just surviving.

Becoming something more.

⸻

Amara’s breathing grew heavier, uneven as her body finally began to slow.

The pain didn’t disappear.

But it changed.

Less sharp.

More controlled.

Her glowing eyes flickered slightly as she gasped for air.

Alive.

She was still alive.

Lucian exhaled slowly.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

⸻

But then—

Her body went limp.

Unconscious.

Again.

Lucian stared at her for a moment.

Silent.

Calculating.

Then slowly… he stood.

“She shouldn’t exist,” he muttered.

Yet she did.

And now?

She was his responsibility.

His problem.

His…

His.

The word echoed in his mind.

Possessive.

Final.

Lucian’s eyes darkened.

Without hesitation, he bent down and lifted her into his arms.

“She survives,” he said quietly, almost to himself.

A dangerous edge slipped into his tone.

“…or the world burns finding out why.”