Raina's POV
The scent of blood clung to me long after I left Miss Agnes's house. It was in my hair, beneath my fingernails, and on the fibres of my clothes, like a stain that would never wash out. But worse than the physical reminder was the knowledge pressing against my skull—the certainty that Windshade Vampires had returned.
And I was probably the only one who knew.
I had wanted to call the police, to tell them everything. But who would believe me? The last recorded vampire sighting had been centuries ago—long enough for people to dismiss them as nothing more than ghost stories.
Unless I had proof, my words meant nothing.
Keeping to the darkest corners of the street, I tried to hide the blood staining my clothes from the few pedestrians still out at this hour. Every shadow seemed to breathe, every turn felt like a trap, like someone was watching me in the dark, but I forced myself to stay calm. One vampire sighting meant nothing. I told myself that, humming softly to keep my mind from spiraling.
Miss Agnes was gone. And with her, a quiet kindness I hadn't realized I'd come to rely on. She had always greeted me with a smile, fussed over my wrinkled shirt like a grandmother scolding a careless child. We were never close, not really, but she had been there. A constant. Now, her house would become nothing more than a crime scene, and I wouldn't be able to tell anyone what really happened to her.
The cross necklace sat heavily in my pocket, warmed by my body heat. It was a quiet, damning reminder that everything I had seen tonight was real.
And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake his face from my mind.
The vampire.
His eyes—bottomless and consuming. The way his lips curled in a smirk, as if this had all been a game to him. I had the gut-wrenching feeling that this wasn't the last I would see of him.
I slipped into my house through my bedroom window, careful not to wake my uncle. My bloodstained clothes landed in the trash with a dull thud. In the shower, I scrubbed until my skin was raw, but the water running red down the drain did nothing to erase what I had witnessed.
Still damped, wrapped in a towel, I sat at my desk and opened my laptop. If Windshade Vampires were truly back, then I needed to learn everything I could to protect this town.
*******
I hated mornings.
Even more than that, I hated having to be somewhere in the morning.
The shrill blare of my alarm clock sent a jolt through me, and I groaned, smacking the snooze button harder than necessary. My towel, barely clinging to my body, told me one thing—I had passed out even before getting dressed.
Great. No need for another shower, I supposed.
I pulled on my uniform: black cargo shorts, a sea-blue t-shirt tucked in at the waist, and black sneakers. The only upside to this outfit was not having to waste time deciding what to wear. I grabbed my cap on my way out of the room, shoving it onto my head as I stepped into the kitchen.
“You're going to be late. Again,” Uncle Garrett called from the stove, not even bothering to turn around.
Rolling my eyes, I walked over and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “I have the fastest mode of transport in town. Trust me, I won't be late.”
“Hmm. Be lucky I'm not your boss. You'd have been jobless by now.”
“Yeah, sure,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
We both knew better. If Uncle Garrett were my boss, I'd probably still be in bed.
I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and was about to leave when his voice stopped me.
“Raina?”
“Hmm?” I mumbled, already biting into my apple.
“I know you weren't particularly close to Miss Agnes, but did she ever mention anything unusual to you?”
I stiffened. Last night's event came crashing back in vivid, bloodstained detail.
“No. Why?”
“It's all over the news this morning.”
I cleared my throat, forcing myself to stay casual. “I haven't checked online or anything, so I have no idea what you're talking about.”
“This morning, Miss Agnes was reported missing.”
The apple slipped from my fingers, landing with a soft thud on the floor. “What?!”
“I know. It sounds fishy. But I wasn't expecting that kind of reaction from you.”
“No, I mean—what? Miss Agnes barely left her house. There's no way she just….disappeared.”
“That's what they're saying.” He sighed, rubbing his temples. “Just be careful, alright? And come home on time today.”
I nodded and left the kitchen, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts.
In the living room, my eyes drifted to the framed picture of my parents. The police had told me the same thing back then. We've searched everywhere, but it's as if they've disappeared into thin air.
And now, it was the same story for Miss Agnes.
But I refused to believe my parents were dead.
If finding them meant getting closer to a vampire, then so be it.
I hopped onto my bike, checking the time—8:30 AM. Work started at 8. I was already thirty minutes late. Might as well make it an hour.
One quick stop wouldn't hurt.
Weaving through traffic, I made my way to Miss Agnes's house. I wasn't sure what I expected to find, but I knew I had to do something.
I pulled out my notepad, tearing out a small piece of paper. Quickly, I scribbled a short message:
I have something I know you want. Meet me at the town's bridge. 9 PM sharp. Don't be late.
I placed the note on the window where I had found Miss Agnes's body, pressing the glass down on it to keep it from blowing away. If the vampire was still lurking, he'd find it. If not…well, I'd find out soon.
Satisfied, I turned to leave, ready to finally get to work.
But the moment I opened the front door, I walked straight into a wall of muscle.
A slow, sinking dread settled in my stomach as I tilted my head up, past the neatly trimmed mustache and the permanent scowl.
Sheriff Grant.
His eyes bore into mine, his frown deepening. “What the hell are you doing in a house that's currently off-limits to the public?”
I swallowed hard.
Shit.
Liam’s POVThe scream split the night.It was sharp, high-pitched, full of terror—and then it cut off too quickly.I was on my feet before I realized I had moved, Raina just a step behind me. Wolves burst from their tents, weapons half-drawn, fangs glistening as they went into full alert modeThe fire threw wild shadows over their faces as we sprinted toward the sound.The body lay sprawled near the edge of camp. A wolf, his throat ripped clean, his eyes still wide with the last thing he’d seen. Blood soaked into the dirt, too much too fast for anyone to save him.Another scream answered from the opposite side of camp.“Positions!” the camp leader roared, his voice cutting through the chaos. He was still in human form—every wolf was, with the full moon only a night away—but the weight of his presence carried like a blade through the air, steadying the panic. Broad-shouldered, jaw set, he moved with the kind of authority that left no room for hesitation. The pack obeyed instantly.“Eron
Raina’s povWhen Judy tugged me away from the fire earlier, I caught the flicker of Liam’s eyes on us. It was not the first time. He had been watching me differently since we came here, suspicion hidden beneath the surface of his calm. Part of me wanted to reassure him, but another part liked keeping him guessing. After all, I was not the fragile girl he thought he had to protect.“Come on,” Judy whispered, pulling me behind one of the larger tents where the shadows hid us from the others. “If anyone sees us, they’ll think we’re plotting some wicked scheme.”“Are we not?” I asked, raising a brow.Judy smirked, her fangs flashing before she tucked them away. “Not the kind you’re thinking. Trust me, this will be worth it.”She crouched down and pulled a handful of pebbles from a pouch at her waist, arranging them carefully on the ground in a crooked circle. At first, I thought she was sketching out some kind of ritual, something witch-like that she must have picked up from Ysra. But the
Liam’s povMorning came slow and heavy. The forest mist hung over the camp like a veil, softening the edges of tents and fire pits, muting the wolves’ movements as they stirred from their shelters. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear water trickling over stone, a steady rhythm beneath the shuffle of boots and the crackle of fire being coaxed back to life.I had not slept, though I pretended to. My body no longer required rest the way it once had, but the weight in my chest was worse than any fatigue. All through the night, I replayed her words, the way she had leaned her head on my shoulder as if it belonged there. And every time, the same thought burned through me: she didn't know this year would be my last.I sat by the fire pit again, my eyes fixed on the rising smoke. The wolves went about their business, sharp and efficient, but I was distracted by the sound of laughter. My head turned before I could stop myself.There she was.Standing just beyond the clearing, her hair caug
Raina’s POV “He’s onto me. I almost want to tell him, but I can’t,” I sighed as I walked beside Judy toward the tent the wolves had provided for us. “Why? He’s been in love with you since heaven knows when.” “Not anymore.” I collapsed on one of the tent beds. “He’s in love with Raina now, not me.” Judy laughed. “Girl, that’s you. Mel. Raina. Same thing.” I shook my head. “It’s not. Have you heard the difference between the way he talks about Mel and the way he talks about Raina?” “I don’t know. I’d say he’s in love with Raina because she looks like Mel, which still backs up my statement earlier.” She took my hand in hers. “I’m sorry for what I did—you know why I had to. But it’s not too late to get back your old life now that you remember.” “No. It’s not too late. But things have changed. I don’t want my old life back. I don’t want him to think I’m the emotionless vampire who killed and slaughtered people for fun. I’ve changed, Judy. Other than Silas and Ian, I don’t want to de
Liam’s POV The conversation with the wolf leader made me realize just how far behind I was when it came to Ian. While we had all been focused on Velmoran, Ian had been terrorizing the Moonbane pack—letting his men feed on them, framing them, rallying them toward a war they didn’t ask for. This time, I had no argument, no way to defend him. All I could do was listen and offer my apologies as the leader laid out everything that had been happening in the city. I didn’t even notice when we started walking, only that by the time we stepped back into the main circle of camp, the air felt lighter, the tension bleeding into the rhythm of ordinary life.Wolves gathered in small knots, talking low or tending to the fires. The scent of woodsmoke and seared meat lingered on the breeze, mixing with the sharp resin of pine. Someone laughed somewhere behind me, and it was the kind of sound that didn’t belong to a place preparing for war.It was hers.Raina sat cross-legged near one of the smaller f
Raina’s povThe wolves emerged like they had been part of the forest all along, slipping out of the mist and shadow until there was nowhere to look without seeing amber eyes watching you.They weren’t in uniform, no pelts or battle gear, just jeans, boots, hoodies, and worn jackets—yet they carried themselves like soldiers. Their steps barely bent the pine needles beneath them, and their bodies seemed coiled with unspent energy.They smelled different—more like earth, leaves and life—unlike the copper-and-petrichor tang I’d grown used to since learning what vampires really were. Liam and the leader were already talking, their low voices carrying just enough for me to catch the cadence but not the words. I didn’t care enough to listen in. The pack members stood loosely around us, their posture relaxed on the surface, but their eyes tracked everything.My pulse wasn’t the one racing, but something in my chest still felt tight. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was the way the leader’s ga