The Night Everything Changed

DANIELLA

The bass from the speakers practically shook the glass in my hand as I stood near the bar on the crowded rooftop terrace. Everywhere around me, people were either laughing, dancing, kissing, or taking pictures in their graduation robes like tomorrow didn’t exist.

Because tomorrow meant real life.

Tonight was the last night we could pretend we were still college students.

Golden lights hung across the massive rooftop overlooking the city skyline, reflecting off expensive dresses, champagne glasses, and polished black suits. Wolves, vampires, and humans mixed together like this was all perfectly normal.

At Palisade Crown University.

My throat felt parched, so I silently signaled the bartender for a drink. Just as he passed me the glass, my body jerked at the sound of someone clearing their throat loudly behind me.

Shit.

“I thought we already talked about this, Daniella.” My best friend, Zoey, gave me a look before pushing the drink back to the bartender. “Sorry, but she's off the liquor table tonight.”

The bartender nodded and retrieved the drink, leaving me pouting.

“Are you sure I can't have one glass—”

“No, you can't,” she said firmly.

I let out a faint exhale and tried to focus on the dance floor tonight. My vampire bestie had warned me repeatedly not to drink or eat anything before we got into the party. Most humans often got into a lot of trouble when they got too friendly with the other races, so we decided to keep our heads low tonight.

But the truth was, I just wasn't feeling it.

I wasn't the kind of girl who stayed in a corner for safety. Most humans considered me popular and fun most of the time, always chatting and socializing.

That's why I wished I was at a human party. I wanted to play beer pong and watch my friends kiss their crushes under the guise of Truth or Dare.

But the vampires and werewolves always played by a different set of rules.

Zoey bumped my shoulder, pulling me from my thoughts with a small smile. She had the deep ruby-red eyes vampires all possessed, but no one could compete with the adorable dimples and freckles scattered across her cheeks.

“Hey,” she said softly, making sure I was okay. “It's just two hours. All we need to do is wait for Ariella to arrive and then we'll leave.”

Ariella.

Right.

The popular werewolf chick that everyone had been talking about for weeks before graduation. From what I heard, she was hosting the party to celebrate her boyfriend's coronation and their upcoming engagement.

Everyone knew who he was.

Levi Alexander Vance.

The new Alpha King.

Also known as the Dark Prince of Palisade Crown University. His counterpart, Matthias Alistair Thorne, the Vampire Crown Prince, was known as the Light Prince. While Levi was intense and intimidating, Zoey swore that Matthias was much more approachable.

But every human knew there was only one rule where Matthias was concerned.

Never refuse him whenever he asked for blood.

After a few boring minutes, I decided it was time to leave. I turned to my best friend to tell her, but her focus was on a drunk human slumped on a nearby couch. Two vampires already had their fangs sunk into him, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the trickle of blood that spilled down his neck.

I instantly snapped my fingers between her eyes. “Hey, don't do that.”

Zoey snapped out of her trance with a guilty look.

“What? I didn't do anything,” she defended herself.

“But you were thinking it,” I said, folding my arms. “If you need blood, all you have to do is ask me.”

Zoey opened her mouth to reply when a sudden hush fell across the rooftop. Everyone stopped dancing as the music died down, their eyes glued to the entrance.

“They're here,” Zoey whispered. Her body went completely rigid beside me.

The heavy glass double doors of the terrace swung open. Two large, muscular wolves stepped out first, their eyes scanning the crowd with cold, predatory hunger. They didn't look like college students. They looked like guards.

Then came Ariella.

She looked absolutely stunning, wearing a silk dress that matched the golden terrace lights. She walked with her chin held high, smiling like a gracious Luna that she already planned to be. Some people whispered their congratulations, making her smile grow wider.

But everyone else was looking at the man beside her.

Levi Alexander Vance.

He didn't just walk into the room, he commanded it. He was tall, with broad shoulders and dark hair that fell slightly into his eyes. He wore a sharp black suit, but it couldn't hide the raw, brutal power radiating off him. He looked less like a prince and more like a monster who had learned how to wear clothes.

His eyes were a piercing, icy blue, and they didn't hold a single drop of warmth. As he looked over the crowd, people actively stepped backward, bowing their heads to avoid his gaze. The air grew heavy, thick with the suffocating pressure of an Alpha.

“Don't look him in the eye, Daniella,” Zoey hissed under her breath, her hand gripping my wrist tight enough to bruise. "Look down. Now."

My heart hammered against my ribs. I wanted to look away, but my feet felt glued to the floor.

Levi's cold eyes swept across the rooftop terrace, dismissing everyone as beneath him. But then, his gaze snagged on our corner.

His eyes locked right onto mine.

Suddenly, Levi gasped for air, his chest heaving as if he had just been struck in the ribs. The icy blue in his eyes turned pitch-black.

A low, rumbling growl vibrated out of his chest. It was so loud and heavy that the concrete floor beneath my sneakers seemed to shake.

“Mate,” he snarled under his breath.

He looked furious. His jaw clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might shatter. A terrifying, wild energy exploded out of him, making every single werewolf on the roof drop to their knees in fear.

Ariella reached out to touch his arm, looking confused. “Levi? What is it?”

Levi didn't even look at her. With a brutal shove, he pushed her out of his way. He shoved her so hard she stumbled back into the guards, who barely caught her before she hit the floor.

But he didn’t care. His blue eyes stayed glued to me. He started walking forward, his footsteps heavy and dangerous. He looked like a predator closing in on his prey, completely ready to tear the crowd apart just to reach me.

Before I could even blink, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

Hard.