Rose's Pov

The road ahead looked like a black ribbon swallowed by fog. My car's headlights cut through the darkness, but the mist always returned, wrapping around everything like a secret that didn't want to be told.

I should've stayed on the main highway.

I knew that.

But the forest route was faster, and I wanted to be home before midnight.

Mom's voice replayed in my head: "Don't take the forest road, Rosie. That place isn't safe at night."

I'd laughed it off earlier. "Mom, please. You make it sound like there are monsters in the woods."

She hadn't laughed back.

Now, driving alone through this eerie silence, I almost wished I'd listened.

The dashboard clock blinked 11:42 p.m. My phone had no signal. The radio was static. It felt like the world had shut me out completely.

"Just a few more miles," I whispered to myself, trying to ignore the knot of fear tightening in my stomach. "You're fine, Rose. Just keep going."

The road curved sharply, and that's when I saw a man.

A man?.

Standing right in the middle of the road.

My heart lurched. "What the…"

I slammed my foot on the brake. Tires screeched. My body jolted forward as the car spun. Headlights flashed across the trees, and the man didn't even move.

CRASH.

Metal shrieked. Glass shattered. My head hit the steering wheel, and everything exploded into darkness. An accident is the last thing that should happen to me here!

I came to with a sharp gasp.

The smell of smoke filled my lungs. The airbag hung deflated in front of me, and the windshield was shattered. My chest hurt. My arm burned. Everything was tilted and wrong.

"Okay… okay…" My voice shook as I tried to unbuckle the seatbelt. The clasp was stuck. I pushed harder until it finally released with a click.

Pain shot through my ribs as I turned toward the window. The forest outside looked endless, quiet, and cold. My headlights were still on, glowing weakly against the fog.

"Hello?" I called, voice barely above a whisper. "Is anyone out there?" My nose started bleeding.

No answer. Only the soft hiss of rain on the broken glass. I tried again, louder. "Please! Help me!" I said with the little strength left inside me.

That's when I heard it…

Footsteps.

Slow, steady, coming closer.

"Thank God," I breathed, leaning toward the window. "Please! I had an accident…"

The words died in my throat.

Three figures emerged from the fog. Two men and a woman. At first, I thought they were just travelers or maybe people who lived nearby, but the closer they came, the colder the air felt.

They didn't walk like normal people. They glided…smooth, silent, every step too perfect.

The woman was the first to step into the headlights. Her face was almost too beautiful…pale skin, dark eyes that shimmered like wet glass. The men behind her were just as striking, but something about them made my stomach twist.

"Please, I..I'm hurt," I said, voice trembling. "Please help me?"

They stopped right in front of the car. For a heartbeat, no one spoke. Then one of the men smiled.

That's when I saw them…his teeth.

Long. Sharp. Wrong. Fangs!

My breath caught. "No… no, that's not real."

"Oh, it's very real," the woman said, her voice smooth and cold. "You're bleeding, little human. We can smell it; it smells sweet."

My blood ran cold. "Stay away from me."

They didn't listen. The taller man reached forward, his pale hand gripping the broken car door. With one effortless pull, the metal bent. I screamed as they dragged me out, my knees hitting the gravel hard. My ribs hurt from the accident.

"Don't fight," the woman whispered, crouching beside me. "It will be easier that way."

"Let me go!" I kicked, but her fingers closed around my chin, forcing me to look up at her. Her eyes glowed faintly red in the dark. My chest heaved as tears blurred my vision.

"I don't taste fear often anymore," she murmured, licking the blood off the lower part of my nose. "How refreshing." Disgusting.

"Stop!" I cried, voice breaking. "Please…"

Her fangs slid down fully this time, gleaming in the moonlight. My entire body shook. I tried to crawl away, but one of the men grabbed my arm and yanked me back effortlessly.

"Let's just take her," he growled. "I'm starving."

The woman tilted her head, smiling cruelly. "Patience. I want her to know."

I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn't want to see death coming.

And then it happened.

A growl…low, deep, and primal…echoed through the forest. It wasn't human. It rolled through the air like thunder, shaking the ground beneath me. Can the night stop being worse?

The vampires froze. The woman hissed softly. "He's here."

The man holding me dropped his hand, scanning the trees. "Alpha," he spat. "This isn't your business."

A shadow moved through the fog, fast and silent. I opened my eyes just in time to see him step into the light.

A man…tall, broad-shouldered, his dark hair damp from the mist. Power radiated from him in waves, thick enough to make the air hum. His eyes glowed silver under the moonlight.

And in that moment, I knew…whatever he was, he wasn't human either.

He didn't say a word. He just moved.

The first vampire lunged, claws flashing, but the man was faster. One swing of his arm and the vampire flew backward, slamming into a tree with a crack that made me flinch.

The second attacked from behind. The stranger turned, grabbed him by the throat, and threw him into the dirt. The vampire hissed, but before he could move, a sound like bones snapping filled the air.

Ash.

That's all that was left of him.

The woman screamed in rage and charged, fangs bared, but he caught her midair. One twist. One brutal motion. Silence.

Her body turned to ash before it even hit the ground.

I sat frozen, shaking so hard my teeth chattered. My brain refused to process what I'd just seen. Monsters. Real monsters.

And a man who killed them like it was nothing.

When the wind finally settled, the stranger turned toward me. His glowing eyes locked on mine, sharp but calm. He wasn't breathing heavily, wasn't bleeding, wasn't even shaking.

He looked like death wrapped in control.

"You shouldn't be here," he said, voice low and rough.

I pushed backward until my back hit a tree. "Wh-what are you?"

He looked down at the ashes, then back at me. "Vampires."

I answered, scared, unsure. "That's impossible."

He gave a small, almost tired smile. "And yet, you saw them die."

My hands trembled so badly I couldn't move. I stared at him, the fog swirling around us. He stepped closer, slow and careful, as if afraid to scare me more.

"You're hurt," he said quietly.

"Don't come near me." My voice broke. "Please."

He stopped. His eyes softened slightly. "If I wanted to hurt you," he said calmly, coldly, "you'd already be dead."

That didn't make me feel any better. My breath came out in shallow gasps. My mind screamed run, but my legs wouldn't move. I felt like I was dying from inside.

The wind blew through the trees, carrying the faint scent of smoke and blood. He looked up at the moon once, then back at me. He's so handsome! Ugh! Why think of that now?

"What are you?" I whispered again.

He hesitated, then said softly, "A monster who just saved your life."

The words echoed in my head, but before I could reply, my vision blurred. The adrenaline drained out of me all at once, leaving only pain and exhaustion. My knees gave out.

The last thing I saw was his silver eyes glowing in the dark as he stepped closer, catching me before I hit the ground.

Then everything went black.