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When Derek woke up, the guy was gone. No number, no name. Just the faint scent of cedar and something wild on the sheets—and a small, oddly shaped mark on his arm. A bite mark.

He laughed at first. “Guess he’s into that kinda thing,” he muttered to himself. But as the day went on, he couldn’t shake the unease. His skin tingled where he’d been bitten. His pulse seemed… louder.

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By the third day, Derek couldn’t ignore it anymore. His appetite had exploded. He was tearing through steak, bacon, anything bloody and rich. His body felt restless, his muscles sore but somehow stronger. His reflection showed the difference—his chest looked fuller, his arms firmer, his legs thick with new strength. And his hair… darker, heavier, spreading faintly across his body like a shadow that refused to fade.

His friends joked that he must’ve started lifting or something, but Derek knew better. He could feel something stirring inside him. Something primal.

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Then came the night of the full moon.

He couldn’t sleep. His skin burned with heat, his breath came ragged. He lay in bed, gripping the sheets, his body trembling.

Then the pain hit.

It was like every bone in his body was twisting, breaking, reforming. He screamed—then gasped as it turned into a low, guttural growl. His spine arched, muscles bulging, tendons stretching as thick, dark hair burst from every pore. His chest heaved, fur spreading across it in waves as his abs tightened like iron beneath his skin.

His hands spasmed—fingers lengthening, nails blackening into sharp claws. His feet stretched and cracked, reshaping into powerful paws. His ears grew, twisting and pointing upward, furred and sensitive to every sound—the beating of his own furious heart, the whisper of wind outside his window.

He looked down and saw the creature in the mirror—a beast, both man and wolf, eyes glowing amber in the dark.

Then, through the window, a howl echoed from the woods. Deep. Commanding.

Something ancient inside Derek stirred. His body trembled, and before he even knew it, his lips parted and he howled back—long and desperate and wild.

A message across the night.

And from somewhere beyond the trees… the Alpha who had marked him smiled.

His new wolf was ready.

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