SORAYA   My mother always told me never to waste a good outfit on a boring and useless day. And I completely understand her, because imagine wearing Chanel just for you to not go anywhere while wearing Chanel; you just sit at home watching a movie, eww. Or wearing a Hermes to go out with friends and they cancel at the last minute.   Or you do your best to look your best to get ready for a date just for your date to ghost you and leave you stranded, and you're left looking stupid at a fancy restaurant while wearing Dior and drinking wine you did not plan on paying for.   Luckily, I did not get ghosted by my date. In fact, when I came in, he was there. I was scared for nothing, but I had my reasons because there have been loads of stories of women being stood up by their dates. I thought mine would stand me up and I'd be forced to look like a fool in front of everyone.   But he didn't. He came looking fresh and more handsome than he is in his pictures.   A six-foot-tall white man with his raven-black hair all gelled up, his nice full lower lips already make me think of kissing him; he smells really nice, of deodorant and aftershave too, and he dresses nice as well.   What he wears impresses me immediately.   He's in a cream jacket over a white tank top, paired with loose black trousers, chunky black shoes, and layered gold necklaces. The look is sleek, masculine and effortlessly cool.   He's a classic man, and I'm so happy that he's not a catfish because even in our conversations he sounded like a gentleman. He's a gentleman.   He helped me with my chair when I arrived, and I've got to say he's doing great so far.   He also complimented my look, and of course he did; even women outside the restaurant complimented my look; they always do.   I'm in a light yellow floral dress. The dress features a fitted corset-style bodice with spaghetti straps, delicate yellow floral embroidery, and an asymmetrical high-low skirt lined with tiered ruffles. I complete the look with strappy cream heeled sandals, simple gold jewellery, and a cream shoulder bag.   I always strive to look my best.   I actually wanted him to fuck up so that I could go back to not dating and being the ambitious girl my family and friends know and love.   But it's too late now. My two friends Diana and Celeste got me into a dating app, and surprisingly I didn't encounter any creeps as they did, and most women did. George and I clicked as soon as we matched, and I loved his vibe, and he loved my style.   I was in love with the fact that he knew how to dress, how handsome he is, the way he chats with so much intelligence and the fact that he's a rich man. Not that I care that he's rich; I can be a rich man too.   "So you've always wanted to be a fashion designer," he says, and I put my wine down after taking one sip from the glass.   "Yes, it has been my dream since I watched the Met Gala with my mom for the first time when I was eight. Before that, I was always making random sketches and imagining myself in outfits you never see in little kids, like outfits that will make me mog the other kids."   George giggles.   "It wasn't until I watched the Met Gala, seeing all those celebrities in nice outfits, that I knew this was what I wanted to do. Fashion is my calling. People at school had always admired the way I dressed so extra; I had loads of friends because of that. And my mom got me my first sewing machine when I was thirteen; I remember being so happy. I was finally going to bring my designs to life."   "That must have been the happiest moment of your life." he takes a sip from his red wine.   "It was, it really was." It feels like it was only yesterday that it happened, and oh Lord, I miss that era so much. "I have always wanted to create my own fashion brand, to see people wearing my outfits, people fighting for my clothes in the mall. Having my own fashion show, being my own boss."   "Wow, seems like you're a dreamer."   I giggle. "I am. I always have been. But I've got to say, my ambitious streak has put me in a pickle."   "How so?"   "My romantic relationships. I was too engrossed in my studies and my ambition that my relationships never ended well. I had my first boyfriend at sixteen, and I didn't really like him. I was only his girlfriend because my friends were dating, but he didn't really feel like he was my boyfriend. I wasn't even giving him attention; I was putting all that attention on myself. And because he didn't feel loved by me, he cheated on me."   "Whoa, I'm sorry about that."   "Don't be. That's the thing, I wasn't sad about it. I didn't really like him, remember?"   "Oh yeah." he nods, understanding.   "I think he was pissed off at the fact that I didn't care he cheated. He literally said my heart was made of stone."   "Ouch."   "Yeah, a lot of people called me the soulless lady in high school, but it didn't get to me; I didn't care." I shrug. "Now, my second relationship was..." I giggle. "Oh my God, I actually regret hurting him, and I really liked him, but ya know."   "Your ambition got in the way."     "Exactly, I literally forgot his birthday because I was too busy stalking Roxanne Vander Woodsen so I'd at least work as her assistant. I got the job, and I went to tell him."   George hisses. "On his birthday?"   I cringe at myself because every time I think of that moment, I do cringe. "I know, I know I wasn't thinking." I shake my head. "He yelled at me before breaking up with me," and I remember feeling really bad. I really liked him. That was the moment I realised I didn't care about anything else but being successful."   "Wow."   "I know, right? You probably want to run away right now, right? I laugh nervously, then I drink from my wine.   "Nah, not really. I completely understand because I've been in your shoes."   I drop the wine glass. "Really?"   "Yep, I'm ambitious too, and I've gotten dumped by women for not giving them attention."   Wow, imagine dumping this hot specimen of a man simply because he has goals to accomplish. People really don't understand us.   "There's no place in the dating market for us ambitious people. We're usually advised to date each other and leave the... not so ambitious people-"   I laugh because I get what he's saying.   "Well maybe they're right."   "They are, and I believe..." he takes my hand and rubs his thumb on it. I look at how nice his nails are and his fingers. God, this man is perfect; he's the man of my dreams for real, but it seems too good to be true. If he gets down on one knee right now asking for my hand in marriage, I'll say yes. And I know for a fact that I won't get married until we both get what we want, especially me, who has always wanted to be promoted by my boss.   "We are very compatible, and it feels like fate that we found each other. That's if you believe in that kind of thing."   I shake my head. "Not really, but with you it seems like I can make an exception." I wink, and then I'm also rubbing my thumbs on his hand. His hand is so strong, and I wonder what those hands can do.   God, I haven't had sex since Toby and I broke up. I wouldn't mind having sex with him right now.   "Uh, do you want to get out of here?" he asks.   Now, I don't know if making out with someone on the first date is seen as ethical, but I do know that both of us are in sync, and as he said, we are compatible after all.   His initial plan was to take me to his penthouse, but he just couldn't wait, so we've found ourselves making out in the alleyway close to the restaurant.   My panties are on the floor, and my dress is way above my knees. He's kissing me on my lips, while his long fingers grab the back of my hair. I moan so loudly, not caring who might hear or who might catch us. As I said, I haven't had sex, and I haven't had an orgasm in a long time.   And Georgie right here is making up for it.   My mom always says to never waste a perfect outfit on a boring and useless day.   I, on the other hand, think that if the perfect outfit is going to be taken off your body, then it should be taken off by a very hot man who knows how to kiss, and this man knows how to kiss.   Our tongues dance with each other, and our lips play a game of tag; he's inserted his long fingers into me, and I shout as he goes round and round, in and out.   I don't just want his fingers in there; I want him, and from the feel of his bulge, he's big, very big.   Am I about to have sex with this man here, right now?   He goes to my neck and plants kisses all over my neck. I moan softly, and I grab his ass while he does it.   He begins to bite, sending shock waves through me.   But then I no longer feel like bringing his pants down; I feel like shoving him away because of the way he's biting, biting and biting. I wince, and when I feel more pain, I shout, but not in the best way.   I manage to shove him away.   "What the hell-" I stop when I see what's in front of me. His lips are covered in blood, and his eyes are pitch black, but then his teeth- his teeth are what grab my attention the most. They're sharper than anything I've ever seen.   He doesn't look human anymore; he looks like a monster.   Once I register what's in front of me, I scream.

SORAYA   I stop screaming when he wraps his hand around my neck, and he shoves me to the wall, making me hit the back of my head. I wince, and the screaming is no more.   All I see are stars; they finally disappear, and now I don't see a handsome young man who owns a million-dollar company and is emotionally intelligent and is a good listener; all I see is a monster. What the fuck is he?   Don't tell me he's a vampire. I don't want to hear it; those creatures don't exist. But then he just drank my blood; that is the typical trait of a vampire.   "I remember the first time I saw you, when you came out of that fashion building. I wanted to taste you so badly; I just had to taste you." he moves closer to me, and he plays with my curly hair, and I shake like a rat caught in a trap.   This is how I die; I'm going to be killed by a monster, a monster I thought was cute.   "I overheard you talking to your friends about joining a dating app, so I joined. This was the easiest way I could get you alone, you see."   Wow, he tricked me. He tricked me because he wanted to have my blood. I knew it was too good to be true; I knew no man was this perfect. Fuck! Now I'm going to die. The first time I decided to take dating seriously, and now I'm going to fucking die.   I blame my friends for this. My ghost is going to come back to haunt them for this.   The monster sniffs my hair, and he exhales, " Wow, he really sees me as food. He doesn't see me as a human being; he never did. Well, I guess this is my karma for hurting Toby.   "I can't wait for us to have a taste of you."   I open one eye.   "Us?"   He doesn't answer; he looks back, and then he whistles. I see people come out of the shadows, people with the same pale skin, pitch black eyes and sharp teeth.   There are six of them, and they're all like him. Holy shit, I'm cooked.   "We're all going to have a taste," he says with a harsh smile on his face. I could literally just slap him on his annoying ass face. I almost do it, but then I receive a sharp pain in my chest. Almost like someone has shoved their hands in there.   I look down to see if he did that, but he didn't, so what the hell is going on? Why the pain?   "Guess you're going to have to kiss your fashion designing dreams, princess," he says, and that makes me look at him with so much hatred.   "Fuck you!" I spit on him, and he slaps me across the face. I was the one who was supposed to do that.   He grabs me with his strong arms, and then he makes me face his friends.   "Tonight, we feast on this beautiful woman, for her blood tastes so good and it will last us for a week."   The other monsters murmur among themselves excitedly; they can't wait to have a taste of me, and not in a good way. I'm going to die.   I'm actually going to die. This is how I'm going to leave this world, killed by vampires.   This will hit my friends, but it will hit my dad the most because he lost my mom, his wife, and now he's going to lose his daughter.   Oh dad. The tears roll down my eyes when I think of him. I saw how he was when he lost my mother. He was a wreck, but I was there to take care of him. If I die now, who is going to take care of him? Sure, Zayden's still around, but still.   Oh daddy, I love you so much.   Of course the douche I was on a date with is going in for the first bite; he's probably the leader. How pathetic.   His mouth is closer to my neck, and I just stand there, defeated with tears in my eyes. There's nothing else I can do; he's just too strong, and all I can feel is this sharp pain in my chest and on my nails as well. I don't know what's going on, really.   I just close my eyes, and I'm ready for him to take me away.   Until...   "Leave her alone, creature of the night!" My eyes open up, and everyone turns around to see a tall figure in the darkness looking directly at all of us. I can't really see him well, but all I can see is that his eyes are glowing a red colour. There's someone with him, and he has golden eyes.   What the fuck is he now? What the hell is even going on?   "Oh come on!" George says, annoyed. "Do you werewolves ever give us a break?"   Werewolves?   So it's true. The legends are true. Vampires and werewolves exist.   My mom used to tell me stories about them, werewolves in particular, how they protect humans from the evil that lurks in the shadows. The werewolves with red eyes are the alphas, and I guess the man standing before us is an alpha.   Mom was right; I thought she was only telling me and Zayden stories, but they're true. How did she know all this?   "Well, you didn't think I was going to let you kill the girl, did you?" He asks. The man steps out of the shadows, and he's hot as hell, even hotter than George.   He stands at six feet two or three with a muscular build, thick dark curls, a broad straight nose, high cheekbones, full lips, and a strong jawline. His warm medium-tan complexion and intimidating presence make him difficult to ignore. George has a better style, though. This guy is dressed in a black shirt and pants, which isn't bad; he's not here for a date. Apparently, he's here to save me?   "Go away, alpha."   "I will, I will let you all go if you just let the lady go," he says, trying to bargain with the vampires.   George takes a look at me and then looks at the werewolf.   "No, no no no. I saw her, and I'm drinking her blood."   "This isn't going to end well for you!" the other werewolf warns. But George doesn't care; his teeth sink into me, and I scream, but I stop screaming when I realise that his teeth aren't in me anymore.   He begins to whimper. My brows furrow when I hear him, and then he falls to the ground. I take a look at him, and I see he's gone from pale to full-on grey. There's a wooden stake inside him.   "Well, that wasn't hard," the other werewolf who put the stake inside him says. He smiles at me, and I've got to say he has the most beautiful features I've ever seen. The golden eyes attract me the most. "Hi,"  he says.   "You killed our coven leader!" one of the vampires says. They're full of rage. "ATTACK!" They yell, and then they go after the alpha and the other one who killed their leader. I step away from the battle.   I just sit on the ground, leaning on the wall and staying away from everything. I could run away, but I can't because everything about me hurts. From my chest to my nails, to my legs, it feels like my bones are breaking. I try my best to get up, but to no avail.   I just sit there.   What the hell did that bitch do to me? Am I turning into a vampire? Holy shit, no, no no. I never liked vampires; I always hated Twilight, and The Vampire Diaries, and I hated the stories Mom used to tell us.   Zayden loved all things supernatural, but I didn't. I always liked realism; I liked being realistic.   I can't move, so I just stare. What the hell is going on? The werewolves are fighting the vampires, and the werewolves are winning. The werewolves have long claws and fangs like those of a wolf but longer; their eyes glow.   My eyes are on the alpha and alpha alone; I don't know there's something about him that I don't understand. Why? What is it about him? That he's a werewolf or an alpha?   I don't think of him that much because I see more vampires coming; the werewolves are outnumbered, and I can feel the pain all over my body worsening.   I scream and scream and scream.   And the next thing I know, everything goes pitch black.   And I feel the urge to kill.

JOSE Of all the creatures we have to face, vampires have to be the most annoying sons of bitches to ever exist. They're loud, irritating and messy because when they drink blood, they leave the people they murdered anywhere they want, which leads to humans trying to figure out what kind of creature would leave bite marks draining them of blood. Of course, some humans believe that vampires exist, but some are in denial; they don't want to believe in the supernatural, but it exists. Humans are so clueless, and that's how it should be. That's why we werewolves exist, to protect humans. That's why, as soon as I sensed someone needed saving, I jumped in because that's the job of an alpha to protect and to call other werewolves to help. When I saw those vampires about to eat this poor woman, I got involved as soon as possible. I thought the whole thing would be easy: kill a bunch of vampires, erase the woman's mind from all the things she saw and then go my way, but that's harder than I thought. Because I'm no longer fighting a bunch of vampires, my partner and the vampires are staring at the woman whom we came to save, and she is no longer human; she has gone from human to a full wolf. She's no longer this petite lady; she's a large wolf with brown fur and vicious red eyes, and she's pissed off. "What the fuck?" Miguel shares my shock, but instead of saying anything, I just look at her meticulously. A wolf standing right in front of us. "Holy shit, Miguel, could she be-" "No, it can't be," I say to him. It's not possible; they're extinct, all of them. They've not been around for years. "But we're looking at one right now," Miguel says as if reading my mind, and yes, he's right how do I explain the large wolf in front of us? The vampires look scared; I've never seen them look this way. Sure, I've seen a lot of frightened faces from vampires before I kill them, but these are so scared I think they might pee their pants. The large wolf in front of us grits her teeth, and she growls at the creatures that wanted to have her for dinner. They plead with her, and that even makes her angrier. She pounces on them and begins to destroy them one by one. "¡A la madre!" Miguel exclaims. And I'm in awe as well. This wolf is vicious, fast, and powerful. I was told stories about these creatures, and I always wondered how they managed to go extinct with how powerful they are, but this one is extremely powerful. I'm in awe of her but at the same time wary. Some vampires try to escape, but she drags them with her teeth and destroys them with her claws. Some are brave or rather stupid enough to actually want to fight her, but she destroys them before they can even touch her. And after a lot of screaming, shouting and growling, she's destroyed every single vampire who has disturbed her peace tonight. "Amazing." Miguel is the one who usually drops the exclamations and dramatics; I just stand with my jaw on the floor. The wolf faces us immediately, and Miguel and I jump back, thinking that she's going to devour us next, but she doesn't. Instead, she faces the sky, and then she lets out a loud howl. A howl that I can feel, a howl both Miguel and I can feel, and I think I know this feeling; I've felt it before, before I was given so much power. She's done howling. "Oh, my God!" Miguel gasps. "Wait, is she-" "An alpha," I say. She falls to the ground, and she quickly transforms back into a human. "Whoa," Miguel says when she sees that she's naked this time. We both try to look away, but not to sound creepy, but I just can't; she looks so beautiful both in human and wolf form. There's something about her that's both mysterious and alluring. Like a siren who doesn't need her voice to lure sailors to their deaths, all she has to do is just stand. I clear my throat, and I look away from her this time. "Miguel, quickly, there's a blanket in my car. Go get it." "Got it, boss." he makes a run for it, and when he does, I move my head slowly to look at her again; she's just that beautiful. But then I get interrupted when my phone rings. I look at the screen, and it's my mother. I pick. "Hello, mother." "Jose, Mi Amor, did you feel that? Everyone felt it." "Yes, Miguel and I did." "What happened? Do you know?" "Yep, there's a girl, and I believe you're going to find her very interesting." Miguel comes back with the blanket, and he places it on her body. I walk over to her, and I pick her up, her body resting on my arms. It's crazy how she went from looking like a pretty petite girl to a large vicious wolf who just killed a bunch of blood suckers. I take her to my car, and Miguel and I hop in; we drive off and head to the penthouse on Park Avenue, the penthouse I grew up in. Something is definitely up with this girl, and I believe Mom knows. Once we get to the penthouse, I take the girl, and I walk in with her in my arms still. I greet Marcus, the doorman who is a werewolf. Everyone in this building is a werewolf; actually, werewolves find themselves living amongst each other. "Oh hi, Miguel." A friend of Miguel calls out, but his face drops when he sees the girl in my arms. "Whoa, who's the cutie?" I don't know why, but I feel my veins popping in anger after hearing him call her that. "Uh, not now, Jackson, I'll tell you later," Miguel says in his thick Spanish accent. I've lived in America my whole life, so I don't have that accent, but Miguel came here at the age of eighteen because of college, and even though he's lived here four years, his accent is still strong, but it seems to be fading away; I can hear it. We get into the elevator, and we head to the top floor where the moonseer lives, my mother. A moonseer is a kind of werewolf who doesn't fight; their only job is seeing into the future, but they can fight if they want to. They're the ones who predict who the next alpha will be, and my mother predicted me to be the next alpha when I was sixteen. When the other alpha died at the age of fifty, the role was passed to me. The elevator opens up, and I quickly walk into the home that I once used to live in with a girl in my arms. My mother gasps, and then she quickly walks toward me with a girl following her trail like a lost puppy. God knows what she's doing here. "Dios Mio! Quick, put her on the chair," my mom says. "Who's the girl?" Candace, my long-time friend, asks as we all look at a naked girl covered in a blanket. Candace Ravenwood has straight auburn hair, a round face, jade green eyes, thick eyebrows, a small nose, full lips, tattoos on warm skin, and a muscular build. She's wearing a white tank top and denim pants right now. She's never had a boyfriend because she's seen as too masculine for most guys...or rather, her masculinity isn't a problem; it's the fact that she's scary; she literally chases boys away. "I don't know; she was attacked by vampires." "So why bring her here?" Candace asks. "Because she turned into a large wolf. " I face them both. "The wolf." Mom gasps. "No, but that's not possible. They don't exist anymore." "What, what doesn't exist anymore? What does this mean?" Candace asks. "You would know what we were talking about if you paid attention in your classes, Candy," I say. "Yo, don't call me Candy," she warns, and I just wink at her; she rolls her eyes. "She's the reason we all had that feeling tonight," I say to Mom. Mom's eyes land on her, and she moves closer and places her hands on the girl's head; then she closes her eyes. Mom gasps again, which makes both Miguel and Candace flinch. I don't flinch; I stay still because I'm used to my mother doing this. It's a part of being the seer. "Well, what happened?" Candace asks. "It can't be. She is." "She's what?" Candace asks again, and honestly, she's getting on my last nerve. "A shifter, she's a fucking shifter," I say "Aaand she's waking up." Miguel points out. We all look at her, and she looks at all of us with fear in her eyes, and then her head goes down to see that she's naked. She's even more frightened than before. "Hey, calm down, we're here to help you," Mom says. This girl does not care about any of that. She screams.