chapter one
The Neighbor Next Door
Alice Johnson had always thought there was something strange about the man living next door.
David Blackwood was twenty-nine, handsome in a quiet, intimidating way, and almost never seen outside his apartment. Alice had lived in the building for several months, but she could count on one hand the number of times she had actually spoken to him.
He was always alone.
Always quiet.
And always disappearing.
Sometimes Alice wouldn't see him for three or four days. Then, suddenly, she would catch a glimpse of him walking down the hallway late at night, dressed in dark clothes with his silver-black hair slightly messy.
Whenever their eyes met, David would quickly look away.
At first, Alice assumed he simply disliked her.
But she couldn't stop wondering about him.
That night, curiosity finally won.
It was almost midnight when Alice stepped into the hallway and stood in front of apartment 4B.
She stared at David's door.
"Why am I doing this?" she whispered.
She lifted her hand and knocked.
**Knock. Knock. Knock.**
Nothing.
Alice waited.
"David?"
Still nothing.
She was about to leave when she heard something from inside.
A low growl.
Alice froze.
Her eyes widened.
"What was that?"
Another growl came from the apartment.
This one was louder.
Alice's heart began pounding.
She should have walked away.
Instead, she reached for the doorknob.
It turned.
The door was unlocked.
"David?"
She pushed it open slightly.
The apartment was dark.
Moonlight entered through the windows, covering the living room in pale silver.
Alice stepped inside.
"David, are you okay?"
No answer.
Then she heard a painful groan coming from the bedroom.
Her fear disappeared, replaced by concern.
She hurried toward the sound.
"David!"
She pushed open the bedroom door.
And stopped.
David was standing in the middle of the room.
His white shirt was torn, his breathing was heavy, and his hands were gripping his chest.
He looked up.
Alice gasped.
His eyes were glowing gold.
"David..."
His expression changed when he saw her.
"Get out."
Alice couldn't move.
"What happened to your eyes?"
"Alice, leave!"
His voice was deeper than usual.
Then he fell to his knees.
A terrible crack echoed through the room.
Alice covered her mouth.
David's body began to change.
Dark hair spread across his skin. His shoulders widened, his hands twisted into claws, and his face slowly transformed.
Alice stumbled backward.
"No..."
David looked at her.
For one brief moment, she could still see the man she knew.
The lonely neighbor.
The mysterious man.
The man who always avoided her.
Then the transformation was complete.
A huge black wolf stood before her.
Alice couldn't breathe.
The wolf stared at her with those same golden eyes.
She knew those eyes.
"David?"
The wolf lowered its head.
Alice's hands trembled.
"You... you're a werewolf."
The wolf took one step toward her.
Alice pressed herself against the wall.
But the creature didn't attack.
Instead, it lowered its head and let out a quiet whimper.
Alice stared at him in disbelief.
"You understand me?"
The wolf nodded slightly.
Her fear slowly changed into shock.
David Blackwood wasn't a monster.
He was a man trapped inside one.
Alice took a cautious step forward.
"I won't tell anyone."
The wolf's ears lifted.
"I promise."
For the first time, Alice saw something in David's golden eyes that she had never seen before.
Relief.
But before she could say another word, a loud howl echoed somewhere in the distance.
David's entire body stiffened.
His ears turned toward the window.
Alice frowned.
"What is it?"
The wolf looked at her.
Then toward the darkness outside.
Another howl answered the first.
David growled.
Alice's heart sank.
There was something else out there.
And judging by the fear in David's eyes, whatever was coming was far more dangerous than the secret she had just discovered.
Her mysterious neighbor wasn't the only werewolf in the city.
And somehow, Alice had a feeling that she was about to become part of their world.
