Chapter 1

“Who dares to breach the barrier? Where are the guards?”

Samudra sniffed the unfamiliar scent that had slipped into his territory.

His hands clenched into fists as he prepared for whatever attack might come. Never before had an enemy managed to penetrate the protective barrier surrounding his residence.

What kind of powerful creature could have done this?

Could it be the werewolves? Samudra wondered, his instincts on high alert.

He sniffed the air again.

Then, his lips curled into a sinister smile.

“Just an ordinary human. How is that possible?”

The vampire moved in a blur, heading straight toward a woman who had somehow crossed into his territory.

Her name was Viona.

Before she could even realize what was happening, Samudra had already seized her wrist and pulled her toward him.

The black cloak draped over his body fluttered wildly in the cold night wind. The scent of human blood filled the air, awakening the vampire within him.

“Don't blame me. You came here willingly, offering me your life.”

A sinister grin appeared on his face, revealing two sharp fangs.

But just as his fangs were about to sink into Viona's neck, a soft light suddenly radiated from her body.

It wasn't blinding.

Instead, it was gentle—a strange warmth that seemed to soothe the darkness raging inside him.

The unbearable thirst for blood that had consumed Samudra moments ago vanished as soon as he breathed in Viona's scent.

His instincts quieted.

His hunger disappeared.

Something about her was different.

“Who are you?” Viona whispered near his ear.

She didn't feel frightened.

She didn't even seem to realize that she had almost become a vampire's prey.

Samudra slowly loosened his hold and stared at the beautiful woman before him.

Their eyes met.

Viona's dark eyes locked with Samudra's crimson ones.

For a moment, he simply stared at her.

Then, the corner of his lips lifted into a faint smile.

“It's you.”

His voice was filled with something Viona couldn't understand.

“I finally found you.”

Before she could ask what he meant—

“Mm!”

Viona's eyes widened in shock as his lips suddenly pressed firmly against hers.

Samudra finally understood why this woman had been able to enter his territory without suffering so much as a scratch.

She wasn't an ordinary human.

The barrier he had created meant nothing to someone like Viona.

The alcohol still clouding Viona's mind, the freezing wind that cut through the night, and the impossibly handsome man who had suddenly kissed her without hesitation blurred her sense of reality.

That night, neither of them understood that their encounter was only the beginning of something far greater.

Under the moonlight and countless stars scattered across the dark sky, Viona unknowingly surrendered herself to the vampire who had been searching for her for years.

---

“Where were you last night?”

Efelin's voice was firm, though the slight tremor in it betrayed her worry.

Viona lifted her head and tried to look at her mother.

Instead of answering, however, she frowned as a throbbing headache pressed against her temples.

“I'm dizzy, Mom. I need to rest.”

Without waiting for Efelin's response, Viona hurried past her and went straight to her bedroom.

Her mother could only watch her go, confusion and concern evident in her eyes.

The moment she reached her room, Viona collapsed onto the bed.

Exhaustion weighed heavily on her body.

Her eyes slowly closed, and once again, she sank into a strange darkness.

When she woke several hours later, sunlight was already pouring through the window.

Viona squinted against the brightness before sitting on the edge of her bed.

She tried to piece together what had happened the night before.

The last thing she remembered was drinking with Fera.

They had been at their usual place, and she remembered feeling slightly drunk.

Then Fera had said she would take her home.

But after that…

Nothing.

Viona frowned.

The harder she tried to remember, the blurrier everything became.

It was as if a portion of the night had been deliberately erased from her memory.

Then her phone suddenly rang, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Viona looked at the screen.

Frans.

She answered the call.

“Hello, Frans.”

Her voice sounded weak.

“Viona, where were you last night? I tried calling you, but you didn't answer at all.”

Frans sounded worried.

“Your mother told me you didn't come home last night. Where were you?”

Viona fell silent for a moment.

She desperately tried to come up with a reasonable explanation.

“I… I went out with Fera last night. We met at our usual place. Maybe the signal was bad, so you couldn't reach me.”

Silence followed.

Then Frans sighed.

When he spoke again, his voice was colder.

“Viona, don't lie to me.”

She froze.

“I already asked Fera. She said you two didn't go anywhere together.”

His voice grew increasingly tense.

“So where were you last night? I never thought you'd lie to me like this.”

“Frans…”

“I don't know what you're hiding, but I know you're not telling me the truth.”

“I… I really did go out with Fera.”

Viona's voice grew faint.

Frans was silent for several seconds.

Then he said, “Viona, I have proof that you weren't with Fera last night.”

Her heart stopped.

“You were with another man.”

“What do you mean?”

Frans didn't answer.

A few seconds later, her phone chimed.

A message.

With trembling fingers, Viona opened it.

A photograph appeared on the screen.

It showed Viona herself, her appearance slightly disheveled, walking beside an unfamiliar man on a dark, deserted street.

His face wasn't completely visible.

But there was no mistaking her.

Viona stared at the photograph in disbelief.

She rubbed her face, desperately trying to summon a memory—anything that could explain what she was seeing.

Nothing came.

“Frans, I… I don't know who he is. I really don't remember what happened!”

Her voice trembled.

“I went out with Fera, and… and I got drunk. After that, I don't remember anything.”

“I've had enough, Viona.”

Frans sounded exhausted.

“I could forgive you for lying once or twice. But this is too much.”

His voice hardened.

“You even lied about being with Fera.”

“Frans, wait. I can explain. I just…”

Viona's throat tightened.

Every word felt useless in the face of the photograph.

Frans took a long breath.

“That's enough, Viona. I can't tolerate this anymore.”

There was a pause.

“From now on, consider us over.”

“Beep… beep…”

The call ended.

“Damn it!”

Viona threw her phone onto the bed and ran both hands through her tangled hair.

The days following her breakup with Frans felt like an endless storm.

She felt empty.

Completely alone.

Every morning, Viona woke with the same hollow feeling in her chest.

Then the dizziness and nausea began.

At first, she assumed they were caused by the stress of her breakup.

But as the days passed, the symptoms didn't disappear.

They became more frequent.

More intense.

Eventually, exhausted and desperate for an explanation, Viona went to a doctor.

Inside the quiet examination room, the doctor looked at the results with a serious expression.

Then she smiled gently.

“Congratulations, Viona. You're pregnant.”

The world seemed to stop.

The words echoed inside Viona's head, but her mind refused to process them.

“Pregnant?”

Her voice barely came out.

“But… that's impossible, Doctor. I've never…”

She couldn't finish the sentence.

The doctor nodded gently.

“Viona, the test results are clear. If you're confused or there's something you'd like to discuss, you can always talk to us.”

She paused.

“For now, the most important thing is to take care of yourself and your pregnancy.”

Viona left the clinic with trembling hands and a mind filled with questions.

How could this have happened?

As far as she knew, she had never slept with any man.

She had always been careful.

She wasn't even particularly close to anyone except Frans.

And even with Frans, their relationship had never gone that far.

So how could she possibly be pregnant?

Viona returned home with heavy steps.

Fear settled deeper inside her with every passing moment.

It wasn't just the fact that she was pregnant.

It was the fact that she had absolutely no idea how it had happened.

The moment she entered the house, she immediately looked for her mother.

She needed someone to talk to.

Someone who could help her make sense of this nightmare.

She found Efelin in the kitchen, washing vegetables.

The middle-aged woman turned when she heard her daughter enter.

One look at Viona's anxious expression was enough to make her concerned.

“What happened?”

“Mom…”

Viona's voice trembled.

“I'm pregnant.”

Efelin froze.

For a moment, shock crossed her face.

Then, unexpectedly, a smile slowly spread across her lips.

“Really?”

Her eyes lit up.

“That's wonderful news!”

Viona stared at her mother in disbelief.

“Mom… why aren't you angry?”

Efelin chuckled softly before walking over and wrapping her arms around her daughter.

“Because that means I'm going to be a grandmother.”

She smiled brightly.

“And you'll be marrying Frans soon, right?”

Viona's heart sank.

She knew how much her mother liked Frans.

Efelin had always imagined the two of them would stay together forever.

Viona couldn't bring herself to tell her that Frans had already ended their relationship.

And what confused her even more was the question she couldn't answer herself.

How am I pregnant?

She couldn't remember sleeping with Frans.

She couldn't remember sleeping with anyone.

With a forced smile, Viona gave a small nod.

She couldn't bear to shatter her mother's happiness.

But deep inside, the fear only grew stronger.

Something was wrong.

Something was terribly wrong.

It felt as though there was a secret buried beneath the missing pieces of her memory.

A secret far bigger than anything she could imagine.

“Beep.”

The sound of her phone immediately caught Viona's attention.

She pulled the device from her jeans pocket.

A message from Fera.

Her best friend had sent a photograph.

Viona frowned.

Fera didn't usually send her pictures like this.

Curious, she opened it.

Her eyes widened.

It was a photograph of Fera leaning against Frans's shoulder.

Their hands were intertwined.

Beneath the photograph was a short caption.

I'm sorry. I'm with Frans now.

Viona stared at the screen.

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

“What the hell?”

A sudden wave of anger surged through her.

Could Fera have something to do with everything that had happened to her?

The missing memories.

The photograph.

Frans.

And now this.

Viona's eyes narrowed.

For the first time, a terrifying thought entered her mind.

What if none of this was a coincidence?