In the middle of the night, a single road stretched toward Beacon Hills.
A car cut through the darkness.
Inside, a blonde woman—beautiful, around twenty-seven—drove while softly singing along to a pop song playing on the radio.
She didn't notice the movement in the trees.
Shadows followed the car from a distance.
Something ran between the trunks.
She frowned slightly and checked the rearview mirror.
Nothing.
Then something slammed hard into the side of the car.
"What the hell—?"
She looked in the mirror again.
A blur.
Two red eyes glowing in the dark.
Before she could react, something landed on the hood. The metal dented under its weight.
Without hesitation, she let go of the steering wheel with one hand, grabbed a shotgun from the passenger seat, and fired multiple rounds straight through the roof of the car.
The shots echoed down the empty road.
In the mirror, she saw something fall.
She slammed the brakes.
The car screeched to a stop.
She stepped out, shotgun already in hand.
"Come on out, puppy. Show yourself."
She fired two more shots into the air.
Silence.
She walked to the trunk and opened it.
Inside was a carefully organized arsenal: a sniper rifle, pistols, blades—and a wooden box.
She opened it.
Wolfsbane rounds.
As she reloaded the rifle, she typed quick messages on her phone, never taking her eyes off the darkness around her.
A howl tore through the night.
Loud.
Then another, weaker.
She slowly raised the rifle.
Movement on the roof of a nearby building.
Shadows.
She didn't hesitate.
She fired.
A body fell from above.
The remaining shapes disappeared into the night.
Minutes later, another car approached. Chris Argent stepped out, alert, one hand near his holster.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine. Two or three. One of them was an alpha."
Chris's expression hardened.
"An alpha?"
"They tried to kill me. When I wounded one with the shotgun, it ran and called for backup."
She checked her weapon.
"But I hit one with wolfsbane."
"How long does he have?"
"Forty-eight hours. Maybe less."
They got back into the car.
Neither of them noticed they were being watched from afar.
The next morning, Trevor finished getting ready and checked the time. He still had a few minutes before Allison picked him up.
He remembered the breakfast invitation.
When he rang the doorbell, the footsteps approaching the door sounded different.
The door opened.
An attractive blonde woman stood in front of him.
He smiled automatically.
Then he recognized her.
"Hi. I'm Trevor. I'm here for Allison."
She studied him for a moment, amused.
"Allison, there's a cutie here asking for you."
Her gaze returned to him.
"Kate Argent. Nice to meet you."
Trevor answered smoothly,
"I didn't know Allison had a sister."
Her smile widened slightly.
Before she could reply, Allison appeared.
"Trevor. This is my aunt Kate. She's visiting. Come in—have breakfast with us."
At the table were already Victoria and Chris.
Chris lowered his newspaper.
"Didn't expect to see you this early."
"I came to see if Allison was ready. Ended up getting breakfast instead."
Kate sat across from him.
"So, Trevor… what do you think of Beacon Hills?"
"I like it. It's quiet. I've made a few friends."
"Quiet almost to a fault. I had to leave when I got older. But lately… things have been getting interesting."
Chris shot her a subtle look and changed the subject.
"We need to stop by the market later, Kate. Victoria wants to cook dinner tonight. Trevor, you're invited."
"Thank you, Mr. Argent. I'll be there."
After breakfast, Trevor and Allison headed to the car.
Silence lingered for a few seconds.
"Your aunt is… interesting," he commented.
Allison immediately shot him a look.
"Don't even think about hitting on my aunt."
Trevor raised both hands in mock surrender.
"I wouldn't do that."
She tried to stay serious, but ended up laughing.
"Good."
After a moment, Trevor asked,
"So… you and Scott?"
She blushed slightly.
"I don't know. We've only gone out once. But he's different."
"Different how?"
"He's not like the other guys I've met."
"So you like him?"
She hesitated.
"I think so. He's coming over this afternoon to study."
Trevor smirked.
"Study."
"Just study."
He chuckled quietly, and the rest of the drive passed in silence until they reached school.