Chaos spread everywhere.
The music stopped suddenly, and the colored lights shook on the cold, sweat-soaked floor.
The laughter of the crowd began to fade, and the sound of the waterfalls a few steps away became clearer, with the echo of the spectators’ hurried footsteps toward their cars, some dragging their feet nervously, and others letting out real screams of panic.
Jeremy stood aside, a beer bottle trembling in his hands, his eyes fixed on the ambulance carrying Vicki, her body covered with a blanket.
His heart ached, his breaths quickened, and his fingers pressed on the bottle as if he could control everything if only he could.
Elena approached with calm steps, her voice like the night breeze:
“Are you okay?”
Jeremy didn’t respond.
Elena sighed and said, “I called Jenna, she’s on her way.”
Jeremy didn’t react to her words and continued staring blankly at his bottle.
Elena clenched her jaw, looked at the police, then at Jeremy, and said,
“Those wearing the uniform, as far as I know, are the police. People will stop forgiving you, Jer… They don’t care about you anymore. They don’t remember that our parents passed away… because they have their own lives. The world has moved past that stage. You have to try too.”
Jeremy didn’t answer immediately, his eyes following every movement around him, even the sound of the falling water seemed to pierce his heart.
Then he turned to her, his voice sharp:
“I saw you at the cemetery… writing in your journal. Is… is this supposed to be the start of a new chapter?”
She smiled lightly, her hands holding her notebook, as if sharing a moment of silence amidst the chaos:
“My mom and dad would have wanted this.”
Then… she took a deep breath, remembering Jeremy’s hurtful words in the morning, and said,
“Jeremy, you told me I was the reason our parents died this morning and you said it to me a week ago too, but I ignored your words then.”
Elena paused a bit and said hesitantly, “Do… do you really believe that?”
Her voice was calm… yet surprisingly firm.
Jeremy didn’t respond.
He looked away, but he didn’t back down.
Elena stepped closer:
“Do you really think I’m the reason whay they died?”
Then she laughed lightly, a broken laugh:
“I was there, Jeremy.”
Her voice trembled slightly, but she continued:
“I was in the same car… the same accident.”
She looked at him directly, her eyes shining:
“I lost them too.”
She paused for a moment, then added:
“You’re not the only one who lost them.”
Jeremy tightened his jaw, but didn’t lift his eyes.
Elena stepped closer, her voice deeper:
“But the difference between me and you…”
She stopped, as if choosing her words carefully:
“is that I don’t blame you for that.”
Silence returned, but this time it was different.
“What happened wasn’t my fault… nor yours.”
She breathed slowly, then said calmly and firmly:
“But if you need to blame someone to make all of this feel meaningful…”
She looked at him for a long moment:
“…then don’t make that person me.”
…
There were no more words.
Just the weight of truth.
Elena swallowed her pain, then shook her head slightly:
“I can’t do this right now…”
She turned slowly, and began to walk away.
Step…
Then another…
“Elena.”
She stopped.
His voice this time wasn’t angry.
It was broken.
She turned to him slowly.
Jeremy was now looking at her, his eyes completely different from moments before.
“I…” he hesitated, then finally said, “I’m sorry.”
The silence between them changed.
It was no longer painful in the same way.
Elena looked at him for a long moment, as if searching for truth in his words.
And she found it.
She breathed slowly, something of harshness in her features began to soften:
“I know…”
She said quietly.
Then she turned and left.
But this time… the wound between them was no longer the same.
[Caroline’s Point of View]
At first, I acted as usual.
I laughed… louder than necessary.
I moved as if everything was normal.
As if I wasn’t trying… too hard.
But the truth?
I was trying.
Always trying.
When I saw Stefan… I felt a small thing in my chest.
That silly surge of hope.
Maybe this time it’s different.
I smiled, approached, and said excitedly:
“Hi! There you are. Did you visit the waterfalls yet? They’re amazing at night… I can show you… if you want.”
I knew I was exaggerating a bit.
But that’s me… isn’t it?
Then I looked at him.
I saw the change.
It wasn’t obvious to anyone else… but I saw it.
A tight jaw.
A fleeting glance… as if he didn’t want to be here.
Then he said:
“I think you drank too much.”
I laughed.
Of course I laughed.
What else could I do?
I raised my hand, brushed my hair behind my ear, and said:
“Okay, of course I did. So—”
But I didn’t finish.
Because he interrupted me.
“Caroline. You and I… this won’t happen. Sorry.”
…
I don’t know why I felt like the ground was pulled from under me.
He didn’t shout.
He wasn’t cruel.
And that’s what made it worse.
He was honest.
Calm.
Final.
My smile remained in place… but I felt it break inside.
Okay… fine… you’re fine… act like nothing happened…
Then I saw him move.
One step only…
But it was enough.
He approached Elena.
Of course, he approached her.
I watched them, not directly… just enough to understand.
And to understand… it hurt more than I expected.
Then I heard her voice.
Elena.
My friend.
“I was wondering who kidnapped you, but now I know.”
Something inside me tightened.
It wasn’t just the words… but the way she said them.
Calm.
Confident.
As if she knew… she was the one who would be chosen.
Always.
Then I heard his voice again, but this time it was different.
Calmer.
More attentive.
“Is she like… all the other guys?”
I felt heat on my face.
Not embarrassment.
But… a very bad feeling.
As if I was just a phase.
A failed attempt.
Then she said:
“No. You’re an easy target. You’ll back off eventually.”
…
That phrase…
“Easy target.”
Kept repeating in my head.
Her voice.
Is this what I am?
Is this what she sees in me?
I am… Caroline…
Her childhood friend…
Just an easy girl?
I felt the place become suffocating.
The air heavy.
The laughter around me unbearably annoying.
I wanted to laugh again.
To say something clever.
To act like I didn’t care.
But I… couldn’t.
For the first time…
It wasn’t just rejection.
It was worse.
Realization.
That I… was never the choice.
I couldn’t breathe.
Not just because of what happened…
But because everything collapsed at once.
I still felt Stefan’s words in my chest, as if they hadn’t left, as if they repeated themselves over and over…
“This won’t happen.”
Then—
A scream.
I raised my head quickly.
Elena.
Then Jeremy.
Something inside me froze, but my feet moved anyway.
I approached… step, then another… until I saw her.
Vicki.
On the ground.
At first, I didn’t understand… then I saw the blood.
An open wound on her neck, dark red shining under the lights, her breaths broken, her voice barely audible.
I stepped back, hands on my mouth.
“No… no… no…”
The sounds around me began to shatter.
Everything became blurry.
Then Stiles rushed in.
Moved fast, knelt beside her, pressed on the wound without hesitation, his voice sharp and focused:
“Cloth! Anything—quick!”
Someone gave him something, and he began pressing hard, trying to stop the bleeding.
I just… watched.
My body was here, but my mind was far away.
Then the lights.
Red… blue…
Police.
Ambulance.
Voices giving orders, quick footsteps, hands moving, stretcher, devices…
Then… they took her.
They carried Vicki, blood still on her neck, her face pale to the point of horror.
The ambulance doors closed.
The sound hit inside me.
And the car left.
Leaving behind a silence… worse than chaos.
I don’t remember how I got out of there.
Suddenly… I was outside the party.
The air colder.
Calmer.
But my chest?
It tightened more with each breath.
I walked quickly, as if running from something…
Or from myself.
When I reached Mystic Grill, I pushed the door and entered.
The light was warm, the sounds low, a world completely different from the chaos I left behind.
I saw her immediately.
Bonnie.
She was sitting, looking around with slight boredom, but her eyes stopped on me for a moment when I entered.
She knew.
Of course she knew.
I am always exposed to her.
I sat quickly in front of her, pulled the chair lightly, tried to appear natural.
I failed.
“Okay…” I muttered, catching my breath, “It was a… wild party.”
Bonnie didn’t smile.
She just looked at me.
Directly.
Deeply.
She was silent for two seconds… then said calmly:
“What happened?”
I laughed.
Or… tried.
“Nothing.” I shrugged, looked away, “I mean… just… usual stuff.”
She didn’t reply.
And that was worse.
I swallowed, felt something rising in my chest, something very heavy I couldn’t hold back.
“Why didn’t he choose me?” I blurted out.
I raised my eyes to her, felt them gleam even though I was resisting with all my strength.
“Why don’t the guys I want… want me?”
Bonnie exhaled lightly, tilted her head, then said:
“I won’t touch that.”
I looked at her, slightly shocked, then laughed bitterly:
“Of course you won’t.”
I looked at the table, my fingers began fiddling with the edge of the cup, I spoke faster, as if stopping… I’d fall apart.
“I’m not good enough, right?”
I raised my head, looked at her directly this time.
“I always say the wrong thing… act the wrong way… try too much…”
My voice began to break, but I continued:
“And Elena?”
I laughed lightly, but this time… no fun in it.
“Elena doesn’t even try.”
Short silence.
“And he chooses her.”
My words slowed… heavier.
“Everyone chooses her.”
I looked at Bonnie, and something inside me finally broke:
“Every time… in everything… she’s always the choice.”
My breaths became unstable, I tried to smile… but I couldn’t.
“And me?”
I shook my head lightly.
“I try my best…”
Silence.
Then I whispered, in a voice weaker than I wanted:
“And I’m never… the chosen one… ever.”
…
Bonnie looked at me for a long moment.
Then shook her head slowly.
“It’s not a competition, Caroline.”
I closed my eyes for a second.
I knew that.
My mind knew that.
But my heart?
Didn’t care.
I opened my eyes, looked at the cup in front of me, and said quietly, almost broken:
“Yes…”
I swallowed hard.
“That’s true.”
But inside…
I didn’t feel it was ever true.
After a few minutes, Bonnie stood, looked at me seriously:
“You’re too drunk. I’ll take you home.”
I didn’t argue.
I had no energy for anything.
After a while, we left Mystic Grill.
The air was cold.
Colder than I expected.
I walked beside Bonnie, my steps unsteady, my head light, everything around me seemed… slower.
Then… I stopped.
Something caught my attention.
A man.
Standing across the street.
Handsome… unnaturally so.
His features sharp, eyes gleaming strangely, a small smile on his lips… not friendly.
Mocking.
As if… he knew something.
He looked at me directly.
Then raised his hand… and waved slowly.
I froze.
A shiver ran through my body, though I didn’t understand why.
“Caroline?”
Bonnie’s voice brought me back.
I blinked, looked again—
He was still there.
Smiling.
But this time… his smile seemed more dangerous.
I swallowed hard, grabbed Bonnie’s arm unconsciously:
“Let’s go…”
I didn’t wait.
Moved away with her quickly, but I felt… his eyes still following me
[Damon Salvatore’s Point of View]
People overreact way too much.
One scream… a little blood…
And suddenly the place turns into total chaos.
Pathetic.
I stood in the shadows, leaning against the tree, watching the scene of them finding the girl who was attacked by me as if it were just a show.
My eyes moved slowly between the terrified faces, the screaming, the confusion…
Then they stopped.
On a blonde girl.
If i remember correctly this is Elizabeth forbes’s beloved daughter.
Caroline Forbes.
I watched her for a moment, tilting my head slightly, as if trying to solve a simple puzzle.
“Beautiful… but not the problem.”
What caught my attention wasn’t her appearance… but her expression.
That strange mix of:
brokenness… confusion… and fear.
I chuckled lightly under my breath.
“What a bad night for you.”
Then my gaze deepened more…
“Broken… and open…”
This type always catches my interest.
Not strong enough to resist… nor weak enough to be boring.
I moved slowly from my place, unnoticed, as if I were part of the darkness itself.
When she went out and ran toward Mystic Grill, I didn’t follow immediately.
I was just watching.
I smiled mockingly, thinking:
“Looks like I’ve found my new prey.”
Then I started moving.
Quietly.
I stood on the other side of the street, the faint light touching my features, gradually revealing my smile.
Then—
She looked at me.
She stopped.
I saw her freeze for a moment, her eyes widening slightly…
As if something inside her sensed danger, without understanding it.
My smile widened.
Slowly… I raised my hand.
And waved.
A simple gesture.
But it was enough.
“Yes… you see me.”
And that was all I needed.
I chuckled lightly, my voice barely audible:
“Long night… and the fun hasn’t even started.”
I lowered my hand, watching her leave quickly, clinging to her friend.
The fear in her steps… was clear.
And that made my smile grow wider.
“Good…”
“Let’s hope you’re not boring like the others.”
I turned slowly…
But this time, my mind wasn’t with her.
It was with him.
Stefan.
My smile disappeared slightly… then returned, but differently.
Colder.
More dangerous.
“After all… my dear brother is at home.”
I took a slow breath, feeling excitement creeping inside me.
“And I promised him with an Entirety of misery…”
I began walking in the darkness, my steps quiet, but my intention clear:
“And it seems the time has come to keep my promise.”
Then… I disappeared in a blur of speed.
Bang!.
The car door slammed shut.
The policeman looked disdainfully inside.
James Carter raised his radio and said,
“This is Officer Carter. The three Malro brothers have been apprehended. I repeat, the three Malro brothers have been successfully apprehended.”
There was a brief silence.
Then Elizabeth Forbes’ voice came through the radio.
“This is Deputy Elizabeth Forbes. Well done, Officer Carter. You and your partner, Lee, have accomplished what we’ve been trying to do for months. Now return to headquarters with the three prisoners.”
Carter smiled, switched on his radio, and said, “Yes, ma’am. Lee and I will be there in 15 minutes.” He switched off the radio and turned to his Asian partner.
“Hey, Lee! Let’s get out of here!”
Lee looked at his dark-skinned friend.
“Carter! Look at this news.” Lee took a few steps forward and showed his phone to his partner.
Carter frowned and glanced at the news.
The headline read, “Teenage girl attacked by animal in the middle of school party.”
Carter raised an eyebrow.
“Damn it! That girl got some bad luck!”.
Lee put his phone in his pocket and said “yes, she is has a very bad luck. It happened just a quarter of an hour ago, and this is the third victim of an animal attack after the Martinez family. I think the sheriff will impose a curfew in the city.”
“A curfew? No way he can do that, Lee. The day after tomorrow is the Comet Night. Everyone’s been waiting for this event for years now,” Carter replied to his friend.
Lee sighed and said, “I don’t know, Carter. All these animal attacks, don’t you find it a little strange?”
Carter shrugged and said, “Yeah, when you think about it, this town has a strangely high rate of animal attacks. I mean, did you see the casualty figures for that massacre back in the nineties? Nearly 70 people died, and it was recorded as an animal attack. I don’t know who’s dumber: the people who recorded it as an animal attack or the people who actually believed that nonsense.”
Lee rubbed his head and said, “We came here exactly two years ago to investigate that case, and we haven’t found anything yet. Now, after almost 15 years, the animal attacks are back. I think it’s a psychopathic serial killer who’s returned to town after a long absence.”
Carter stroked his chin and said, “Maybe we should just drop it and take a vacation in Hong Kong?”
Lee looked at Carter and said, “Really, Carter? A vacation in Hong Kong? Have you forgotten what happened on our last vacation there?”.
Carter waved his hands and said, “Hey! I had a blast on that vacation! I mean, we took down a huge triad gang, Lee! Who can do that and live to tell the tale?! and this place is crazy, Lee. The number of killers and psychopaths is almost equal to the population of Los Angeles, man.”
Lee shook his head helplessly at his friend’s words, then glanced at the burned-out, ruined factory behind him, the result of their recent adventure.
He looked at the three Malro brothers, who were sitting in the car, glaring at him with murderous expressions.
“You’re right, Carter,” he said.
“This place is truly insane.”
Carter waved his hand.
“I mean, it’s not as crazy as Ricky Tan, but it’s still insane.”
Lee chuckled.
“You’re right about that.”
Carter sighed.
“Anyway, let’s leave before we get attacked by animals too.”
Lee smiled wryly.
“You’re right, my friend.”
But before Lee and Carter could turn to their car, they heard a loud crash and the sound of metal tearing.
“Brreee!!, Boom!”
“What?!” Carter yelled, immediately drawing his gun and looking at his car.
Lee did the same.
There they found their police car damaged and almost destroyed, its door ripped off its hinges, the metal riddled with massive claw marks and deep scratches.
And worst of all, the three Malro brothers had vanished.
Motherfucker….
Carter cursed immediately.
“Aaaaaahhhhhhh!”
Ricky Malro screamed in terror and fell heavily backward.
On either side of him, his older brothers, Jack and Billy, collapsed.
“What’s going on?!” Jack cried out in fear and panic, looking around.
He found himself in the Mystic Hills reserve, surrounded by its familiar forest.
Billy stumbled to his feet and looked around anxiously and confusedly.
Just five minutes ago, he and his brothers had fought with all their might to avoid capture, but it ended with their hideout being blown up and them being arrested by two nasty cops who had appeared out of nowhere.
And now, miraculously, he and his brothers were here.
Billy frowned, then turned to his brothers and said, “Who cares what’s goin on? The important thing is that we’re free now! Let’s get out of here!”
Ricky stumbled to his feet and said, “Guys, I think we’re in big trouble.”
Jack looked at him and said, “What do you mean we’re in big trouble?”
Ricky didn’t answer and stared ahead, his face pale with fear.
Billy and Jack frowned, then turned toward where their younger brother was looking.
There, they saw blood-red eyes glowing and staring at them from the darkness.
Run!
Billy commanded immediately, then turned and ran without hesitation.
Jack and Ricky cursed themselves and immediately ran after their older brother.
Rraaaaahhh!!.
But all they heard was an angry roar and the landing of a huge black shadow in front of them.
Boom!
The ground shook violently from the impact.
The three brothers stumbled and fell, terrified by the sight, and stared at the thing before them.
Before them stood a colossal creature, resembling a wolf or something similar, but enormous.
It was nearly three meters long, larger than a bear.
Its mouth was filled with sharp, deadly fangs that gleamed in the darkness, and its long, black claws could tear flesh and shatter bones as easily as paper.
The creature had glowing, blood-red eyes, and its gaze could have made the souls of the three murderous brothers leave their bodies.
The monster grinned mockingly and then lunged at them.
Aaaahhhhh!!!.
The screams of the three Malraux brothers filled the air.
[Meanwhile, at Gilbert’s house.]
Elena sighed wearily at the day’s events and sat up in bed.
She picked up her diary and began to write slowly.
“Dear Diary, I wasn’t far off the mark.
I thought I could smile and nod all the time; pretend everything would be alright.
Because I had a plan.
I wanted to change who I was; to create a life as a new person, someone without a past.
Without pain.
Someone alive.
But it’s not that simple.
Bad things stick in your mind.
They follow you.
You can’t escape them, no matter how hard you try.
All you can do is be ready for the good.
So when it comes, welcome it, because you need it.
I need it.”
Elena closed her diary and rubbed her forehead wearily.
The day had been nothing short of chaotic and dramatic.
First, a drama with her brother in the morning, then a drama with her ex-boyfriend at the party, and finally, Vicky was attacked by an animal.
Elena frowned as she looked out the window, then her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Stefan standing in front of her door.
Elena got up immediately, went downstairs, and opened the door.
Stefan smiled and looked at her.
“I know it’s late,” he said.
“But, uh… I just needed to know you were okay.”
Elena replied,
“You know, for months, that’s been the only question on everyone’s mind about me. Will I be okay?”
“What do you tell them?” Stefan asked curiously.
Elena crossed her arms.
“That I’ll be okay,” she answered.
Stefan raised an eyebrow.
“Are you serious?”
Elena smiled gently.
“Ask me tomorrow. It’s warmer in the house; we can talk inside. Would you like to come in?”
Stefan smiled.
“Yes, of course.”
Elena nodded, stepped aside, and said, “You can come in.”
Stefan extended his leg and felt the barrier that had been preventing him from entering disappear.
He smiled and slowly entered Elena’s house.
[Meanwhile, with the Malro brothers.]
The full moon cast its pale light upon the three siblings.
“What’s happening to us?!” Ricky cried out in terror, watching long claws emerge from his hands.
“I… I don’t know!” Jack replied in pain as his body began to swell, his ears lengthening into goblin-like tufts, and thick hair sprouting across his cheeks.
Aaaahhhhh!!!.
Billy could only scream as his bones cracked and long, sharp fangs began to grow in his mouth.
The brothers stopped their agonizing screams and opened their eyes in fury.
Their eyes glowed an identical golden-yellow, and they glared at each other frantically.
The brothers roared with rage and tried to tear each other apart immediately.
“RUUUAAAHHHHHHH!!!”.
But before they could, they heard a terrifying roar that shook them to their core, freezing their bodies and paralyzing their minds, filling their heads with a single thought:
Submission.
The three brothers shuddered and fell to the ground, unable to move.
Their glowing eyes met a massive figure emerging from the shadows.
It was the same monster that had bitten them.
The red-eyed beast stood on its hind legs, tall and majestic, and looked down at the three brothers with contempt.
Billy trembled with fear, then his voice came out with difficulty through his quivering fangs.
What…what are you?
The monster grinned and said in a terrifying voice, “You could say I’m your new boss.”
Jack’s eyes widened with rage.
“You! You did this to us! All this happened after you bit us! You turned us into monsters!”
The monster’s eyes narrowed, and he seized Jack by the neck with one hand.
Jack shuddered in pain, then growled softly and tried to punch and kick the monster with all his newfound strength.
But his efforts were futile.
The monster looked at Jack with contempt.
“Monsters?, I have transformed you into creatures superior, stronger, and faster than any human! The bite is a gift, not a curse! So don’t repeat those words, you insect!”
The monster knocked Jack to the ground and stomped on his chest.
Jack screamed in pain, unable to resist or get up.
“Jack!” Billy and Ricky shouted and tried to attack immediately.
The monster looked at them and roared angrily.
Raaahhh!!.
Billy and Ricky stopped instantly, trembling with fear, and lowered their heads submissively, not daring to look at the monster.
The monster smiled with satisfaction, then looked at Jack again and said, “Is that clear, Jack?”
Jack nodded quickly and said fearfully, “Clear, clear!”
“Good,” said the monster, and slowly moved away from him.
Jack stumbled to his feet and stood near his brothers, not daring to look at the terrifying monster.
The monster looked at the three of them and said, “Now, do any of you have any questions?”.
Ricky looked at him slowly and fearfully.
“If you don’t mind, sir,” he said, “what have you turned us into? What are we now?”
The monster looked at him with disappointment.
“Isn’t it obvious? You are the highest creatures on this planet now. You are the apex predators of the rest of the species. You are… werewolves.”
The three brothers fell silent, staring at their claws in profound astonishment and utter shock.
Ignoring their shock, the monster continued, “And now you are members of my pack. You are my Betas from now on.”
Billy looked at the monster slowly, fully accepting his new position.
He felt stronger than ever.
He felt he could shred metal with his bare hands and run faster than any car… and he liked the feeling.
“If we are the Betas, what are you?” Billy asked quietly.
The monster grinned cruelly, its massive fangs protruding in the darkness.
“Me? You can call me…. the Alpha.”