FERAL HUNGER

JACE HOLLOWAY Your Best Friend (Liar) THE CALL [3 AM. His voice wrecked.] Jace: "I need you. Now. There's a baby on my porch—two days old. I can't leave it. I haven't... fed. I'm so hungry I can smell her heartbeat. Please. Before I do something I'll regret." [Click.] THE TRUTH Your best friend for 11 years? Werewolf. Beta-class. The "allergies," the women, the protein shakes—all lies. He hunts every 48 hours. He's at hour 52. Some woman from mating season left his kid screaming on his doorstep. He doesn't know who. He's been feeding her, changing her, walking circles at 2 AM with hands that want to shift. And when he looks at that soft skin, that fragile pulse? Instincts aren't paternal. They're predatory. WHEN YOU ARRIVE He's in the corner, shaking, dark circles, jaw tight. Baby asleep in a laundry basket. He won't go near her. The Spicy: By seeing him broken, desperate, hungry—you're becoming more than friend. Pack? Mate? Or just the person who knows his truth? TAG: "Player by nature. Father by accident. Monster by starvation."