Chapter 1

Tiana's POV

My poor Camilla, she had such a beautiful future ahead of her.

The funeral was too brief and also too long at the same time, either ways I'm back in my room, I needed time alone to catch my breath , I couldn't believe Camilla was gone forever. I was never going to see my favourite cousin again because of the ripper, whoever the hell the psychotic bastard is.

My moment of grief was cut short when I heard the sound of movement in my childhood room, I looked around alarmingly but I saw nothing that could make such sound. 

Maybe I was hallucinating. I concluded and walked to the vanity table to pick up the photo album. Most of my childhood pictures were taken with or by Camilla. She was--

My hands paused mid air when I heard the sound of movement again, as I was about to pick up the photo album. This time it sounded closer and clearer. 

It was the sound of a growl.

Before I could comprehend why I was hearing the sound of a growl in my room at past eleven in the night, something jumped out of the curtains and pounced on me. 

I screamed out loud in shock. It was a wolf. A werewolf. It snarled angrily at me as I cried out trying to fight it off, to stop it from gorging my eyes out with its claws. It was a futile attempt because this werewolf was too strong, much more stronger than I was. I was starting to lose strength from my futile fight against the creature and my endless screams, when the door burst open and in a split second, the werewolf was gone out of the window, shattering it in the process.

"Tiana! What just happened?!" My dad rushed towards me, with my mom and Aya, my older sister, following behind. They all looked alarmed. 

They couldn't be more alarmed than I was.

I was breathing fast and panting heavily as I sat on the floor, completely shaken out of my wits. 

"I should be asking you that!" I snapped, while trying to catch my breath. I have been back in town for nothing more than fifteen hours and I've already been attacked by a freaking werewolf in my childhood room. "What the hell was that?!" 

"A werewolf? How come you can't recognize a werewolf when you're literally one?" Aya replied sarcastically.

I glared at her in annoyance, "I know that I was attacked by a werewolf, Aya. It had a freakish yellow glow in its eyes. Thank you very much. My question is, why is a werewolf attacking me on my first day in town after seven years?! I almost got killed!"

"Can you stop yelling and calm down? It's disrespectful to yell at your---" 

"That's a lycan wolf.... It's him." My dad interrupted my mom's berating as usual. She hadn't changed one bit. 

"It's who?" I asked.

"The Ripper. His intention was not to kill, it was to give a warning." My dad concluded.

"Oh my God..." I heard Aya mumble.

"He has just warned us that Moonlight Pack is the next for his psychotic murders. Killing Camilla was also a warning... He's going to kill us all, he's ruthless and always kills any pack he marks and we've just been marked." My dad was a man of confidence, he never loses his composure but as I watched him talk about the ripper, I saw the fear and horror in his eyes.

"But why is he doing this?" I found myself asking. 

"He's the ripper, Tiana. He doesn't need a "why", he has never needed a "why"." Aya replied.

So the ripper is just a werewolf, a psychopathic one, who finds pleasure in ripping out hearts of werewolves like him, after doing a thorough victim selection. 

"He's a psychopath." I commented.

"You don't say. Why do you think the residents of Willow Heights and neighboring towns are terrified of him, even though they have never seen his face?" Aya's tone is sarcastic again.

"No. He's nothing but a psychopath. A cowardly one as a matter of fact, who hides behind anonymity to commit murders. We can't just sit back and watch him kill off our pack members, as usual. We have to do something." I said with determination. 

Willow Heights. This is where I was born and bred. My hometown which is also popularly called, the werewolves town, because of the large number of werewolf packs living in it. 

Werewolf packs including mine, the Moonlight Pack, one of the most prestigious and respected packs in the town. One would think the town would be free of danger considering the large number of powerful wolves because that would mean we can protect ourselves but opposite is the case. 

Our town and the neighbouring ones has been under the attack of a terror, which is in the form of a werewolf, they call him "the ripper" because he kills werewolves by ripping out their hearts from their bodies. Nobody has seen his face. Nobody knows his identity, except that he is a very powerful werewolf and full of terror. The Alphas attempt to capture "the ripper" over the months has been futile even though he has killed so many werewolves already.

Although I left Willow Heights the moment I turned eighteen, I know all these because my cousin Camilla told me.

Camilla's body was found after days of missing, her missing heart said everything that needed to be said, she became one of his numerous victims. The Ripper. 

The loud music and dimly lit chandeliers in the bar was giving me a slight headache but I would take that over the chaos going on in my head. The rage I feel for the sick bastard who killed Camilla, it's uncontrollable and it's not going away no matter how much I try. 

I want revenge. I don't know how I'm going to go about that but only the satisfaction of revenge can calm the intense anger I feel.

But firstly, I needed to clear my head this moment before I lose it so I ordered a glass of sex on the beach, then one glass turned to two and on my third one, I started much more lighter and less angry.

I decided to take five steps forward and ordered a glass of tequila, but I regretted it immediately I downed it and the liquid burned my throat making me cringe.

"Not a fan of tequila?" 

A deep, velvety, masculine voice asked and I glanced over at the seat beside me, only to set my eyes on the most gorgeous man I had ever seen.

The man looked like he was in his late twenties, he had a lean but muscular physique with well defined chest and arms, he had brown hair that was perfectly styled and a beard which adds to his overall masculine appearance. His jaw was sharply cut and his beautiful baby blue eyes dazzled in the dimly lit room. He was smartly dressed in a black shirt that showed his ripped muscles and tan pants.

"Huh?" I just met this man and he already made me lose the ability to act properly.

He must also be aware of that fact because he chuckled amusedly and signaled to the barman.

"Is there any reason you're drinking tequila even though you totally hate alcohol or do we have the same reason?" He asked, and took a shot of the vodka he ordered.

"And what is your reason? Also, how did you know I hate alcohol?" I asked, almost distracted by his heart shaped lips.

He shrugged, "I need an outlet to pour out the overwhelming rage I feel, and alcohol is always the second best option. And you looked like you just tasted the crappiest shit ever when you gulped that tequila." 

I smiled warmly at him. 

Why the hell am I smiling?? 

Urghh, get a grip of yourself, Tiana!

Even though he's gorgeous as fuck, he's still a freaking stranger!

It must be the alcohol.

"Wait. If alcohol is the second best option for letting out pent up rage, then what is the best option?" I asked him.

He gave me a look and raised his eyebrows suggestively, smirking at me. 

God...

There's something hot about a man who is sexy and also knows it.

"Please don't tell me you're going to say what I think you're going to say." I chuckled lightly. 

"What do you think I'm going to say?" 

"Sex. You were going to say sex is the best option." 

He looked surprised like he wasn't expecting me to say that, before replying, "Well, I wasn't going to say sex but I think we could go with that too." He smirked at me again.

The way he was looking at me made me feel hot all of a sudden, so I ran my tongue across my lips to moisten it, I watched his eyes darken at my innocent gesture. Then I forced myself to remove my eyes from his before I got lost in them. 

"Do you wanna come with me?" He asked in a raspy voice that made me feel wet?

What the hell?

Who is this man and what is he doing to me?

"Come with you to where?" My voice was low.

"My house. Let's dump the second best option and go for the best. Are you in?" 

I felt my heart race at his suggestion. A drop dead gorgeous stranger just asked me to sleep with him. And I'm totally going to say yes to him.

"It's Alex Gray, by the way. You should at least know who is about to give you the most mind blowing sex of your life." He added before I replied him.

                           ◍ ◍ ◍ ◍ ◍ ◍

Alex drove us to his house, no scratch that, his mansion. I don't know what made me trust a random stranger enough to follow him home but there was something safe about him. Something that made me feel at ease.

The last time I had sex was three years ago which was the reason my first round of sex with Alex didn't last long because I cummed fast. However, the next several rounds were even more heavenly and toe curling. Alex and I were at it for hours, it was like we couldn't get enough of each other. He made me discover new things about my sex life, like how I was very good at giving blowjobs.

Meeting Alex at the bar that night was the best thing that happened to me in so long, he made me feel alive in a way I haven't felt in years.

That was why I left Alex's house feeling lighter, he was freaking right. Sex, especially with someone as good in bed as Alex, was the best option for letting out rage. 

I entered my childhood home and the smile that was plastered on my face disappeared when I saw my family sitting in the living room, with a solemn look on their faces.

"Where have you been?" My mom asked irritatedly.

"Out." 

"What do you mean "out"? It hasn't even been up to forty eight hours since your cousin was buried and you're already frolicking in town. Do you even feel sorry for her at all or you're still that same selfish child who left her family behind and ran away from her identity like a little coward?!" 

My mom was yelling at this point and I threw her a look, the hurt I was feeling evidently written all over my face.

"And you're still that same selfish, manipulative woman who doesn't give a fuck about her daughter's feelings." I said to her and immediately my mom slapped me hard across my face. 

"Tiana, watch your tongue. Don't speak to your mother in such manner." My dad finally decided to speak. Of course, he would ignore the fact that my mom disrespected me first.

I glared at them, including Aya who was silently enjoying the scene and proceeded to go upstairs to my room. I hate them so much.

"Wait, Tiana." My dad stopped me.

I turned around, "What?"

"I have something to tell you."

I folded my arms, silently waiting for him to say whatever he had to say so I could go to my room and not see their faces for the rest of the day.

My dad put his hands in his pants pockets, "You're getting married. To the Alpha of Rover Pack.”