I look around, confused. Panic is building in my chest. People around us are finding their mates, smiling and laughing, but something seems off. The guys close to us put their noses in the air, then look toward Liam and I. There is an odd look on everyone’s faces as they hone in on me.
“Mate,” Mark says from next to me. I turn and look at him, confused. He is looking at me with a mix of desire, anger, and confusion at his confession.
“Mark, what are you talking about, babe? You’re my mate. Not Zara’s,” Sylvie tries to get his attention off of me, but he is staring me down, making me feel very self-conscious. I try to hide myself behind Liam.
Next to Mark, several other guys look at us the same way.
“Mate,” they murmur when they see me. All of them. The meadow grows quiet except for the sound of the male werewolves calling me their mate. I look beyond Liam and see that even Alpha Williams is calling me his mate.
I shake my head, “No. What’s wrong with all of you?”
Sylvie is trying to pull Mark back to her, but he pushes her off and steps forward. She immediately looks irritated at his actions. When she realizes he is coming after me, she redirects her glare to me.
“Liam?” My breath gets heavy as the entire crowd around us turns their attention toward me. When he puts his arm around me protectively, it feels like his skin is ice. I shrink back and realize it’s not him that’s cold. I’m so hot that my skin is turning red like I have sunburn.
“Hand her over, Liam,” Mark says to his best friend with a snarl.
“Who the Hell do you think you are, Mark?” Another guy growls, shoving Mark roughly, “She’s mine. I’m going to mate with her.”
Liam seems to forget that I’m there and steps between the two, still clamping down on my hand.
Soon, all the male wolves are arguing and shoving each other. Some even have their claws and fangs extended. Alpha Williams is pushing his way through the crowd. His eyes are black, but I can see he is trying to get to me.
The noise from the crowd becomes more intense as the guys feud over who is going to mate with me. I look around frantically, trying to find someone to help me, when my arm gets yanked hard and someone drags me away from Liam.
“Zara, what the fuck did you do?” Sylvie snarls in my face. Her eyes are solid black and her claws are digging into the inside of my arm. I’ve never seen her look so irate. Especially not directed at me. “Why are you trying to take our mates away from us?”
“Sylvie, no. I- I don’t know what’s happening…” Tears are blinding my vision. “I’m not trying-”
Before I can finish, someone grabs my hair from behind and throws me to the ground. I look up and try to call for Liam, but he’s fighting his friends who all want to mate with me.
“Run, Zara. You need to run!” Lavender’s voice echoes in my mind.
“I can’t!” I cry, trying to crawl across the ground to get out from under everyone’s feet, but they are kicking and stepping on me.
Sylvie and a couple of other girls lift me up by my armpits, yelling and burying their claws into my skin. One girl punches me in the face, making the metallic taste of blood fill my mouth while the others claw at my dress, leaving deep scratches on my skin. There’s a hard yank and my new necklace falls away from my neck.
“LIAM! HELP ME!” I yell over the crowd.
“Let her go.” Alpha Williams growls in his Alpha tone, pushing Liam out of the way. “She’s mine.”
The girls holding me drop me and bow their heads to Alpha Williams. As soon as my feet touch the ground, I feel like my mind is being yanked back and I’m suddenly running faster than I ever have before towards a wooded area in the direction of the main gate. I don’t dare look back, but can sense a large crowd behind me, chasing as quick as they can.
“I’ll try to get us out of here.” Lavender voice is urgent as she leads my body through the underbrush. “Don’t worry, Zara. Try to stay calm.”
“Lavender, they are all so much bigger. We can’t outrun them!” I try to talk sense into her.
“You’re smaller. That gives us an advantage. If we stay low, it will make it more difficult for them to find us. We need to find a place to hide.” She explains as she runs recklessly through the woods toward the main gate of the pack territory. She doesn’t seem to care that branches and thorns are cutting up my face and getting stuck in my hair. In front of us, the guard is trying to close the gate to prevent me from escaping, but Lavender navigates us between the openings of the two gate doors moments before it closes completely with a dull thud.
“That should give us three or four minutes head start, but they will probably shift to wolf form. Do you know how to shift, Zara? Did anyone explain it to you yet?” She asks, sprinting down the deserted street.
“N-no. The Alpha and Luna were going to explain it before everyone lost their minds.” I feel very disoriented and out of breath.
“Okay, well, now isn’t the time to learn.” I feel her shaking her head in disappointment.
“I-I’m sorry you got stuck with a weakling like me, Lavender.” My voice wavers when I speak to her.
“Oh, sweet girl. None of this is your fault. The Moon Goddess paired us because we need each other.” She reassures me. “We are going to be okay.”
“Maybe we would be safe at the cafe, Lavender?” I suggest, after trying to pick a place to hide. “It’s closer than going home and open twenty-four hours. Humans go there too. There’s no way someone would try to attack me in front of humans. Right?”
“There’s no guarantee, but that sounds good to me. Is there cold storage there?”
“There’s a walk-in fridge. Is that what you mean?”
“That’s exactly what I mean. We need to get you cooled down.” Lavender confirms. “I’ve been asleep for eighteen years. Tell me how to get there.”
We don’t hear the sounds of the pack chasing us anymore. We slow down a little, trudging our way through the underbrush. I can feel tears still streaming down my face, but I’m not able to wipe them away with Lavender in control of my body.
“Lavender, I need a break. I’ve never run this far before… or so fast.” I beg for a reprieve from our sprint.
“Okay, but just for a minute.” She leans against a tree, letting me take control of my body again, and catch my breath.
I hear a twig snap and the scent of a male wolf. I bolt upright with a gasp, but it’s too late. The wolf comes barreling out of the bushes and catches me by my forearm. He carelessly tumbles forward, taking me with him. He tries to drag me away, but the blood on my arm makes it too slick for him to hold on to, so it slows him down.
I pull as hard as I can and fall flat on my back just as another wolf comes from behind us and attacks the first wolf. I scoot backwards until I hit a tree, watching them growl loudly and snap at each other. The second wolf lunges at the first, grabbing him by the neck. The first wolf yelps as blood squirts everywhere.
“We have to go, Zara! Hurry before they realize you’re gone!” Lavender screeches. Her voice sounds panicked, which doesn’t make me feel any better. I scramble to my feet and she takes over, running at full speed again.
My lungs and legs burn, guiding her through the woods until we come to a street where we can see the neon sign that says “Cozy Up Cafe”.
Keller’s POV “Hey, Jensen. Ping my phone and send a car to my location. I think I got one with some potential.” I pull my car over and park. When I double check the rearview mirror, I can see the girl still sitting on the curb. “You sure?” Jensen asks with a sarcastic tone in his voice, making me roll my eyes. “Have I ever been wrong before?” I snarl into the phone at my oldest brother. “Hey, don’t get an attitude with me, you little shit." He snarls back. “I’m not sending out a car unless you’re sure.” “Send a car, asshole." I say, and hang up on him. I take a deep breath and frown internally. Now it’s time for the part I hate the most. It feels more slimy and disgusting every time. Secretly, I want to get out of the family business. I don’t know how I could even approach Dad with the subject. I step out of the Range Rover and smooth my clothes down before I approach the shabby-looking girl sitting on the curb. “Uh, hi. This is kinda a rough part of town. A-are you okay?” I sq
I pick up my phone and dial Dad. “Ah, Keller, my baby boy. Jensen said you hooked one already.” I can hear the pride in his voice when he picks up. “Two actually. They’re twins.” I correct him, feeling good about the acquisition. “Keep them together if you can. I sort of promised them.” “Twins!” He exclaims. “Haha! They’re way more valuable together than separate. Definitely keeping them together. Good job, son.” “Thanks, Dad.” I can’t help but smile at the rare compliment from my old man, even if I feel like a slimeball. “I’m putting a little extra in your account as we speak, and I want you to take the rest of the day off." He starts off happy, but his tone quickly changes. "But first, I have other things to discuss with you.” “What’s up, Dad?” There’s always a catch with my dad. “Mom and I have been talking. We decided it’s a good time for me to think about retirement.” He sounds serious now. “That means I’m most likely going to be handing the business over to Jensen if he ca
I stand up from the booth and walk toward her. “Guys, I-I’ll be right back.” Sam peeks over the top of the booth. “Oh man, is that chick okay?” Jasper says something too, but all I can hear is my heartbeat and Rocky losing his mind at the sight of our mate. The night manager, Lucy, is patting the girl’s hand, trying to comfort her. The girl’s eyes get wide with fear as I approach, and she tries to pull away. “No! Lucy, no! Don’t let him hurt me, please.” She backs away and sobs. I grab her by the upper arm before she can take off and lead her to the kitchen. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” I announce a little too loudly. “Lucy, can I take her to the back?” “Uh, y-yeah, that would probably be a good idea.” Lucy looks nervously at the other customers who are staring at the scene. “NO! PLEASE! DON’T HURT ME! PLEASE!” The girl claws my hand, trying to pull away. “I’ll pick up their tabs.” I point to the customers and drag the screaming girl into the kitchen. As I tow her along, I no
Fifteen minutes later, I pull up in front of a white house with blue shutters. There’s a silver car in the driveway as well as two sedans from the pack fleet. “Mom is here!” She sounds relieved and tries to open the door. “You stay in the car with Sam and Jasper for a minute, Zara.” I lock the doors before she can open it. “I need to have a word with your mom first.” I look in the rearview and watch Sam take a swig from a bottle of rum he found in the back seat and try to hand it to her. She shakes her head sadly at him and looks out the window at her house. I step out of the SUV and walk up to the house. I’ve never met a sigma who still has a family. How did they not know they were putting her in danger when they sent her to the Mating Gathering tonight? There are a couple of lights on even though it is after two-thirty a.m. I ring the doorbell and stand back. After a minute, a woman peeks her head through the skinny window beside the door, then cracks the door open an inch.
I pull into an empty shopping center parking lot so I can concentrate. “Ahh, I hate when he gets like this.” Jasper says into the back seat. “Give him a minute, Zara. He’ll have something brilliant to say soon.” I drum my fingers on the steering wheel, then get out of the car. I open the back door. “Zara, can I talk to you outside for a moment?” “Here?” She asks, looking around the empty parking lot. “What? Now you don’t trust me?” I put my hands on my hips. She tries to get out, but it’s a far drop to the ground for how little she is. Especially since she isn’t wearing shoes. “C-can you help me… Please?” “I could just put you in my pocket.” I smirk at her, holding out my hand. Sam, who usually laughs at my dumb jokes, is suspiciously quiet behind her. I look over and see him passed out, hugging the empty liquor bottle like a baby. Jasper is scrolling through his phone, pretending to ignore us. Zara slowly slips her hand into mine and lets me help her out of the car. “You don
When I get back into the thick trees, Zara is curled up in a ball, crying silently and rocking herself back and forth with her arms over her head. Rocky flashes an image of me giving her a comforting hug. I consider it for a moment, then I sigh heavily and roll my eyes when I realize he is trying to manipulate me just as much as she is. “No, Rocky. Just be happy I’m cutting this one loose and not in for processing.” I snarl at him. “Get up, Zara." I reach my hand out to her. “I want to teach you something before I leave.” At first she doesn’t answer, she just stops rocking and holds still in her crouched position, just like they all do. I stand patiently with my hand outstretched for at least ten minutes before she lifts her head up and looks at me with fat tears rolling down her cheeks. “Wh-what?” “I’m going to teach you how to shift.” I lean forward so she’ll take my hand to stand up. “You need to shift before the sun comes up so your wolf can get her full strength. Otherwise, y
I make the drive out to my parents’ place in the late afternoon. We have over two hundred acres of land where their house and both of my brothers’ houses are. The sigma processing facility and research lab are also there, hidden deep in the woods, away from prying eyes.“Mom? Dad? I’m home!” I look around, hoping Dad isn’t actually in the house. He hates when we yell inside. The smell of food is coming from the kitchen, leading me in that direction.“How’s my baby boy?” Mom gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Dad’s out back with your brothers. I hope you’re hungry.”“Do you need help, Mom?” I ask, looking around the kitchen.“Just set the table for me. Always such a sweet boy.” She coos at me with sparkling gray eyes. Her dark brown hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail.As usual, Mom has gone completely overboard with cooking. She insists we eat dinner as a family once a month, whether or not we want to. She gets excited when all of us are under the same roof. One big happy family. We
Zara’s POV“We just need to survive for a month. Hopefully, there is space in the dorms, Lavender. When I go back to town, I’ll stop by the housing office on campus and find out.” I look around at the small pond of water Lavender found in the forest. “I have enough money in my savings to pay for a room since I won’t be moving with Liam, Sylvie, and Mark, but I still need to work at the diner otherwise I won’t have money for food once school starts.”“I think we can manage that.” She says with a sigh. She lets the duffle bag slide down her neck and lays down on the dewy morning grass, rolling around to cool herself down. “How about we shift for a while? I could use a break.”“Okay, how does it work? Like, the opposite of how I shifted into wolf form?” I ask. Keller only explained shifting into wolf form, not back into a human.“Sort of like that, yeah. Just imagine you are stepping forward into your own skin and I’ll fall back the way you did.” Her instructions sound like nonsense, but