NATALIE

“ It’s a mistake. ” I tell Giana just as we step inside the heavily crowded club.

The smell of sweat, sex and alcohol stings my nostrils, making me gag.

“ Oh come on! Live a little! It’s your twentieth birthday. ” Anne throws her arm around my shoulder, pulling me in towards her body.

“ It never ends well when you say this. ” I shake her arm off my shoulder and take a step forward.

“ Don’t ruin the mood! Let’s party! ” Giana screams in my left ear and grabs me by my arm, dragging me straight to the bar.

Deep down, I know I don’t stand a chance now.

Anne gives the order to the bar and I turn around, scanning the crowded place.

The loud music thumps against my ears and vibrates in my body, making me sigh to myself. The neon lights make my eyes hurt.

“ Do tell me once again why we are here of all the places? It’s free land. Anyone can attack us here. ” I yell at Giana who is swaying her body to the music.

“ It’s the best club in the city. ” Giana shouts back, a grin stretching across her lips.

I can already sense her eyes roaming around the dance floor, searching for the prey for tonight.

I roll my eyes while resting my back against the bar counter.

“ Enzo will be mad at me if he finds out I came here. He doesn’t like it. ” I whisper under my breath.

But, it’s still audible to Giana and Anne because of the heightened senses that come as a strength to us werewolves.

“ Fuck that asshole for tonight at least! ” Anne hisses and hands me the shot.

I glance at the small glass in my hand and then at Anne. “ That asshole is my boyfriend! ”

“ And next in line to take the place of our fucked up Alpha! ” Giana chuckles from beside me.

“ He is hot. ” I reason with my best friends.

“ That’s the only reason that we are allowing you to date him! ” Anne bumps her shoulder with mine, throwing me an evil smirk.

A smile breaks on my lips.

“ Drink up! ” Giana grabs my hand and forces me to gulp down the strong alcohol.

The burning sensation starts from my mouth and goes down my throat as I take a big gulp.

“ IT’S PARTY TIME! You are finally turning twenty, and unlike your eighteen and nineteen birthday, I believe you will be able to shift this time. All those fuckers thinking that you are wolfless will all be proved wrong! And maybe, you will also find your mate! "Anne screams in my ear and begins to bounce on her feet.

That's right. I am far past the age of shifting and I didn't shift until now, which lead everyone to believe that I am wolfless. 

“ Enzo is my mate! ” I tell her before gulping down another shot.

“ Okay okay! Don't start this again. ” Giana dismisses the topic and drags me to the dance floor.

Leaving me in the middle, she goes to finding her prey.

Giana and Anne are both twenty-two years old yet they haven’t found their mates. So, they fool around with whoever they like because they are not into serious relationships with anyone who is not their fated mate. 

Unlike me, of course. I fell in love with my Alpha Wilson’s son Enzo. He is twenty-two like my bestfriends and he believes that I am his mate. That's how the whole thing between him and me started anyway. I can't recognize him as my mate without a wolf, so I can only trust him when he says I am his mate. And I do, I trust Enzo with all my heart. 

I shake the thoughts off my head when Anne comes towards me and begins to sway her body to the sensual music playing.

I chuckle when she throws me her infamous evil smirk. Then, I copy her movements and close my eyes, finding myself letting go of every other thought.

Dancing for a while, I go back to the bar and gulp shots after shots until I can’t think straight. Alcohol thrums in my veins. My vision becomes clouded and a wave of heat hits me.

No, no, no.

I suck the air harshly, taking hold of the bar counter behind me.

Another wave of heat rolls off my body when a strange scent invades my senses.

It’s stronger than all the other human scents in the club. It’s the scent of the forest ground just after it rains combined with the musk wood.

My mouth waters and my senses heighten. My eyes scan the area, searching for the person who has this strange scent.

Releasing the bar counter, I stumble down the two stairs in front of it and push past the rocking bodies.

My head pounds due to the strong effect of the alcohol running in my stream.

Another wave of heat overcomes me, hard. I gasp and pause in the middle of the dance floor. The sensation creeps down my body until it claims the sensitive spot between my thighs.

I clench my thighs together and push past the bodies faster to get the fuck out of here.

I knew it was heat season, but I didn’t know heat can affect the unmated she—wolves. Never heard of it before.

My first thought is that it might not be heat.

But then another wave of it washes over my body and I have to clench my thighs harder. A moan almost threatens to spill out of my lips at the tingly sensation.

The moment wetness pools in my panties, I let go of the doubts that it might not be heat which is affecting me like this.

A man’s back brushes against my body and I jump in my spot, feeling the heat getting stronger.

My eyes scan the area once more, silently searching for Giana or Anne. Everything becomes murky and I find it hard to focus.

Shaking my head, I stagger out of the crowd. I don’t know which direction I am going in but I want to get away from here.

Walking aimlessly, I end up in a dark hallway. My hand reaches out to the wall for support when another wave strikes me. The stickiness in my panties becomes worse.

I inhale a deep breath and the same scent attracts me towards it. Mindlessly, I follow it.

My vision turns black for a moment when I reach a staircase. I climb up the stairs and see a man walking towards the other side of the corridor.

It’s him. The scent is him.

I barely manage to follow him. My heart is drumming in my ears and in the pit of my stomach. And the slickness in my panties is making me move faster even though my legs are turning to jelly.

I round the corridor but see no one there. A frown tugs my eyebrows together.

I sigh and place my back against the cold wall before closing my eyes.

Another episode of heat claims my body and makes my back arch off the wall. A moan leaves my lips and my hand instantly reaches up to cover my mouth.

My eyes close on their own while I pant in the silent corridor.

“ Why are you following me? ” The deep voice startles me.

My eyes snap open. I look at my right and see the man standing there.

His scent wraps around me, causing me to take some strong — deep breaths.

He has dark hair, his eyes are an ocean blue colour, his nose is straight and pointed while his thick lips are a light rosy colour. He is built muscular, his height being 6 something and his fitted white dress shirt defining all his muscles.

His aura is powerful and dark, like that of an Alpha. My legs tremble and barely hold me up in front of him. I have to clench my thighs harder after taking a look at the Devil carved man standing in front of me.

Oh my Fucking beautiful Moon Goddess!

I drag my tongue across my lips, trying to register what’s happening to me.

I slowly drag my eyes up to meet his pinning gaze.

Electricity crackles when I stare into his ocean blue globes. It's like something goes boom in my mind. His eyes seem to be pulling me in, an unrecognisable emotion beginning to affect my heart.

He tilts his head to the left, his eyes flashing red for a brief moment.

I gulp my saliva and try to push myself off the wall, but fail to do so when another fresh wave of heat tramples over my body like a truck.

I moan harder, my nails scratching the wall behind me. My back archs off the wall, my eyes closing on their own.

The urge to be close to a man grows strong in my veins and my throbbing clit doesn’t help either.

Before I realise what I am doing, I am already moving towards the man who seems to be the only saving option to me.

“ He—Help me. ” I choke on my breath, my drunk mind failing to register what kind of mistake I am making.

The man catches my body, his large and warm hands coiling around my waist. It’s like fire meeting fire and burning everything in its path.

Sparks crawl down my spine, making me raise myself on my toes and smash my lips against his without any delay.