A human girl

I met his kiss with one of my own, and as he pulled back, the driver opened the door. It caught me off guard, leaving me barely able to breathe. He acted as if he hadn't just kissed me, but I could still sense his feelings towards me. When he ruffled his hair, it brought a smile to my face; he seemed so restless. To be honest, I didn't really enjoy my meal earlier because I was on edge, feeling both anxious and hungry. As we left the pack house, I could feel him stealing glances at me, sometimes gazing out the window. I noticed his hands were clenched into fists, indicating he was trying hard to keep himself in check, as if he wanted to maintain control with the driver present.

"Xander," I called, and he turned to meet my gaze. "Could we stop at a local café?" I inquired. He nodded, smiling in response. "Rogers, did you hear her request?" the driver replied. "Yes, sir, I'm on it." After a bit of travel, we finally arrived at a café. I placed my order, and it was quickly served. It seemed everyone knew Xander, greeting him with respect, while some looked at me in astonishment.

I began eating in silence, savoring the delicious meal. "I can see you’re really enjoying this dish," he commented with a smile, appearing much more at ease now that Rogers was outside. I wondered why he wasn't more affectionate when Rogers was around. "Yeah, it's really good. Would you like a bite?" I offered, and as I held out a piece of my taquitos, he leaned in, maintaining eye contact with me. It felt so romantic; I thought about asking him about his father, but it didn’t seem like the right moment.

Once we finished eating, we continued our journey to the warriors pack, spending three long hours on the road. Upon reaching my apartment building, my bag was unloaded. "Wait for me outside, Rogers, I’ll be right back," he said, taking my bag from the driver and following me into my apartment. As I opened the door, I heard someone call my name. It was Lisa. "Eunice, you’re back!" Upon seeing Xander with me, she gasped as though she'd seen a ghost. I sensed her fear of him and felt Xander’s guilt wash over me. What had he done to cause this reaction from Lisa?

"Hey Lisa," I approached her and embraced her; she was visibly shaking. "Are you alright?" She forced a smile and nodded, saying, "I'm just relieved that you're fine." She quickly turned away as if fleeing from something terrifying. I glanced at Xander, who was deliberately dodging my gaze. With my arms crossed over my chest, I inquired, "What did you do to her?" Clearing his throat, he replied, "I lost control and shifted into my wolf form." When he finally met my eyes, I realized how hard this must have been on her. An urge to comfort my friend surged within me, and with a sigh, I headed to unlock my front door. Once inside, I noticed the place was tidy, but I couldn't have done it myself. "Did you clean up?" I asked. He chuckled, "When I couldn’t find you, I panicked. The only way to regain my composure was to be around your scent, so I stayed here." I really didn’t grasp how this wolf thing worked.

My heart began racing, and it felt like I was struggling to breathe, but I quickly realized it wasn’t me; it was Xander. "Is everything alright?" I asked. He wiped his face and said, "I’m going through heat." What?

I’d never been intimate before and didn’t know what to do. "Don't worry; I’ll try to control myself. I need to leave now, mate, but I’ll return this evening." I walked up to him and kissed him; it was all I could manage at the moment. His breathing became erratic. Oops, I seemed to have exacerbated the situation as he spun me around and pushed me against the wall, carefully shielding my head. "Ah, hm," I moaned. I think his heat was affecting me too because my thoughts were scattered. His phone rang, breaking the moment. He growled, hissing as he answered, "Didn’t I tell you to wait downstairs?" Wow, he sounded furious.

He ended the call with a short, "I’ll be back," and then rushed out. I really needed to check on Lisa. As soon as I saw the car drove away from my window, I dashed over to her apartment. I knocked and introduced myself. "Come in," she called out. As soon as I walked in, she grabbed me by the shoulders. "He’s not human, Eunice; the rumors were true." I noticed she was already packing her things. "Calm down, Lisa; I felt scared too." My friend was in a panic, so I hugged her tightly and stroked her hair. "It’s alright; he frightened you, but you’re safe now." I truly hoped this would help. She started to cry, saying, "I was terrified, Eunice; he was an enormous gray wolf." Gray wolf? That brought back memories of the wolf I had kissed in my dream.

I led her over to the couch and we settled in. I started to explain, "I found out about all this today as well, but the wolf I encountered wasn't his. It frightened me, yet I wasn't hurt." She stared at me as if I were out of my mind. "And you just accepted that? Did he cast a spell on you?" You could say I led her over to the couch and we settled in. I started to explain, "I found out about all this today as well, but the wolf I encountered wasn't his. It frightened me, yet I wasn't hurt." She stared at me as if I were out of my mind. "And you just accepted that? Did he cast a spell on you?" You could say that. "I’m not sure, but strangely, I don’t feel afraid of him," I replied. She grasped my hands, asking, "Did he threaten you?" I shook my head. "He said I am his mate." I went on to share everything that I had been told.

"We need to dig deeper into this, Eunice; you have no idea what you might be getting into," she advised. I resonated with her concern, replying, "Yeah, that sounds like a smart plan, Lisa. I haven't fully come to terms with it yet, but are you planning to move out?" She glanced around and said, "I was going to, but I've changed my mind. If everything you say is true, then I need to stick by you. We’re in this together." Her words brought tears to my eyes; Lisa has become so dear to me, the closest thing I have to family now.

In the warriors' pack house:

Shattering glass echoed through the room. "No way, this has never been accepted in this pack's history—an alpha becoming involved with a human. You need to reject her, Xander," came the firm voice. Reject? Did this man even understand his words? I looked at my father, Logan Myers. "With all due respect, Dad, she is my mate. I won't reject her just because it's unusual for me to be with a human," I retorted. I truly hold my father in high regard, but that doesn’t mean I will accept everything he says without question. I have been a devoted son for the past twenty-six years.

"Oh, so you're exchanging words with me all because of that human, have you also forgotten they killed your mother?" Here we go again.

Years ago when I was five, my mom was killed by some hunters. It was a devastating event for my family. They shot her dead in the woods when she transformed into her wolf form. They thought they had caught a prey and killed her by shooting her six times before she passed.

My dad killed them and a part of him died that day. His hatred for humans grew, even though we had signed a pact that no humans would be hurt. He lived with them despite his hatred.

He can't stand the idea of his son being paired with a human. But Eunice is different. Now I understand what it means to have a mate and I will never let her go.

"Not under my roof are you claiming a human girl. I won't accept you claim some whore." It felt like a slap in my face. I lost control, baring my teeth to my father. I asserted my dominance, showing him that I am the strongest. "I will not tolerate you calling my mate a whore or any other derogatory name." I had to calm my wolf down as my father looked at me with disappointment and walked away.

I regretted losing control, but I couldn't help it. I should go meet Eunice.