Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Michael POV

I woke up to a raging headache, my temple thumping like war drums. The light streaming through the window was like a laser beam straight into my brain, and I squinted so hard because the light was so bright my eyes couldn't handle it. My whole body felt like a dry mouth, and my nose—oh, my nose—was throbbing like it had a heartbeat of its own. 

"What the hell happened last night?" I muttered, my voice sounding like I'd been gargling gravel. 

I tried to sit up, but the room spun like a merry-go-round, and I flopped back onto the pillow with a groan. That's when I noticed the bed. It was huge, with an unusually heavy pink quilt. To my left was a bedside table cluttered with makeup and a mirror, and to my right was a closet filled with neatly folded clothes. 

"Okay," I said to myself, my voice shaky. "This is not my room." 

I racked my brain, trying to piece together the events of the previous night. I remembered the club, the drinks, the beautiful lady with the green eyes, and... yeah. The two huge guys. The punch to the nose, more drinks then nothing. 

"Fuck," I whispered, my heart racing. "Where the fuck am I?" 

Just then, the door opened, and in walked the green-eyed lady herself. She was draped in a short white towel, her black hair damp and clinging to her neck. She smiled when she saw me, her eyes lighting up with amusement. 

"You're awake," she said, her voice smooth and teasing. 

I stared at her longer than I intended to, my brain short-circuiting. "Uh... yeah. Hi. Where am I?" 

"You're at my dad's house," she said, leaning against the doorframe. "In my room." 

I jerked upright, the quilt falling to my waist. That's when I realized I was buck naked. I yelped and yanked the quilt back up, my face burning. 

"Why am I naked in your bed? Where are my clothes?" I asked, my voice an octave higher than usual. 

She shrugged, her smile widening. "I don't know…somewhere in the room" 

I groaned, running a hand through my hair. "Okay, uh... did we... you know...?" 

She raised an eyebrow, her expression innocent. "Did we what?" 

"You know," I said, gesturing vaguely between us. "Did we... do it?" 

Her smile turned into a full-blown grin. "Oh yeah, we did it. Big time. Countless times. In every way imaginable. You were a beast, Michael. I mean, for a human, you really—" 

"What in the …," I interrupted, my voice trembling. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—I mean, I was drunk, and I don't even remember—" 

"Don't be sorry, we both enjoyed it…" she continued

"I promised to only do it with…what have I done? I'm…." words came out of my mouth in a hot flurry

She burst out laughing, the sound filling the room. "Relax, Michael. I'm just messing with you. We didn't do anything." 

I stared at her, my heart still pounding. "Wait, what?" 

"You blacked out," she said, walking over to the closet and pulling out a fresh set of clothes. "The club was about to kick you out, so I brought you here."

"I had your clothes washed because they were soiled and dirty."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. "Oh. Okay. That's... that's good." 

She tossed the clothes onto the bed, then turned her back to me as she started changing. I averted my eyes, my face burning even hotter. 

"So, uh... thanks for not leaving me, although we are strangers and all," I said, my voice awkward. "I really appreciate it." 

"No problem," she said, pulling on a sleek black dress. "You helped me out at the club, so it was the least I could do." 

I nodded, hastily pulling on the clothes she'd given me. They were a little tight, but they'd do. "Well, I should probably get going. Thanks again." 

I stood up, but she held up a hand to stop me. "Oh, no. You're not going anywhere." 

I blinked. "What? Why?" 

"Because my dad saw me bring you in last night, and I might have said you were my boyfriend," she said, her tone casual. 

"Doesn't explain why I can't leave" I frowned

"Well, he said that I should bring you to the marriage ceremony as my date, to properly introduce you"

"Introduce me?" my eyes were the size of saucer plates "don't you think we are taking it too far with this acting boyfriend thing?

"I know…" her voice was low "But look at it this way, you'll be repaying the favor for me not leaving you at the club.

"I thought we were square…"

"We were after I paid your tab…but then you decided to black out." She shrugged

 I stared at her, my brain struggling to keep up. "I still don't get it, why do I have to be there? Can't you just give him a bunch of excuses, tell him I had some family emergency…" 

"I'll tell you a bunch of reasons why you have to be there. First, my dad is an alpha and he never takes no for an answer," she said, slipping on a pair of heels. "Second, he thinks you slept with me. So, unless you want to be heavily beaten, you'll come with me and play the part. Thirdly, you are in our pack's territory, it'd be rude if you just left, and if you did…you wouldn't even make it to the capitol without getting lost…. should I go on?" 

I groaned, running a hand through my hair. "This is a nightmare." 

She smirked, walking over to me and straightening my collar. "Relax, Michael. It'll be fun. Just this one thing and you can be on your way." 

"I don't even know your name," I said, my voice desperate. 

"It's Eve," she said, her smile widening. "Nice to meet you, officially." 

"Michael," I said, shaking her hand.

"Now, let's go. We don't want to be late." She linked her arm to mine

I let her lead me out of the room, my head still spinning. The house was massive, with high ceilings and expensive-looking furniture. Eve's dad was clearly loaded, which only made me more nervous. 

We walked to a nearby mansion, where plush truck cars were parked outside like it was some kind of luxury car show. Eve clung to my arm as we made our way inside, her smile never wavering. 

"Just smile and nod," she whispered as we entered the grand hall.

The room was filled with people, all dressed to the nines and chatting like they were at some high-society gala. I felt completely out of place, like a stray dog at a cat show. 

"This is going to be a long night," I said under my breath.