Werewolf

Quietly sneaking up the side of the house, I stop at my sister's bedroom window—she's asleep in her bed. I tap on the window and see movement; she flicks her lamp on, squinting around the room before looking at the window. Seeing me waving at her, Ava's
mouth opens, and she's immediately on alert as she rushes over. As soon as she throws her window open, I pass her my bag, which she places on the floor before taking Valarian from me, so I can climb through the window.
“Sis!” she cries, hugging me. I inhale her scent, tears flowing down my cheeks, before pulling back to look at her. I am soaked, absolutely drenched, my hair dripping from the rain, but she doesn't seem to notice. She clutches her mouth before a sob escapes her. “I was hoping you would come back.” She looks down at my son in awe. “He's beautiful,” she chokes out. I gently close the window as she hugs Valarian close, smellin

"Shift! Please, Everly. I can’t watch you suffer in the rain. Please,” my mother begs through the window, sucking in a deep breath.
You can do this, Everly, I whisper to myself. It isn’t how I imagined shifting, but I need to put my big girl panties on and do what’s required. I tell myself it doesn't matter that nobody will be celebrating for me anyway—not anymore—before stripping my saturated shirt off. I hang it over a railing along the far wall before removing the pajama pants. It's late at night, so I'm pretty sure no one will see me. Even if they did, they wouldn't pay any attention to the Alpha’s disgraced daughter.
My mother taps on the window and I look in; my son is drinking his bottle in her arms, gazing up at her, nice and warm. His eyes get heavier and heavier the longer he feeds on his bottle.
“Thank you,” I whisper to her. She smiles sadly while nodding her head.
“I’m right

Stepping inside, Marcus flicks on the hallway light, and I can finally see better. The entire place is spotless. White marble floors and a massive staircase lead up to the next level. I can’t see in the rooms off the side of the foyer; he didn't turn those lights on, but if the foyer is anything to go
by, the rest of the house must be breathtaking. It is way over the top; nothing I wouldn’t expect of the Blood Alpha. They are the wealthiest pack and have half the city under their claim.
“This way,” he says, motioning for me to follow. I trail after him up two flights of stairs before he stops at a black door. He pushes it open to reveal a king-size mahogany bed with a canopy. Matching furniture and a large black rug sit on the floor. Built into the wall is a flat-screen TV, and he turns it on before turning the volume down a bit. To one side, I can also see a door leading to a balcony.
“Obviously, I don't have a crib, but the bed is comfy, and the bathroom is through those doors. It's shared with Alpha Valen's room next door, but I'm sure he won't be by tonight. He'll probably stay at his apartment in the city. Towels are in there, and I will be back to check on you at 6 a.m. I'll take you to see the Alpha then,” he says before heading into the walk-in closet and grabbing some clothes for himself.
“The Kitchen is downstairs if you're hungry, and I'll see you later,” he tells me before walking out the door. I look around for a moment, then flick the space heater on to warm the room.
“This is nice, Bubba. And tomorrow, you can meet your father,” I whisper to him. I can’t help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. There’s no way the Alpha can deny his son once he meets him. He'll know with just one look at him that he is his. He'll be able to sense that. Finally, things were looking up. I’d have help, well, maybe not me, but I know he’ll provide for his son.
Walking into the bathroom, I gasp. It's white marble and white tiles with a gold finish. One wall is all mirrors above the basin, and the shower could easily fit three people. But the most exciting part is that the sink is the perfect size to bathe Valarian. He hasn’t taken a proper bath since the hospital. I just know he’ll love it. I instantly start prepping the sink with warm water, using my elbow to test it before stripping his clothes off and settling him in the water while ensuring I hold his head above the water. He moves his arms and legs, swishing the water and murmuring happily while eating his hands. I chuckle watching him splash.
Once the water gets cool, I get him out. I drain the water and wrap him in a towel before patting him dry and laying him on the bed while I dress him. After his bottle, he falls asleep quickly, almost like he knows he’s safe here. I prop pillows around him to ensure he doesn't fall off the bed before walking back to the bathroom, leaving the door open so that I can hear him. After quickly stripping my clothes off, I turn the shower on and step under the warm spray. Marcus didn't mention using the bath products, but I assume it is okay, and use the shower gel and shampoo to give myself the deepest wash
I’ve had in what feels like a year.
Halfway through wrapping the fluffy towel around myself, I suddenly hear voices, drunken stumbling, a woman giggling, and I freeze. Someone is here. I snatch my clothes off the sink basin and am about to run into Marcus's room when the bathroom door opens and a beautiful red-haired woman walks in wearing a skimpy dress. She stops when she notices me. Her extremely tight dress leaves little to the imagination, and she is clearly intoxicated, as a cloud of alcohol wafts in after her.
She looks me up and down before growling at me, her top lip pulling back over her teeth. “What are you doing in here, rogue?” she barks.
“I… Beta Marcus… He said.” My heart thumps wildly in my chest. Stuttering, I attempt to explain when the door is shoved open, and a man storms in. No, not a man, the blood Alpha. He also reeks heavily of whiskey, the smell so strong it burns my nose, yet I can’t tear my eyes from his amber ones. He is absolutely gorgeous, even while heavily intoxicated and barely able to stand upright. He's tall, too, and way bulkier than I remember, with dark hair and a five o'clock shadow. But his eyes, those eyes I can’t look away from. They glow like the embodiment of autumn.
It feels like someone fried my brain to a crisp, and all I can do is stare, my brain screaming at me, my senses overloaded with his essence.
Mate!
The blood Alpha. He's. My. Mate.
I know it, feel it, with every fiber of my being, even without having shifted yet. I am of age now, and I feel my heart flutter excitedly. I’ve found my mate! Taking a step toward him, I reach out to him, but his lips pull back over his teeth to reveal sharp canines. His face, his gorgeous face, is twisted in anger. I gasp, realizing he's too intoxicated to recognize me. Instead, he rushes toward me. His hands grab my throat, and he pushes me against the cold, tiled wall.
“What the fuck is a rogue doing in my house!” he screams before sniffing me. I can’t talk; his grip is tight, restricting my airway. He sniffs me again before shaking his head. Then he shoves me back before commanding me.
“Get out of my house now before I have you killed!” he roars, and my stomach sinks somewhere deep inside me. He can't recognize me. I could just as easily be some random rogue whore off the street to him with how drunk he is. However, he keeps sniffing the air, his body telling him something is amiss. It’s just that his brain cannot register me at all. My heart sinks.
The woman behind him is clearly enjoying this confrontation; probably hoping he'll kill me; a rogue on pack land. I never should have come here. I never should have gotten my hopes up. Not even my own mate will help me. This was my only chance at showing him that he's a father, and now it just went out the window.
“Wait, but, you're my–” I plead desperately.
“Get out!” he screams, and I flinch, his Command rolling over me. I snatch my clothes from where I dropped them, rushing into Marcus's room and pulling them on. As much as I desperately wish I could continue arguing, his Command leaves me powerless. And the more I fight it, the more it hurts. Alpha wolves, once they reach maturity, can use a certain voice, a Command, that the recipient must obey, by fighting it, the pain grows until they submit to it.
“Come on, baby,” the woman purrs, clutching him. Tears brim in my eyes while I snatch my things up, unable to do anything against his Command, unable to explain myself. Wrapping my son in his blanket and tucking him against me, I grab my bag before rushing down the steps.
Pain suddenly tears through me, taking my breath away. Clutching the banister, my stomach
cramps, making me cry out and my legs buckle. I grit my teeth, agony tearing my heart apart. They’re obviously fucking. I’ve heard that women know when their mates are unfaithful—can feel it—but I got to meet him with another woman.
I didn't think it would hurt like this; I never envisioned this pain when teachers explained. He hasn't even marked me.
Running down the steps, I rush out the door. It's pouring with rain as a storm rolls across the night sky. And I am miles from my car, yet his Command told me to leave and gives me no choice. Looking around helplessly, I start running, pulling my son under my shirt to shield him from the cold. My legs are moving me with nowhere to go as I desperately try to figure out where to find shelter.
I don't know how long I run for, but I suddenly find myself on the city's main street—the line separating Nightshade Pack from Shadowmoon Pack, my father's pack, my old territory. My old house is only a ten-minute run from here.
Maybe he'll take pity on me; perhaps he might change his mind once he meets his grandson. I can only hope, at least for my son’s sake. I swallow, knowing I have no choice, or I'll be in the rain all night with a baby.
Deciding to take my chances, I start running home. I run the entire way before stopping in front of my old home. The lights are all off.
My heart twists as I look up the driveway of the single-story, lavish house. Growing up, I played with the pack kids in this street and rode my bike along the footpath with my sister. My father used to toss the football with us on this very lawn after work when we were little or help us climb the massive tree that sits on the side of the driveway. This was home.
Standing here, I suddenly miss my old life, miss my family; I just hope they miss me too.

Quietly sneaking up the side of the house, I stop at my sister's bedroom window—she's asleep in her bed. I tap on the window and see movement; she flicks her lamp on, squinting around the room before looking at the window. Seeing me waving at her, Ava's
mouth opens, and she's immediately on alert as she rushes over. As soon as she throws her window open, I pass her my bag, which she places on the floor before taking Valarian from me, so I can climb through the window.
“Sis!” she cries, hugging me. I inhale her scent, tears flowing down my cheeks, before pulling back to look at her. I am soaked, absolutely drenched, my hair dripping from the rain, but she doesn't seem to notice. She clutches her mouth before a sob escapes her. “I was hoping you would come back.” She looks down at my son in awe. “He's beautiful,” she chokes out. I gently close the window as she hugs Valarian close, smelling his tiny head.
“Gosh, I've missed you so much. Dad wouldn't let me look for you; he has me on a ti

chapter 6