I stopped my tracks as I smelt something so strong, so desiring to me that made my nose twitch. The scent had such an amazing smell… It was like a combination of citrus and yet a rainforest scent.
Oh no..oh no no.. I don't have a mate! I'm not destined to have one!
My wolf whimpered, begging to go close. I was confused by her statement. I shook my head. My wolf barked at me in order to hurry up. I walked through the hall, sniffing everyone that passed through me.
A female nurse with strawberry hair walked past me. She seems like one of those types of nurses that are extremely exhausted seeing her darkening eye bags.
She looked like she'd collapse anytime. I shrugged. In reality I didn't give a shit. This isn't my world. Human world doesn't exist in my eyes. I can't have feelings for them or interact with them. It's a part of werewolves, especially Higanbanas’.
The fresh scent drove me insane. I couldn't pay attention to Charlotte anymore because my knees were shaking.
“Damn it. We can’t be like this,” I told my wolf.
“We have mate! We need to find him. Hurry!”
“Wait! This is the human world. We can’t act like a she-wolf in heat!”
It was uncontrollable and uncomfortable. Damn it!
This can't be right? Can this be my mate? My everlasting partner? How can he be here? Werewolf's can not cross the border line if you have an excuse like me. I couldn't care less. My wolf is going crazy for this scent, a scent that has the greatest scent of the fresh rainforest. How I love the rainforest.
It kept getting stronger as if he was running around me. I wonder what he will look like. Will he have yellow eyes? Those handsome yellow eyes that shimmer gold in them. All werewolves have that ability when they transfer, but I heard people that didn't have them are very rare. I have that rare ability. Mine were bloodshot red. I inherited it from Fenrir himself.
As I walked the hallway, my nose led me to a closed room. It has a sign saying “staff only”. The scent there was too thick and almost drowned me to destroy the door that hindered me and my mate.
Damn it.
I was about to grab the doorknob and twist it open but then the door finally opened and the scent brutally attacked me, sending me waves of pleasure, arousing me in the process. I even felt myself wet down there.
The man before me has light brown eyes with thick eyebrows. He has this prominent cheekbone. He licked his lips wetting it in the process making his red lips more redder than before.
I swallowed hard. My wolf wanted him. She wanted to pounce on him and lock the door with just me and him doing naughty stuff. My wolf started to send some sexy pictures in my mind.
“Damn it, Athena!” I roared at her which she only answered with a smirk.
“Miss, are you okay? You seem like you’re sick?” The man's sexy voice rang in my head and before I could even utter a word, I passed out.
Damn it. Our mate is human!
When I woke up, I saw Charlotte who was talking to my mate. My wolf immediately saw red but I stopped her. I told her we were in the human’s territory and we shouldn’t be obvious. When the man noticed that I already woke up, he smiled at me and said something to Charlotte before leaving.
I wanted to protest and my wolf whined about leaving us.
“Hey, Artemis. What was that? I thought I was the one who you rushed to the hospital. What happened? You passed out. That’s a rare occurrence,” Charlotte said.
“He’s my mate,” I said.
“What? What did you say?”
“I said the one that you talked to. The doctor,” I said.
Charlotte gasped.
“No way. You’re supposed to be mateless!”
“I know. I know. That’s why I’m confused. And to humans?”
“I don’t even know,” Charlotte said, concerned. She knew humans weren’t allowed in the Higanbana pack, especially mated with me. “What will happen? Uncle will surely go against this,” she added.
“I’ll find a way. Keep this only to us. Please, Charlotte,” I begged.
“Of course I will! Don’t worry.”
Suddenly there was a knock. We both looked at the door and saw the doctor, my mate smiling at us.
“Good morning ladies,” he greeted. His baritone voice made my wolf purr. Like seriously? She was one of the ruthless wolves in Higanbana, maybe the feared one but there she goes, purring like a cat that needed some attention.
“Good morning, doc. How is my friend?” Charlotte asked him.
“She’s fine, Miss. But I want to talk to the patient privately. Will that be okay?”
“Of course, Doctor. Sure you can,” she said and stood up before giving me a secret wink that made me blushed.
The man took his glasses off and sat on the chair beside me. He then leaned on my hospital bed that almost made my heart jump due to his sudden gesture.
“Artemis, it has been so long,” he said with a wide smile. A friendly smile.
I furrowed my brows. Why did this human know me? Have we met before?
“Ah, you don’t know me anymore? I’m Eliot. The kid you called weak when a wolf tried to eat me in the Jura forest. Remember?”
Eliot. Eliot…
I tried to remember something. And I did remember helping a kid back then. It was when I was walking to my hunting ground of feral wolves den. I didn’t know I would stumble on a kid that was desperately crying as a malnourished rogue circled him and was ready to pounce. I also didn’t know that he was a human back then. I just realised it when he didn’t fight that small and weak rogue cub who was probably hungry and wishing to eat him. I saved his ass, kicked the rogue and sent it flying to nowhere.
Since that day, we have become best friends and we hit it off. I attended the same school with him until highschool. He was outgoing despite being weak. and I was the “get out of my way or you’ll die” girl. Everyone was afraid of me in high school. Even those werewolves who were also attending the school from another pack were also afraid of me. I was his silent protector whenever someone wanted to bully him.
Well, he vanished during our second year. One day he stopped coming to school. I didn’t bother looking for him since meddling with humans was prohibited to my pack. I didn’t have any news about him and so I moved on and forgot I was associated with humans back then.
And then this…unexpected. Damn it.
“Do you remember me?” he asked again.
“Yeah, of course. You’re still the same lame kid I met before,” I said, placing my arms on my forehead and closing my eyes. My wolf became so excited and chanting that she wanted to mate with him.
“How did you know I was Artemis by the way?”
“How can I forget you? You have these very expressive blue eyes and moles under each,” he said smiling. “You don’t have any idea how long I was searching for you. I even went to the same highschool we’ve been through and tried to get your address but for some reason the registrar told me you were not a student there.”
Oh I remembered threatening the poor human registrar to erase my credentials after the day Eliot was gone for good.
“So why did you come back and tried to find me. You were the one who left without a word.” I said and then looked at his eyes.
“Oh, I’m sorry. My grandmother passed away and my mom took me with her. I’m sorry I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye,” Eliot said and held my hand.
Suddenly, a strong current of tingles attacked my body, hitting me to the right spots. I cursed under my breath and wanted to take my hand back but my wolf has her own idea of keeping our hands together. She was smirking at me and there was a smug on face like she was trying to say “try to do that, if you can.”
I didn’t know if Eliot could feel it too so I secretly looked at him and saw he was smiling normally.
I gritted my teeth and cursed all the fate for what it did to me.
“Dammit it Artemis, Your paired mate has been waiting for you the whole night. What the hell is wrong with you?” My dad scolded me in the office. He went on about my paired mate’s parents storming away because I was nowhere to be found and saying they felt betrayed.
“Dad,” I said, heaving a sigh. “I don’t want him. I’ll just end up killing him if you force me,” I said.
“Artemis, you can’t just kill a male wolf. You needed one in order to have kids! Are you out of your mind? Or would you like to have the King’s second son? Look, I’ve been trying hard to find a suitable pair for you, especially since you’re not just a normal wolf. You’re not helping me, daughter.”
“I know, dad. And I’m sorry. I don’t want anyone because I have a mate,” I said. I don’t want to lie to Dad. I knew he would understand.
Dad stopped talking and looked at me. I knew he wouldn’t believe me since Higanbana wolves were never blessed with mates. Fate condemned them in exchange for their ability in war.
“Stop making nonsense Artemis. You will marry the King’s second child whether you-”
“I said I found my mate!” I growled.
Father was shocked and my mom who was cooking downstairs broke the door and saw me and Dad about to attack each other. I could see my bloodshot red eyes from my father’s eyes.
“Jonathan, Artemis, what is happening here?” My mom broke our eye fight.
“Your daughter. Not only she wanted to kill the one I chose to pair with her, she also told that she found her mate,” my dad replied, giving up. “Talk a sense to your daughter please,” he added. “I’m fed up.”
Mom looked at him.
“Or you could have listened to her,” my mom replied to him, fed up with manipulating my life.
“Tell me Artemis, what’s wrong?” Mom said and led me to one of the chairs located beside dad’s desk.
“I found my mate last night, mom,” I said.
Mom stared at me in disbelief.
“We, Higanbanas, have no mate, sweetie. You should have-”
“Mom, I smell him. The scent that allured me and my wolf. I…he even touched my hand and there was spark, tingles Mom. All that I read in a book, it all happened yo me. I’m already twenty years old and I never tell lies,” I said.
Mom looked at Dad. Both of them nodded. There were shock in their faces but there was also a hope.
“Okay, calm down, Artemis. Okay. So who is this mate of yours? What pack?” Mom asked me.
I swallowed hard.
“He doesn’t belong to any pack, Mom,” I said.
“Okay. Is he a rogue?”
I looked at Dad and then looked at my lap as if it was the most interesting thing inside my Dad’s office.
“H-he’s a human.”
“What!?” My parents asked in unison.
“That’s absolutely no, Artemis!” Dad said in the final tone. My wolf was never submitted to anyone but when Dad became serious, she chose not to ignite fire. “But Dad, this human is my mate. My soulmate and other half,” I replied, determined to have him no matter what. “But he’s a human! We do not mingle with humans. The other pack yes, but not us. There was a reason why we can’t! What if he’s a member of Hunter? What if he’s a spy?”I started to sob. My wolf whined. “Please, Dad. Please, I’m begging you,” I said. Dad inhaled, trying to suit his wolf that was now trying to come out. Mom started to suit him, helping him to calm his wolf. “Okay,” he said after a couple of minutes, and finally his wolf calmed down. “If you really want to have your human mate, I’ll give you a chance. I’m giving you a year. You have to convince the King and the whole Higanbana. Prove them that this human mate of yours can be trusted. If he’s not, you know it means his death and you will be the one who
“Where have you been? Mary told me you filed a leave for two days,” Eliot told me when I went to work two days after staying in my apartment and pretended that I was not home. Eliot has been checking out for me for the past two days and although I was inside, I never answered his calls.He’s with his girlfriend, the girl who had been rumored to be his fiance and who was also a nurse. She was already transferred to the hospital we work at on the last day. “Oh sorry, I was with my family,” I replied, masking my pain with a smile. “Oh, okay. By the way, this is Mia, my fiance,” he proudly introduced his girlfriend to me. “Mia, this is Artemis, my best friend and the one who saved me when I was a child,” he proudly said. “Fiance? I thought-”“I’m pregnant,” Mia replied with her sweet smile. I looked at Eliot, confused as my heart broke into a million pieces. He gently took my hand, tingles exploded but I wasn’t longer happy about it. “Mia and I have been in a relationship since coll
Eliot’s Point of ViewWhen I was a child I used to believe my grandma was the best woman in my life. She was kind and gentle but I guess you would never judge a person by their outer appearance. She was the worst and she’s not even related to me. All I knew was that she was something and my mom entrusted me with her. “Eliot!” I heard her screaming out of my room. “Get up!”As soon as I heard her voice, I woke up and scrambled on the edge of my mattress, under my threadbare blanket. The scuffs on the walls were all too familiar, as was the shabbiness of the few items carefully set in their places. But as miserable as it was to look at, I'd prefer to stay in the unkempt little room than face what was outside of it.Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of doing that. I swung my legs down to the floor and quickly dressed. I wasn't fast enough."Eliot!" The harping screech of my name echoed from below. Not wasting time, I hurried down before she had a chance to get even angrier with m
Artemis’ Point of viewThe ride is silent, the radio softly playing as my shoulders are tense. The trees passed by quickly as my eyes glanced to the side mirror, watching Charlotte’s date driving her car as he followed in pursuit. Looking back to the road, I recrossed my legs, the atmosphere tense as I just want to be alone, in the silence, my mind empty, and my heart no longer in pain.Charlotte was driving my car, her eyes locked on the road as she seemed relaxed to me, her posture relaxed, hands on the wheel, and not in some horrible state like myself. To the world, she is free. She was not tied down to a world of emotions that eat you alive because your mate is with another. Has she found her mate? No. How do I know? When a soon-to-be Beta found her mate, they could not stop talking about him or even keep their eyes off of him, not to mention everyone would know by now. She has not found her mate, and I know she was growing impatient because everyone else was finding theirs."Do
“So, you’re telling me that you got dumped by the person that you like?” Eliot asked me as he was filling his glass with an ice cube. “Yeah,” I replied and then smiled painfully. “He doesn’t even know that I like him,” I added and brought the glass into my lips.“Who was he? Do I know him? Does he also work in the hospital?”“Yeah,” I replied. I almost felt like vomiting when the liquid reached my throat and created a scraping feeling inside. “Then why didn’t you confess?”“I can’t,” I replied.“Why?”“Because he is already taken,” I replied and drank the reminder of the alcohol in my glass.We have been drinking for the past three hours and Eliot wasn’t good at handling his liquor. He started to look like he was already drunk because his eyes were always on me. “That’s sad,” Eliot commented. “Is that why I felt like you were avoiding me? Why do I need to suffer because you were hurting,” he said. I looked at him and saw that his face was already red and his eyes had become hooded
Eliot lightly brushed his hands over that special place and all I could do was close my eyes. Slowly he parted the folds of my skin and then I felt his mouth press the most intimate of kisses against my clit. My breath stopped at the unfamiliar touch, and then that naughty tongue of his slid from the top to the bottom of that special area causing my blood to simmer. “Eli?” I called out while fisting my hands in the sheets.“I, I can’t, I don’t know,” I began to babble as his tongue continued its ministrations.Lifting his head to me, he placed a finger along my lips.“Sshhh, let me take care of you.”I nodded my head and let it numbly fall back on the pillow as his mouth returned to my center. This time it was coupled with the first one finger and then a second. As the feelings started to build in my body I knew that something big was coming.I was reaching for something and as Eliot concentrated all of his attention with his fingers and his tongue on the center of my body the sens
“We are short of manpower, Artemis. Mrs Stanford will retire in a few days. And she recommended you to me. Please. Stay for a bit until I find someone else,” Melinda said. She’s my building maintenance supervisor. “But-”“Please? Please?” I heaved a sigh. “Don’t worry. I’ll recommend to the higher ups to increase your pay. I’ll convince them,” she said. I couldn’t do anything but to agree and stay for a bit. Part of me wanted nothing to do at this hospital but my wolf insisted that I should stay a bit. She’s not giving up that easily. She wanted our mate, human or not. The end of the week could not come faster. With my final record to be sent out to my king, I know my days are counting down. Most of us Higanbanas were destined to work for the royals or become trainers to different packs all over the world.As for the rest of my batch mates, they are more than happy to get out of the pack, ready just as I am to break free and explore the world. But they have different motives for
Zero’s Point of View“Stop! I-I’m not a spy!” the man screamed as I bit his neck, twisting it, ending his life in an instant. My wolf was in a bad mood. Me and him. It had been like that for damn two years. Damn two whole years!“What the hell, Z? What the hell is wrong with you? You killed a damn vampire representative!” Eion said, my elder brother and the heir to the throne. “He could save our war against the vampires!”“That’s no representative. He’s a damn spy. Can’t you tell?” I growled at him. “You can’t be fooled just by a mere representative,” I said and walked away. “Zero, we’re not done talking yet!” he yelled at me. I’m not in the mood to talk to him right now, especially if he’ll just lecture me about my temper or anything he sees about me. I’m tired of it. “Zero! Don’t you-”“Please! Leave me alone! I don’t want to talk to you!” I yelled back and rode my car. I decided to go to a bar. Jerry’s bar. The place I used to go whenever I wanted to get drunk.“Hmm, you look s
Hera’s point of ViewDisappointed. That's what I felt when I saw Zero and the girl getting off from their work and riding in Zero’s car. She’s so beautiful compared to me. I knew she was a full blood wolf while I was not. “Follow the car,” I commanded the driver even if Jessica was protesting not to go. But I don’t want to listen. I wanted to know who this special girl was. I want to know everything about her and Zero. I watched them going to a fancy restaurant. I watched how happy Zero was with her. A wrench of painful fury tugged in my heart as I saw them enjoying everything as if they were mates and Zero’s betrayal, and I struggled to break out of self wallowing and pity. As I secretly followed their car, I learned that Zero took her home. “Higanbana’s location must be kept a secret my lady. We should really head back before the prince learns that we follow him,” Jessica said, fear all over her face. At last, I decided to give in to her and we went home. I lay on my bed as I t
Hera’s point of View“Have you heard the news?” I heard a female wolf telling a word to another servant. “News what?”Curious, I walked towards them secretly. “The prince has already chosen his mate and they are planning their wedding soon.”“Wedding? Chosen mate? Are you stupid? The prince’s mate is Hera. That’s why she’s here and we’re taking good care of her.” “Oh my goddess, Jessica. You are so slow!” Ana whispered. “Please enlighten me. The prince is not a playboy so I assume he chose his mate because he took her here.”“Well not that case. The she-wolf I heard that he’ll be wedded to is from the Higanbana pack. You know, the pack that dedicates their life to war?” “You gotta be kidding me,” Jessica said, unconvinced. “Ahuh. But girl, the royal family has already accepted her to be his mate. According to the prince, he defies fate. He doesn’t believe in fate.”“So what is Hera then to him?”“Maybe he kept her for the purpose of how it felt like to have one? I mean maybe he
Artemis Point of ViewThe weather is beautiful at this time in the morning, the dew fresh from the night, the sun barely rising, the chirping of birds heard, and the town barely awake on this summer day. Here I sit, on the patio of the backyard, my mother beside me as we enjoy early morning coffee with one another. As we discuss how my life is about to do now that Zero is my mate, I have so much I have to tell her. Last night I had asked if she wanted an early morning cup of coffee with me to discuss some issues. Starting off the conversation about mating, we are still on the topic, right now talking about my roommate who I will meet in person when I arrive. Mother is in for big news. News that happened three days ago and I've been reflecting off of. For three days my mind has been busy, my eyes unable to rest at night as I can't calm myself down.Zero respects that, giving me time as we text here and there, for the most part a sense of me avoiding him has settled in my stomach. Avo
Hera’s Point of View“Y-you’re my mate?” I ask the most handsome man I have ever met. “Yes,” he said, smiling. “You mean-”He gently took me in his arms and wrapped his hands around me. I feel so safe and warm. I have never felt emotions like this. I feel so safe.“Yes and you’ll be safe here, Hera.”When I was a little girl, I always thought that I would be the woman that forsakened because I was a product of human and wolf, an abomination. Never in my life I would find happiness since I grew up being bullied and unloved.I would look around and see happy couples together, getting married and having children of their own. It would make me smile. What could be greater than that? I knew I only wanted one thing... to be happy and loved. Those were just a dream before I met this wonderful wolf, my mate and my man.“How about-”“The hunters? We have taken care of it, love. No one will be able to help hurt you in my care,” Zero said and touched my cheeks. Unfamiliar tingles travelled i
Despite being said, I saw something in Zero’s eyes and the stare I received from the woman I saw. They rejected each other right? But why do I feel like something was off? Or am I just paranoid?I don't know what to do exactly. Do I tell him everything is going to be fine or that he did the right thing? Both of these can be taken to extreme ways beyond me trying to comfort him. My eyes take a short glance to Zero, how he sits beside me, his eyes locked upon the road, the radio off, and it seems as if he's absent. Maybe he's feeling the side effects of rejection and how he’ll feel emptiness, lost as you become vulnerable and your heart aches. Zero got me through much of how I felt, how I was heartbroken and he was beside me, knowing to not take advantage of my vulnerability as he respected my state of being.His jaw is clenched, his hands wrapped tight around the wheel as the familiar landscapes surround me. Just an hour ago we arrived back in the airport we left from, a hour drive b
Artemis’s point of ViewBeautiful. The buildings are a traditional style, the bricks more than a century old, the windows long and narrow, and massive trees that shade the sidewalks. If anything, I cannot wait for the next chapter of my life to begin here.“I like this place,” I told Zero. “I think this place will be- hey. Are you listening?” The entire trip was so quiet. Zero has become so quiet and I wonder why. “What’s wrong? Is there any problem?” I asked. “N-nothing. It’s just that I’m tired,” he replied, smiling. “You should have told me,” I said.“Na,” he shook his head. “We need this for our future,” he added, which made me smile."Really excited for all of this," I mention, turning to Flynn as we stand at the top of the stairs towards our new house in the most famous building that overlooks the fresh green grass and tree. "Two months away before the wedding. "Two months," Zero agrees, a smile upon his face as his mother is at the end of the stairs, capturing pictures of
Hera’s Point of View“You’re a damn abomination!” My brother Alexi screamed at me. Today, I tried hard to fight him, but he was too strong for me to fight even if I’m half-wolf.I was beaten to death. My family hated me, even the hunters.I was gagged and tied up with my arms behind my back. My heart began to pound frantically in my chest at the loss of free movement. This was a whole new level of torture. I used all my strength and freed myself. Just when I thought I had finally escaped, something hit my head and consciousness split from me.I opened my eyes and cautiously looked around. I was still in the forest, although it was almost dawn judging by the light of the sky. I must have been out for hours. I was not alone, but I could not see my brother and I was not sure whether that realization relieved or upset me.I focused on the five people nearby me. I had never seen any of them before in my life.They were clearly large and strong and they moved like fighters. Then there was m
Eliot's Point of ViewA week ago…a week already passed since Artemis completely destroyed me. One week and the pain has completely eaten me alive. I could have killed her if I wanted to but I can’t. I love her. I love her so much.“Captain, you’ve been silent for a week. What happened?” my junior, my second hand asks me when he sits besides me.I looked at him and smiled. “It's nothing,” I replied.Mateo smiled at me. “Doesn’t look like it's nothing, Captain,” he said. I heaved a sigh. “Well, uhh I was dumped by a woman I have loved since we were kids,” I said. “She, a… she rejected me or whatever you call it. She said she had already fallen in love with someone else.”Tears fell from my eyes. The pain is too unbearable. How could someone fall in love so deep and when dumped hurts like hell?I didn't make a single sound, and Mateo probably knew how much I was hurting. My back moved up and down, and I knew that crying was the only way for me to ease the pain. I lifted my head to t
I should have rejected him before I slept with Zero last night. Why? Because I had forgotten that when you have sex with anyone not your mate, you feel pain. I put Eliot through pain last night and he has no idea how it happened. I have to reject him. It's not fair. It's not justified. I have to hold myself to the account that I will not be with Zero again that intimate until I reject Eliot.As I grab the sheets from the washer, my eyes widen. I gasp, dropping the blankets as I fall to the floor, a sharp pain in my stomach as I cry out in pain. My eyes squeeze shut, my muscles cramping as I roll onto my side. What a coincidence. What an irony.I have to reject him. I have to not only for him, but for me. For this pain. This pain will go away.I grab my phone, knowing he won't see my text for a while. Unlocking it, my fingers ache as I type away, sending the text to Eliot that should have been sent a long time ago.We need to talk. ASAP.Eliot is about to have his reality changed and i