Chapter 001

Azalea's POV

Every full moon night, something strange happens. I don't know exactly what happened last night. But as I washed my hair in the sink this morning, I could vividly recall my dream last night, when I "wolfed-out" and ran through the streets of Brooklyn. The moonlight illuminated my path, made everything enveloped in silver light, and I was completely happy.

I haven't been that happy in a long time.

The thing is, I'm not a wolf. I'm an ordinary human... right? And werewolves don't exist... right?

Okay, please don't think I'm crazy. But I woke up in a very strange condition this morning. There was dried mud in my hair, as well as on the tips of my toenails and fingernails. And I was... erm, naked.

I hope I didn't leave the apartment naked last night.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

Aaaaah, embarrassing.

After finishing rinsing my hair and drying it with a towel, I went downstairs to the kitchen. My apartment mate, Jay Oliver, was busy fixing the coffee machine. He is a tall, dark-skinned man with curly black hair, the founder of a technology-related start-up company, and can't live without coffee.

"Morning," I greet him, and he answers me with a casual mumble.

I approached the hanging cabinet labeled "Azalea", and then tiptoed to grab a cup of ramen that I had deliberately stocked as much as possible.

That's when I felt the presence of someone behind me. His broad chest was touching my back, and his muscular arm was stretched out through the side of my head. "Can I have a cup? I'll pay," the man said as he reached a cup of ramen for himself. His voice was husky and sexy, reminding me of chalk scratches on a blackboard but not exactly like that. His voice was much more pleasant to hear than that.

"Who's asking?" I asked, but in a friendly tone. I turned around, and that's when I saw him... I found myself stunned.

He had a tall body shape, broad shoulders, a broad chest, and a firm jawline. When I looked up, I could see his thinner upper lip that was thinner than his sensual lower lip. He has a sharp nose line. And his hazelnut-colored eyes... there was something about those eyes that stunned me for a long time....

"Okay, I'm done fixing it. Anyone want to make coffee, guys—" Jay suddenly said, and I immediately startled and turned my gaze to another direction. The man in front of me still looked at me. "Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you that Ikaros came to visit last night and stayed over, Azalea."

"Ikaros?" I glanced at Jay briefly, and tried not to look into the man's eyes when I looked back at him. He still didn't take his eyes off me, and my face warmed.

"My name is Ikaros Alexandrovich," Ikaros introduced himself.

I nodded without being able to utter a single word. Then, realizing that I looked like an idiot, I quickly extended my hand which he immediately shook with a firm handshake.

"Azalea. Jay's apartmentmate," I introduced myself. "Jay is my sister's best friend, so he let me stay here while studying in Juilliard."

"Nice to meet you, Azalea," Ikaros said. He now approached the faucet lever to fill the pot, and turned on the stove. As he passed by me, I could smell the scent of his body that reminded me of the scent of pine trees in the mountains, and I suddenly felt like I needed to get away from him. That man reminded me of my dream last night and the embarrassing situation that followed afterwards.

Before I could leave, Jay's phone suddenly rang loudly from his room, and he excused himself for a moment. Just as he disappeared into his room and closed the door, Ikaros suddenly pushed me against the cabinet behind me, and kissed me ferociously on the lips.

"Hey!" Shocked, I rebuked him, but my voice was drowned out by the confinement of his lips. The kiss was so sensual, so rough but enjoyable, and I felt an urge I didn't recognize before. It was only when his hand slipped under my shirt, and then into my pants, that I knew it was called a sensual urge.

I muffled my moans against his chest, inhaling the masculine scent of his body.

"You're still innocent, never been touched before," he whispered.

"Ikaros...," I puffed, trying to push him away but he didn't budge. His body was as solid as a rock. "Wait, let's move to my room, I don't want Jay to see this. My sister would be furious if she found out what I did in New York City, and drag me back to Vancouver."

For a moment he didn't respond.

"Ikaros!" I said again, as firmly as I could in my current condition, and only then did he look at me.

"Okay. But Jay is still long. I can hear his phone conversations from here," the man whispered in my ear. What? What kind of bullshit is that?

He squeezed my body, and I bit my lip hard.

F*ck. I love his touch.

This wasn't me at all. I'm not the kind of girl who would do this kind of thing to someone I just met a minute ago, but there's something strange about me and Ikaros. Something I can't explain with common sense, but it feels as if my body—me—was made for him, and vice versa. That we might have been made to be together.

Ikaros turned my body to lean against the cabinet, and then pulled down my shorts. "You better not scream too loud," he whispered in my ear, and in that moment I felt that it was not a suggestion but an order.

"Slowly," I pleaded. But that time I didn't remember to tell him to use a condom.

So I bit my lip to stifle a scream.

"Fuck, you're my mate!" he whispered in my ear, when we were finished. Then he quickly grabbed a tissue and cleaned his own, then put it back to his jeans and washed his hands with soap in the sink.

After the great moment, he suddenly looked at me with a colder gaze although there was still desire in his eyes, "I shouldn't have done it with you. I already have a fiancée. So forget about what just happened now and shut up."

What?

I blinked, surprised. "Forget about it, you say!? How do you expect me to forget what just happened?"

He answered my question by raising an eyebrow, and suddenly I felt very angry.

"I hope all the guys in New York City aren't as jerk as you," I said irritably, then stormed out to my room.

And cried. Yep.

I don't know what just happened. I feel like I've lost control and made the wrong decision stupidly.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

*****

Ikaros's POV

Better not ask me anything. I don't know why I could lose control like that, and why such a moment could happen. That girl is still very young, probably she is in her early 20s, and young girls like her don't seem to be my type at all.

My type is definitely like Lorelei. I like mature women who are strong opinions and critical-minded like Lorelei. I like her slim and tall body, her straight black hair that falls beautifully down her back, and her charming onyx irises.

I have wait for so long to make her my wife, my Luna, and suddenly today I realized that my love for her have faded-in one second after the girl appeared.

It feels impossible, horrible, ridiculous. Especially since this happened after Lorelei and I had a big fight last night about Lorelei's suspicions of me having another woman—which actually never exist.

But today there is other woman. And that other woman is just a snot-nosed girl whose beauty can't even be compared to Lorelei. Her brown hair was cut short, her body was nice but her style of dress was very simple, and her movements were awkward and there was no grace at all. A girl like her would run away if I took her to an official company party or a secret werewolf party that was just as luxurious.

She couldn't be Luna, and I'd better give up on my desire, as well as my silly destiny, and stay away from that girl.

I wondered what kind of werewolf pack she was from, and how rude of her not to ask for my permission when she moved to New York City.