CHAPTER ONE

PRESENT

FIORELLA

“I'm leaving,” I muttered, barely audible.

“Alright, don't forget to call…”

“Nothing will go wrong, Aurora. I've been working there for over three months. Besides, all the other employees know to avoid me,” I grumbled.

“All the same. Make sure to contact me,” she insisted.

“I will.”

Zipping up my hoodie, I walked over to the door.

“You with your drugs?” Aurora asked, approaching me.

“Yeah, it's in my hoodie pocket.” I brought out a small container from my hoodie pocket and flashed it on her face.

“Remember…”

“Keep it next to you at all times, you never know what might go wrong,” I completed her statement.

“You sound just like Maria,” she laughed.

Smiling, I pull the door to our tiny apartment open and step out. The cold December air, hitting my skin. Stepping further away from the door, I watched different people saunter down the street, some were couples and seemed to be enjoying the snow together, others had happy smiles on their faces. Sighing, I pulled my eye off them and stared down at the ground. Happiness is an emotion that can never be associated with me. Soon, I arrived at the bus stop and boarded a bus to my workplace.

Getting there, the hotel was busy as usual, with people checking in and out. Others were casually seated in the bar drinking. Judging from the loud noise coming from a certain corner of the bar, I realized that a party was going on. From the look of it, it seemed like one of those parties thrown by rich spoilt brats.

“This is surely going to be a long night. I just hope Laura won't make me work there.”

I dragged myself to the staff changing room. I stood outside the door, not wanting to go in. Loud chatters could be heard from the room, the staff seemed to be having a good time together.

“The freak will be here soon,” One of them suddenly said aloud.

“We can simply push her out,” Another countered.

“I can't touch her, she creeps me out. Have you seen her stare before? It's horrifying.” I could imagine Mia, the owner of the voice, cringing.

“She is a drugo, I've seen her use drugs a couple of times. I wonder why Laura still lets her work here.”

They all kept throwing their views about me. None of their words surprised me, they were all true and I had no control over them.

“What are you doing standing at the door?” A voice I dreaded the most suddenly sounded behind me.

“I…I…I was just about to go in,” I stuttered, gripped by fear.

“Get dressed and meet me in my office in two minutes,” Saying this, she walked away, her heels making clicking sounds on the floor.

Sighing, I pushed the door open and walked into the room, with my head bowed.

“Look who we have here,” Mia, my co-worker announced upon noticing me.

“It's drugo,” Another added.

“I thought I warned you never to come in here while we are dressing up?” Mia asked, approaching me.

“I…I…I.”

“Cat got your tongue,” she spat.

I took two steps back, but then I was suddenly gripped by my hair. Panic kicked in instantly, my breathing began to go frantic.

“What the heck is taking you all so long in there!” Laura’s loud voice rang from the door.

“Consider yourself lucky,” Mia muttered, letting go of my hair. She forcefully pushed me away from the door and I landed on the floor. My butt ached.

Once they all left the room, I rose from the ground, dusted off my pants and quickly changed. The last thing I wanted was to get into Laura’s bad book.

“As if you aren't there already,” My wolf, Ella, stirred awake.

The fact that I'm a werewolf, but get bullied by humans is something most people never seem to understand. Right from the moment I lost my parents, I never considered myself a werewolf. My pack rejected me, but the humans took me in. The human orphanage became my second home. My parent's death had given me a lot of trauma that I find it hard to fight for myself. Each time a mildest act of violence takes place in front of me, my disorder kicks in. This made the other kids distance themselves from me. My disorder made Maria, the lady in charge of us at the orphanage offer me a drug. And for years I've been using that drug. It was the reason I'm sane this day. The drug became my refuge and comforter and I could never go a day without taking it.

“Laura,” I called, getting to Laura’s office.

I forgot to mention that Laura was one of the kids at the orphanage who took pleasure in watching me in pain. She was later adopted by a rich couple. I thought that was the end of my misery, but it wasn't. Here I am working, in the hotel owned by her adoptive parents and trust me Laura has made sure I see hell during my three months here. She purposely triggers my trauma most times, just to entertain herself.

“Come with me,” she said, leading me out of her office.

Getting to the bar, she pointed at the corner, where a party was going on. My heart dropped to my stomach. The last thing I wanted was to serve a bunch of rich, dumb folks who had no respect for women. I dreaded serving them a lot, as most of the time, they end up fighting and breaking bottles and that sight is enough to bring back bad memories.

“You see that guy in grey pants,” she pointed at a young guy.

I nodded.

“You’ll serve only him tonight. Wherever he goes, you go. If he gets himself a room, follow him in there, and don't mess up. Not giving me a chance to speak she walked away.

“As if you have something to say. You're too weak” Ella mocked.

“You’re even weaker,” I countered, shutting her up.

Picking up a tray. I headed over to the guy.

“Just so you know, I'm weak because you keep using that drug,” Ella finally spoke up.

They say everything has a price. The price for getting calmed down by drugs was that my wolf would be weak. The more I use the drug, the weaker she gets and right now, I'm almost human and can't shift.

“What can I get you?” I asked, finally getting close to the guy.

“Two bottles of whiskey,” he mumbled. His lustful gaze settled on my boobs.

“I'll get that in two minutes.” I turned around to leave.

“Bring it to room 103. I'll be waiting.”

Sighing, I got his orders and soon, I was on my way to a lion’s den with no form of protection. Getting to his room, I found him casually lying on the bed in nothing but his boxers. A throbbing erection pulled his boxers up.

I dropped the drinks on one of the tables in the room and turned around to leave.

“You caused this, won't you do something about it?” He suddenly asked aloud.

Pretending not to have heard him, I took quick steps to the door.

“Who will open these drinks?” He asked.

I cursed myself inwardly for forgetting to uncover the drinks. Taking a deep breath, I headed back to the table. But then, the moment I made to pass by the bed, I'm suddenly gripped and thrown onto it. I landed on my back, the guy towering over me. His dirty hands grabbed my boobs and his sickening erection pressed my stomach.

“Let go,” I cried, frantically trying to free myself from him.

“Just stay calm. The both of us will enjoy this.”

In utter despair, I gripped his neck in an attempt to save myself, but then, the unexpected happened. My claws, which haven't shown themselves for over 10 years, suddenly elongated. Piercing his neck. His blood splashed on my face.

“What have you done?”

He dropped dead on top of me.

“Ahhhh!”

“Where is the little bitch hiding?”

“I'm sorry, baby. We are horrible parents.”

“Mum, Dad. Please wake up.”.

Memories of the past filled my head. Shutting my eyes, all I kept seeing was blood, like the one on my dress right now.

“I…I killed someone.”

My hands trembled, my breathing became shaky, and cold sweats broke out.

“Wherever you are, we are coming for you. You can't escape from us,” The one voice from a faceless person I've dreaded all my life resonated.

“They are coming to kill me just like I killed him,” Crying, shaking, sweating I slipped out of the bed.

My shaky hand found the small container inside my side pocket. Pulling it open, I emptied the content in my mouth, most of it falling to the ground. The moment the drugs slipped past my throat, I felt myself calming down. I rested my back on the table trying to calm down. A wave of tiredness suddenly hit me. Ella must have used her entire strength to make my claws elongate.

Seated there panting, tired Ella suddenly began purring.

“Can't you smell that?” She asked.

The smell of wood suddenly hit my nose, it was the most enchanting scent I've ever perceived.

“Mate!” Ella began to chant.

Rising to my feet, as if hypnotized, I took slow steps to the door. But before I could get to it, it was banged open. A masked guy stood before me. His azure eyes stared at me for a while, then moved to the body on the bed, and finally the drugs on the floor.

“Mate,” I called out.

Genuine happiness bubbled inside of me for the first time.

“Who the heck paid you to kill him?” My supposed mate growled, his eyes flashing red.

My happiness died down. A feeling of rejection hit me, nearly knocking me off my feet.

For years, I've been dreaming of the day I will find my mate. I dreamed of finding someone I could take solace in, someone who wouldn't judge me, someone who would love me just like my parents loved themselves. But here I am with someone that seemed like he wanted to kill me this instant. Others brag about the very first word their mates say to them. Some say the first word is Mate, others say it's My Love. Never did I imagine that mine would be this.

Dejected, and rejected, I recoil, taking a step back.

BANG

A loud sound resonated, then everything became blank.