Chapter 3

Skylar POV

Looking at my reflection one last time, I smiled in delight and made my way downstairs. 

It’s been so long since I last did any makeup or dressed myself up if it wasn’t for Ryan and Jasmine’s friend inviting them for his birthday party, I would’ve spent my evening tanning near the lake.

But I didn’t feel like staying alone today, it’s the reason why I agreed to tag along with them. Ryan was already there, Jasmine and I were a little behind because we decided to take the horses for a ride then join him.

“Can I drive?” I asked as we walked toward’s jasmine’s baby girl as she likes to call it.

“Oh God, no!” There’s nothing Ry and Jas can agree on more than how much I suck at driving.

What can I say, I’m the type of person that would drive while staring at my window, driving with my knee because eating nachos with my hands is much more important. 

The last time I drove with Jas, the poor thing vomited her heart out.

Rolling my eyes dramatically, I let the subject drop and enjoyed our little mini-concert inside the car, singing at the top of our lungs until we arrived one hour later toward the house party.

The blasting music can be heard from inside the car, I knew this party would be as wild as the college’s iconic ones.

Once out, Jas linked her arms with mine, and in we went. As soon as we opened the door, the loud music welcomed us. It was already crowded with teens.

The inside had blue lighting. In the corner of the room, I noticed a table with a big, long cake on it and several bottles of what appeared to be beer and champagne.

It was so crowded with people that you can barely take a step without bumping into someone.

How can someone know this many people? I can barely remember my classmates’ names, let alone be friends with so many.

“C'mon, chica, let's get a drink!" she shouted over the loud music, dragging me along to another room and pushing past a few people.

"Hey, Aiden!" Jasmine greeted the blond-haired guy serving drinks at the small bar they had.

"Jazz. Long-time, huh?" he greeted back as his eyes landed on me.

"Skylar, that's Aiden. Aiden, Skylar. She's my bestie."

He nodded his head at me, then turned his attention to Jasmine. "What would the ladies want?"

"I want a cocktail with your magical mixing," Jasmine replied, causing them to laugh a little as he nodded and turned his eyes to look at me.

"What would you like?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I'll just have a cola."

"A cola? You're at a party not-"

"Just give her what she wants, Aiden." Jasmine interrupted him as he pursed his lips together and he walked off to get our drinks.

Oh wow, who spat in his coffee.

"Brownies!" Jasmine exclaimed, taking the brownie from the plate next to us.

"I don't really think that's a normal brownie, you shouldn’t-" Before I could even finish my warning, she'd already taken a big bite from it.

"You shouldn't really eat that," I mumbled. She swallowed all at once and sipped her cocktail that Aiden just brought. Her eyes were shut for a second as she continued drinking, then started giggling uncomfortably a moment later.

"Did you know that a newborn kangaroo is small enough to actually fit in a teaspoon? Or that some pills can change your fart smell?''

"No, Jas. I didn’t know that."

"Do you poo-"

"Let's go find Ryan!" I faked a smile as she started giggling again, clapping her hands together. Thankfully, she started walking, but then almost tripped on her own foot. Guess the brownies weren't normal, after all.

Rolling my eyes, I linked my arms with her to help her stand while I scanned the room for any sign of Ryan. But Jasmine pulled away from me and stumbled into the crowd of people dancing. A loud groan escaped my lips as I followed her, trying to keep up.

"4, 3, 2, 1!"

Everybody around let out a loud cheer and howl while they screamed.

My eyes grew wide.  

What is this? Animal party?

A guy was pouring some kind of liquor down his shirtless chest as he stood on the table I saw earlier, near the cake, and screamed, sticking his tongue out like some freak. He looked high as hell, even from this far.

A few other girls poured the liquid onto the big cake that was placed on the table aside. 

That must be the birthday boy.

And just like that, everybody started throwing pieces of cake at each other.  All that you can see are pieces of white and black cake flying on top of you. Some were unfortunate while others stayed safe and sound hiding under anything they found to cover their faces.

Gasping, I quickly turned on my heels, making my way toward the door as fast as I could to avoid the mess.

Getting dirty was not on my to-do list.

This is officially the worst party I had ever attended, and not even fifteen minutes had passed. I'm not much of a party person to begin with, and I don't like drinking, either. I only came because I didn't want to stay at home alone. Then I lost a high-as-a-kite Jasmine, and now I'm stuck in some wild party with people I've never met and I can't find my brother.

I wanted to go home, but I couldn't leave Jasmine alone. I didn't even know where she'd gone!

​

I was about to walk outside and check if Jasmine was there before calling my brother when I felt my body being turned and shoved into a wall. 

My eyes squeezed shut as my lips parted in surprise. A loud grunt left my throat at the sudden hit I received on my back, but it could barely be heard over the music.   

When I opened my eyes, ready to scowl, I was met with a pair of hazel brown eyes gazing at me. The man’s eyes were wide, too wide that I thought they would fall out. His hard stone's body pressing up against me.

"You’re my mate?” He questioned. Despite the loud music and shouts, I heard him clearly with how close he was to me. He had both of his arms on each side of my head, his chest almost glued to my own while he stared down at me.

I had to crank my head up to look at him.

"Mate? My name is Skylar, you creep!"

He appeared confused, and he pulled back a bit when I shoved his chest to give myself some space.

That’s when I got an unrestricted view of his figure. And boy, was he a model.

Even underneath the dim lights, he stood out like a sore thumb inside the crowd.

His hair was combed neatly into a quiff, but I couldn’t tell if he had blond or brown hair. Either way, it looked soft.

The black t-shirt he wore did a perfect job to align all the defined looking muscles beneath with clear ink on both arms.

His heart-shaped lips parted while he quirked his brow up at me. He eyed my body up and down with his piercing eyes, then shouted in pure rage and disgust.

"You're human?" He took a step back as if that made me some kind of alien.

"No, I'm a freaking unicorn, can't you see my tail?! Now, excuse me!" I yelled back, glaring and pushed past his tall body while he stood immobile like a statue, as if whatever he realized was too shocking to accept and difficult to comprehend.

Even after I set a foot outside the house, I could still feel his eyes burning holes at my back, but I didn’t look back. What the heck is his problem?

*****

I laid my head sleepily against the car window while I watched the empty road and large tree shadows as we passed by. 

My eyes were fluttering open and close every few seconds, my body begging for a good night’s sleep but I didn't want to because then I have to wake up when we arrive and drag my body up to my room which will perpetuate my sleep. 

After I walked out of the party away from that creepy dude, I called Ryan and he informed me that Jasmine was with him, which was an enormous relief to me. I didn’t join them. After that small encounter with that dude, it made me remember why I never liked parties so I just stayed outside enjoying the cold fresh air.

I don't know what was wrong with him; he was probably just drunk or something. He didn't seem drunk, though.  Either way, he really alarmed the hell out of me. Scratch that, the whole party was disturbing.

Soon enough, just as I'd hoped, Ryan walked out, carrying a sleeping Jasmine in his arms, and drove off as soon as we got in. I didn't tell him about what happened back at the party. I honestly wasn't in the mood to talk. I just wanted to go home and sleep. It was somewhere past two and my body was too drained from energy.

"You seem tired," Ryan said, giving me a concerned glance, then looking back at the road.

"I am. It's been a really long day." I replied, gathering my hair into a loose ponytail.

"Where did you find Jas, by the way?" I added, looking at his figure.

Somehow, we looked nothing alike. I took all of my features from my mom. From the bright blue eyes, short height, light skin, to the long brown curly hair. As for Ryan, he was a copy-paste of a younger version of my dad. Same tanned skin, broad figure, black eyes, and hair.

He let out a small chuckle. "I was standing in a corner with some of my friends when I saw her stumbling."

"I didn't see you, though. I searched everywhere for you." I paused, then mumbled, "I'm never going to a party again."

He smiled his attention on the empty, dark road. "Oh, by the way, dad called this evening."

My head snapped towards him. "Is he coming home?"

"No, it's only been a day, Sky." he raised an eyebrow, his lips twisting downward.

It's not that I didn't want to stay here, it's just that I felt odd. Maybe it's the fact that this is the first time my dad left after my mom passed away and my sub-conscience is afraid of another loss. Or maybe it's something else. I don't know. I just felt uneasy.

"Well, how is he?" my voice came out tiny, as I put my hands on my lap and continued to stare at him. "Why didn't he call me?”

"He's fine, Sky. He did call, but you didn't answer."

"Oh, right? I didn't bring my phone with me." I muttered, more to myself than to him. I was about to ask another question when the car slowly jerked to a halt. I examined the road, wondering what made him stop.

"Stay here," Ryan ordered sternly, furrowing his eyebrows in pure confusion, his eyes gazing in front of him in worry.

I followed his gaze with a frown and recognized a man's silhouette standing a few feet away from the car. What the hell? It was pitch black outside, and nowhere near civilization. When Ryan went to open his door, my heartbeat heightened an inch.

"What are you doing?! He could be a psychopath!" 

I swear Ryan's eyes grew as wide as a sausage, a look of terror crossing his eyes. His hands quickly flew to my lips and half-shouted a small 'shut up, I know him'.

I wanted to ask why he looked afraid and a bit worried at his presence but he didn't leave me time to even open my mouth when he walked out of the car quickly, shutting his door behind and took a few steps forward, approaching the man.

The stranger just stood there. I strained to see who it was, but the headlights didn't allow me to make out any features, and the black hoodie over his head made it impossible for me to pinpoint him. It only heightened my curiosity.

I peered at Jasmine in the back seat noticing she was still sleeping peacefully so I turned my attention at the two males, a few feet away. A small gasp escaped my lips when I heard a loud animalistic growl sounding from outside the car. It was Ryan and the stranger. 

Without thinking about my actions through or even remembering Ryan's words, I quickly put my heels back on and opened the car door.

"Ryan?" I called out, my voice low and soft, unsure as I timidly took a few strides forwards, their heads snapped towards the direction of my voice. 

The man howled at me. His voice was deeper than average. I could feel his hard glare on me as if I have just murdered his family, and it was finally his time for revenge. His facial expression showed nothing but rage, his body was trembling and both of his hands were in fists. Fear threatened to drown me and stepped back.

A howl?

"I told you to stay inside!" Ryan shouted, scowling at me. 

What did I do? 

I frowned and looked from Ryan to the man in front of him. That's when I realized it was the same guy who called me his mate from the party. My eyes winded at the sight of him. His eyes never left mine as his chest heaved, he seemed as if he wanted nothing more than to rip me apart. I gulped, feeling another wave of fear creeping over me.

"C' mon." Ryan grabbed my arm roughly, and I yelped in pain. I tore my eyes from the stranger's as Ryan dragged me to the car.

"What the hell, Ryan!" I protested, trying to yank my hand off, but to no avail, he just kept dragging me.

"Don't you dare to turn your back on me, Gamma!" A dark voice barked at us. Ryan froze in his tracks immediately, and I could see goosebumps rising on his arm. Ryan turned his head around when the man spoke once again, "give her to me."

Excuse me? Give who? 

Ryan's eyes meet the man's figure as he growled deeply at him. My eyes widened at the sound. His grip only tightened around my arm as if I would slip out any second. I had to fight back the urge to whimper. It wasn't human, and that scared me. It was too low, from the back of his throat, like the one you hear from angry, rageful dogs. It was not normal.

What the hell is happening?

The man's arms started flexing as if his muscles were throbbing. His jaw tightened even more. I could tell he was boiling with rage, but I had no clue why. His body began to shift and contort, fur started to grow on his skin, his clothes shredding to pieces until he'd become a huge black wolf. 

A loud piercing scream forced its way out of my throat. My eyes bulged as the wolf snarled darkly, running towards Ryan and me. It looked ready to kill. I barely blinked when Ryan pushed me backward with such force that sent my body flying four six away, landing with a painful thud. 

My chest tightened at the sudden impact and I found myself unable to inhale a breath. Pain shot through my back, making it impossible for me to move. But when I heard Ryan's groan, I forced myself to stand on my elbow, enough to see.

The same transformation that the man did happened to Ryan. He shifted into a full, large brown wolf and snarled at the midnight black wolf.

That ain't no wolf, that's a whole goddamn horse.

My breath caught in my throat, and my vision blurred. I tried to stand, but my body ached and lights exploded behind my eyes. I felt something wet on the back of my head. Dimly, I was aware of howls and snarls. By now, I couldn't feel my legs. I wasn't scared — I was petrified. The two wolves abruptly launched at each other, fighting viciously.

They're fucking werewolves? Is that even possible?

Shakily, I shoved myself away from them. I didn't know how long they continued to fight until I saw several wolves burst from the woods, running towards the two. 

How the hell- were they hiding under the ground? What even-

The black wolf, scratch that, black horse gritted his teeth, letting out a loud growl as he attacked the brown wolf — Ryan, it was Ryan — biting his flank, making him let out a high-pitched yip. The four wolves jumped on the black wolf's back while six others surrounded him as if trying to calm him down or, better yet, stop him.

"Ryan!" I shouted in fear quickly standing up on my shaky legs, ignoring the sharp pain that kept spreading through my body and run toward his brown wolf who laid looking almost lifeless on the ground.

What just happened? Why did he hurt him? Who the hell is he? Werewolves?!

Another figure rushed to his side looking as if she was talking to him trying to keep him awake but I couldn't figure out what she was saying. My ears started to whistle loudly.

Falling to my knees. I quickly put my hand on his side where blood started to come out. His body slowly started shifting back to his human form. First, his brown fur began disappearing under his skin, his paws, his head, and finally his abdomen and legs. A growl left his lips as he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to roll on his side, only making the pain increase since his growl deepened.

"Keep the pressure in your hand there," A female voice talked in a rush, but I didn't dare to look at who she is. 

My vision blurred at the sight of him as blood oozed out from the wound on his collarbone, covering my hands with thick, hot red liquid.

"Ryan! No, c' mon! Don't do this to me, you'll be okay, it's going to be okay." Muffles start to leave my mouth when I tried to speak with my eyes stinging with tears. His eyes met mine for a second or two, and I could tell he was doing his best not to faint.

He opened his mouth to speak, but it was barely heard. I felt like if my heart was stabbed just looking at him. I could barely inhale a breath without my chest squeezing in agony, both from the fall and at the bloodied sight of my brother next to me.

"Take your hands off," her voice spoke once again while she took my hands off and started wrapping a bandage on his wound.

"He's going to be fine." She added once again as I felt someone's arm wrapping itself around my waist pulling me off. I screamed, struggling to get out of the strong grip around me.

"His wolf will heal him. He's okay," A young girl’s voice spoke softly in my ear, stopping my struggles. The other female was still bandaging his wound, but Ryan looked far from conscious. His eyes fluttering closed.

Whoever had her hands around me slowly let go. Once I was on my feet I felt hot tears wetting my cheeks. I couldn't seem to get enough air into my lungs, and dizziness started to consume me. My legs betrayed me as they wobbled until I found myself on the ground once again. Everything around me started spinning, I felt like I was going to throw up with how much my stomach continued to twist and churn.

My body started to shake and I couldn't catch my breath anymore. My heart was pounding so fast, I was surprised it didn't burst through my chest. My bloodied hand flew to my chest when it started to sting with lightning pain every time I inhaled oxygen. I was very aware that each breath was not enough. Noises became very pronounced and my head swam. I squeezed my eyes, making few tears to escape, hoping it was a dream.

It's just a nightmare. It's just a nightmare. It's just a freaking nightmare.

“It’s okay, he’s okay,” the same voice murmured near me, tapping my back rather awkwardly as if she had no clue what to do. Slowly, I opened my eyes, meeting Ryan’s figure who was being carried unconsciously by two males to his car. My chest tightened, and I sobbed in pain. I'm surprised Jasmine is dead asleep still with all the chaos happening around.

"They're taking him and Jasmine home." The young woman who treated him explained when she noticed where my attention was on.

"Is he okay? How do you all know him?" I whispered, my voice barely audible that I thought they wouldn't hear.

The girl patting my back stood up, offering her hand for me,” we live nearby his house, right across the lake.” 

I took her offer and boy was she strong. She helped me get up too fast that my body wobbled at the quick force. It was way too dark for me to notice their figure clearly but I did indeed see this girl’s face once or twice swimming around the lake and even saw her in some picture with Jasmine that she would sometimes show me but we never spoke or got introduced to one another. I think her name is Leila.

When I looked around, I realized no one was around, and the last two male figures were walking back toward the woods, shifting into wolves once they'd reached it. I swallowed hard, trying to adjust to what had happened.

"Come on, I'll take you home," the girl spoke. We walked slowly toward another car that was on the other side of the road. I didn't even notice it until now.

What choice do I have, anyway? I’m surely not going on foot, and she seemed to be a close friend to Jasmine as I recall the photos and some memories she shared with me. As we walked slowly toward her car with the other young woman, my eyes met his.

He stood in the woods, his wicked eyes watching every move I made, every breath I took. I couldn't see his facial expression since he stood in the darkness, hiding amongst the shadows, alone in the wood but I couldn't care less. I glared at him through my silent tears, pursing my lips together.

He walked a step backward, this time hiding completely amid the darkness yet I could still feel his gaze on me as I got inside the passenger seat. Something about his aura screamed danger and fear and I prayed from the depth of my heart that I would never see him again.