CHAPTER TWO: Memories

ALLISON.

I stumbled through the crowd, desperate to escape the overwhelming wave of heat that had taken over my senses. I feel so hot… so restless. The more the moon boasted its enigmatic glow in the sky, the more I felt feral. My primal instincts were slowly taking over my senses and I’m not sure if I wanted to prevent it… or embrace it.

Shit. I think like I’m gonna lose my mind any moment from now! I’ve had several heat cycles in the past but nothing was as intense as this!

Every step felt like wading through a thick, intoxicating fog of my own making. The werewolves around me had become predators, drawn by the sweet scent of my pheromones, and I was their prey.

“Hey, missy. You smell so good. Wanna spend the night with me?” a random werewolf went to me, his breath stinking of alcohol.

“Get away from me,” I replied coldly before walking past him without looking back.

I tried to push through the busy crowd, but my efforts were in vain. More werewolves tried to talk to me, all of them enticed by my pheromones. Every single werewolf seemed to be closing in on me, until suddenly, they all seemed to halt. Confused and panicked, I turned to see why.

Then, the answer to my questions stood proudly behind me; the five men from earlier, the man who offered to buy me a drink, the bartender, the nerd, and the two men I was talking to earlier… their eyes now glowing fiercely with molten gold.

Great! Now I have five alphas on my tail.

As unexpected as it was. The presence of these Alphas was so potent that it had driven the others away. Somehow, I’m thankful that they got rid of the other men who were chasing me like rabid dogs!

The dashing brunette flashed a boyish grin, casually leaning against a tree. “You’ve caused quite a stir tonight, haven’t you?”

“I’m not gonna lie, that wasn’t part of my bucket list,” I replied, trying to sound calm despite the raging feeling within my chest.

The platinum-blonde man grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Is that why you’re running away? Planning to sneak off without saying goodbye?”

“It’s hard not to when it feels like my whole body is burning up right now.”

The man with glasses leaned closer, his gaze intense. “The Howling Moon will only make your heat cycle more intense.” He paused and hooked a finger under my chin, guiding my gaze to him. “The longer this night goes, the worse your heat cycle’s going to be. We both know that there’s only one way to ease whatever you’re feeling…” he added and gave me a knowing wink.

One light touch from his finger and my whole body was on fire. I wanted more. Every part of me craved more than just a touch. I swallowed hard as I look at the five drop-dead gorgeous men around me. Their eyes scream of desire and undiluted passion as they gawk at me.

I loved the way they looked at me, the way they were making me feel like a woman. And damn, right now I’m a woman in need.

My mind raced, feeling torn. I’ve been a virgin all my life. I thought I would try and save myself until I found my mate. And yet here I am… practically trembling in anticipation because of the undeniable pull of these five incredible Alphas who are equally craving for me… hungry for me.

I want them. Oh, goddess, I’d do anything just to get a taste…

“Alright, milady. You’ve got us all here. Who’s gonna be your go-to to help with the heat tonight?” Blondie asked.

My last remaining thread of sanity snapped. The only thing I could think of was the taste of their lips and how their warm bodies would feel against mine.

My voice wavered, barely above a whisper. “Why should I choose just one when I can have all of you?”

Their eyes lit up with a mix of surprise and desire, their golden eyes grew even more intense. They moved in closer, their scents overwhelming as they pressed against me. Their scents were intoxicating. I wanted to bathe in it. The warmth of their bodies, their lips trailing hot, wet kisses along my neck, back, and cheeks, drove me to the brink.

“Ahh…” a womanly whimper escaped my lips as I felt their palms groping my breasts and snaking around my waist. One of them slid behind me and ground his steely arousal against my ass, turning me on even more.

“You know exactly what you want, so we’ll make sure you’ll have the best experience tonight.”

The last thing I remembered was the dizzying mix of pleasure and heat before everything went black.

When I woke up the next morning, I was shocked to find myself in an unfamiliar room, naked and incredibly sore all over while being sandwiched by two other naked men!

“Oh my goddess…” I mumbled in sheer horror.

On the floor were three other men, all naked as well. All of them were sleeping soundly while I was already panicking. My head hurt like hell and every inch of my body was aching!

What the hell happened last night?

I tried to close my thighs which immediately made me wince. Shit. I’m sore down there!

Panic boils in my chest as I recall some fragments of what happened last night. Did I just hook up with five Alphas?!

Looking at all the naked men around me certainly answered my question. I couldn’t remember everything about last night but one thing’s for sure, I need to get out of here before they all wake up!

I have never sneaked out of a room as fast as I did today. One of the staff from the inn gave me a knowing look as I frantically ran out of there as my life depended on it. What did I just get myself into?!

When I came back home, I knew I fucked up, to say the least. I was standing in front of the mirror, gazing at my reflection, and realizing that I looked like someone who just got laid! My hair was messy, my lips were swollen and somehow, my jaw hurt. Pinkish kiss marks dotted my neck down to my collarbones and I also noticed several bite marks on my shoulder, arms, and thighs! But most importantly… I could feel something sticky leaking down my legs. When I looked down to check, I realized what it was. It’s cum.

--

Two weeks later, Quinn summoned her council for an important meeting. I’m not sure what it was but I had a feeling that it was something serious. She’s not really the type to call a sudden meeting just because she’s bored.

“What’s this all about, Alpha? Why did you call us all here?” Nick asked curiously. He’s one of the sentinels of the pack and also Emily’s mate.

“I just received a report from the scouts that a certain community of humans was pillaged the other day. Lots of people died and there isn’t a single survivor.”

That sounds horrible. Who would do something like that?

“And what does it have to do with us?” Latisha demanded, raising her eyebrow. She’s one of the hunters of the pack and she always has a strong opinion about things.

Quinn heaved a sigh as she leaned on her seat. “Because there’s an ongoing speculation that the perpetrators who attacked those poor people… were actually werewolves.”

“What?!” I gasped.

It was an unwritten cardinal rule among lycans and even some other Outworlders to not attack innocent humans. We may be powerful, but we’re not monsters. Besides, we’ve been trying to conceal our existence for the past centuries, even managed to blend into human society. Attacking humans would only draw suspicions to our kind and worse… it may result in more spilling of blood on our side.

“Who would do something like this? Every werewolf pack has been living peacefully for the past decade!” Emily questioned, evidently repulsed.

“I’m afraid that the peace isn’t going to last long now. This incident has caused a lot of tension to other nearby packs in the area as well. Whoever did this wasn’t playing around. This is a disaster waiting to happen,” Quinn said grimly.

“Maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves here? The rogues could be behind this! They always like to cause trouble around. This is exactly something that they would do, don’t you think?” Latisha argued.

“She has a point. I say we just round up all the rogues around the area and make them pay,” Gasper suggested. He’s also one of the hunters of the pack.

“It was a swift and deliberate attack. The victims didn’t even have time to process what was happening. They were attacked one by one until every last one of them died. But the weird thing is, when the human authorities arrived and conducted an investigation, they realized that there were very few corpses compared to the total number of people in the community…”

“Which means?” Nick probed.

“Which means that people have gone missing, Nick.”

“Or maybe they have escaped?” I offered.

“That’s the best case scenario but by the looks of it, these people have completely disappeared into thin air the night of the attack. It was as if they were abducted by the very perpetrators who have done this,” Quinn explained. “Rogues wouldn’t bother abducting their victims because they’re only after the resources. They’re basically land pirates. Whoever was behind this attack has a plan… and that is the scariest part because it only means that another horrible thing is bound to happen again.”

“Goddess!” Emily exclaimed.

“If they attacked those innocent humans, then there’s a big possibility that they will start attacking other nearby packs as well,” I muttered upon realization.

“That’s right, Alli. There’s a looming danger out there, folks. This is exactly how it started years ago. I’m afraid there’s going to be another war and I’m by all means, we should be prepared for it,” Quinn said firmly.

Her words took me back to the terrible things that we have experienced a decade ago. A horrible war broke out in the Outworld and many Lycans paid the price. It was during the reign of Quinn’s father, the former Alpha, and his Beta, my father. Goddess forbid if something like that would happen again.

“What’s your plan now, Alpha?” Nick inquired.

“We need to form an alliance with other powerful packs. That’s the reason why I called you all here. Today, we’re going to welcome the Alpha of the Moon Stone Pack to discuss possible cooperation,” she explained.

“Moonstone Pack? Don’t they have a reputation for having an overbearing Alpha?” Emily asked.

“I heard he’s hot tho,” Latisha giggled.

“Their Alpha is strong and so is their pack. We need their cooperation to strengthen our force,” Quinn explained.

“Alpha Quinn, the visitors from the Moonstone pack have arrived,” Lander, one of the scouts, announced.

“Perfect. Just in time.” Quinn stood up and we all followed her as we welcome the delegations from the Moonstone pack.

The huge mahogany doors swung open, and we all turned to face the visitors. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the two tall figures step into the room.

The first man, with a commanding presence and a gaze that seemed to pierce through the room, made my breath hitch. There was no mistaking it—this was one of the five alphas from the festival! The same chiseled jaw, the same neck-length brunette hair, and the same intense green eyes… shit!

“Alpha Liam Miller and his Beta, Elliott Patricks,” Quinn introduced.

As Liam’s eyes swept over the room, they landed on me. I could see a flicker of recognition in his eyes. His lips curved into a knowing smile, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

Oh, no.