Chapter One

Vekra

"To Marina!" Alec yells over the loud bass of the music.

"To Marina!!!" The rest of us yell back and together, we down the shot of whiskey.

Whiskey for me and Ellean, Vodken for Marina and Alec.

It burns all the way down and my face twists for a second before the burn hits. Laughter rings out around me and I join in. The shot is already working to loosen me up, heightening my senses of everyone around me. The music calls me to dance. My primitive nose picks up a wide array of scents; of food, of perfume and of people.

"A second shot!" Marina says with a wide grin. "All the shots today are on me."

Cheers go up from around our table again and a waiting nymph quickly refills our glasses. She is an Asterai, a nymph spirit of stars and constellations as her skin clearly displays. I grab my shot from her tray with a smile.

"Ohh I can barely wait for it to be filled." Marina says with a tinkling laughter. She down the shot of vodken immediately it is filled.

I will be taking Vodken too someday, when I finally become a full wolf. I down my shot of whiskey and it goes straight to my head. I am a terrible lightweight.

"So Marina, how does it feel to be the newest wolf in town?" Ellean stands beside Marina with a fist in front of her lips in the imitation of a microphone.

"I feel invincible, whole." Marina says and her voice is barely above a whisper, reverent. The change is obvious. She glows from within and she seems more alive somehow, more vivid.

Yesterday Marina went through her First Shifting. She is the third person in our group of six friends to go through it and the rest of us are not far behind.

My twentieth birthday is in a few days and I keep my hope close to my heart that I will go through my shifting then.

There are many werewolf packs in Folkland and my pack is the Olive pack. My father is the alpha of the pack and I am the only child of he and his Luna.

In Folkland, werewolves are born mortal. We are susceptible to illnesses and at the very worst; death in this period. We grow stronger with each day until the day our body is capable of handling the shift which is usually on our twentieth birthday and we finally undergo the First Shifting. The First Shifting is the most painful process a werewolf can go through but once it is successfully completed, we become full werewolves, immortal.

Marina now knows what it feels like to be a full werewolf and I am counting the days with bated breath until I can know for myself.

"What does it taste like?" I ask her, referring to the Vodken.

"Want a shot?" She asks me with a grin.

"Such a bitch!" I say and she laughs merrily.

Whereas whiskey can get me intoxicated as a mortal werewolf, Vodken would either kill me or drive me mad if I took it now.

"It tastes like the finest wine, only about a hundred times better." She says.

"You're one lucky bitch." I tell her. "Come on, let's get shit-faced drunk!" I yell and everyone squeals happily along with me.

Our round table is heaped with all types of delicacies because the restaurant owner knows werewolves have a terrible appetite. But tonight is all drinks.

I down my next shot of whiskey, loving the burn now.

"Who wants to dance?" Alec yells over the music.

"Hell yes!" I yell back and rise. Marina and Ellean are right there with me.

The four of us stagger our way to the dance floor and helpless to resist the beat of the music, I start swaying my hips, throwing my hands up in the air. Alec is in front of me.

"Your four o'clock. There is this hunk that has been eating you up with his eyes." Alec tells me.

"Uh-huh." I say and sway stylishly to the side to see who she is talking about. I find his eyes on me even from across the room.

He is gorgeous, as most immortals tend to be. He is handsome and with that mysterious air, I bet he is a warlock. I turn away and continue dancing.

"Not tonight." I say.

Taking a man back with me is not included in my plans for tonight.

"What of that one? Close to the entrance, I think he is cute." Ellean says at my side. "He is totally checking me out." I glance at the man in question.

He is huge, and he sits close to the entrance with a terrible scowl on his face like someone already ruined his night. He was not there when we entered but if he was, I would have been a little wary of treading in front of him. A swipe of one of those ham-sized hands and my brain will be splattered on the floor. And he is definitely a werewolf.

"He looks like termites chewed off his balls." Marina says and I laugh.

Ellean does not look discouraged. In fact, she looks like she is sizing him up. Even though Ellean is small in stature with huge breasts that have driven men to madness, she has always been attracted to huge men and they to her. I bet by the end of the night, she will be taking our ill-humoured wolf home.

"Ohhh I found him!" Marina squeals, jerking her chin to the corner at the right.

The man in question looks baddd.

He is also a wolf. He is dark and brooding and he looks like he will gobble you up in a bite if you dare to come close. He is exactly Marina's type. She has gotten in trouble countless times because of her choice of lovers.

"It is time!!!" Alec squeals and I grin.

It is time for the highlight of the evening.

Marina suddenly looks very uncomfortable. We have a tradition that every time one of us turns full werewolf, we dare her to do something. In turn, she also dares each of us.

The three of us wear matching shit-eating grins directed at Marins because we have already decided on the date beforehand.

"What is it this time?" She says with an apprehensive sigh.

"Oh nothing much." I say with a smirk, sharing a look with Alec and Ellean.

"We dare you to walk up to that gorgeous hunk of a male you were eyeing. Climb on his lap, dance a little, rip his shirt, touch him, show him a piece of those sexy babies." I motion to her cleavage spilling out of the skin-tight top she is wearing.

She is already groaning, shaking her head. Alec and Ellean are fairly bouncing on their heels in excitement. I grin.

"And then get off him and say you changed your mind." I conclude, rubbing my hands together with glee.

"This is terrible. At this rate, I am going to get a reputation." She says.

"Do it! Do it! Do it!" We chant. She finally straightens and putting her battle face on, she turns towards the male and begins strutting towards him.

"I wish I had popcorn." I sigh. 

We try to be innocuous as we watch Marina begin her task, despite the glower the wolf directs at her.

"Do you think she can do it?" Alec asks.

"My money is on her." I reply.

She knows that if she backs out from the dare, we will only cook up something worse.

Marina has now drawn the interest of the wolf fully who looks like he wouldn't mind a bite of the evening's unexpected package.

Marina begins the tease exactly as I instructed. I clasp a hand over my mouth to stifle the eruption of laughter.

"This is getting interesting..." Ellean says.

I grab a shot of whiskey from a passing waitress and down it in a gulp. Get drunk? I am already halfway there.

"Ohh here it comes!" Ellean squeals, clapping her hands together and jumping up and down.

As we watch, Marina hovers there for a beat, two, the male's eyes lowering to her lips. Any moment now they will kiss...

She stands up abruptly, nimbly climbing off his lap.

"Ohh she did it!" I yell, jumping up and down with Ellean.

She is now walking back to us and behind her, the wolf stares after her in shock. He attempts to follow her, expression thunderous and then he stops and spins on his heels, headed for the door, his face darker than a storm.

I burst into laughter. Beside me, Alec and Ellean are also caught in a fit of unladylike giggles. Marina gets to us and she darts a glance behind her.

"I could murder all three of you." She growls but we pay her no mind because we cannot stop laughing. I bite the inside of my cheek to try to get a hold of myself.

"His face..." Ellean gasps out in between laughter, accompanied with a snort. I burst out laughing again.

"Did he follow?" Marina asks.

"Not at all." Ellean replies with a grin.

There is a flash of disappointment on Marina's face before she hones in on us like a vulture on dead meat.

"Oh you three are dead meat." She says, confirming my suspicions. "You." She says, wagging a finger at me.

"Me?" I ask innocently. She bares her teeth in a smile and the first trace of wariness slinks into my heart.

"Oh I have a good one." She says, rubbing her hands together. Yes, the trail of wariness just became full-blown worry.

Ellean and Alec are grinning at me now.

"Bollocks." I curse. It is not so fun to be on the receiving end.

"Get up there." She wags a finger at the barman's counter. It is the highest in the room.

"Oh no..." I say, getting an inkling of Marina's plans for me.

"Oh yes." She says. "Strip to your underwear. And make a show of it." She says.

She grabs a shot of Vodken from a waiter and takes a sip before throwing a shit-eating grin my way.

"Ohh that's a good one." Alec says with a laugh.

"Fuck." I mutter, put out.

"What are you worried about? Werewolves can take a stroll through Folkland naked." Alec asks me slyly.

"Bitch." I mutter and they all laugh, giddy.

No one has ever seen me naked. Ever. This is not exactly how I envisioned my 'unveiling'.

My friends will show me no mercy so I square my shoulders, feeling much like I am marching into battle. If I must strip, then I will make a damn unforgettable show of it.

"Do it! Do it! Do it!" Ellean starts the chant and it is soon taken up by Alec and Marina.

"Oh I'll do it alright." I say and grab another shot off a nymph for courage. The shot hits the spot, loosening up my limbs.

I spin around and start to march for the bar and then my legs forget their function and stop and my jaw drops as I stare unapologetically.

A group of wolves just walked in through the door and he is right there at the hilt, a walking, talking god.

He is very tall, one of the tallest in the group. He is dressed casually in dark blue jeans and a white T-shirt like he intentionally dressed down for the night but he might as well have not tried because with a body like that, everything he wears becomes sinfully wicked.

His shirt stretches lightly over wide shoulders, the short sleeves encircle powerful arms corded with muscle and the shirt flattens over a stomach that looks so hard I could probably crack nuts on them. His short hair is a deep absolute black, so black it seems to swallow the light and his face is a priceless art, carved and chiseled to perfection. His jean trousers stretches over his long powerful legs and the huge bulge in front of him is like a dare, a taunt.

Get me if you can.

My mouth waters and my thoughts empty. I want him. No, that's inaccurate. I am starving and I want to pin him down and feast on him all night, maybe two.

He pauses at the threshold, his eyes running over the room in a quick scan and immediately the energy of the room shifts to accommodate him. Like all werewolves, I know I am in the presence of a very powerful alpha.

His eyes land on me... and they stop.

A shock races through my body and zaps my heart and we stare at each other from across the room.

I found my target.