Chapter One

"You're a beautiful lady, Megan," he said, his words hitting me like a ton of bricks. "I can't deny that, and you're funny, smart, and everything a guy could ever dream of, but that man is not me. I'm not looking to be in a relationship and would like to end our arrangement."

I stared at him, my heart pounding in my chest. Did he just say what I think he said?

"Hold up, are you breaking up with me?" I needed to hear it again and needed him to clarify his words. The shock was too much to process in one go.

He chuckled, his laughter only intensifying my confusion. "When you put it that way…"

I couldn't help but chuckle, a nervous reaction to the surreal conversation unfolding before me. "We've been dating for two years, Michael. Two good years. I was loyal to you, and I thought that maybe, what we had going would work. Are you telling me this is all just... nonsense?"

I stood up abruptly, but Michael was right there, blocking my path, looking at me with a mixture of frustration and concern.

"Hey, why are you acting this way? It isn't cool at all. I thought we understood each other about what was going on."

I gaped at him, bewildered and hurt. "Understand each other about what, Michael?"

"What we had was casual," he replied. "Why are you acting this way now?"

He closed his eyes and sighed before reopening them and fixing his gaze on me. "I thought you were mature and would maturely take this. I'm so disappointed in you."

"You think I'll be mature about this?” I seethed, my hands were clenched and my knuckles had already started turning white. “My boyfriend invites me to a freaking bistro to tell me he was dating me for two years and was never in a serious relationship with me and wants to break up."

"It's just breaking up, not like I'm asking you to jump off a building or something," Michael retorted. "Is it asking too much for you not to cause a scene and just accept the breakup?"

I glared at him, wishing he'd disappear. I tried to be strong, to not let his cruel words get to me, but the tears in my eyes betrayed my emotions.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I whimpered. "I stood by you when no one else was there. I fought for you when your family had issues with you. Why?"

Michael scoffed, callously dismissing my words. "And, so what? Should I hold on to your hands forever because you stood by me? Do I owe you my life now?"

I shook my head and sniffled. "You know that's not what I—"

"I don't want to hear your crap, Megan," he cut me off. "I thought you were mature, but I was wrong about you. I wasn’t serious about what we had going on, and I wanted to break things off. I don't care if you're fine with it or not."

"Why are you being this way, Michael? Let's talk this out at home, yeah? Please."

I reached out to hold his hand, but he yanked it away, and I tumbled to the ground. The look in his eyes was fierce and unfeeling.

"Stop acting pathetic," he spat. "I played with you for a bit. Big deal. I know I'm amazing, and you can never find a man like me, but get over it."

With that, he turned and walked out of the bistro. I sat on the floor, tears streaming down my trembling hands. I tried to regain my composure, but my sobs overwhelmed me. My chest ached, and I despised myself for being so vulnerable, for letting another person hurt me.

Life was so unfair.

***

The night was eerily quiet, broken only by the faint scuffling of rats in search of food in the dimly lit alley. The occasional meows of hidden cats echoed, mimicking the sound of my footsteps as I walked down the desolate and shadowy streets. I held my arms tightly around myself, unable to shake the overwhelming feeling of my predicament.

Megan Good Love – a name that should have brought luck in love and relationships, yet it seemed cursed. I had an uncanny knack for ending up with the worst kind of men, the ultimate douchebags, and those who would eventually abandon me.

I had initially tried dating within my species, Werewolves, but that had been a complete failure. They were patriarchal and wanted to control every aspect of my life. Most of them were, frankly, just douchebags. So, I ventured into the world of humans, only to discover that men weren't so different, regardless of their species.

I had truly believed that Michael and I were the real deal, destined for greatness. But how wrong I had been. It appeared that I was the only one who believed we were in a genuine relationship, while he had been casually playing me. To top it off, he had the audacity to ask me to be mature about it.

Lost in my thoughts, I walked into oncoming traffic. The blaring horn of a truck jolted me back to reality.

My eyes widened as I saw the truck speeding dangerously toward me. My heart raced, and my life seemed to flash before my eyes. Was this how it would all end?

I closed my eyes tightly, bracing for impact when a furious voice shattered the silence. "What are you doing? Get the hell out of the road!"

Before I could even properly register the voice, a strong force tackled me, propelling me off the road. I hit the pavement on the other side, groaning in pain. As I slowly opened my eyes, my vision focused on the person who had saved me. My breath caught in my throat as I met their gaze.

The man loomed over me, and I gasped at our sudden proximity. At that moment, I'd never seen anyone who looked so utterly divine and godlike.

His piercing green eyes seemed to delve deep into my soul, while his face appeared chiseled by the hands of the gods themselves. I found myself yearning to reach out, to run my fingers through his silky, jet-black hair and pull him closer, all in the hopes of capturing a kiss from his lips.

It was as if the creator had taken their sweet time sculpting this magnificent specimen of a man, fashioning him to perfection.

"Are you okay?" The man pulled away, concerned etching across his features as he stood up, his eyes never leaving mine.

His voice was like melting chocolate, and each word carried a deep baritone that felt like the gentlest caress against my skin.

"Ma'am, are you okay?"

That snapped me out of my trance, and I nodded quickly. I tried to push myself up, but a sharp pain in my stomach brought me back down. I was a wreck at the moment.

My body throbbed with pain, and I could feel a cut on my lower lip that stung like hell. Blood trickled down from an abdominal wound, and my focus returned to the man who'd saved me.

"Hey, it's okay. You don't need to get up right now," he reassured me.

His eyes held me captive as if casting a spell, and in a moment of uncharacteristic boldness, I reached out and took his hand.

A jolt of electricity seemed to surge between us, and for an instant, all my senses intensified, and I felt an inexplicable connection with this stranger. Gasping, I let go of his hand, and when I met his gaze, I saw the same astonishment mirrored on his face.

"Mate," I whispered.