Chapter 1

My childhood friend's family were all werewolves. After turning twenty, they would enter a heat cycle every full moon. The first person they mark would become their one and only mate for life.

I always thought Nathan Sinclair would choose me.

When he first awakened as a werewolf, his friends called me over to help him through his heat.

But before I could go in, I heard Nathan's irritated voice from inside the room.

"I really don't want her to get this so easily. I've got my eye on the school's most popular girl, but she's not the type to fall for anyone. Unlike Bella, who's always hanging around me like some lovesick puppy that's always at my beck and call. When she shows up, I won't give in even if she begs to help me. I'm not about to ruin my life over one stupid night and end up wrapped around her forever."

I froze outside the door, my mind completely blanked.

Nathan was the boy who grew up next door, the one I'd known my whole life. Never in a million years did I think he would see me that way.

His friends laughed, and it was loud and cruel.

"So she's just a plaything to you, huh?"

"Want me to call her and tell her not to come? Wouldn't want her taking advantage of you and trying to get ahead by sleeping with you. Honestly, girls like her aren't worth it."

Nathan stopped them, though his voice sounded strained, and his breathing uneven.

"Forget it. If you tell her not to come now, what will she think? Even if she's just a toy, I've spoiled her since we were kids, and I can't bear to see her getting hurt. I'll see if I can resist her when she shows up. There are some things I'd rather not spell out. This is the perfect chance to make her see for herself."

At that moment, I wanted so badly to burst through the door and scream at him, "You say you can't bear to see me hurt, but you still call me a lovesick puppy that's always at your beck and call, and let your friends mock me. How dare you think you deserve my love?!"

But I didn't.

Why waste words on someone who never valued me in the first place?

I turned and walked away, stumbling as I fled the scene, telling myself not to cry,

After a moment, I pulled out my phone and called Liam Smith, the bodyguard of Nathan's brother, Theodore Sinclair.

"Earlier, you asked if I could help Nathan's brother through his heat. Do you still need me to? If you do, send me the address and I'll head over right away."

-

Half an hour earlier, Liam had told me the truth that Nathan had kept hidden from me for years.

"Ms. York, do you remember when Mr. Nathan took you skiing in the mountains five years ago, and you fell into the ravine? Mr. Theodore led the rescue team. It took them three entire days before we found you buried in the snow, frozen solid. By then, you weren't breathing.

"Mr. Theodore told Mr. Nathan that werewolves can share half their lifespan with their mate through a blood ritual on a full moon night. The ritual is another form of marking, and once it's performed, the person becomes their mate for life.

"But Mr. Nathan refused. He couldn't accept losing you, yet he wouldn't save you that way either. He held you and cried for hours. In the end, it was Mr. Theodore who brought you back.

"You were lucky that it happened to be a full moon that night. To save you, Mr. Theodore performed the blood ritual and gave you half his life. By doing so, he marked you as his mate, and he couldn't love anyone else but you from then on.

"Mr. Nathan begged Mr. Theodore to keep it from you. For the past five years, Mr. Theodore has endured the full moons alone. He never bothered you and ordered everyone around him to keep the incident a secret.

"But he can't hold on tonight. He's gravely injured, and it's the full moon. He won't make it through without you."