FIVE

I woke up to the sound of hushed voices talking.

My eyes were heavy and my head hurt as if nails had been drilled into my skull.

I couldn’t move, I could barely even breathe.

“What do we do? I need this nightmare to end.” I heard Lisa say, her voice cracked at the end of the sentence and she broke into a sob. “Do we tell Mr Smith?”

A deep voice broke through the darkness.

“No, we can’t tell him when we don’t understand what’s going on.”

“They’re obviously mates.” Another masculine voice said and the room fell into silence.

No, no… Aidan and I cannot be mates. What kind of sick joke is this?

Something was wrapped around me so tight I was scared that it would snap me in half. Oh goddess, did they chain me?

My eyes snapped open and I saw that it was an arm. Aidan’s arm.

They still hadn’t noticed that I was awake and they continued their conversation in whispers.

“We can’t tell Aidan’s dad and we can’t tell Dahlia’s mum, they just got married. They’re going to be heart broken. Aidan will figure this out, there’s got to be some kind of mistake somewhere.”

I looked around the room. It was unfamiliar and big. I could tell that I was on a bed with Aidan… wait.

Did we go anything? Please no, I can’t live knowing that I went into heat and had sex with Aidan.

My heart slammed against my chest in a frenzy and I broke out of the haze and lifted the duvet. My clothes were still intact, the beautiful purple dress remained untouched.

I sighed and let myself relax for a second. My hands were shaking too bad and tears were flowing down my cheeks. This nightmare needed to end.

“Look, she’s awake” I heard someone yelling and my attention snapped back to Lisa.

She looked angry and devastated.

I turned to Aidan and he looked paler than normal. His skin has a bluish tint to it. I tried to pry away from him but his arms kept getting tighter. Fuck, I couldn’t breathe.

I looked to his friends for help and they rushed towards me.

I tried to lift his arm and crawl out from under but the moment their hands made contact with his skin, his eyes snapped open and he kicked his best friend in the face while he growled at the other one.

“Aidan, stop it!” Lisa shrieked as his friend touched his nose and I watched in horror as his fingers are coated with blood.

Aidan turned to me as if to check if I was real and he pulled me closer and buried his face in my neck.

“Aidan, let me go.” My voice came out as a sob.

“Mate…” he whispered against my skin and the need to undress slammed into me with so much force that I almost went mad.

No, not again.

“Dahlia,” he said and his voice was raw. As if he’d been screaming.

Hearing my name on his tongue sent heat down my spine.

Tears blurred my vision and I reached for the arm holding me and I clamped down on it as hard as possible. I bit him, hoping that he’d free me but his possessive hold only tightened.

“Dahlia no! You’ll only amplify it!”

I was losing my senses to his scent, and I was beggining to lose my sense at the taste of his blood on my tongue.

Fuck, my eyes rolled to the back of my head as sensation kissed my skin and pleasure coursed through my vein like liquid smoke.

“There’s a reason biting is part of the mating ritual.” One of them said, I couldn’t place the voice. Everything was a blur, sound… sights…

“Aidan, please stop. We have to stop this.” I managed to whisper

“You’re mine and I’m yours, we have to claim each other.”

“You’re scaring me.” I begged

That seemed to snap everything in place. His hold on my hand loosened and I stole the opportunity and jumped down from the bed even when everything in me screamed to go towards him. To claim my mate.

I rushed out of the mansion. Feeling like I was being haunted down and chased by Aidan.

***

I was standing in my room and I had made sure to lock my door. Aidan’s room was at the floor above mine and he’d have to pass my door to get to his own room.

I was not just shaken, I was terrified.

My skin burned as if I had been dipped in Larva.

My phone rang and I jumped back in fear. I reached for the phone and answered the call without even thinking of checking the caller ID

“Hello, Lia?”

“Hey mum…” I tried to calm my nerves. I didn’t want my mum to worry. I didn’t want her to find out about me and Aidan.

A sob broke out in my chest and I muffled it.

“How are you doing sweetheart, I’ve been trying to reach you all night.”

“I left my phone at home. I’m sorry.”

I dropped the phone on the bed and fought to get out of the dress. I’m too hot.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine mum. Never been better. How’s the honey moon going? Hope you’re enjoying yourself?”

The zipper won’t budge so I ripped the dress off.

“Everything is perfecttttt.”

My mum said in a sing song voice and I tried to smile but failed.

“How about last night?” She paused “Did you get your wolf or your mate?”

“No mum, I didn’t get either.”

“Oh, maybe next year.” The disappointment in her voice was heavy.

“Maybe next year, I love you, byeee.”

“I lo-” I ended the call and bursted into the bathroom.

I rushed to the shower and groaned in pain as the cold water hit my skin.

Not even a minute Later, I heard the door of my bedroom opening and I froze.