Chapter Five: First Shift

Ever since I hurried to my room to stuff everything I needed into a black duffle bag, I hadn't slept a wink. I felt resolute after considering everything that had transpired in the office. I have to move quickly since I made up my mind that I will never marry that monster.

I spent the entire night imagining the worst, with thousands of possible outcomes racing through my head. Even now, though, I could still feel pain stinging at my heart no matter how hard I thought to myself or how harshly I told myself that I didn't deserve all of this.

My mind was filled with anger, sadness, betrayal, and other emotions, so I closed my eyes to block them out.

Now is not the time to indulge in self-pity.

I let out a sigh as I listened to my room's clock ticking away. As I waited, the strong pounding in my chest stopped synchronizing perfectly.

I waited for the end of the birthday celebration outside. I waited for the visitors to begin departing. I waited till the maids' footsteps silenced. I waited until Nicole's and her girls' voices were no longer audible.

I waited until everyone was asleep.

When I noticed it was well past 11 p.m., I looked at the wall clock and got up. I snatched up my stuff and walked slowly to the door. I gently opened it, peered out, and looked around the corridor. When I saw a clear coast, I quietly closed the door behind me and left the room. Despite that the home was silent, I felt a wave of fear that made me clench my fists around my bag's straps.

I took a fast breath, walked carefully on tiptoe to the front door, and unlocked it.

A deep laugh reverberated through the dimly lit sitting room as I was about to turn the metal doorknob, causing me to scream in fear. When I gently turn to face the source of the voice, I find a dark shape sitting on the armchair near the window curtain, observing me.

Oh, no.

The idea of getting caught made me shudder in terror.

I spun around in a panic, snatched the door open, and bolted from the house.

My heart pounded fiercely against my chest as I raced as quickly as I could.

I accelerated my pace, went past a paved edge, and entered a thick forest tangle.

There is no neon reflection of light, so it is dark outside. When I realize I'm in the middle of nowhere, I start to panic.

How in the world did I end up here?

I can only hope that the path is clear even though I can't see where I'm going.

My breath was getting hoarse, and I could feel my chest getting tighter. Suddenly, the trees are gone, leaving me without any cover.

Without the trees' shade, the clearing is flooded with moonlight. My eyes adjust, and I blink as it totally bathes my skin.

Tonight is a full moon.

I stopped running because I felt strange; I'm not sure if it was from weariness. I felt sick and hot, and my stomach was hurting. My arms were grabbing at themselves, and I let out a painful gasp. It hurt my nails as I pulled the duffle bag off my back, tearing the fabric.

As I walked, it got harder for my eyes to focus, and things became blurry. I closed my eyes tightly as a tremendous amount of pressure invaded my head.

In the distance, a demanding voice yelled, "Camila!"

When I opened my eyes, I found myself kneeling on the ground. Through the tears of agony, I see a man my height staring at me with hazel eyes that are keen and familiar. Even though his hands were hovering in front of me, my entire body was trembling. With every breath I took, my bones seemed to creak.

"It hurts!" I'm able to slur under my breath.

Heavy footsteps and shouting are approaching.

Someone whispered, "It's almost as though she's..."

"She's...shifting." A second voice raised its voice.

My legs cramp, making me groan, and I fall to the side. Before I collapsed, something grabbed my head. I turn my nose to nuzzle into it as it emanates warmth. It smelled amazing to me.

"How could this possibly be?"

"I'm not sure."

I felt my arm give way beneath me as I tried to force myself up to sit. It cracked, sending a searing pain up my arm and leaving it burning, and I shouted. My other arm and my ankles followed shortly after. My skin seemed to be tearing terribly. My screams filled the quiet night, and flames of pain were burning throughout my body. My lungs tightened as I gasped for air, and I could feel tears running down my cheeks as my ribs started to crack.

I feel heavy arms wrappedaround me as I pass out. A deep voice is speaking to me, and it almost works.

"Please stay with me."

My vision is blurry, and black dots block out all the light.

I give in to the pain and allow myself to collapse into Stark's chest.

******

I groan in annoyance as the bright light showers into the room, pulling me out of my sleep. I pull the soft sheet that smells like cleaned washing back over my head and breathe out in contentment.

I was already falling back into my beauty sleep, but then something didn't feel right.

My bed didn't feel this comfortable.

I pull the sheet over my head and shoot upwards in the bed. I grunt out in pain and hold my head as a terrible pain floods through my brain; it feels like my head is going to crack open.

I blink my eyes open, and the room comes into view. The size of the room was something I had never been in before. Vibrant cream walls surround the room. A soft and clean gigantic soft bed covered in crisp white sheets. The solid furniture looked well kept, not a dent in sight. A wardrobe, a dressing table, and a chair could be seen.

Where the hell am I?

Suddenly last night memories came flooding into my head.

I remember running away when I heard a voice in the sitting room. I had run into a thick forest, and then pains started shooting through my entire body before I collapsed on the ground into someone's arms.

A particular pair of hazel eyes flashes before me.

Oh no.

Pain shoots through my chest, sending my pulse skyrocketing. That's it; I had been caught. I'm dead.

Cursing, I felt tears pool in my eyes, and I pulled my feet to the ground, standing up; the ground wobbled under my feet as I did. I held the edge of the bed as I tried to steady myself.

Just then the door creaked open, and a woman with fiery red hair walks in holding a bowl and a towel.

“She's awake.“ She gasped as soon as she saw me standing. She rushes to my side and drops the bowl on the dressing table beside me.

I squint my eyes at her as she faces me again with a large smile.

“Who are you?“ I croak out. My voice snags in my dry throat, and I burst into a fit of coughs.

“Get her some water.“ A deep familiar voice said, bursting into the room.

Ice runs through my veins as a pair of dark hazel eyes settles on me.

He looks the same, with high cheekbones and sharp jawlines. Shiny dark hairs brushed back on his head onto his shoulders, and I feel the urge to run my hand through the curls.

He moves a bit closer, and I want to shout at him to step back, but I let out a small growl instead. His earthly scent clouded through my senses, and I felt a tug, the urge to pull him closer and touch him. It's a strange feeling, and I shake it off.

I'm supposed to be scared of this man, but here I am imagining weird things.

The woman rushes out of the room to get the water, I guess, leaving the both of us, and I whimper under his intensive gaze.

"P-please, can you let me go?“ I managed to ask as I shuffled on my legs with the awkward feeling.

He snorted, and I blinked up at him.

“Lie down; you need more rest.“ He mutters as he folds his arms. My eyes raked the thick arms, clad in a tight long-sleeved shirt barely covering his sculptured chest. I swallow dryly.

Instantly, the woman is by my side again, shoving a cup of water into my hands.

I sit back on the bed, and I eye the water carefully. I brought it to my lips and instantly felt relief as I sipped it.

“Oh dear, how do you feel now? Raphael was worried when you didn't wake up for some days.“ The woman stated when I handed the cup back to her.

Her voice surprised me, and I snapped my head at her.

Worried?

“Sasha!“ Raphael snapped, suddenly.

He narrowed his eyes at her direction. They held each other's gaze for a moment, and I glanced at them both. Eventually, Raphael sags his shoulders and snaps his head to me, and I see Sasha smile widely.

He was about to say something when someone walks into the room. Raphael mutters something under his breath, and he turns to glare at the person.

It was the other man that was with him at the party last night. He grinned wildly as his eyes darted to me.

“Hi, I'm Alexander. How do you feel now?“ he asks, walking closer to the bed.

I'm about to answer Alex's question when I remember something. I frown as I place a hand on my forehead.

Raphael turned to him and let out a low growl.

“Stand back, Alex."

Why is he sounding like that?

Alex stops on his track and steps back, raising his hands. "Chill, man.“

“How long have I been asleep?“ I ask quietly, expecting the worst.

“Should I tell her?“ Alex asks.

Raphael shoots him a look that shuts him up immediately before facing me again and sighs. “How much do you remember?“ he asks.

“Running through the forest..." I start dropping my eyes to my enclasped fingers. “Then I started feeling pains all over my body—and I blacked out.“

“Why did you run away?“ he asks.

Is this some sort of interrogation scene?

Why does he keep asking me questions?

Looking up at him, I snapped, "What else was I supposed to do when I heard I was getting married to someone I barely know?“

He shoots back, "I don't know?" Wait till I come and get you? Something worse could have happened to you as you ran in the night.“

I scoff. Now I'm being scolded.

I narrow my eyes to glare at him. “It's not like you or anyone would care if I had died last night.“

I see his eyes turn darker, and I yelp in surprise at the sight.

“You do not say that!“ He growls, stepping closer. “If you knew how hard I had tried to find you all these years. You wouldn't say that.“

Sasha steps forward. "Raphael," she interrupts. “Stop, you are supposed to be explaining things to her and not scaring her. She doesn't deserve this.“ Alex glances nervously between us.

“What does that mean?“ I ask and look at Sasha, who shrinks away. “Is there something I don't know about?“

“Camila, I want you to calm down and listen to what we have to say.“ She says, still avoiding meeting my eyes.

I huff, feeling tired from all this talking. Closing my eyes, I rubbed a hand on my forehead to ease the pounding headache. I look back up to see Raphael staring down at me.

He sighs, dragging his hands over his face. Then proceed to reach forward, and the movement makes my heart thud. I feel myself shifting on the bed, unconsciously pulling myself closer too. He grabs the blanket, and I drag my legs into it, laying my body down. My body lunges forward the second his knuckles brush against my collarbones; he shudders and freezes at the contact. I press my body against them like I need them to touch me more. I don't know why I did it, but his warm skin felt so good on me, and him standing this close to me isn't helping matters at all. It's like his earthly scent was completely messing with my senses.

He sighs softly and lets his fingers briefly graze my skin gently before unclinching the blanket and pulling away. My stomach turns at the loss of his touch, and I want to pull him back, to make him climb on the bed with me and rest my head on that enticing chest.

Jeez, what's wrong with me?

He sighs again.

“Let me start with this.“ He says. “My name is Raphael Lucas, and I'm the Alpha of the Royal Empire Pack.“

I want to roll my eyes at him; instead, I scoff. What does he take me for? A novice in the business world?

“Of course, I know your name and I know who you are: 'The multi-billionaire icon and my father's company rival.' “ I spat out.

His eyes look over at the rest, and they seem to have some sort of nonverbal communication between themselves, and I frown.

Raphael meets my eyes again and moves closer, sitting on the chair beside the bed.

He touches the tip of his nose and mutters, "Camila, the Royal Empire Pack is a pack of werewolves who hide away from the human world. We don't make ourselves known as werewolves to the other realms because it's dangerous. There are other packs as well. My pack is a park of warriors, and—” He continues to ramble, and I cover my mouth with my hands to prevent myself from giggling out.

“And what's funny?“ He shoots me a stare.

I shake my head, still struggling to keep comport myself. "I'm sorry, did you say werewolves?“

“You heard me right. Werewolves are real," he says, glaring at me.

When I couldn't hold it in any longer, I burst out laughing, holding my stomach as it ached from the impact.

“Oh my, I didn't know you knew how to make a joke this funny. Come on, we all know werewolves don't exist. I say as I wipe off a tear from my left eye.

“That's what we are!“ Alex exclaimed. “I know it's hard to believe, but we really do exist. Wait a minute.“

He launches forward, and I hear the sound of bones breaking. I watch as his body emerges into a big grey-haired wolf, landing on all fours.

I screamed in fright at the terrifying sight and abruptly moved back against the headboard. The wolf bares his teeth at me, and I hear Raphael growl at it, making it succumb in submission. It then begins to playfully wag his tail at me like a dog would do.

“H-how is this possible? T-there's no way—” I say, eyeing the wolf that sat down to lick at his paws.

Raphael faced me and smirked. “There's no way werewolves are real? Well, you turned one last time two days ago.

“Excuse me?“ I sputter.

He sighs and nods at me, “That night, it was a full moon, and you shifted into a wolf before passing out.“

I freeze, letting his words wash over me.

“It was your wolf when you woke up. She explained to my wolf that she had to take over because you were very weak from the pains you felt, and even if you had been the one to wake up, you would have freaked out and become a rogue in the process. So I have to explain these things to you.“

I was really freaking out, I won't lie. All these werewolf things were seriously causing my head to spin. I glance up at their faces to see if this was a sick joke, but their faces told me otherwise.

I drop my head to my hands and begin to pick at my fingers.

Deep down I knew what they were saying was true. I had always felt it, always felt different. My injuries would heal faster. Werewolves heal faster. I know that because of the werewolf movies I had watched.

All these still sounded new to me. I wasn't a human but a werewolf.

Was I being lied to all my life?

The voice that speaks in my head. Was that my wolf? Where is she?

“That's not all," Sasha says from her corner, and I snap my eyes towards her.

“What more could there possibly be than being a werewolf?“ I grit out. The fire in me is turning to rage.

Raphael shoots her a look and meets my eyes.

“Camila, you're my mate.“