The Alpha's Human Mate

Ashley lay bruised and trembling on the hospital bed, her skin pale against the white sheets. Mrs. Fair’s fingers hovered above her daughter’s battered arm, eyes glistening with tears. “Ashley,” she whispered, voice breaking, “who did this to you?”Ashley turned her face away, the motion slow, as if even that small effort hurt. “I… I don’t know,” she murmured. “I shouldn’t have taken that drink. After that… everything’s a blur. I woke up behind the library… covered in blood.” Her voice cracked, and she clenched her fists weakly.Mr. Fair’s fists tightened at his sides. “Just give us their names. We’ll make them pay.”Ashley squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. “No… it’s my fault.”Mrs. Fair’s breath hitched. “Who gave you the drink?”Ashley hesitated. “My best friend.”Mrs. Fair’s face hardened. “Then it must’ve been her—”“No!” Ashley choked out. “Not Maggie. She didn’t know… she’d never—” Her voice dissolved into a broken sob.Suddenly, a faint voice echoed down the hallway.

After History class, Danielle couldn’t take her eyes off Derek. Her hand still throbbed, and the earlier incident played on repeat in her head like a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.Ariana, seated beside her, kept discreetly blowing cool air over Danielle’s hand, careful not to attract the teacher’s attention.“Did his freakin’ fingers really do this?” Ariana whispered, finally pulling Danielle’s hand from under the table. Her voice was tight with disbelief.Danielle didn’t respond. She just kept staring, wide-eyed and pale at Derek.The class expected Danielle to lash out, to throw a scene, something. But for the first time… she was silent. Frozen.Meanwhile, across the room, Derek leaned closer to Ashley.“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice soft.Ashley raised her eyes to meet his. She gave a small nod. “Yes, I’m fine. And you?”Derek smiled faintly. “Good.”She studied him carefully, suspicion flickering behind her gaze. There was so much she wanted to ask, but how do you qu

~After 27 hours~Derek's mind was consumed by guilt, an overwhelming weight that refused to let him go. Hours passed, but it felt like time had frozen for him. He couldn't comprehend what had happened. His best friend, his childhood companion, was gone, and all he could feel was the sting of responsibility for Nick's death. The funeral had been in the morning, and Derek had stood there, blank-faced, as his friend was lowered into the ground. His heart ached as the words echoed in his mind, the voices of everyone telling him it was his fault.He didn’t need them to remind him. He already knew. And the truth was unbearable.Now, Derek sat in the room he had once shared with Nick, alone. He stared blankly at the empty bed, Nick’s things scattered around, the comic books that had been his obsession, the clutter of memories they had made together. The thought of never hearing Nick’s voice again, never laughing at one of his ridiculous jokes, hit him like a ton of bricks. The tears came, c

A MONTH AGO“Go away, Linda,” Derek muttered, gripping the edge of his bed with trembling hands. His eyes flicked up to the mirror on the wall — and there it was again. That face. That thing staring back at him.Animalistic. Twisted. Not him.Anger flared in his chest. He had read everything he could find — werewolves, shapeshifters, full moons. It all made terrifying sense now. He knew what he was. And as much as he hated it… he had no choice but to live with it.Since the incident, he hadn’t returned to school. He locked himself inside his room, curtains drawn, avoiding daylight, avoiding people. Every small thing triggered his rage. Every sound, every voice, every emotion — and with that rage came the urge to kill.His friends kept visiting. But he never opened the door. They only spoke with his confused parents, who had no answers either. Derek wouldn’t even let them in. The only time he left his room was to grab food from the fridge. Everything else he needed, he kept inside.And

“You want to be my friend? Aren’t we already friends?” Ashley asked, her voice shy and hesitant.“You know we can’t really say that,” he replied with a smile. “We haven’t even talked for an hour yet. That’s not friendship, Ashley.” She smiled and nodded.“So... is that why you climbed up my window? To tell me you want to be friends?” she asked, nervously playing with her fingers.“Is that asking too much? I’ve been trying to figure out how to say this, but I noticed you don’t really like talking to me. So, I thought I’d come here instead. Sorry if it seems weird,” he said. Ashley shook her head.“No, not at all, Enoch. I don’t think it’s weird,” she assured him. He watched her for a moment before looking away.“Can we hang out sometime? Maybe when you’re less busy?” he asked, hopeful. Ashley’s eyes widened in surprise.She couldn’t believe it — such a cute guy wanted to spend time with her.“I’ll think about it, Enoch,” she said, and he smiled, nodding.“That sounds good. I’ll come ba