Chapter 1: Reality Versus Fiction

Strenuous breaths and suffocating kisses of pleasure echo through the bare room. She is helpless, though he has betrayed her, and threw her away even due to his selfishness, their bond has finally brought them together. She ran away, and when he found her, she desperately tried to distance herself from him with all her being, but here they are, bodies aligned perfectly, and now she is completely powerless against the mate bond. Yearning only for his love.

"You are mine Rebekah, you will never escape me again!" He growled determinedly, his hot breath caressing her face before he aggressively continued to devour her swollen lips.

"Roman," Rebekah moaned as he licked her neck with his seductive tongue, trapping her with the weight of his body against the wall. He unzips his jeans and starts pump...

"Nope, nuh-uh, I'm done!"

"Ah no please, don't stop reading. I beg of you Alinta!" The sound of a book slammed shut echoes through the empty library.

"You and I are done here Ange," said Alinta with blushing cheeks, an unsatisfied groan sounded in her head. "I am tired of these books! They start off so promising, and then it's a sex fest, where yet again the heroine proves to be a weakling, and the guy wins her heart; though I can predict he is going to stuff up a few more times before they become one and hopefully live happily ever after."

"I see those red cheeks," Angela hissed spitefully.

"You are such a naughty wolf!" Alinta retorted.

"No my dear person, I just enjoy reading how some humans describe our kind incorrectly, it's more entertaining than arousing," snickered Angela playfully.

"Finally something we both can agree on!" Laughed Alinta as she tossed the book on a small pile next to her.

"I am truly amazed at how much humans have learned about us, especially considering their limited resources," Alinta said reflectively. Angela remained silent, contemplating Alinta's words. "For example, while we do have destined mates, our bonds aren't as unrealistically powerful as one might think. They simply enhance our attraction to each other with the sparks and tingles, but that's as far as it goes. We love, desire, and experience pleasure just like humans do. Our bond only becomes stronger after making love and eventually having marked each other. It is such a sacred union and that is what irks me," Alinta concluded, lost in thought.

Angela snickered as she broke her silence. "Two things, poetic licence and sex sell, besides not all are that bad, the previous book we actually finished."

"So you don't take anything personally? The fact that they sometimes make out that we are unsophisticated crude beasts?" Alinta asked with a raised eyebrow.

Angela laughed, then her tone became serious as she continued, "Honestly, I do find it insulting how sometimes the wolf counterpart is depicted as an animal always leading to his or her primal instincts. I grew up with you these past eleven years and learned your ways. Us wolves have evolved so much from our lycanthrope ancestors. I mean we can talk for Pete's sake!"

Alinta giggled at her wolf as Angela got lost in her pet peeves. "I thought you found it humorous when they got the facts wrong," she smirked at her wolf.

Angela rolled her eyes, not wanting to grant her person a satisfactory victory in their banter, then continued on a serious note, "Given how much they have gotten right, I sometimes wonder if the government might have allowed some information to leak for these books to be published, to desensitize humans to our possible existence. Seeing it's becoming increasingly difficult to hide things in this digital age."

Alinta often appreciated her wolf's perspective, nodding in agreement. "If you want to distract yourself with some factual literature, why not visit Aunt Deanna? She has so many amazing stories and promised to tell us a new one we haven't heard yet," Angela suggested excitedly, wagging her two tails.

Alinta jumped at the gesture, exclaiming, "Yes! That’s a great idea! But we first need to go to the café to..." Before she could finish her sentence, she froze at the sound of a sudden voice.

"Hello? Is there anybody here to help me?" asked a large-built gentleman, quite impatiently waving a few books in his hand. He wore a grey tailored suit that matched his hunter-piercing eyes. He has a long, stubbled van dyke beard accompanied by a defined jawline all composed perfectly on his square-shaped face. His slick jet black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. He was a handsome-looking man with a stern expression. Anyone who gazed upon him would assume he was in his middle thirties and someone important.

Alinta swallowed nervously, her heart racing with anxiety. "Oh for fuck sake, seriously? Out of all the days, this jerk shows up. Who comes to the library on a Sunday in this day and age? Especially him!" Angela growled fiercely in her person's mind.

When the man's eyes landed on Alinta, they softened, and he eagerly approached the visibly anxious woman. "Hello, my dear Alinta. Sorry to barge in on you like this. I hope I didn’t startle you?" he cooed tenderly.

Taking the opportunity, Alinta darted towards the pile of books on the ground before he could reach her. "No problem at all, Mr. Crassus, but Jenny isn't back here if you're looking for her," she replied coldly.

He looked at her with contentment as she gracefully picked up the books one by one and began placing them in their proper locations. "I wish you wouldn’t be so formal. Please, just call me Bellinor. As for Jenny, I’ve been waiting at the front for fifteen minutes, which is why I came to check here. Would you be able to assist me with this, please?"

"After everything he’s pulled recently, he expects you to act oblivious and buddy-buddy! Just tell him you were on your way out!" Angela spat angrily.

"I really want to do that, but I worry Jenny might be left to deal with the consequences. She never leaves her desk unless it's something urgent, and I’m sure Bellinor isn’t aware of that," Alinta replied thoughtfully, ending the conversation with her wolf.

"Sure," Alinta said reluctantly as she placed the last of the books on the shelf and then held out her hand, which Bellinor took affectionately. Alinta became frigid and quickly pulled her hand away from his. "I was asking for the books you wish to borrow, Mr. Crassus," she hissed coldly.

"I’m so sorry, my dear! I misunderstood," the man laughed nervously while adjusting his gloved hands over the books.

"Misunderstood my arse, and what's with the gloves?" Angela grunted.

"Agreed, let's just get this crap over and done with. If anything weird happens, you do you," Alinta replied to her wolf.

"Yeah saving our arses as usual," Angela huffed, ready to shift at any moment. Alinta speedily snatched the books from Bellinor and made her way to the reception desk. She quickly scanned the books under his name but froze when one of the titles caught her off guard.