3.I will make it go away.

Eve lay awake for most of the night. She tossed and turned, trying out all possible methods to fall asleep, yet it was useless. Therefore, waking up with ugly, almost country-sized dark circles under her eyes wasn't a surprise.

She took a quick shower, still shaken from the events she went through the previous day, trying her best to forget, at least for today. This was her big day. Eve didn't have any skills when it came to applying makeup, so she was pleased that the circles under her eyes would be gone by the time she finished. Instead of ceremonial clothing, she opted for more comfortable hoodie and sweatpants.

"Evangeline, are you ready yet? We must leave soon if we don't want to be late on your big day!" her mother shouted from downstairs. Eve kept quiet; she put her sneakers on, and lazily moved downstairs. Her mother took in her appearance, opening her mouth, probably to say how displeased she was by Eve's outfit of choice.

"Mother, don't. We have spoken enough. I'm fully aware of what you think of me and how you hate the way I look today. The right one will choose me, no matter what I'm wearing. Now, please, let's just go, we don't want to be late." Even though Eve loved her mother from the bottom of her heart, she could not find the strength within herself to meet her mother's eyes.

"You look lovely," her mom whispered.

"Where's dad?" Eve’s eyes roamed over the kitchen and dining room area. Usually, her father sat across the kitchen counter, reading the newspaper. House without him felt empty and weirdly cold, especially today when he had promised to be by her side during the ceremony.

"I'm sorry, Evangeline. He can't make it. The Alpha called early this morning, something urgent happened at the factory, and your father had to go. It's just me today." She grabbed the car keys and her purse, gesturing towards the front door.

Eve nodded her head and went outside, waiting for her mother to lock the door and get into the car. In all honesty, she wanted nothing more than wrapping herself into a blanket, like a human burrito and to stay there forever.

The ceremony couldn't have happened on a worse day. After twenty minutes they parked near the forest. Eve didn't hide her surprise for the place they'd chosen this year. Usually, the ceremony was held in the town hall, for humans to have some privacy.

"I know what you're thinking right now, trust me, I'm as confused as you are. Now let's go, we need to get there before they start." Her mother got out of the car, and Eve followed her lead into the forest. After a while, they could hear the distant chatter of people; Eve smiled unknowingly- in an hour or two, she might leave the forest with the man of her dreams. That is- if she's lucky.

"Ladies and gentlemen, humans and shifters, we have a major announcement to make this year," they were close when the Alpha spoke up. Eve rushed to get into the line of females, who would participate this year. She noticed her best friend standing by a tall, handsome male. They smiled and waved at each other, Claudia clenching onto the male's arm.

"As we all know, each year, humans and shifters hold two separate ceremonies. This year we're doing something unheard of- we are doing both ceremonies together simultaneously. Meaning- shifters hold the right to claim a human mate, if they wish." Eve's eyes widened in fear, her hands trembled violently.

First, she almost gets raped by shifters, now, one of them can choose her as an actual mate. What had she done to be punished like this?

"And now, for the rules," the Alpha spoke again. Eve turned her face towards her best friend and saw that she was no longer by the male's side but was now approaching Eve. Her hips moved in a seductive matter, as always, tight dress, barely covering Claudia's ass. "Hey babe, mind if I join you? It looks like you need some support, I'll run with you." Claudia smiled as she stood next to Eve.

"But... But how about your fiancé, Clau?" Eve asked. She couldn't understand why Claudia was joining her now, why an evil looking grin was plastered on her best friend's lips. "You need me more than that man does. Don't worry; he was just a weekend thing anyway. Now let's listen," Claudia nudged Eve's side, forcing her to listen to the Alpha.

"This year, humans keep doing the same thing- going after whomever they choose. It's the same old law for shifters- you catch it, mark it, and bring it home. If it has the mark of your canines- it's rightfully yours.

Now, the ladies have a five-minute head start. Gentlemen, please wait for Luna to let all of you go." Alpha stepped down from the pedestal and approached his Luna, wrapping his arms around the female in a rather protective way. Eve's eyes widened in fear. She has to run, as fast and as far as she can. A ping of pain hit her heart- if she runs far enough, shifters won't claim her, but neither will any human. Looks like this year; Eve will leave alone after all.

"Ladies, run!" The Alpha roared. And around a hundred females run deeper into the forest. If Claudia hadn’t started running, holding Eve's hand and dragging her along, she would have lost a lot of time; her legs felt like jelly, unable to move correctly. Under her breath, Eve counted seconds, trying to keep track of how much time she has and how far she's gone.

"Let's stop; if we run much further, nobody will claim us," Claudia dropped her body on the ground lazily.

"What? How? What does this mean? We have to run; the time is running out, come on, get up!" Eve yelled in panic. As much as she loved her best friend, all she could think of was running.

"Don't you want to be claimed?" Claudia furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"No, not by the beasts. We have to run!" Eve wasted precious thirty seconds on an argument with her friend, before Claudia spoke up again.

"Suit yourself; I joined because I want a werewolf to claim me. You can run, I'll wait for my furred beast here." Eve took off as the wind, tears stinging in her eyes. The head start she had been given was almost over.

Eve pushed her body over the edge. She rounded a few trees and heard animalistic growls somewhere afar, the sound which made her heart race faster and legs move quicker. She looked around frantically, trying to find a place where she could hide until the ceremony officially ended.

"Great, no caves, just my luck," she mumbled, still hoping to find a place to shelter until it was safe to come out. Noticing an old oak tree, she decided to climb it. She couldn't get far up though; her body was aching. A restless night, running, and fear made her more exhausted than she had ever felt.

Eve’s eyes roamed over the forest, she took in a deep breath and enjoyed nature's beauty. Somewhere, deep down, the young woman wished to stay here till the end of her days. The thought of freedom she would feel while living in the forest appealed to her.

Eve almost screamed when someone knocked on the tree, trying to get her attention. She gasped, grabbing onto the area where her heart was beating rapidly.

"Hello?" A deep male voice spoke. She almost fell from the tree branch she was sitting on as she tried to peek down, to see the male.

"W-who are you? Can you leave? P-p-please?" She wanted to sound strong and powerful, just as Claudia always seemed, but she couldn't. Hiding emotions wasn't quite Eve's talent.

"I'm me," he replied. Eve bit her lip, waiting for the stranger to leave. "And no, I can't leave," he finally added, the exact words Eve dreaded most.

"P-please, I'm begging you. Leave. I'll do whatever you say, just leave," Eve pleaded desperately, refusing to let go of her hope.

"Get down from that tree, and I'll leave if you can prove to me that you're not hurt." The stranger said, forcing Eve to follow his rule, if she wanted him to leave. Eve listened and carefully climbed down the tree.

Suddenly, her ankle twisted, and she winced in pain, letting go of the branch she was holding. She fell, back first, squeezing her eyes shut, waiting for the impact with rock-solid soil. Eve fell, yet her body never collided with the ground. Instead, she fell right into the stranger's arms.

She was too terrified to open her eyes and see a shifter in front of her, so she just kept quiet.

"Are you hurt? Does it hurt?" The stranger questioned her, sounding genuinely worried. Eve's ankle kept pulsating in pain; she couldn't talk anymore, biting onto her lip- Eve nodded her head.

"Don't worry, little one; I will make it go away. From now on, I'll protect you with my life," he whispered into her ear dreamily. Eve almost smiled because of the words he just said.

However, instead of a smile she gave an ear-piercing scream of pain as the stranger bit into her neck.