Chapter 1

Riley

I spent HOURS putting on makeup tonight. I'm wearing my favorite black leather jacket, and it's combined with red lipstick and dark smokey eyeshadow. Even my brown, otherwise messy hair is styled and coming down in waves.

But it's all for nothing!

I clench my hand into a fist, feeling like a volcano ready to burst. I look down at the message on my phone and have to bite my lips not to growl.

Linda: We should go home... My life is over...

Linda, my best friend, was going to introduce me to her boyfriend Liam tonight at this fancy Italian restaurant named The Boiled Chicken. But the jackass broke up with her a minute ago.

So now, Linda is hiding inside the toilet. She is crying and texting me heartbreaking stuff like: "I won't ever find true love!" while I'm sitting inside the restaurant.

I'm the omega of the Crescent pack, while Linda is of average ranking. Yet that never stopped me from making friends with Linda and speaking my mind, even if I'm the weakest werewolf in my pack.

And tonight, I have a lot of things on my mind. Liam dumped Linda at the restaurant while all the other guests watched!

What a jerk!

Me: Is Liam still here?

I gather my stuff, slipping my leather jacket into my bag before hurrying down the stairs. Liam broke up with Linda over at the entrance—If I hurry, I might catch him by the cabs on the street.

I glance down at my phone, checking for a reply from Linda.

Linda: I think Liam went outside. He is wearing a purple suit and a blue ribbon. It shouldn't be hard to spot him since he lacks a sense of fashion. Why do you want to know? Please do nothing stupid, Riley! Liam isn't precisely friendly. He would beat you!

Me: I don't care. I need to talk with Liam. The guy dumped you at a restaurant, and the idiot slept with someone else before breaking up with you! Cheater arse!

Growling, I tuck my phone into my bag, not caring about it vibrating.

Liam will get a piece of my mind. I have all these colorful words lining up in my head for what to call him: player, arsehole, jerk McButt, dick face—the possibilities are endless!

Liam has it coming for him.

I wish I were a tad bit bigger, though.

Well, a lot bigger since I'm tiny, only five feet tall, and not very intimidating. Yet it won't stop me from confronting Liam.

I speed up my pace, sliding past a waiter.

"Hey, watch it! I almost spilled my drinks!"

I ignore the waiter by quickening my pace, only to stumble into another problem. A woman blocks my road and comes to a halt, breathing out: "oh dear," or something like that.

"Sorry," I mumble, eager to get past her. "But I have to get through!"

I fight through what feels like a stampede of hungry guests, but I won't lose track of my goal: finding Liam.

I'm fuelled by my rage, led by my anger. I push other guests and somehow make it out through the doors without dying.

I inhale dramatically. I didn't realize how much my lunges craved fresh air before making it out of the restaurant.

There are cars lined up on the street. Most of them are taxi drivers trying to flirt with people to ride with them. I ignore a waving gentleman, searching for Liam's purple suit.

A drunk man is standing in the corner, giving me weird looks. He smells like a rogue werewolf, and I bet he can tell I'm an omega. I'm an easy victim for him to jump over and beat in a battle.

I shudder.

He looks terrifying.

I tell myself to ignore him.

Finding Liam is my task.

Liam is the only thing that matters.

I inhale.

Now then, where is the purple bastard...

I scowl, eyes settling on the back of a giant man with a purple suit. He is holding up his hand, trying to call a cab. Fleeing from the scene like the punk he is. Hah—as if I would let him do that!

I walk, craning my neck and drinking in the towering behemoth of a werewolf man before me.

As I expected, Liam is way bigger than Linda since Linda pretty much only dates one type of man—the tall and muscular kind who apparently can't keep their dicks in their pants.

I give in to my anger, loading up to shout. "HEY, PURPLE SUIT!"

Liam turns around without looking down; it doesn't surprise me—no one would expect me to be this short.

And boy, Liam is massive enough to entirely miss me standing before him. He squints into the distance, searching the grounds while probably wondering if he misheard someone shouting at him.

"Down here..." I hiss.

Slowly, the giant man peers down, and he flashes a confused smile once his eyes find mine. His dark eyebrows shoot up to the sky, and I will be damned—passion flares between us.

No-no-no!

NO!

The mate-bond zaps between us like lightning, making me almost choke on this spot. Is this cheating bastard my mate?!

"Do I know you?" His voice is deep and powerful.

Typical.

I roll my eyes at the heavenly voice.

Linda is a sucker for voices—if a guy could talk his way into her heart, this one would only need to use that British accent to win her over. I'm sure he could make the word "water" sound sexy without even trying.

I glare up at the skyscraper man and ignore the mate-bond. "No, I suppose you don't, but I know you and your kind!"

The man, Liam, crouches down while being awkwardly silent. It rattles my bones having so close, and there is a zing in my heart, but it's not much of a big deal.

I wait for him to come down to my level or closer to my face.

"My kind?" Liam asks.

"That's right!" I say in a lot more confident voice than from how I'm feeling on the inside. "The cheating giant asshole kind!"

Liam is silent once more. He is massive, but he doesn't frighten me because most grown werewolves possess common sense and wouldn't hurt me publicly.

I smile. That's right; the giant wouldn't hurt me. I bend my neck with newfound courage.

It lasts for three seconds.

The sight of the giant's face almost knocks me over.

Wow.

Fuck. Me. The bastard is beautiful.

Liam tilts his head, his lips curving. "I'm a cheater?"

I take a deep breath. This guy could easily be a model or an actor. He has everything, the entire package—he is drop-dead gorgeous from top to toe. Black hair, full lips, muscles for days, and eyes the color of the ocean—no wonder Linda is head over heels in love with him.

Does this guy even have time for a woman in his life? He looks as if he spends every minute at the gym.

I put my tongue back into my mouth. "Yeah, it's called being a cheater when you can't keep it in your pants! A gentleman wouldn't screw another woman when his girlfriend is waiting for him at home!"

Liam appears amused. "Wait, let me get this straight: you're accusing me of having cheated on my non-existent girlfriend?"

"Non-existent?!" I growl at him. "Linda was still your girlfriend when you cheated on her!"

"I haven't cheated—"

"YES, YOU HAVE!"

Liam looks pissed off—those eyes turn dark with fury, and his mouth twists into an anything but friendly smile; even his muscles turn tense, moving as if preparing to strike.

"Look," Liam swallows. "I don't know who you are—..."

"Riley. Linda's friend." I interrupt.

My mate looks purely annoyed. "Right... Linda. Well, that explains everything..." I watch him massage the temples of his head, mumbling something inaudible. "Who the hell is Linda?"