THREE!

BRIANNA

The aroma of lavender tea greeted me as I awoke. Oh no, that has always been my favorite dish when I'm hungover, and Mom did a great job making it.

I heard the sound of my curtains moving when the sun's rays touched my face. I didn't need to guess who that was.

Hold on, my room! I abruptly got out of bed. How on earth did I end myself here? My mind whirled in all directions.

"What on earth was she thinking?" Trisha's voice echoed in my ears, and it seemed both distant and close at the same time. Still, she wasn't in the room.

I made an attempt to rise up, but I stumbled and accidentally knocked down my table lamp.

"Brianna, stay in bed!" "You shouldn't be up," said Trish as she bolted to the bedroom.

With surprise, I asked her, "Why?" I shot her a bewildered glance.

"This will help you feel better here." She handed me the lavender tea that was on the table.

I quickly drank it, and a short while after I started to feel lightheaded. "Trisha, what is that?" I started to get anxious.

"I will explain everything, well you wake up." She put me down on my bed.

"By then, you'll feel better." As I fell asleep, I heard her.

Before I realized it, I had entered a completely dark chamber. Even though I couldn't see much, I realized I was in an unfamiliar place.

When I attempted to move, I discovered that I was shackled to the floor. The cold metal against my wrists was palpable. I made an effort to liberate myself, but I was unable to cut the shackles.

I jumped up and assumed a combat stance as I felt a touch on my shoulder. I saw a face I knew; her gray eyes gleamed like a wolf in the night. For a split second, I felt guilty.

My eyelids flickered open, and I noticed the familiar environment of my bedroom. My thoughts felt clear, and my body felt light. As I sat up, the sun struck me.

My eyes were filled with a flashback of the last few days' activities. Was it all in my dream? Did anything happen?

To be sure I wasn't dreaming, I pinched my arm. There was a stab of anguish. "Yes, that is true." I pondered in my mind. For some reason, though, everything felt real.

"It seems like I was sleepwalking." I pondered in my mind. That it was only a dream gave me a little sense of relief.

I got out of bed and checked to make sure everything was in its proper place. However, I sensed something was wrong.

The identical garments from my dream were in my closet when I opened it. the same fabric, color, and design.

Was it a nightmare or a dream? I was lost in my own thoughts for so long that I failed to hear Trish knock on the door.

Hey, how are you doing? From the door, Trish yelled.

She was standing there with a deep frown on her face and her nose covered as I opened the door.

"goddess!"You stink!" said she.

"What is a goddess?" Her remark baffled me.

Her expression returned to the frown she'd worn earlier.

"Freshen up, we have something to discuss." She never even waited for an answer. She took off right away.

I shut the door after leaving. removed my clothing. That's when I remembered I was still wearing my outfit from the previous night's party.

Then, how in the world did I get here? I questioned myself. Trisha, perhaps. I pondered in my mind.

Entering the bathroom, I turned on the shower.

"Haaa!" I felt a piercing in my skin. I noticed a scar from an injury when I looked at my shoulder. Then yesterday night comes back to me.

The sound of our skin contacting, the sound of our moans. His thrust inside me. Even thinking about it was making me wet again.

It was a nice night that I had never experienced with a stranger.

My shoulder continued to hurt even after I showered. I covered it with a balm.

I stepped out to the dining room and saw Tisha holding a cup on one side and a dish of food on the other.

My stomach swirled at the sight. I took a seat and ate it all up. Trish sipped from whatever was in her cup while she watched me eat.

I asked her, "What's with the silent treatment?" after finishing my meal and clearing the table.

"Do you know how long we had to keep you a secret?" she said, loudly dropping her cup. Do you know how long, hmm?

"Trish, what are you talking about?" Though I didn't want to pursue it, I had an idea.

"Don't act foolish, Brianna. Before Tasha passed away, I know she told you.

"That I'm a werewolf," I muttered.

"Not your average werewolf. The strongest werewolf that the underworld has seen in a very long time.

"Mom, didn't say that." I gave a headshake.

"She didn't have to, but now that you've slept with a werewolf, I have to." Not just anyone. The heir to the highest Alpha position in the underworld.

"What!!! I don't believe you. Who are you, really? I looked at her.

"It is irrelevant who I am. He'll come for you right now." She said, "Who will come for me?" She hesitated at first when I asked her, but then I yelled, "who Trish?"

"The king who murdered your parents." Your true parents. My stomach churned, and I felt my heart skip a beat.

“What are you saying? My voice sounded husky. "So everything I've known my entire life is a lie." I covered my head with my hands.

“To keep you safe, your foster parents withheld this information from you, as you must realize. Including myself”. She explained.

"So you too are a werewolf?" I enquired.

With a little smile, she said, "Not really. You and I are alike. You alone own greater power. She stated,

"Who are we?" I questioned vehemently.

"A hybrid of a witch and a werewolf." Says she

"You have to be joking with me," I gave a sarcastic laugh.

"Brianna, I'm not lying to you." She remarked, attempting to persuade me. I looked at her, letting her know I was not at all persuaded.

“Alright. What transpired yesterday between you and the man. What do you recall? Did something strange occur?”

I raised my head and stared at my feet for a long moment. "No weird stuff happened." I informed her.

She approached me, footsteps heavy on the ground. "Think, Brianna. Think!" She yelled.

Don't tell me what to think. Don't try to push me. I'm going crazy here.This is stupid. Everything is crazy. My eyes were overflowing with tears. I lost self-control.

“Hey, hey. It's alright. You'll be alright." Trisha held me close to her chest.

"However, you must embrace who you are. You've slept with an alpha now," she remarked.

"An alpha, what do you mean?" I still had not come across the concept of any of this before.

"Did the guy say anything yesterday? Everything you considered unusual.

I tried to recall every detail of what had transpired the previous evening by closing my eyes for a long time. My skin began to flush.

I gleamed as I said, "He said mate." Immediately, Trisha's eyes gleamed as well.

“And what did you say back?” She asked.

“Nothing. I said nothing.” I told her. “I remembered I read it somewhere but I didn't say anything to him.”

“Did anything else happen?” She asked looking at my face searching for answers.

“Yes. I felt I was hearing myself in my head.”

Her eyes were filled with happiness, “that's your inner wolf.”

“Inner…wolf.” I couldn't get the words out of my mouth.

“Yeah, I have mine too. I call her Nala.” Her smile was reaching her ears.

“Okay. This is going to take a while to explain. So please bear with me, okay?” Trisha said, holding my hand. I just nodded my head in response.

"Brianna, please you must understand my parents swore me to secrecy not to tell you till I thought it was the right time."

"And now is the right time?" Sarcastically, I asked.

"When I hadn't seen you last night. I searched every place for you. Werewolves were prowling around that area.

"You didn't bother to tell. Oh, you can't because of your secret. My eyes lingered on her.

"You have to understand, Brianna." Grasping my shoulder, she spoke.

"Haaa." I sobbed out of hurt.

"What happened?" With concern, she enquired.

When I opened my shoulder, the scar had disappeared, but there were still two dots where the scar should have been.

"You have been marked, oh my god." She shouted.

"What do you mean by that?" With a glare in my eyes, I asked.

"You are bound together forever, he marked you!" She let out a cry.

I ignored her calls for me as I walked out of the building and away from the house.

I needed to breathe, but I couldn't. My entire existence has abruptly changed.

I just kept moving forward as if something were guiding me even though I had no idea where I was walking to. I failed to identify what it was.

I stood at the end of a street confused at where I was. I faced the street only to see a figure down the other end.

It moved closer and so did the figure. It was the stranger from last night. I blushed.

As we got close to each other, I felt my stomach turned. My fingers arched. My eyes felt hot and there was a terrible heat between my legs.

“MATE.” I whispered.