Falling For the Hidden Alpha(Freya Series Book 1)

“What the hell are you doing?” I questioned him in a raised whisper, not wanting to cause a scene.

He didn't answer me, so I cautiously glanced up at him. I tried to pull myself out of his grip, and panicked thoughts began to race through my mind. You’re not my boyfriend! I don't know you. Who are you?

The man smirked at me and started to tighten his grip around the back of my neck. I could feel his nails gradually extending and scraping along my skin, snagging in my hair as they grew. My mouth fell open when I peered into his raven eyes. When he scowled at me in response, I instantly knew that I had made a huge mistake letting this monster touch me.

I glanced around the room. I hoped that someone would have noticed what was happening to me. I hoped that somebody, anybody, would come to my aid. Or maybe, just maybe, Tristan would arrive and kick the guy's ass. My hope gradually died when my eyes roamed around the dimly lit room and saw that every single person had turned their backs on me. What the hell was going on? I thought as I glared back at the mysterious and frightening stranger.

He opened his mouth into an evil smirk, and with a perfectly timed flash of the disco lights, I could have sworn I saw fangs. Fear instantly spread throughout my body as I searched his pitchblack eyes for answers, but there was nothing there. All that stared back at me was emptiness and hopelessness.

Everything around me began to move in slow motion. I closed my eyes, and before I had a chance to open them up again, a sharp pain engulfed me. His nails pierced into my skin when he yanked my head to the side. With my eyes still firmly closed, I tried to squirm, but he dug his nails deeper into my neck and I lost all ability to move.

My heart was racing, and my breath was a shallow pant as tears slowly began to stream down my face. An icy cold shiver ran down my spine, while his free hand swept my hair back over my shoulder exposing my neck. His unnaturally cold breath made my skin tingle when he lowered his face towards me, and my body automatically stiffened as his lips caressed my neck. I couldn't believe what was happening, it couldn’t be real. Please God, help me! I screamed in my head, begging for my life.

He hastily pulled his fangs out of my skin, making my legs weak. They were unable to hold up my weight any longer and buckled beneath me, making me collapse. My body fell to the side and my head slammed into the hardwood floor. I heard a woman scream as I lay there motionless, unable to open my eyes, or speak a word. I exhaled for the last time. No strength left in me to inhale again. Silence and peace washed over me as I succumb to the icycold hand of death.

Freya Rose

Beep, beep, beep!

“Urgh,” I groaned as I rolled over in bed. I lazily waved my hand around in the direction of the incessant screeching noise. I missed my target a few times, swatting the bedside table instead. Feeling frustrated, but still too exhausted to open my eyes, I gave it one last go.

Oh yeah, this jerk is going to get it! I thought as I lifted my hand up into the air, then brought it back down with all my might.

“Damn it!” I screamed out in pain when my hand collided with my alarm clock, bending my little finger back like it was some sort of contortionist. “You son of a bit...” I trailed off while shoving my injured finger into my mouth. I sucked on it in a pathetic attempt to stop it from throbbing. Well, that was a hell of a way to wake up.

I carefully pulled my little finger out of my mouth to inspect it for damage. I half expected it to be broken and flopping around like a limp piece of spaghetti, with the ligaments and tendons held it on to the rest of my hand for dear life. I exhaled with relief when my pinky peeked back at me in all its normality. Well, apart from a new purple hue on the inside of my knuckle. Feeling a small sense of victory, I flipped my alarm clock the middle finger while smugly shouting, “I win bitch!”

The fight with the alarm clock and the pain in my finger had subsided slightly, but I felt like absolute crap. I had the mother of all headaches, and my eyes felt like I had washed them in a sandbox. I tried to ease the throbbing in my head by circling my fingers around my temples, but it wasn't helping at all. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh while my hands dropped to my sides in defeat.

Suddenly, the bright morning sunshine engulfed my room and tried its best to penetrate my tightly shut eyelids.

“Ahhh, are you seriously trying to kill me right now?” I squealed as I threw my hands up to shield my overly delicate eyes.

“Morning honey. Didn't sleep well again I see,” a chirpy woman's voice replied.

She ignored my obvious discomfort. A discomfort that she had made a hundred times worse I might add, by not warning me that she was going to abruptly rip open my drapes and allow the blazing morning sun to burn holes into my dark and shriveled up soul.

“I heard a bang and thought you'd need these,” she said with a slight giggle. She paused, I guess she was expecting me to look up to see what she was talking about. “Water and some painkillers,” she continued when I didn't respond.

I heard her place them on my bedside table, before bending down and kissing me on the top of my head. I inhaled her scent as she pulled away, and I just loved how she always smelled of lavender and fresh coffee. A smile crept onto my face, instantly melting my frown.

“Thanks, Mom.”

I lowered my hands away from my face, and slowly peeled my eyes open to look at her. She was a very attractive woman, with very soft features. She had a messy, dark blonde bob, that rested just above her shoulders. Her eyes were blue, but they had a gold ring around her pupils, so in certain lights they appeared to be green. Around her eyes were some wrinkles, not deep ones, but just slightly noticeable when she laughed.

“I had that damn nightmare again,” I said with a heavy sigh.

“What happened this time?” She asked as she sat down on the bed beside me.

“There was music, and dancing, people laughing and having fun. Then, this Godawful scream, and it all goes black. I don't remember the rest, but it scares the hell out of me, and I always wake up with this banging headache.”

I lowered my head back down into my hands. Her arm slide over my shoulder, sending a cold shiver down my spine. I shook off the weird feeling of Deja vu and allowed her to pull me in for a hug.

“The dreams are getting more frequent, aren't they?” She asked in a quiet but concerned voice.

“Yeah, they are.”

With a sigh, I rested my head on her shoulder, and she kissed the top of my head again.

“It will be alright, Honey. Maybe you're just stressed out from your exams? Now that they’re all finished, hopefully the dreams will stop.” She slowly stood up and pointed towards my bathroom. “Now get ready, we have your graduation today, or did you forget?”

She stood in front of me with a smirk on her face and one eyebrow slightly raised.

“Oh crap,” I shouted out while immediately jumping to my feet and sprinting towards the bathroom.

“Language!”

“Sorry mom,” I yelled out and I could hear her giggling as she left.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror to check out what mess I was working with today.

“Urgh. You look like crap!” I said out loud to my reflection, and the cheeky bitch gave me a disgusted look in reply.

My eyes were so sore, so I pulled down my bottom eyelids to inspect them. They were usually bright blue in color and sparkled in the light. Today they were dull, bloodshot, and crudely cradled by large, dark gray bags. It looked like I had been crying all night. Or had been punched in the face by a gorilla.

I huffed and turned my attention to my usually neat and shiny, mousy brown hair.

“Wow!”

I raised my left eyebrow in shock and disgust. It looked like I'd been dragged through a hedge backwards. It was sticking up all over the place and was matted together too.

“You look like you've put your finger in a plug socket,” I mocked my reflection while I pointed my finger at her.

I quickly turned away from the devastation that was my reflection and locked my fingers together. I pushed out my palms, then lifted them above my head into a stretch. I was now prepared for the makeover task I had ahead of me. I clapped my hands together and cheered,

“Let's do this!”

I turned the shower on and waited for it to warm up. Once steam began floating up into the air, I pulled my tshirt up and over my head, before throwing it towards the washing basket.

“Yes!” I roared with excitement.

I fist pumped the air in celebration, as I watched my tshirt drop into the basket perfectly. Pulling my boxerstyle underwear down, I threw them in there too.

“Meh,” I said with a shrug when my underwear hit the side of the basket, then hung on to the edge for dear life.

It's technically in, and that's good enough for me, I thought.

I walked across the bathroom and stepped into the shower. The warm water didn't hit my skin right away, instead it was soaking into the matted fuzz I now had instead of hair. I felt the weight of the water pushing my hair down, so I moved my hands over it and tried to flatten it down a bit. The water then flowed down my body and it felt incredible. Satisfied that my hair was wet enough, I grabbed the shampoo and began massaging it into my hair and scalp.

I stepped back under the shower to wash out all of the bubbles. The bubbles and water began to slither down my face and tickled my nose. I quickly rubbed my nose with my hand trying to subdue the itch. As my hand thrashed around itching my nose, I inadvertently pushed shampoo bubbles into my eyes.

“Damn it to hell!!” I screamed when my already sore eyes, began to sting and itch like.

I jumped up and down on my tippy toes while flapping my arms around. What this did to help, I had no idea. Although, I was sure that if anyone was watching, they would have had a laugh at the demented, naked, chicken dance I was currently doing.

I finally got my shit together, tilted my head back, and shoved my face under the stream of water. Gradually the stinging subsided, and I was able to open my eyes again. I sighed and shook my head as I thought to myself, I already can't wait for this day to be over.

I continued my shower and conditioned my hair. I worked it through with my fingers, making sure I got every little knot and tangle out. I left it in while I washed my body and shaved my ridiculously hairy legs and armpits. Sometimes, I just couldn't be bothered, so I let them grow wild. I finally washed out the conditioner and turned off the shower.

I got out of the shower and pulled a towel off the rail; I then flipped my head forwards and wrapped my hair up in it. I put another towel around my body and secured it in the middle of my chest. I walked back to the mirror and glanced at my more refreshed and pinker looking complexion.

“Now you look a bit more human,” I sniggered as I spoke to my reflection again.

I put some drops in my eyes to combat the redness, but with one eye now looking like I had a bad case of pink eye, I just sighed in defeat and left the bathroom to go and get dressed.

I pulled my closet door open and stood there contemplating what to wear under my graduation gown. I should have sorted an outfit out beforehand. My best friend Cassie had nagged me to do, but hey, I always leave things till the last minute, so why change now?

I let out a giggle and started pushing outfit after outfit aside, trying to find the perfect one. I was getting superhot. So, I whipped the towel off of my head and shook out my long, wavy hair, letting it fall down to the middle of my back. I ran my hands through it and shook it out as I went.

“Ahhh!”

I jumped out of my skin when two large hands wrapped themselves around my waist and pulled me backwards. making me lose my footing. My back hit his hard chest and he automatically brought his face down into the crease of my neck. I was used to him sneaking up on me like that, but for some reason, I was on edge today and I couldn't shake a strange uneasy feeling. My body began to tremble. Why do I feel like this?

“Baby?” Tristan asked me softly.

In an instant, my body reacted to his familiar voice and I relaxed slightly. It was as if my body had a mind of its own. My brain knew that the strong arms around my waist, and the breath that brushed my neck were my boyfriends. But it took a while for my body to get the memo.

I began to feel somewhat normal again, but my body froze in fear when he inhaled deeply, taking in my scent. Another wave of Deja vu washed over me and my heart pounded, while my mind filled with panic.

Tristan Cole

After checking on a few things at work, I jumped into the car and drove over to Freya's house. I pulled up and got out of the car, then walked towards the house. It was a small house in comparison to my own, but I loved being there, it always smelled like fresh coffee and it was so cozy and homely. I knocked on the door and patiently waited. I heard footsteps coming down the hallway towards me, then the door opened, and a warm smile greeted me.

“Good morning Tristan, don't you look handsome today,” Eleanor said sweetly.

“Thank you, Eleanor. You look lovely,” I replied politely. She blushed a little then said with a giggle,

“Thank you, Tristan. Flattery will get you everywhere.”

She turned around and began to walk back down the hallway. “Are you coming in?” She shouted back as she turned toward the kitchen.

I entered the house and closed the door behind me.

“Is Freya ready yet?”

“No, she's upstairs. You can go up if you like. Tell her to get a move on, or she won't have time for breakfast,” she shouted back through.

“Okay, I'll make sure she's down in a bit. She can't miss your breakfast it smells too delicious.”

She suddenly took the towel off of her head and dropped it to the floor. Shaking out her gorgeous long brown hair, she began running her fingers through it. Her fingers slid effortlessly through the wet strands, making tiny water droplets roll down the soft skin on her arms. I couldn't resist the primal urge to capture her, so I crept forward as quietly as I could. I then slipped my hands around her waist and pulled her back into my arms.

“Ahhh!” She screamed as she stumbled back a little, slamming into my chest.

She always startled when I snuck up on her, but this time it felt different. As soon as her body began to tremble, I squeezed her tighter to try and calm her down. Her breathing was labored, and her heart was racing. She had never reacted to me like that before.

“Baby?” I spoke softly into her ear.

She let out a deep sigh of relief and I felt her body relax within seconds of hearing my voice. What on earth is going on with her today? I thought as I leaned into the crease of her neck and inhaled deeply, taking in her delicious scent.

Freya Rose

I managed to calm myself back down and relaxed into his embrace. I had no idea why he sniffed me like that, but it had always been one of his weird little quirks. My stomach flipped and fluttered with butterflies when he let out a deep and throaty growl. It was such a turn on for me and he damn well knew it.

“You smell so good baby,” he purred into my ear.

He kissed my neck ever so gently, which in turn made my legs turn to jelly.

“Mmm,” I moaned as he placed more warm and breathy kisses down my neck, while holding onto my shoulders so that I couldn't move.

He spun me around to face him, sending an icycold shiver down my spine. A wave of Deja vu washed over me for the second time, but again, I ignored it and pushed it aside. It wasn't unusual for me to feel like I'd seen or felt stuff before, and it had been happening a lot more lately. I guess it started around the same time as the nightmares, almost two years ago.

I positioned my hands onto his muscular chest to steady myself. His solid body felt amazing under my fingers and I could feel my face heating up as lust took over my body. In front of me stood the hottest guy I had ever seen in my life. He was a lot taller than me. I was only fivefootfour and he was around sixfoottwo. He had a muscular build that you could see even under his clothes. And damn I could definitely feel the muscles under his shirt.

I exhaled while I tried my best to compose myself. He had the most amazing deep blue eyes. They were like the darkest part of the Pacific Ocean. His hair was messy and dirty blond. It floated around his perfectly chiseled face. His stubble was nicely groomed, but not too much, so he still had that, I woke up like this, look.

He slammed me down onto my dressing table, sending my stuff flying everywhere, but I couldn't have cared less. I pulled his face down and smashed my lips onto his. He groaned when my tongue pushed its way into his mouth. He kissed me back harder, making me let out a sweet little moan of my own. It drove him crazy, so he picked me back up and carried me effortlessly over to my bed. All the while not once taking his lips off of mine.

He dropped me down onto the bed and I giggled as I bounced around. I waited on the bed as still as possible, in excited anticipation of what was coming next. I gazed up at him standing there in front of me. This guy is so damn perfect, every single inch of him looks like it's just been sculpted by the Gods themselves, I thought to myself.

“God damn, you're hot,” I whispered to him in a sexy voice.

With a smirk on his face, he bent over me, grabbing the knot of the towel. I raised my hands up and cupped my breasts, as I tried desperately to hold the towel flat against my chest.

“No, we can't. My mom's downstairs!”

Completely ignoring my concern, he whispered into my ear in a husky voice,

“well, we best be quiet then, huh?”

My eyes grew wide as a cheeky grin spread across his face.

I watched with excitement as he stood back up and then with a deep chuckle, he swiftly ripped my towel open. I quickly tried to grip the towel tighter against my chest, but I didn't stand a chance. He was way too strong and fast for me, and within seconds the towel was no longer covering my chest. My hands somehow were now clasping onto my bare breasts.

He bent down and gently pulled my hands away from my body, exposing every inch of me. I blushed when his eyes moved away from mine and scanned all the way down my body and then back up again. He took his time and it seemed as though he was mentally mapping every single part of my naked flesh. After two years together, how in the hell does he still find my body so fascinating?

Every time he looked at me, it was as if he was seeing me for the first time. He always made me feel like a Goddess that deserved to be worshipped, and that was another reason why I loved him so much. I could just tell that I was the only woman he would ever need or want. Now it is time to remind him of that!

I glanced at him with a smile on my face as he placed his fingers on the outsides of my thighs, then slowly moved his hands up towards my hips. His fingers glided ever so gently across my skin, tickling me and sending shivers of pleasure through my body. His fingers then trailed up to my waist while he leaned in to kiss my neck, he then inhaled my scent again through his nose.

“Mmmm, you really do smell amazing baby,” he growled in that deep and sexy way that I loved.

I couldn't hold back anymore. This dude is just too damn good. I lifted my head up so that my lips could meet his. He responded in perfect time and slipped his hand behind my hair. My head suddenly jolted back, and my body stiffened when his fingers glided across my skin invoking a sense of Deja vu, yet again.

He tightly gripped the back of my neck so that my head didn't fall backwards. He was just concerned for my safety, but his actions had the opposite intended effect. I startled, and my body automatically froze. I frantically tried to search his deep ocean blue eyes for help, but the eyes that were staring back at me were not his.

The eyes that glared back at me were as black as the night's sky, and seeing those jetblack pools sparked something deep inside my brain. Visions of the morning’s nightmare quickly flooded my mind and took over every sense that I had. I couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't speak, as it silently dragged me back into its deadly grasp.

Tristan Cole

Freya lifted her head up and I guessed that she wanted me to kiss her. Damn, I could do so much more to her right now. She smelled amazing, and I could hear her heart racing, every time my fingers or lips caressed her skin.

No! I must keep myself under control. I can't let it go too far, I don't want him to hurt her, I thought while I tried my best to battle against my primal urges. I slipped my hand behind her hair and glided my fingers across her neck, so that I could pull her closer to me.

Suddenly her head violently jolted back, and I could feel her body stiffen beneath me. I gripped the back of her neck trying to stop her head from falling backwards. She instantly froze under my touch and I wondered, did I grip her too tightly?

I quickly adjusted my fingers slightly. Satisfied that I was not the one causing her the discomfort, I stared into her eyes and tried to work out what was up with her. She seemed petrified and panic instantly swept over me. Does she know?

I glanced over to the end of the bed. Sat in the corner of the room was a floor length mirror. I could see half of the fourposter bed and Freya. But more importantly, I could see myself. Specifically, my eyes, they were pitch black with lust. Oh, crap! I knew right then and there that I didn't have full control.

“You dick! Look what you've done to her. You've frightened the hell out of her,” I shouted at him in my mind.

I quickly fought back for control and watched myself in the mirror as my eyes returned to their normal deep blue color. I closed my eyes and exhaled while I prepared myself to face Freya. I needed to try my best to explain to her what had just happened.

After opening my eyes, I glanced down at her fearful and frozen expression. Her eyes then began to roll into the back of her head, and her body started to shake and convulse violently. I acted quickly and placed both of my hands onto her waist as I prepared myself to move her into the middle of the bed. Before I got a chance to, she screamed and flapped her arms around as if she was trying to fight me off.

“Freya?” I screamed out trying to get her attention, but she didn't respond.

She continued to scream, punch the air, and kick her legs out at me. I could hear Freya's mom running up the stairs, so I quickly wrapped the towel back around her body and fastened it at her chest. I then picked her up gently and tried to move her up the bed a little, so that she didn't fall off.

As I began to move her, a fist came flying into my vision from my lefthand side. It was too damn quick for me to react in time. The fist slammed into my jaw, making my head jerk to the side. It was that hard of a punch that it left a ringing in my left ear.

What the hell was that? A punch from Freya shouldn't hurt that damn much. What the hell is happening right now?

With all my focus on Freya and the punch, I didn't realize that the door had swung open and her mom was standing right behind me.

“That seemed like it hurt,” she mocked me while pushing me out of the way “move out the way, I'll show you what you need to do.” I let go of Freya and watched in shock as Eleanor jumped onto the bed. She sat on Freya's legs and stretched forward to pin her arms to the bed.

“Freya, honey, listen to me. You need to breathe okay? In, and out...” She instructed Freya as she took in a deep breath and then exhaled it slowly.

I glimpsed at Freya for a reaction but there was none. She continued to flail about, nearly knocking her mom flying a few times.

“In, and out,” Eleanor continued her mantra.

Slowly but surely Freya began to respond. She started to follow her mom's breathing pattern and gradually calmed down. She stopped fighting it, relaxed onto the bed and breathed in and out, in and out, just like her mom had instructed. When Freya had calmed down completely, her mom released her, then got off of the bed.

She then ushered to me with her hand for me to follow her out of the room. I followed her, looking back at Freya one last time, just to make sure she was okay. Her face was now sweet and peaceful like a sleeping angel. I breathed a sigh of relief and closed the door quietly behind me.

I followed Eleanor, down the stairs and to the left into the kitchen. She walked over to one of the glass door cabinets and got out two glasses. She silently pointed towards the dining table for me to go and sit. I did as I was told and took a seat, I then placed my elbows on the table and covered my face with my hands.

I heard her pour out something into the two glasses, before making her way over to me. She tapped my shoulder with a glass, and I glanced up to see what it was. I furrowed my brow when I saw that it was a glass of what seemed like whisky. I glanced up into her eyes and with a questioning look, I asked,

“It's a little early for that, isn't it?”

She laughed and nudged the glass towards me. I shrugged and took the glass from her, then held it in both hands in front of me.

“You look like you need it, and God knows, I know I do!” She said with a snigger as she sat down in the chair next to me.

We sat in silence for a while, taking occasional sips of our whisky. I finally worked up the courage to address what had just happened. I knew that this would happen one day, and that I would have to tell Freya my secret, but I wasn't expecting it to go down like this. I should have told her years ago.

“So, what just happened up there, I...” I began but she cut me off.

“You haven't seen her like that before, have you?” I shook my head in reply. “and she's never told you that she has these fits?” I furrowed my brow again and sat up in my chair as I digested her question.

“Fits?” I asked curiously.

“Yeah, I thought that she would have told you. She used to have them as a child, but they stopped when she was around six years old. They then suddenly came back just after her sixteenth birthday,” she explained, then shot back the rest of her drink.

I relaxed back further into my chair as I thought to myself, why didn't Freya tell me about these fits? And how have I never seen her have one before?

Eleanor went over to the cabinet and brought back the bottle of whisky. After pouring herself out another glass, she hovered the bottle over my glass that was still half full on the table. I shook my head in reply, she smiled then placed the bottle onto the table.

“I know it is a lot to take in Tristan, but she is still Freya, nothing needs to change. She will sleep for around another ten minutes or so. When she wakes up, she won't remember a damn thing,” she said as she shrugged her shoulders, then downed her second drink. “Right. I'm going to get ready for her graduation, then finish off the breakfast. You finish your drink, then go up and see her, okay?”

She stood up and placed her hand on my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. I nodded and exhaled. I picked up my drink and down it. Eleanor took the glasses and bottle, placed the bottle back in the cabinet and the glasses in the dishwasher, then headed out of the room.

I leaned forward and ran my hands through my hair, sweeping the waves out of my face. I can't believe that I just got away with that. If she wakes up not remembering a thing, then I don't have to tell her our secret.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Freya moving around upstairs. I quickly raced out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom. I softly exhaled as I knocked politely on her bedroom door.

“Come in,” Freya replied sounding chirpy and excited.

I knew that I had to behave myself. I had to be strong and stop myself from doing what he, and I, both dreamed of. Our dream was to sink our teeth into her deliciously supple and sweetscented skin.

I don't know why I'm finding it so hard to control myself around her lately. We have been together for nearly two years now, and I have never been so weak, never been so close to exposing our secret and never been this close to biting her.

But her scent, the damn thing was driving me crazy. And for the last few months it had been getting stronger, and even more alluring. I just couldn’t stay away from it, or her. She's like a drug to me!

Against my better judgment, I stood up from the bed and marched over to Freya. Her scent had its hooks into me, and I couldn't escape it. I glided one of my hands around her waist then swept her hair over her shoulder with my other hand. I leaned in and kissed her beautifully soft neck.

Even if it means telling her the truth. Even if I risk losing her altogether. I must tell her our secret. This is getting too dangerous. I need to stop this right now, I told myself, but my body now had a mind of its own.

While kissing her neck again, I could feel my canines extending. I Panicked and tried to pull away, but she let out the sweetest little moan, and pulled my arm tighter around her waist.

“I love you, Tristan,” she moaned out breathlessly as I ran my tongue along her gorgeous neck.

I knew that kissing her and tasting her delicious skin beneath my tongue was just tempting fate, but I couldn't resist her anymore. Her scent was driving us crazy and I was barely able to control myself. I would never forgive myself if I hurt her, I needed to stop.

Get a grip, Tristan!

I delicately kissed her neck and she responded by pushing her cute little ass into my crotch. It took every bit of selfcontrol that I had, not to rip her towel off and take her right then and there. I tried to pull my head away and calm myself down, but she gently brushed her hand through my hair, and yanked my head back down towards her neck.

What are you doing to me woman? You don't realize how dangerous this is!

But, oh my God her scent, and them sweet, sweet moans of hers, I couldn't take it anymore.

Please stop this, you're going to hurt her! I begged him, but he refused to listen to me.

I began to kiss along her jawline and then back down toward her neck. She moaned out my name almost sending me over the edge. But then, she took it one step further and dragged her delicate little hand down my chest. My stomach twitched as her touch made its way over the thin fabric of my shirt. It was glorious torture when I could feel her fingers tracing over every one of my muscles.

My God it felt amazing. And just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, she suddenly grabbed my manhood, which, was rock hard by that point and trying its best to burst right through my jeans. That was it, I'd finally lost all control and couldn't stop him from acting on our primal urges. I pulled my head back and extended my canines, ready to plunge them into her neck, marking her forever, and finally making her ours.

Tristan Cole

Knock, knock, knock...

I startled and quickly yanked my head away from Freya's neck. I can't believe I almost bit Freya. What the hell is going on with me? I have never been this careless or out of control before, I panicked to myself.

“Breakfast's ready you two,” Eleanor shouted through the bedroom door.

Freya spun around to face the door, and I followed her spin to make sure that I could stay standing behind her. I couldn't let her see my canines or black eyes, especially after the fit she had earlier. I continued to stand behind her as I tried to gain back my selfcontrol. Once I felt my canines retract, I casually made my way over to the bed. I took a quick glance into the mirror across the room, to make sure that my eyes had returned to normal.

Thank God, I thought to myself as my deep blue eyes stared back at me. I sighed with relief then flopped onto the bed.

Freya Rose

Tristan stood behind me while I turned around and shouted a reply back to my mom,

“Okay, Mom. We'll be down in a bit.”

I turned back around towards my closet while Tristan walked over to my bed, then threw himself down onto it with a sigh. For quickness, I grabbed the first outfit that I laid my hands on. It was a royal blue skater dress that came down to my knees, I picked up a pair of matching heels, then closed my closet.

Moving over to my chest of drawers, I proceeded to scramble around for a matching set of underwear.

Why is it always so damn difficult to find a matching set?

I finally found a bra and panties that matched.

Well they are both black, what more could I ask for?

I then dropped my towel to the floor and began to get dressed. I glanced over at Tristan and he was watching me get ready. He had a giant grin on his face and his eyes were filled with pure lust.

“Stop watching me you creep!” I shouted at him as I struggled to balance on one foot, while trying to put the other one through the leg hole of my panties.

“It's not creepy to watch my girlfriend,” he replied sarcastically.

Without warning, and with an evil grin plastered across my face, I grabbed my hairbrush from the dressing table and launched it at him. To my complete surprise, he reached up and caught it right before it could smack him in his smug face.

How the hell did he catch that?

He got off the bed and made his way towards me while speaking in a husky voice,

“and besides it's impossible not to watch you, you're the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

He picked me up by my ass, like he always did, and walked me over to the dressing table. Placing me down on to the stool, he spoke softly into my ear,

“I am the luckiest man alive.”

I blushed when he brushed my hair away from my face and kissed my neck. I thought he was going to continue what he'd started earlier, but to my disappointment, he pulled away from me and began to walk towards the door.

“You finish getting ready, and I'll meet you downstairs.”

He opened the door then turned back around to look at me.

“I love you, Freya Rose.”

I smiled as butterflies swarmed around in my tummy.

“I love you too, Tristan Cole.”

He threw his hand up to his heart and grinned at me like a goofy kid. I rolled my eyes at him as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

“How in the hell did you get so damn lucky?” I asked my reflection.

Tristan Cole

I quietly closed Freya's bedroom door and made my way downstairs.

“Hi Eleanor, I'm just going to pick up Tyler and Cassie. Can you tell Freya that I'll be back in a bit please?” I asked Freya's mom as I approached the kitchen.

She peered up from the stove where she was frying bacon and replied,

“Of course, see you in a bit.”

I left the house and made my way towards my car. I got into the car and just sat there for a minute enjoying the peace and quiet. I eventually took out my phone and dialed my brother Tyler's number.

“Hey, Tyler,” I greeted my brother.

“Hi T. Are you coming back any time soon?” Tyler said when he answered the phone.

“Yeah, I'm coming to pick you guys up now.”

“Good, because we have a situation. We captured another one while you were out.”

“What!? How the hell did it get so close to the house?”

“God knows, but this one was really fast, it took five of us to outrun him. I just don't get why they are sneaking around here all of a sudden. What do they want?” He asked me with confusion.

“I know, they've been showing up a lot lately, something's definitely going on.”

I clicked the loudspeaker button and threw my phone down onto the passenger seat, then started up the car. “Right, chain him up in the basement, I'll make sure I get some answers out of the twisted bastard!” I demanded.

“Have you left yet?”

“Yeah, I'm on my way now,” I replied while putting my seatbelt on.

“Okay, T. See you in a few,” Tyler replied then ended the call.

I put my foot down and sped off heading for home.

When I arrived home, Tyler was on the driveway waiting for me. I opened the door and got out of my car, before storming right past Tyler.

“He's in the basement like you ordered T, but some of the other guys got a bit carried away when they caught him. He's torn up pretty bad,” he said as he hurried behind me.

“Will he survive?” I asked bluntly.

I don't really care whether he survives or not, but I do need some answers out of him before he expires.

“Yeah, but he's gonna need a few days before you can question him,” he said while doing air quotes with his fingers, then chuckled.

I rolled my eyes at his childishness. I found it hilarious, but I wasn't going to let him know that.

“Fine, I'll leave him down there for a few days. Maybe starving him will make him talk. Now, go and get Cassie. We need to leave,” I ordered my brother.

He nodded and ran up the stairs. A few minutes later he returned with Cassie in tow.

“I'll go wait in the car,” Tyler shouted as he ran past me and out the front door.

Cassie greeted me with a hug.

“Hey T,” she said softly.

“Hiya Cass, you ready?” I asked as I turned to face the front door. She ran over to the couch and grabbed her purse, then walked back towards me and said,

“Now I am.”

She placed her hand on my shoulder and stood up on her tiptoes, then softly kissed my cheek. She lowered herself back down to the ground and began to strut away. As she strode out of the front door, she turned to me and asked,

“Oh, Tristan. Have you told Freya about us yet?”

Freya Rose

I finished getting ready for my graduation and made my way downstairs. My mom was at the stove cooking, and as I walked past her, I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Breakfast smells amazing, Mom,” I said while secretly swiping a piece of cooked bacon from the plate beside her.

“Oi, you cheeky madam.”

She tried to swat my hand away, but I was too fast for her, and was already tucking into my stolen goods. She laughed while I walked away and headed towards the dining table. I sat down at the end of the table and then asked her,

“Where's, Tristan?”

She turned her head and answered me,

“He's gone to pick up Cassie and Tyler. He said he'd be back in a bit.”

“Ah, okay, cool.”

I grabbed my phone out of my bag and opened up the photo gallery. I liked looking over all the old pictures I'd taken over the years. I was obsessed with making sure I had pictures of all the important people in my life, much to their dismay. I scrolled through lots of pictures of Tristan and me.

He had asked me out on my sixteenth birthday. It was so cute. He'd bought me flowers and a gorgeous gold necklace with a heart locket pendant. Inside the locket was a picture of him on one side and a picture of me on the other. Inscribed on the back was the date of my sixteenth birthday and the words,

I Love You Always,

Forever Be Mine.

I held my hand up and gently pulled the locket away from my neck. I opened it up to look at the pictures inside of Tristan and me.

Still the best present ever, I thought to myself.

Tristan was so adorable standing in front of me at my birthday party. He was twitching and shuffling his feet nervously, acting all shy and scared while he waited for my answer. I remember telling him, of course, I was always going to say yes. He asked me why. So, I told him the truth. I told him that I'd had a huge crush on him since I was thirteen years old. He pulled me in tight and kissed the top of my head. I then heard him say under his breath that he was a fool for not noticing me sooner.

I giggled to myself as I thought about how much I had wished for him to notice me while I was growing up. You see, Tristan was my best friend Tyler's, older brother.

I used to make up any excuse I could to go over to Tyler's house, just so that I could catch a glimpse of Tristan. Whenever I saw him my heart pounded, and my belly filled with butterflies. I could barely function around him but being three years older than us he hardly ever noticed me.

I was sure that he just saw me as his annoying little brothers, best friend. I didn't blame him really, I was a bit of a tomboy back then, and had the body to match. I was all skinny and straight. No curves or assets to speak of, not like the girls that he used to bring back to his parent’s house.

I screwed up my face as I began to remember those skanks all over my man. I knew I shouldn't have been jealous, because he was all mine now, but I couldn't help it. I loved him so much, and the thought of any other girl touching him made me feel sick.

I giggled to myself again and flipped my hair all sexy like. My mom turned her head away from the stove and raised her eyebrows at me like I was crazy. I chuckled and swished my hand in the air like I was saying, just ignore me. She laughed and went back to cooking the bacon.

It took him a while, but Tyler finally realized that I had a huge crush on his big brother, and he found it absolutely hilarious. Any opportunity he got, he would use it to embarrass me in front of Tristan. I'd have to jab him in his ribs, or wrestle him to the ground to get him to stop. I was so scared of the thought of Tristan finding out, because I knew he didn't think of me that way, and I would have been mortified if he started teasing me about it too.

I scrolled through some more of my photos and laughed when I saw some of me and Tyler pulling funny faces.

I really do love that crazy clown.

“What's so funny hon?” My mom asked while placing the plate of bacon on the dining table.

“Just looking at old pictures of me and Tyler,” I replied while turning my phone around for her to see.

“You're two peas in a pod, both as crazy as one another.”

She made her way back over towards the fridge.

Tyler tried everything he could to embarrass me in front of Tristan. Each time he tried to blurt out that I had a crush on him, I had to beat him to shut him up. Well, I tried to, but he was always so damn fast, and he was really ripped too which was weird for his age. I used to chase him around the house until I fell down with exhaustion. He'd then jump on top of me and start tickling me to death. I swear a few times I actually peed myself.

The play fights happened so often that Tristan started telling us to get a room, he even asked us once if me and Tyler were dating. We both just burst out laughing and rolled around on the floor. I saw Tyler as a brother and he saw me as a sister, the thought of anything else was just disgusting.

“Do you want orange juice, Honey?” My mom asked with her head still in the fridge.

“Yes, please, Mom.”

I was so nervous when my mum dropped me off at Tyler's birthday party that night. I stood at the front door for almost fifteen minutes before I had built up enough courage to walk in. I opened the door and made my way through the house and into the back garden where all the guests were. There were pretty lights, balloons, and flowers everywhere. Tyler’s parents had also got a massive marquee with a huge dance floor and DJ. It looked amazing and there were so many people there.

Tyler saw me and ran right up to me. He picked me up into a hug and spun me around. He set me back down and said something along the lines of,

“damn girl, you's looking fine!”

I forgot the exact words, but that was the gist. I laughed and punched him in the arm. I wished him a happy birthday and gave him his gift. It was some computer game he had wanted for ages. I had no idea which one, but he loved it. He hugged me again and left to go get us some drinks.

I felt selfconscious standing there all by myself, guys kept wolf whistling at me and making sexual comments and I wasn't the type to defend myself.

Urgh, guys can be such pervs, I thought to myself while I reached for the orange juice that my mom had left on the table.

Tyler had been ages and I was starting to panic while standing there all alone, I hated being alone. I'd decided to give him ten more minutes to get back or I was going home. Needless to say, he didn't come back, so I stormed off in search of him. I planned to give him a piece of my mind before I went home. The big jerk knew that I hated being on my own in big crowds.

I stormed over towards the house and heard noises coming from down the side of the pool house. As I got closer, I heard Tyler speak, I couldn't work out what he'd said, but I knew it was him. I was ready to march right over there and give him a piece of my mind. I picked up the pace and thundered around the corner of the pool house.

I closed my eyes and screwed up my face when I remembered what I had seen that night.

“Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my GOD! What the hell?” I’d screamed out as I frantically tried to cover my eyes. I’d already seen more than enough. Tyler was half naked and had a girl pinned up against the wall. I spun around, so that I definitely couldn't see anything else.

I bit my lip when I remembered what happened next.

“Whoa there!” Tristan said as he grabbed hold of my shoulders to stop me falling over. I was absolutely mortified. I didn't want him knowing who I was, so I kept my head down and mouth shut, hoping that he would just let me past him.

“Are you leaving already?” He’d asked in a husky voice.

But all I could muster up was a,

“Yup,” I replied with a slight nod of my head.

I couldn't bear to look up at him.

“That's a shame. Now I've arrived, the party is just getting started,” he said cockily.

He placed my chin between his thumb and finger, then slowly pulled my face up. I was so scared that he was going to laugh at me once he saw who I was. But, when I finally gazed up, he had his eyes closed and his lips were coming straight towards mine and I froze in pure panic.

He pressed his lips onto mine and kissed me, I stayed perfectly still for a few seconds not knowing what in the hell to do. But with each caress from his soft lips, my confidence began to grow. I finally put my arms around his neck and grabbed his hair pulling his head back a little, he growled with pleasure and that was my cue.

My heart skipped with excitement when I remembered my first kiss, and the very first time, I’d heard Tristan's sexy growl. It was so deep and primal. Even thinking about it now, had me squirming around on my chair. I quickly returned to my daydream.

I pulled him closer and slipped my tongue into his mouth. I kissed him harder and he followed my lead. We were both panting by that point and he had moved his hand down to my ass and gave it a little slap. I moaned, and he deepened the kiss in response.

“Freya!” Tyler yelled out.

Tristan promptly pulled his head away from me and I apprehensively opened my eyes. Tristan was wideeyed with shock and gawping back at me. He stepped back, looked me up and down from head to toe, then said,

“Damn girl!”

He let out another sexy growl, bit his lip and then walked right past me and into the house.

I remembered how much I wanted him that night, and the butthead just walked off and left me hanging. I couldn't stop myself from blurting out loud,

“Asshole!”

Tristan Cole

I pulled the car up to Freya's house. Tyler immediately jumped out of the car, quickly followed by Cassie. I called out to them before they could walk off,

“Hey, guys? Can I speak to you for a second?” They both turned around and gave me a questioning look. They nodded in unison, then stood in front of me. I rested my back against my car door and stared down at the ground. I rubbed the back of my neck as my nerves took over.

I cleared my throat before addressing them.

“So, how would you guys feel about me telling Freya our secret tonight after your graduation?” I asked them cautiously.

I glanced up at them with a hopeful raised eyebrow, and Cassie answered immediately.

“I think we should've told her years ago, but you guys already know that. So, it's just up to you, Ty.”

Cassie and I both eyed Tyler in anticipation of his answer. He gazed off into the distance with his brows furrowed, clearly deep in thought. After what seemed like an eternity, I sighed and rolled my eyes in frustration.

“Dude? Come on already,” I snapped at him in my authoritative voice, startling him a little.

“Okay, okay!” He snapped back, like a petulant child.

“Why now? I thought you were waiting until after her eighteenth birthday. What's changed?” He asked me honestly.

He had a valid point, I was going to leave it until after her birthday, but I didn't think I could realistically wait that long.

“She's changing Ty, or I am. I'm not sure what's going on to be perfectly honest, but I nearly bit her today,” I replied as honestly as I could.

“What?” Cassie snapped at me.

“Oh Crap, what happened?” Tyler asked with concern.

“I don't really know exactly. I'm just finding it so hard to resist her lately. Her scent is so damn strong, I can barely control myself around her. I've had to hide out in the bathroom a few times, and when it’s been really bad, I’ve had to climb out of the window while she slept. It’s gotten that bad dude!”

I rubbed my forehead with my hand, and to my surprise, they both burst out laughing.

“Guys, this is serious!”

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms across my chest while I waited for them to sort themselves out.

“Sorry, T. Look I have always wanted to tell Freya, she's my best friend. When I found out that she had a crush on you, I knew instantly that she would be perfect for you. But I don't want you breaking her heart if you eventually find your... You know?” He said with a shrug. I stared at Tyler and nodded my head.

I knew he was right, and the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt Freya, but unless I told her soon, I’d end up hurting her physically and then I’d lose her forever.

“I know Tyler, I try not to think about that, because in my heart, I know that she’s the only woman for me. She is my forever.”

“Then if that's the case, I will support you and be there for you both when you tell her.”

He smiled at me and I nodded back at him and said,

“Cool, thanks, Ty.”

I stood away from the car and headed towards the house. I ruffled Tyler's hair as I rushed past him and he shouted out at me,

“Hey! You dick, I gotta redo it now.”

I let out a laugh as I turned back and watched Cassie and Tyler trying their best to sort out his messedup hair. I then turned back around and made my way into Freya's house. I walked through the hallway and heard Freya call someone an asshole. I knew it couldn't be anything to do with me. I was sure she didn't know anything about our secret, but it didn't stop my heart from racing, or the panic from filling my mind.

Freya Rose

Tristan, Tyler and Cassie walked into the kitchen, so I put my phone back in my bag. I began pouring out five glasses of orange juice.

“Hi, Mrs. Rose,” Tyler and Cassie greeted my mom.

“How many times have I told you two? You are family, call me Eleanor,” she said while folding a tea towel.

“Sorry, Eleanor,” they apologized while taking their seats at the other end of the dining table. Tristan sniggered as he picked up the plates of pancakes from the worktop. He walked over to us and placed them in the middle of the table. My mom followed over and sat in an empty seat to my right. Tristan came up to me and held my face between his hands and then softly kissed my lips. I slid my hand through his hair and pulled his face in closer, deepening the kiss. I heard Cassie whistle.

“Ewww that's gross, get a room will ya.” Tyler whined in disgust.

I smiled into the kiss, pulled away, then laughed. Tristan leaned over the table, grabbed a piece of bacon and launched it at Tyler. I was stunned when Tyler caught the bacon with lightning reflexes. He smirked at Tristan as he took a bite out of it.

What is it with these boys and their lightning reflexes? Must be a family thing.

“Bro, you're just jealous cos you’re not getting any,” Tristan mocked then pulled out the chair to my left and sat down.

“How do you know I'm not getting any, hmmm?” Tyler replied as he lifted one eyebrow and then flashed Cassie a sideways glance.

Cassie immediately choked, and orange juice shot out of her mouth, covering the table. She quickly raised her hands up to her mouth and tried to stop any more escaping. Tyler patted her on the back, and she managed to swallow the juice that was still left in her mouth. She then began to cough a little as she tried to clear her throat.

Once Cassie had stopped choking, she looked up and saw, that me, my mom, and Tristan had stopped eating and were sat there staring at her with wide eyes. She covered her face with her hands and shook her head in embarrassment. My mom laughed as she stood up. She smiled at Tyler and then walked around the back of me, and with her spare hand gave my shoulder a slight squeeze.

“I'll give you guys some space. I’ve got to pick up some lastminute things from the store anyway,” she said in a calming voice, she then turned and walked out of the room.

Tyler was the first one to break the awkward silence that weighed heavy on the room,

“I... well, we... um,” he stuttered when he realized that he'd opened up a can of worms, that he was now struggling to explain.

He glanced at me and then at Tristan, before lowering his eyes to the table and letting out a defeated sigh. Cassie dropped her hands away from her face and turned to look at Tyler. She cupped his chin in her hand and pulled his face up towards hers, then out of nowhere, she kissed him.

“Oh my God!” I squealed. “You two?” I questioned while pointing a suspecting finger at the both of them. They each turned to look at me and nodded.

“I am so happy for you guys!” I squealed again with excitement.

They both exhaled with relief, as Tyler looped his fingers with Cassie's. My brow then furrowed as I asked them,

“Wait, how long?” I paused and squinted my eyes at them then asked, “and why didn't you tell me?”

They gave each other a questioning look. Then their faces began changing expressions like they were having an indepth conversation, but they weren't speaking any words. Tristan scowled at them for some unknown reason to me.

“Hey!!” I shouted and clicked my fingers at them in annoyance.

They both stopped their weird mime act thing, then turned to look at me. Tristan growled at them and shot them both a thunderous look. They instantly made this strange whimpering sound like dogs, then lowered their heads in some sort of weird bow of respect.

What the hell was that? I thought to myself.

With their heads down they carried on staring at the table. Tristan huffed through his nose, looked away from them, then carried on eating his breakfast. I suspiciously watched the three of them and I felt utterly confused with their behavior. I skidded my chair out with the backs of my legs and stood up. I then bent over slightly and slammed my hands down onto the table with a loud bang. All of them stared up at me in shock.

“What the hell is going on with you three today?” I shouted angrily.

Not one of them tried to answer me, they just all kept staring at me with worried looks on their faces.

“No one's going to say anything huh?” I asked them, then paused for a response. “Fine, I'll go, first shall I? Why didn't you guys tell me that you were dating?” I asked as I glared directly at Cassie and Tyler.

I sat back down while I waited for one of them to answer me. They glanced at each other, then at Tristan, then back at me.

“Well, we only got together a few weeks back Frey,” Cassie answered in a low voice, “Tyler came around to my house to wish me a happy eighteenth and...”

She raised her eyebrows and stared wideeyed at Tristan. Tristan closed his eyes, pressed his lips flat together, and then nodded as if he now understood clearly what was going on.

More weird behavior! I thought to myself. What the hell is going on?

Tyler decided to help Cassie out and carried on the story where she'd left off,

“One thing led to another, and here we are.”

I thought about it for a second then replied,

“It still doesn't make any sense. You guys never seemed to like each other like that. In fact, I'm pretty sure you...” I paused and pointed my finger at Tyler then continued, “had a huge crush on Amber Wade!”

His eyes grew wide in shock at the fact that I'd just blurted out his most precious secret. He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Cassie shot up from the table and screamed at me,

“Well Amber fucking Wade isn't his mate, is she? I am!”

Her words dripped with pure jealousy and dominance. Tyler gasped, and Tristan slammed his fist down onto the table, the sound of it made me jump back in my chair. Cassie instantly lowered her head down and then showed her neck to Tristan again.

“You've said enough. Go and wait in the damn car!” Tristan growled at them both.

He stood up and pointed towards the door. Tyler slowly got up, and they both stared over at me with a mix of apology and guilt written all over their faces.

“Freya, I...” Tyler began to speak.

“Now!” Tristan barked.

They both nodded at him in compliance and quickly scurried out of the room.

What is up with that?

Tristan sat back down while letting out a frustrated sigh. He rubbed his hand down his face and then placed one of his elbows on the table. He rested the side of his face on his open palm and just stared at me. He furrowed his brow seeming to try and work out what I was thinking.

What am I thinking? I don't even know myself right now.

All I want to know was why my best friends felt like they needed to hide their relationship from me. I was also wondering what the hell just happened between my boyfriend and my friends.

Why did Tristan get so angry? Why did Cassie and Tyler bow their heads to him?

Those were just a few things I want answers to, and I was determined to get them out of Tristan.

“So?” I asked him as I sat further back in my chair, firmly folded my arms and raised my eyebrow at him.

He huffed at me then closed his eyes. I ignored his childish reaction and asked,

“What was all that about?”

“What was all what about baby?” He asked casually while sitting back up in his chair.

I took in a deep breath and told him,

He didn't answer me, instead he stood up and walked over to me. He pulled my chair out from under the table, picked it up and turned it around to face him. He then set it back down onto the floor, all while I was still sitting in it, and I was utterly amazed by his sheer strength. He knelt down in front of me and took both my hands into his. With a soft sigh, he gazed lovingly into my eyes.

“Baby, we have been together a long time now. Believe me when I tell you that I love you more than anything else in this whole, entire world.”

He placed a soft lingering kiss on the back of my hand, and then continued,

“There are things about me and my family that you don't know.” He paused again to see my reaction. I stayed quiet and squeezed his hands prompting him to continue. “You're going to think I'm crazy when I tell you this, but I think it's about time you knew the whole truth,” he said as he stood up and picked me up bridal style. I relaxed and put my arms around his neck. “I think we should talk somewhere a little more private,” he whispered into my ear and kissed my cheek.

I wanted to argue with him and yell at him, just to tell me already, but I didn't want him to back out of it. I needed answers for all of this strange behavior, so I let him take control.

He walked me up the stairs and into my bedroom, then gently set me down on the bed. He climbed on to the bed beside me and turned his body to face me. He began to speak in his usual low and husky voice,

“Right, here we go,” he sighed and then blew a bit of his hair out of his face. “I will answer your questions one by one. If you have any more questions afterwards, then you can ask them once I'm finished, is that understood?” He said firmly.

He'd never been so authoritative with me before and to be honest it was kind of a turn on. I blushed and nodded my head in compliance.

“Good!” He said with a sexy smirk on his face.

I guess he liked it when I obeyed him.

I'll have to remember that for later.

“Right. Tyler and Cassie were having a silent conversation. Well sort of, they were speaking to each other through a mind link,” he stated.

I furrowed my brow in confusion and began to ask,

“what?”

He quickly placed his finger on my lips and said in a firm voice,

“What did I say, baby? Wait until I have finished and then you can ask me more questions.”

“Okay,” I replied while crossing my legs and placing my hands in my lap.

“They whimpered and bowed their heads to me because I am their future Alpha,” he explained.

I gasped and put my hand over my mouth, I sat there wideeyed just staring at him. I couldn't control myself and I burst out laughing, he growled at me and I noticed how angry his face had become, so I immediately stopped.

He is serious, are you kidding me?

Does he mean like a werewolf Alpha? No, he couldn't possibly, I scoffed at the idea.

Maybe he means like some sort of group, club or game or something.

Yeah that's got to be it surely? I mean werewolves aren't even real right?

Tristan put his hand on my knee, I guess he wanted to continue but he could see that I was deep in thought. I put my hand on top of his and said,

“Go ahead.”

“I didn't know it until today, but Tyler and Cassie are mates. There is no other bond like it on this earth. You and your mate are two halves of the same person,” he said in a low and sweet voice then paused for a moment.

He pulled my hand up into the air so that my palm was facing him, he then held his own palm up facing mine. There was a short distance between them as he carried on speaking, “when you meet your mate you both become whole.”

He slowly moved his hand towards mine as he spoke until our palms were touching. He then entangled his fingers with mine, symbolizing whole.

“Once you find your mate, they’re yours for life. You will do everything you can to make them happy, and whatever it takes to keep them safe. Your life isn't worth living without your mate.”

He turned my hand around and kissed the back of it, before letting it go. My heart swelled up at the way he was describing the concept of mates to me.

That's exactly how I feel about him.

He reached forward and pushed my hair behind my shoulders, and then slid his hand down my neck, making me shiver as the heat from his fingers brushed over my skin. I closed my eyes and let out a low moan, he chuckled as he picked up my locket and then opened it. He brushed his thumb over the picture of me and smiled to himself. I reached my hand up to touch his face as a small tear fell down his cheek and I asked him with concern,

“Baby what's wrong?”

He shut my locket and brought his hand up to meet mine that was still placed upon his cheek. He closed his eyes and rubbed his gorgeous face into my hand, I smiled as he left a soft kiss on my palm.

“I'm scared that you will freak out and not love me anymore when I tell you what I am,” he said softly as he pulled my hand away from his face and dropped his head down.

I got up onto my knees and crawled towards him, then lifted his face up to meet mine. I placed a delicate kiss on his soft lips, and he let out a low sigh as I rested my head on his shoulder.

“I love you always, forever be mine,” I whispered our promise into his ear.

“I love you, baby,” he replied as he stroked my hair.

I sat back up and clutched his face within my hands.

“Whatever it is, I love you more than words can describe. I trust you and I know you will never hurt me. I know you will always love me and keep me safe.”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I opened my heart up to him, and it was hard to finish what I was saying before I cried my eyes out. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

He suddenly sat back, and my hands slipped away from his face making them fall into my lap. I watched as tears fell down his cheeks, I'd never seen him cry like that before, and my heart broke for him. He took in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, then exhaled and said in a breathy voice,

“Freya, I'm a werewolf.”

Freya Rose

I sat in silence just staring at Tristan. I was in complete shock after he'd told me that he was a werewolf. His eyes were as wide as saucers while he studied my face, trying to work out what I was thinking. I took in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.

“So,” I paused and raised my eyebrows at him. “A werewolf huh?” I questioned him in utter disbelief.

“Yup,” he replied with an emphasized pop of the p.

I didn't really know how to respond, so I just blurted out the first thing that popped into my head.

“Wow. So, do you like, turn into a wolf when there's a full moon or something?”

I cringed inside, after I heard the stupid question slip past my lips. He smirked and tried his utmost to hold in a chuckle.

“Um... No, not exactly.”

Then it happened again, I just couldn't keep my damn mouth shut, it had a mind of its own. It seemed to think that it didn't need to consult with my brain before blurting out something stupid.

“Oh, do you have to chain yourself up before you turn?”

I rolled my eyes when the silly and completely irrelevant question floated around in the air like a bad smell. Tristan stared at me with a huge smirk on his face and a slight blush in his cheeks. I pathetically tried to come up with some sort of excuse, something, anything to try and explain why I’d just asked him that.

“I think I saw them do that on a Tv program once.”

I dropped my head down in complete embarrassment. My mouth finally ceased its tirade of naive and childish questions. I was beyond glad that Tristan didn't seem offended in the slightest. It was clear that he was finding my awkward questions amusing. He burst out laughing at me and even slapped his knee. I popped out my bottom lip and gave him my cute, sad face expression, in an attempt to make him feel bad for mocking me.

“You'd like that, wouldn't you? Any excuse to tie me up, huh baby?” He asked with an eyebrow raised.

“There's no point in fighting me. You won't win. I’m a werewolf remember?”

He chuckled at me with a wide grin on his face. I saw that as a direct challenge and prepared myself for war.

“Oh yeah, it's on,” I said while giving him a determined stare.

I slowly pulled one side of my mouth up into a slight smirk, then violently thrashed around, attempting to free my hands. I felt my face flush while I huffed and puffed, pulling my arms either which way trying to break free.

“Ugh.”

I closed my eyes then threw my arms and head back onto the bed in defeat. When I opened my eyes back up, I saw Tristan staring at me with a big cheesy grin on his face. I hated losing, and all I wanted to do now was slap his stupid face, but I knew that he was just too damn strong, and I didn't stand a chance against him. I relaxed my body and whispered,

“Okay, you win.”

He let go of my hands and lifted one of his own hands to his head. Cupping his ear with his hand, he asked,

“I'm sorry, what did you say? I didn't quite catch that.”

I huffed and shouted back at him,

“Ugh, you win.”

He sat back onto his knees and dropped his hands to his sides. He then pulled his head back and let out an ear piercing and highpitched howl. I frantically scrambled backwards onto the bed, pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my head on them. Tears began to stream down my face, and I was shaking like a leaf. I stayed silent and just let my thoughts engulf me.

I guess he howled in the excitement of his victory, and I knew he wouldn't have wanted to scare me on purpose, but the sudden howl caught me by surprise. I had never heard anything like it in my life, and it instantly churned my stomach, raised my pulse, and sent my heart fleeing into my throat.

In over ten years of knowing Tristan, I had never felt scared of him before. To be honest, the tickling and play fighting took all of the seriousness out of the situation. It made me feel like it wasn't a big deal, and that we could carry on like normal.

How naive of me.

The reality of it all, he was a wolf. Snarling teeth, ripping animals apart, werewolf.

How do I know that he won't ever turn on me? I mean he has been acting very strange lately.

Multiple thoughts were running through my mind and it felt like I’d been silent for hours. I had no idea how to take all of it in, or what it meant for our future.

Do we even have a future? Can a human and a werewolf ever make it work? My thoughts were interrupted when I felt Tristan crawl towards me. He sat back onto his knees and reached around my back to pull me into his chest. I tightened up but allowed him to pull me towards him.

“I'm sorry if I scared you, baby,” he said in a low and concerned voice, then asked softly, “you know I'd never hurt you right?”

I gradually glanced up at him, then moved forward slightly and placed my hands on his chest. I stared into his beautiful blue eyes, they were flushed with worry and slowly filling with tears. I raised my hand to his cheek and wiped away a stray tear.

I wanted nothing more than to trust him. I should have known him well enough to know that he would never hurt me. But in all honesty, I wasn’t entirely sure what I thought. In my heart, I believed that he would never hurt me, but my gut was telling me something different, and I just couldn't shake it.

I decided to ease the tension in the room and lie to him, it was the only thing I could think to do in that tense moment.

“I know you wouldn't hurt me, babe,” I said to him, trying to be as convincing as possible.

He sniffed and smiled slightly. I could tell he was not completely convinced though, so I tried to make it more believable and said,

“I'm just a little bit overwhelmed, that's all. This is a huge change and it's going to take me some time to get used to it.”

I brushed a wave of hair away from his face and he nodded to me in agreement. I leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips, and he exhaled with relief. Pulling back to look into his eyes once more, I then asked cautiously,

“we will be okay won't we babe?”

With tears occasionally sliding down my face, I allowed him to pull me in to him and squeeze me tightly. My stomach began to settle as safety and comfort swept over me. I inhaled through my nose taking in his familiar scent and it instantly calmed my nerves. I still had no idea what would happen or what our future held, but I had loved Tristan for as long as I could remember. Sitting there in his warm embrace just felt so natural.

“We will definitely be okay. I love you, much more than you will ever know,” he said with raw emotion in his voice.

I sighed slightly. His words surprisingly made me feel a lot better. I rested my head on his shoulder and he squeezed me even tighter.

“Ugh, T,” I coughed out as his tight hug began to cut off my air supply.

“Oh, damn, sorry babe,” he said with a chuckle while letting me go.

He grabbed me, then collapsed onto the bed, pulling me down on top of him. He stroked my hair while we laid there embracing each other.

Knock, knock.

A light tapping noise on the door dragged us away from our peaceful moment.

“Hey, um, Tristan?” Cassie asked in a quiet and apprehensive tone as she opened the door gently.

I pulled myself off of Tristan and sat on the edge of the bed. Tristan slowly dragged himself up into a sitting position. She paused and glimpsed at Tyler to help. Tyler took over and asked in a sheepish voice,

“Uh, we heard you howl. Is everything okay?”

I watched Cassie and Tyler as they stood in the doorway of my bedroom. They seemed nervous as hell. Cassie was biting her thumb nail and looking around the room. She was obviously trying to avoid eye contact with both Tristan and me. Tyler had his head down and was looking at his feet, while he lightly kicked at my bedroom floor. Tristan broke the awkward silence first and said,

“It's all fine guys, she knows everything.”

He didn't bother to move and continued to lay on the bed. He had his arms under his head and one foot over the other. Cassie and Tyler gradually stared up at me warily. With their attention now on me, I decided to ask them a few questions.

“So, I guess if Tristan's a werewolf, that would make you one too Tyler?”

I sat there for a few seconds staring at him, waiting for an answer.

“Yeah,” he finally replied in a low voice, then peered back down to the floor.

My eyes scanned over to Cassie.

“And you're his human mate, Cass?”

“Yes!” she quickly replied then shook her head. “Oh... wait no,” she corrected herself then continued, “yes, I am his mate, but I'm a werewolf too.”

She stared at me with worried eyes. I stood up, folded my arms across my chest then slowly walked towards her.

“I am so pissed off right now. Either I'm really stupid for not noticing anything all these years, or you three are too good at lying to my face.” I said with an angry frown.

She froze instantly, not knowing what to do, and shot Tyler a terrified look. I giggled while throwing my arms around her for a hug.

“I'm only joking Cass,” I said reassuringly, and Tristan snigger behind me.

Cassie sighed with relief as she hugged me back. I stood back slightly and pointed a finger at her.

“You should've seen your face.”

I burst out laughing and Tyler joined in laughing too.

“You're such a bitch Freya, you really had me going there,” she jokingly snapped back while lightly punching me in the arm.

“Ow, what the hell?” I screamed out in fake pain while I held my arm.

“Tristan, stop!”

I ran forwards placing myself right in between them both. Placing my hands onto Tristan's chest, I tried my best to hold him back. He was breathing so hard and his nostrils were flaring in pure anger. I looked up into his eyes and they were jet black.

“Baby, please calm down,” I begged him in a shaky voice.

He ignored me and tried to lunge at Tyler again. I lost my footing and began to slide backwards as he pushed against me.

“Tristan, please!” I screamed out while I reached my hands up and put them either side of his face. I yanked it down to mine, trying to divert his attention. “Tristan look at me, babe. I'm okay, Cassie didn't hurt me, I promise.”

He blinked a couple of times then gazed into my eyes. I softly began to explain,

“I was joking, she didn't hurt me. I swear.”

My hands fell from his face. He gently turned me to the side and lifted my arm to see if there were any marks. Satisfied with his inspection, he stroked my arm with his thumb.

“I'm so sorry. Please calm down,” I said while I shook again with emotion.

I couldn't hold the tears in any longer, I was scared to death. It was just like I’d just watched two dogs having a fight. It was so intense, and now that it was over, the floodgates had opened. I was just so glad that he'd calmed down, because I didn't know if I could have handled witnessing anything worse than what I’d just seen.

He turned me around to face him, then picked me up by my ass. I put my arms around his neck and legs around his waist. He pulled me into him tightly and nuzzled into my neck, inhaling my scent.

Ah, now I know why he always does that.

His breathing had calmed and was almost back to normal when he finally uttered the words,

“Baby don't cry. You're shaking like a leaf. I'm so sorry, please don't be scared of me.”

He sounded so heartbroken. I pulled my head up to look at him and his eyes were back to their beautiful deep blue color. I smiled nervously at him. I didn't want to be, but I was scared of him. There was no denying that. He leaned in and I cautiously allowed him to give me a soft kiss. He lowered me back down to the floor and said,

“I'm so sorry. I completely lost it when I thought that Cassie had hurt you. I couldn't control my wolf.”

“It's not your fault T, it's mine. I shouldn't have pretended to be hurt. I just didn't think.”

I turned around to Cassie. She had her face resting on Tyler's chest, and was sobbing uncontrollably. Tyler was stroking her back, trying to comfort her.

“Oh my God. I’m sorry Cass.” I apologized profusely. She turned her head sideways to look at me and sniffed.

“It's okay, Frey, it's not your fault. Werewolves can be really overprotective at times,” she sniffled again. “They get like that when someone hurts their mate.”

Her eyes widened as soon as the words escaped her lips. Tyler's face winced and he sucked in a quick breath.

“Mate?” I questioned in shock.

Tyler and Cassie exchanged looks like they were doing that mime thing again.

“Hey!” I snapped at them. “No fair! Stop having a secret conversation, through your mime link thingy,” I whined.

They stopped instantly, and both turned towards me with smirks on their faces.

“What link?” Tyler asked mockingly while Cassie was holding her hand over her mouth trying to contain a laugh.

“You know what I'm on about. Tristan told me you two mime linked at the table earlier,” I shot my answer back at him.

All three of them doubled over with laughter.

“What?” I questioned in a mix of confusion and frustration.

What is wrong with these people? I thought while furrowing my brow.

They were too busy laughing at me to answer, so I asked in a whiny voice, “What's so bloody funny?”

“Mind link. Not Mime link,” Cassie scoffed back in between snorts of laughter.

I could feel a heat gradually rising up from my chest and my face turned bright red with embarrassment.

“Oh right, mind,” I replied in a low voice. “That makes better sense than mime.”

I chuckled lightly, still mortified that I thought they were doing some sort of mime act. Tristan had managed to stop laughing and put his arm around my shoulder, then pulled me to his side. I reached my arm around his back and he said to me with a chuckle,

“you're so damn cute babe.”

I turned slightly and slapped his chest.

“Hey, you, shut up!”

He chuckled then kissed the top of my head and I could feel his giant grin through my hair. We were all bought back to reality by the sound of my mom shouting up the stairs,

“Hey, are you guys going to your graduation today or not?”

I panicked and shouted at the others,

“Crap! Look at the time. We best get going or we're going to miss our own graduation.”

We all quickly ran down the stairs and out of the front door.

Tyler and Cassie were laughing and play fighting in the back of the car, I giggled to myself as I watch them messing around and having fun. I then watched Tristan. He was holding the passenger side door open for my mom.

He was such a gentleman and very sweet. He was always doing nice things for people and was so darn polite. Watching him be kind to my mom melted my heart. It made me realize that this guy was the love of my life. There were so many things about him that made him perfect. Yeah, the fact that he was a werewolf was a huge deal, and scary as hell. But maybe I could trust him when he said that he will never hurt me?

Maybe, this can work?

A huge smile grew across my face as I imagined a mystical and exciting new future with my Alpha.

“Oi, move over!” I shouted while playfully shoving Tyler's shoulder, so that I could have some more room in the back seat.

Tristan started up the car and music began to play on the radio. It was Meant to be by Bebe Rexha and it was definitely the perfect song for how I was feeling at that moment.

I was a little scared of the new future that was ahead of me, but like the words in the song said, if it's meant to be it'll be. Cassie and I began singing in the back seat, Tyler was sitting between us with his hands over his ears. He screwed up his face like he was disgusted with our singing.

I personally think we sound awesome, so screw him.

We both ignored him and when the chorus kicked in, we sang at the top of our lungs just to piss him off.

Tristan gazed at me in the rearview mirror and he was smiling from ear to ear, he then mouthed the words, I love you. I put my arms around his shoulders and whispered in his ear,

“I love you always, forever be mine.”

He placed a soft kiss on my hand which made my heart burst with a warm and fuzzy feeling. I sat back in my seat with a big smile on my face.

My life is pretty damn amazing right now.

I stared out of the window fantasizing about our future when I heard someone calling my name.

“Huh?” I asked Tyler.

He peeked back at me with a confused expression, and replied,

“I didn't say anything, Frey.”

I furrowed my brow and shrugged, then turned away to look back out of the window. We pulled up to some traffic lights and waited for a few minutes. As we were waiting, I saw a tall, dark and handsome guy standing on the pavement. He was holding a huge bunch of beautiful red roses. I thought to myself that it was sweet, and that whoever they were for, was a very lucky person. I thought no more about it, as we drove away.

After a while we pulled up to another set of lights, and as I gazed back out of the window. I spotted the guy again and he was still holding the huge bunch of red roses, but they were definitely not beautiful anymore. Somehow in only a few minutes they had all withered and died. Most of them were now just pathetic stems. I glanced at the flowers in shock and confusion.

How did he catch up with us so fast?

I braved it and glanced up at the guy's face. To my horror, he was pointing right at me, and he had an evil, yet strangely seductive grin spread across his face. I gave him a terrified look in response, then my eyes grew wide, as he suddenly vanished into thin air.

Freya Rose

I decided against mentioning the creepy guy with the dead flowers. Today was meant to be a celebration day. To be completely honest, I barely believed what I'd just seen myself. I mean, moments before, I had just been fantasizing about a future with Tristan. Us as a family with a bunch of our werewolf pups running around in the woods. Maybe my mind got a bit carried away, and made the whole thing up?

Being a tomboy when I was younger, made it the perfect place for me to grow up. Knowing what I did now, I guessed it was perfect for all of the werewolves in town too. Me, Tyler and Cassie would spend our summer's climbing trees, hiking, swimming in the lakes and camping in the woods. We had a great childhood and now we were all here graduating together. It was the end of an era and the start of a new future.

I had no idea what I wanted to do after high school, I would probably just get a job working with my mom. She worked in one of the many restaurants we had here in town. A lot of kids wanted to leave our small town and move into colleges in a big city, but that idea had never entered my head. I loved living in Jasper.

Cassie's family owned a guest house, so she was going to work there, and Tyler and Tristan's family owned a chain of hardware stores across the country called Cole's Hardwere ltd.

Oh, I see what they did there. They used were, as in werewolf instead of ware. I never did understand why it was called that. I'd just thought that they'd spelt it wrong.

Both Tyler and Tristan already helped out with running the business. So, they were never going to leave for college. I guessed they couldn't if they were part of a pack, and Tristan's going to be their Alpha. I wasn't sure if you could even leave a pack to go to college, or if you could move away at all. There were so many questions I had about the whole werewolf thing. Tristan was going to wish he'd never told me.

Tristan parked the car and got out first. He walked around to the passenger side door and opened it for my mom, then held his hand out for her to take.

“Thank you, Tristan,” my mom said as she took his hand and stepped out of the car.

Tyler and Cassie left the car as well and started walking towards the school, hand in hand. I opened my door then swung my legs around and placed my feet on the floor. I held my hand out cheekily waiting for Tristan to notice. Tristan walked back around the car and stopped when he saw me. He raised an eyebrow and smirked at my cheekiness.

I managed to keep a straight face and stayed looking serious, he laughed and walked towards me. I stretched out my hand further, but to my surprise, he swatted it away. He bent down and put his shoulder on my belly before placing his hands around my back and lifting me out of the car. He stood up straight, and as he did, he threw me over his shoulder.

“Ahh Tristan. Put me down,” I begged.

“Nope,” He replied with a pop of the p.

He chuckled as I kicked my legs and wiggled around. He then placed his arm over the back of my knees, so that I couldn't move them anymore.

“Stop fighting me, babe. I thought when I pinned you to the bed earlier, you would have realized, you can't win.”

He playfully slapped my ass, and I slumped over his shoulder letting my legs and arms drop down in defeat. Tristan laughed his head off and walked me through the entire parking lot like that. I put my elbows on his back and held my head up as he walked me through the school. Everyone gorped and giggled at us as we strolled passed them. Tristan laughed even harder seeming very pleased with himself. I huffed and rolled my eyes.

He is going to pay for this later, that's for sure.

Tyler and Tristan's parents were already at the ceremony and were sitting in the front row with Tristan and my mom. Cassie's parents were there too with her twin sister Jessie. She wasn't sitting with us though, in fact, she didn't even acknowledge us at all. I didn't really care, but I did feel sorry for Cassie. This was supposed to be a happy day and a huge achievement in her life. It was an experience that she should have been able to share with her twin sister.

“Hello students and family,” a girl’s voice began to address the crowd, making us all take our seats. I looked up and saw Amber Wade starting her valedictorian speech. She appeared snooty and smug. I really hated that girl.

She was really pretty, and she knew it too. She had olive skin, with bright hazel/green eyes, gorgeous long black hair and an amazing figure. But her personality was just awful. She enjoyed bullying anyone and everyone.

“Ugh, it's Amber fucking Wade,” I whispered to Cassie.

She sniggered and tapped my arm gently. She swiftly spun her head around to look at Tristan, remembering how he reacted to her playfully hitting me earlier. He smiled at her and she sighed with relief. When she turned back around, I asked her a question,

“Can you mind link, Tristan, or is it just a mate thing?”

She raised her eyebrow raised and replied,

“No, it's not just a mate thing. We can mind link anyone in the pack. Why?”

We hushed for a second when Amber glared at us. Once Amber glanced away, I began whispering to Cassie again,

“Oh cool. Can you tell him something for me?” She nodded her head in response, so I continued, “tell him that I love him, and he looks freaking sexy today.”

She giggled and turned to face Tristan. After a few seconds, he laughed and winked at me. Cassie was staring at him and concentrating, I guessed she was listening to what Tristan was saying to her over the mind link.

She suddenly and violently shook her head at him, and he burst out laughing. He was so damn loud that people began to stare at him. My mom gave him a confused look like he'd gone completely mad. Cassie blushed and shot me a sideways glance.

“I am not going to repeat what he just said.”

She sat up straight in her chair and tried to concentrate on Amber's speech.

“Oh, it must have been really dirty if you’re willing to listen to this horse shit,” I said with a chuckle while I pointed a thumb at Amber.

I thought that Tristan must have been trying to say something else to Cassie through the mind link, because she was frantically waving her hand behind her back in annoyance. She then turned around and shot him an evil stare. Tristan cracked up again, and his laugh was loud enough to put Amber off of her speech making her scowl at him. Her scowl eventually found its way to me and Cassie. I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

“I'm sorry. Am I interrupting your conversation, Freya?” Amber boomed over the mic while pointing her scrawny finger at me.

Everyone instantly glared at me, making me sink down into my chair with embarrassment and cover my face with my hand.

“Well, I'm waiting!” She snapped while placing her hands on her hips.

She then snarled at me, clearly growing more frustrated with every passing second. Her face was turning bright red, and it seemed like her head was about to explode. I finally built up the courage to take my hand away from my face and saw that everyone was still staring at me. Tyler and Tristan were in fits of laughter.

Jerks

My mom was shaking her head in disapproval, and Cassie was just staring at me all wideeyed. She clearly wasn't going to help me out of this, at all. Feeling brave and a little bit cocky, I stood up from my chair and shouted back sarcastically,

“Waiting for what exactly? Did I make you forget which bit of the speech you were reading?”

She scowled at me, daring me to continue my defiance, so I did.

“Why don't you ask Elsa to help you out? After all, she's the one who actually wrote the speech you're trying to pass off as your own.”

I instantly regretted saying it when I heard gasps and tuts from the crowd. Elsa threw Amber a worried look, but Amber didn't even notice her. She just kept scowling at me, and it seemed like at any second, she might have spat flames at me.

Tristan and Tyler were beyond help by that point and were laughing so hard, that they had tears streaming down their faces. Their mom Clara was so embarrassed, but their dad Aiden was trying his best to keep a straight face. Cassie just dropped her head into her hands, and Amber's parents looked like they wanted to murder me. I decided to do the only thing I could think of to fix it.

“I'm sorry Amber. That was uncalled for, and I sincerely apologize for my outburst. Please continue with your lovely speech,” I shouted out trying to sound as sincere as possible.

I saw my mom smirk and shake her head again, so I continued to try and apologize some more,

“Oh, and I’m sure you wrote it all by yourself!”

I gave her a thumbs up and a cheesy grin. She was not happy at all, it was hilarious. She straightened up, flipped her hair over her shoulder and carried on with Elsa's speech.

“You did the right thing apologizing. You don't need to lower yourself to Amber and my sister’s level, you're better than them,” Cassie whispered.

She glanced over to Jessie and smiled at her slightly. Jessie just rolled her eyes in response then looked away, making Cassie lower her head. I held Cassie's hand and gave it a squeeze. I then sat back in my chair and zone out into my own thoughts, there was no way that I was going to sit there and listen to miss prissy pants, Amber, ramble on.

That was when Jessie began hanging around with Amber and Elsa. From then on, she didn't want to be seen with me, Tyler, or even her own twin. Cassie was devastated for a long time, she said she felt like an arm had been cut off. We all tried to stay friends with her, but Jessie turned into a bitch and began picking on Cassie all the time. She was being especially nasty to her and embarrassing her in front of everyone. I guess she learned a thing or two from mean girl Amber.

While I was at Cassie's house giving her, her birthday gift, in strolls Jessie all loved up with Landon. Jessie and Landon both knew how Cassie felt about him. She'd never had the guts to ask him out, but it was obvious to everyone that she was besotted with him. When she saw them walk in, all over each other, she burst into tears and ran into her bedroom. I tried to comfort her, but she asked me to leave.

I guessed it was a good job that Tyler went around there that night, and they found out they were mates. Cassie didn't seem bothered at all about Landon and Jessie anymore. It was a blessing because she was absolutely heartbroken that day, but I think the mate bond with Tyler was stronger than whatever she had felt for Landon.

Amber finished Elsa's speech, and everyone cheered. We threw our caps into the air and our families applauded. I hugged Cassie, then Tyler.

Everything is going to change now, I thought to myself and it made me tear up.

“Don't cry Frey. We will still see each other every day,” Tyler said while he ruffled my hair.

I swatted his hand away and brushed my hair back down.

“Yeah I know but it won't be the same. We'll all be working at different places,” I whined.

“Why don't you come and work at my parents guest house?” Cassie asked while placing her hand on my shoulder.

“Really? Can I?”

“Yeah, of course, I'll let my parents know later.”

“And me and Tristan can come and meet you both for lunch every day,” Tyler stated.

“See life won't change too much. You can't get rid of us that easily,” Cassie mocked.

“Thanks guys, I love you.”

“We love you too Frey.”

I turned around and held my elbows out, they linked an arm each, and we strode over to our proudly awaiting families. Cassie and Tyler walked on towards their families when I slowed down. I’d spotted someone out the corner of my eye. Over by the school building was the guy I'd seen earlier with the bunch of dead flowers. He beckoned with his hand for me to follow him, then slowly snuck behind the school building, out of my view.

I peered over to my mom and the others, and they were all preoccupied. So, I decided to follow him and find out if he was real, or a figment of my imagination. I slipped away and headed down the side of the school building. I turned the corner and walked around the back of the school. I scanned around but he was nowhere in sight. I shrugged and said out loud,

“I must be going mad!”

He finally finished his putrid kiss and pulled his face away from mine. I peeled open my eyes and watched as he wiped his mouth with his free hand. He smirked at me then squeezed my neck even tighter, cutting off my air supply completely. Little black dots began to flood my vision, and before I knew it, his evil grin was all I could see. It was etched into my brain while the rest of the world began to fade into an allconsuming darkness.

I awoke to a girl's soft voice calling out my name.

“Freya? Freya are you okay?” Elsa asked with concern in her voice.

She was kneeling down on the floor next to me, and had her hand was held out for me to take. I took her hand and slowly rose to my feet. I straightened out my clothes and asked her,

“What happened?”

She shrugged and replied,

“I have no idea. I was heading back to my car and found you lying there, unconscious. Do you remember anything?”

I stood there for a moment trying to remember what had just happened. I couldn't remember a thing.

Why am I at the back of the school?

I shook my head, then replied to Elsa,

“No, the last thing I remember was walking over to our parents with Cassie and Tyler, then it all goes blank.”

She shrugged again.

“Hmm, how strange. Well you seem okay now. Do you need me to walk you back?”

She actually sounded quite sincere in her offer, but I felt fine.

“Na, I'm good. But thank you for helping me, Elsa.”

I leaned in and gave her a hug.

She began to walk in the direction of the parking lot, and I strolled the opposite way, back towards the others.

“Oh hey, Freya?” I heard Elsa shout and I turned around to see what she wanted. “Do you know that guy over there?” She asked as she pointed over towards a brandnew white Land Rover.

Standing beside it was the guy with the dead roses. I furrowed my brow as I inspected the bunch of flowers, they weren't dead anymore. In fact, they were beautiful again like the bunch I'd originally seen him with. I shook my head at Elsa as I continued to watch the guy.

“Oh okay, never mind I thought he was being a creep. He was just standing there staring at you, but I guess he was actually staring at her,” she said while pointing to someone behind me. I spun around, and a girl in a graduation gown waved at the guy. She then ran towards him with her arms open wide. Elsa waved me goodbye then headed back towards her car.

I couldn't shift the feeling that I was missing something. I stared at the couple a little longer. The girl then stared at me and smiled widely, before turning back around towards the guy. I blushed as the guy grabbed her ass with one hand then swept her hair aside with the other. I didn't know why, but I couldn't take my eyes off of them. He peered up and smirked at me, showing off a set of pearly white, very sharp teeth.

Did I just see fangs? What the hell? They were fangs, I'm sure of it! No, they can't be...

Freya Rose

Elsa dramatically waved her hand in front of my face, trying to get my attention. She then shouted,

“Earth to Freya. Come in Freya.”

I blinked a few times, so that I could focus on Elsa, and replied,

“Sorry Elsa. What's up?” I tried my best to shake the fuzzy feeling from my head, and snap out of the daze that I was in. “Wait. Didn't I just see you in the parking lot a few minutes ago?”

I glanced over to see if the guy with the flowers was still there, but I didn't see him, or the girl.

“Um, no. I was with Amber and Jessie. You've been standing there just staring at the parking lot for the last ten minutes,” she explained then let out a nervous giggle. “Um, can you sign my yearbook?”

She held out a pen for me, and without even looking at her, I took the pen and scribbled good luck, love from Freya, into it. I was still distracted while handing her back the pen. She turned the book around to read what I had written, and as she did, I casually walked away from her.

“Hey, is that it? Good luck? Nearly six years of school together and that's all you...” She babbled on, but I had walked too far away from her to hear the rest of her rant.

“I am so proud of you honey,” my mom said with tears streaming down her face.

“Thanks, mom,” I replied and gave her a hug.

Cassie's parents were congratulating her, and they both threw their arms around her. Tristan had Tyler in a headlock and was rubbing his knuckles across his head.

“Congrats little bro,” he said playfully.

I laughed and began to stroll over to them. It was strange that no one had noticed that I'd been gone for ages. It was like I hadn't been anywhere at all. Well, actually from what Elsa said, I hadn't been anywhere at all. I was just stood on the grass daydreaming, like a crazy person. I decided that I would tell Tristan tonight when we were alone. I didn't want everyone to think that I was going crazy.

“Move out of my way, you idiot!” Amber snapped sarcastically at me and barged me out the way with her shoulder.

“Hey, watch it you jerk!” I snapped back at her while trying my best to keep my balance.

She looked me up and down, then put her nose in the air, before flipping her hair and strutting off towards Tyler and Tristan.

“You stupid bitch.”

I said quietly, but obviously not quietly enough, because Cassie overheard me and asked,

“What's up, Frey?”

“That stupid slut just bumped me. I nearly fell right on my ass!” I snarled while pointing at Amber.

Cassie growled and folded her arms across her chest. I couldn't hold my tongue and I spat out,

“She's always picking on people. I hate that stuck up bitch.”

“Well, you got the bitch part right.” She sniggered. “And she thinks she's better than everyone else too.” Cassie nodded her head in agreement and casually said,

“that's probably because she's the Beta's daughter.”

“What? She's a werewolf too?” I questioned with disbelief.

“Oh, um, yeah she is,” Cassie replied while she turned to face me.

“What in the hell? Is everyone in this town a damn werewolf?”

Am I the only human around her?

“No, but there is quite a lot of us,” she answered with a smirk.

We just stood there in silence for a few minutes, as we glared at Amber, while she walked over towards Tristan and Tyler. A thought suddenly dawned on me and I asked Cassie,

“So is Landon a werewolf too?” She didn't say anything she just nodded her head. “Oh, so are Landon and Jessie mates?” I asked her cautiously not knowing if I would hit a nerve or not.

“Yeah, they are,” she answered quickly, without any particular expression on her face or tone to her voice, then went on to explain, “we can find our mates any time after we turn eighteen. Jessie was over at Amber's house on our birthday. I guess Landon was home, and they found out that they were mates.”

She was still eyeing up Amber when I asked her,

“so, are you okay about them being together?”

She gazed at me, and with a smile she said,

“I won't lie and say it didn't break my heart at the time, because it did. I felt betrayed by both of them, especially Jessie.”

She looked over at her sister. Jessie was laughing and joking with Landon. Cassie smiled at them, before looking back at me.

“I didn't understand, or even fully believe that the mate bond was real at first. I thought people in the pack were just overselling it, and I hadn't watched anyone find their mate before.”

I watched as she peered over at Tristan, then back to me with a sad look on her face. The look on her face said exactly what I was thinking.

Tristan hasn't found his mate yet, and my heart sank at the thought of him leaving me for someone else.

“When Tyler came around that night, I was a complete mess. I was crying into my pillow and everything. He came into my bedroom and asked if I was okay. I took one look at him, and my wolf howled mate. His did the same, and in that instant all the pain I was feeling, and any feelings I thought I'd had for Landon, disappeared.”

She watched Tyler with a giant smile on her face.

“So how do you know, someone's your mate?” I questioned her.

She slowly turned back toward me, and when she furrowed her brow at me, my heart sank again.

“It's hard to explain, but as soon as you see them, your heart aches to be with them. You see nothing else but them, they become your entire world in an instant,” she said with such feeling.

She placed her hand on her heart and lovingly gazed back at Tyler. The way she described it was adorable, and I wondered, if that's how Tristan feels towards me?

“That sounds incredible,” I said in awe.

“It is. There is no other feeling like it in the world,” she replied as she waved her fingers at Tyler.

“Can a human be a werewolf's mate?”

She stopped waving and quickly snapped her head back to look at me, her eyes were full of sadness. I took in a deep breath as she delivered her short and blunt reply,

“No.”