I woke up to the faint rays of morning light, slipping through the cracked shutters. I supported my forehead with my palm, a burning sensation transitioned through my body. My head throbbed and my entire body down to my legs ached heavily. I tasted the alcohol from last night and regret sank into my chest before I could open my eyes completely. I shut my eyes, trying to get more sleep, hoping that it would wipe the aftermath of indulging too much last night.
Diana and Lacy. I must have lost them. I sighed to myself, wondering if they had left me alone in the bar. I remembered excusing myself to use the toilet, and after that, I couldn't remember what happened. But this bed didn't feel like the one in my room. Maybe my friends had taken me to their house.
I sprawled my hand across the bed and encountered an obstruction which caused my heart to race. I turned my head slowly, the lingering sleep drained from my eyes. Memories of last night flickered like broken fragments in my mind. The stranger who I met was there, lying naked beside me. His face was obscured as he buried it in his arms, sleeping deeply.
The desperation that had driven me into his arms was instantly replaced by regret. I bit my lower lip, blaming myself for making such a rash decision. He turned his body in the other direction, revealing his face. Everything that happened the previous night was a haze, and it was only now that I noticed his features. Dark hair, a scar running faintly along his broad chest which tapered to a narrow waist. Pieces of last night's occurrences rushed back to me, the whispered words and the heat of his touch.
Something unfamiliar surged inside me. I was a werewolf and I instantly knew what it was. A connection. A bond, pulling me towards this stranger that I knew nothing about. No, it can't be. I froze, staring at his face, my wolf kicking inside me to wake our mate. The pull was undeniable. My eyes lingered on him, and in a split second, his eyes snapped open.
My breath hitched in my throat as his eyes locked with mine. The look of confusion on his face shifted to realization in an instant. He knew. He felt it. I didn't know if I should be happy or bewildered that a man from a one night stand was my mate. My wolf was happy, but I couldn't say.
"We are…" I whispered, the words getting stuck in my throat as the warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a cold irritated glare.
"Don't." He snapped, standing up from the bed to pull his clothes over his body. "Who paid you to do this?"
I blinked my eyes, his words leaving me confused as I struggled to process what he meant. "Paid?" I whispered, watching him as he buttoned the last of his clothes.
"Don't try to play innocent." He pointed a finger at me, leaving me lost than I already was.
His words sliced my hope and I already sensed that he wanted nothing to do with the bond or with me. "But you're my…"
"No!" He cut me short, as if the last word was going to be something abominable. "You took advantage of me when I was drunk." He said bitterly, pacing around the room. "You're a whore!" He spat, causing my heart to shatter completely. "You go about looking for Alphas to sleep with."
I stumbled backwards even while on the bed. I lacked the words to use in responding to his statement. This wasn't how I envisioned my first night with a man to be. My heart trembled in my chest as I struggled to push the tears back. "I'm from the decent Veilwood pack and…"
"And what are you doing in such a place?" He snapped, not allowing me to complete my statement. "Seducing men, huh?" He moved restlessly around the center of the room. He dipped his hand into his pocket and threw a small pouch on the bed. I heard the clinging of metal as the bag landed on the bed.
"That's your pay. Take it and leave."
The bond screamed within me, the pain of my mate thinking I was a whore. "You can feel it, can't you?" My voice broke down as I spoke.
He turned to me, his expression indifferent. "I don't care what I feel." His tone was cold and final. "I reject you as my mate."
The words knocked the air out of my lungs. For a moment, I felt like I couldn't breathe. The bond pulsed faintly and in a second, everything snapped. "You can't just—" I choked on my words, my eyes stinging with tears.
He didn't spare a moment to hear my words. Without another glance, he stormed out of the room, shutting the door behind him. The thud echoed in the room. My heart tore into a thousand pieces and I didn't know where to pick it from. I tried to stand to my feet, but fell immediately as pain throbbed through my thighs, knocking my knees together.
I collapsed to the bed, clutching the sheets to my chest as I soaked them with my tears. "We lost our mate." My wolf said weakly, curling in a corner. If only I hadn't chosen to get revenge in this way. I decided to live a carefree life for one night, and my entire world comes crumbling down. What of Sasha who had been doing it like routines, yet she got married to my suitor?
I gathered my clothes, trying to cover my exposed thighs as I looked at the stained sheets, a constant reminder of how I had given myself to a stranger. The pain was unbearable, cutting through me like a knife. I felt rejected and lost. In less than two days, betrayal from Brian, Sasha taking my place, and rejection by my mate. Thrice broken.