###>>>
The Curse

Julian’s POV
I can feel my powers flaring up inside me again. 
Mila’s eyes move over my body and it only makes me crave her when her hazel eyes nearly turn black. 
My wolf gasps
It is strange that he seldom do this.
“Mate.”
No way. She is a human, but
My control snaps and I stomp over to the bed and climb over her. 
I move onto my knees so I can get rid of her clothes as well. When I pull the jacket she’s wearing open, there is a small area of fabric from her ruined shirt covering her. 
One good pull and the ruined fabric comes off, exposing her fully to me. 
**********
Days ago...
Mila's POV
“Where is it? I know this isn’t everything!”
My stepmom has been shouting since the second I walked in and even though I’ve told her multiple times that I’m not hiding any money, she doesn’t believe me.
Of course, that’s not entirely true. I have been hiding money from her. The tips I’ve made during my time working has been going into a jar hidden in my room. It’s the money I use for school, and I will never hand it over to her. Going to school is the only thing that will help me get out of this place. Even though I’m technically an adult, I don’t have anywhere to go yet. My father set money aside for me to go to college, but not enough to cover housing and food, which is why I still live at home. 
Living at home means putting up with this woman and all the venom she spews my way. I’ve kept my mouth shut and taken everything she’s thrown at me, both figuratively and literally, just so I can go to school and not be homeless. I was honestly shocked when she didn’t kick me out after dad’s death. It was clear she had no love for the idea of being a mom, and I can’t blame her since she was only fifteen years older than me when she and my dad met. She is the definition of a gold digger, and even though she tried several times to convince my father to send me away, he never allowed it. 
You might think it’s because he couldn’t part with his only daughter, but you would be wrong. See, the reason he got along so well with this woman was because they agreed on one thing. They didn’t want me. Still, I provided the image boost a budding politician's needs. Too bad my father didn’t live long enough to find out he lost the race for governor of our twisted city. Nope, he dropped dead one day and no one could figure out why. The rumors were that his body couldn’t handle the change he was undergoing. 
See, a few years ago, a series of scientific research buildings were attacked. In an effort to weaken our country's ability to further in the scientific field, several of our research facilities in various parts of the country were destroyed. What these enemies didn’t expect was that the chemicals from those research facilities had seeped into our water supply and has slowly been manipulating our DNA. Last year was the first report of someone showing a hint of supernatural abilities. Then another and another until suddenly, there were people with abilities popping up all over the place. 
My father was one of those people, only the change didn’t agree with him. The power literally ate him alive from the inside out and killed him. I have no doubt that if he had achieved full transformation, he would have used whatever power he was blessed with to hurt others. He was that kind of monster. People with abilities were either feared or envied, and he would have made sure people feared him. 
I, on the other hand, have tried hiding my ability for as long as I can. My ability would have me locked up and used until there was nothing left of me. The ability to heal is a gift everyone would want to take advantage of, so I don’t use it…ever. 
“Are you listening to me?” My stepmom’s high pitch screech snaps me back into the present and I lower my eyes to the floor.
“Yes. But I’m telling you the truth…” I risk looking up at her.
She’s a beautiful woman, but underneath is a monster.
“…I don’t have anymore.” I finish off my reply, only to feel a sharp pain across my cheek.
It isn’t the first time she’s done this, but this time feels different. A second later, I realized why. Warmth moves down my face and I lift my hand to feel what’s causing the sensation. When I pull my hand back, I see the red blood on my fingers. Startled, I pull my hand back, my heart racing. The vivid red of my blood stains my fingertips, stark against my pale skin. 
A dark image flashes into my mind, but I push it away. That is a memory I never want to revisit. 
I quickly shake my head, forcing the haunting image away. This isn't the moment to let the past consume me. 
I take a deep breath and steady myself.
“You are no longer the vulnerable person you used to be. You are stronger, capable of defining your own worth and creating your own happiness.” I murmur to myself. 
That's what my therapist told me last week when I was consulting online.
“See what you made me do? You make me so angry and then I’m forced to hurt you. If you would stop lying to me, then I wouldn’t get so upset.” She says with a huff and crosses her arms over her chest like a pouting child than an aggressor.
I watch her but don’t say a thing. What could I say?
As she stands there, arms crossed over her chest, I can't help but see a glimmer of vulnerability in her eyes. The cycle of hurt runs deep, and perhaps, just perhaps, I can find a way to break it.
“I have some things I need to finish before school tomorrow,” I say and move to walk past her, but she grabs my arm hard.
“We’re not done here.” She hisses at me.
Her hand squeezes tighter and I start to feel a whole new kind of warmth. See, it wasn’t just my dad and me who gained an ability. My stepmom did too, and hers was the ability to burn anything she touched if she wanted…including me.
“There isn’t anything else I can say that will make you believe me.” I point out and I bite back the whimper I want to release from the feeling of my skin burning under her touch.
“I will find that money Mila, and when I do, your punishment will be the worst you’ve ever felt.” She releases my arm and I can see the red of her fire slowly fading away from the palms of her hands. “Get away from me.”
With a sharp twist, she turns on her heels, leaving a whirlwind of frustration in her wake. I stand there, trembling, as the echo of her threat reverberates through my mind. 
Once the tension dissipates, a wave of relief washes over me, mingling with the residual fear.
As her figure becomes smaller in the distance, my facade crumbles, and I allow myself to release a silent sob. My arm is throbbing and when I look down, I see an angry red hand shaped mark branded on my skin. It didn’t reach too far into my skin to cause severe damage, but it’s enough to scar and cause incredible pain. It’s just another to add to my collection of marks I already have. 
I could have healed myself many times, but I never have. Revealing my ability would be catastrophic; she'd never let me leave this house if she knew. And that's not a life I'm willing to accept. 
No way am I letting that happen! 
I take in a few shaky breaths before I head for the stairs and jog up to the second floor. My room is the smallest one on this floor and as far away from all the other rooms as it could possibly get. 
Out of sight, out of mind, right? 
I walk quickly to my room and head straight to my dresser where I keep all the supplies I need to treat the burn. Once I have it all, I set everything on my side table and flip on the lamp. It’s bright enough to let me see my wound, but that’s about it. I carefully set up my supplies and slowly put creams on the burn before wrapping it in special gauze. 
Did you know you can’t use just any bandage on burns, otherwise it can cause further pain? 
I didn’t, but I learned that lesson the hard way. 
Once I’m done, I grab the duffle bag sitting next to my bed and continue to stuff a few things inside. My burn kit being one of them and a few new notebooks and pens for taking notes. I move to grab my phone charger and see a text waiting. 
Scott. The sight of the familiar name sends a shiver down my spine, and a chill of anxiety snakes its way through my veins.
It's him again, the relentless pursuer of my peace.
He won’t leave me alone! No one will. 
I begged my dad to let me change my number, but he refused, and I have been hounded with messages ever since that day three years ago. The pain from that day has never properly healed thanks to the constant messages I receive reminding me of who I am in this world. 
A lier…pathetic…and far worse. 
He orchestrated a symphony of deceit, turning everyone against me, his toxic influence lingering even after all these years. He's carved a permanent mark on my psyche, a shadow I can't escape. Why can't he just move on? Why does he persist in haunting my every moment?
I spare myself the torment of reading his message, opting to toss my phone into the bag instead. The only reprieve I can find is in sleep – a temporary sanctuary from the barrage of negativity that life seems to throw my way. With a sigh and a glimmer of hope for a calmer tomorrow, I pull the duffle bag's zipper shut. 
Winter semester awaits, promising new beginnings and a chance to escape the relentless ghosts of my past.
***
The piercing sound of my phone alarm breaks the silence of the morning, jolting me awake from a restless sleep. With a groggy hand, I reach over and fumble to silence the obnoxious noise. The room is dimly lit, casting long shadows on the walls. As the remnants of sleep fade away, a heavy realization settles in my chest—I need to leave before she wakes up.
Reluctantly, I throw off the covers and slide out of bed, trying not to disturb the peacefulness that still lingers in the room. My movements are swift and purposeful as I hastily put on my clothes. 
Ten minutes later, I find myself standing at the bus stop, the chilly morning air nipping at my exposed skin. The events of last night replay in my mind like a broken record, haunting every thought. Unable to resist any longer, I unlock my phone and open the text message that had arrived during the night—a message that fills me with a sense of dread and regret. My stomach churns, and I clench my fists, fighting the urge to hurl my phone onto the pavement.
Just as despair threatens to consume me, a loud slam echoes through the air, tearing my attention away from my swirling emotions. I turn towards the source of the commotion. A girl, her voice fractured by sobs, confronts a guy, her tear-streaked face filled with anguish.
"I can't believe you, Julian! How could you do this?" her voice trembles, a mix of anger and hurt.
Julian, seemingly unfazed, lets out an exasperated sigh. He was unmoved by the storm he has stirred. The demeanor exudes a weary detachment. "I've told you countless times, Sarah. We were just a hookup. It doesn't mean we're in a relationship."
Those words, seemingly casual, strike like a bolt of lightning. My own memories, long suppressed, surge forth like a relentless tide, flooding my senses with humiliation and pain. The sensation of being used and discarded with callous indifference rears its ugly head again. 
In a moment beyond conscious control, I find myself striding toward them. The fire within me, ignited by my own past wounds, propels me forward. It's not just about me anymore.

###>>>
Truse No One

Julian’s POV
I caught a whiff of a peculiar fragrance, which made me feel a bit uneasy all over. Just as I was in a daze, I was given a nudge.
A gentle nudge catches me off guard, a push so delicate that I barely register it. 
A girl stepped into my line of sight, so my eyes drop to hers and those amber and beautiful eyes are burning with hatred toward... 
Toward me? 
Who the hell is this girl to be looking at me like that? 
But why does the fragrance is so near? Comes from her?
“How dare you say something like that? Women are not play things to use and throw away any time you please! I don’t care what you told her. She deserves some respect!” Her words might as well be wielding pitchforks.
She's not about to wait around for applause. With a final huff and an eye-roll that could rival any teen drama, she turns on her heels, storming off with enough drama to put a soap opera to shame.
As if under some spell, my gaze remains glued to her retreating form, tracking her until she blends into the bustling scenery.
“Wow. She’s awesome.” The girl still standing next to me says. 
Right, I'd almost forgotten she was there.
“She’s right. I don’t deserve how you treated me. You have no idea how to treat a woman properly. I don’t know who hurt you, but I won’t let you do the same to me. Goodbye Julian.” She walks off in the opposite direction, leaving me a little stunned. 
What the fuck just happened? 
“Sir? Your father is waiting.” Bash, my security detail says from behind me. 
“Yeah…let’s go.” I shake my head to clear up whatever had just happened out of my head. 
There’s no way I’m walking into my father’s office looking dazed from some bizarre encounter at a fucking bus stop, of all places. Bash opens the passenger door for me and I slide in with the smoothness that comes from extensive training. 
Image is everything in my world, and after what just happened, I need to play the part of a mature businessman. Bash joins me in the car and pulls out into traffic with ease. He’s used to driving these streets and could maneuver through the web of traffic with his eyes closed. 
It’s why my dad assigned the guy as my driver along and body guard or babysitter, whatever sounds better. 
All he is to me is someone who gets in my way, but it’s a necessary evil I have to deal with for now. I’ve come this far, and I don’t intend to show my hand yet. 
We drive silently, but I can feel my phone vibrating several times. I sigh and pull the annoying thing out to see ten messages waiting in the group chat. 
Levi started the damn thing in highschool and has kept it going for five years now. Most of the guys just bitch about life or make plans to hit a club. 
Not my scene, but every time I try to delete the damn app, Levi puts it back. I should just change the password on my phone, but I can’t be bothered. 
Besides, this isn’t my real phone, anyway. I scan the messages real quick, but don’t bother replying. It’s nothing I care about. The only person I tolerate is Levi. 
Those other idiots can go to hell for all I care. They have their heads so far up their asses that they don’t know which way is up. 
They inherited their positions from their rich daddies and still complain like they have it so hard. They don’t know shit from where they're sitting in their ivory towers. 
I’m nothing like them. My kingdom lies in the darkness where no one dares to look. 
Sure, I have a spot in my father’s more…legal business, but that’s a front. It’s a mask I wear so that people don’t look too hard at what I do. 
My father had taught me well. We hide the truth behind smiles and well mannered small talk in the business world while running a whole other world that is sucking those rich bastards dry. 
So no, I don’t give a shit about some whining rich boys. 
Bash pulls up to the front of one of my dad’s clubs and jumps out to open the door for me. I climb out and fix my suit jacket and cuffs. The place is empty right now, but by sundown there will be a line down the street to get in. This is the biggest spot in the city and yet another way for my father to clean his dirty money. 
The Hell Club.
It’s also the place I’ll be taking over in three months when I turn twenty-one. 
I walk toward the front door and get a nod from the guards in greeting. Bash stays behind to talk with them while I head inside. Even though the club is empty, there are several employees around getting things set up. I glance around at what will soon be mine and smirk. 
This place is mine and all the hellish fun that lies within it. I pass the bar and head down the hallway where there are private rooms being cleaned. 
This place is the place to go to indulge in fantasy and sin, so it needs to be thoroughly cleaned. 
There are another pair of guards standing outside my father’s office door and one of them opens the door when I reach them. I walk in and spot my father sitting at his desk with his phone to his ear. He waves me in and I take a seat across from him to wait. 
“I don’t give a fuck what he thinks our agreement was. If he doesn’t have the money in our account by tonight, then he needs to be shown what happens when you cross me. Get it done.” He snaps. 
I have to fight myself from rolling my eyes. The things he says sound like lines from an old cheesy mafia movie. 
You don’t have to threaten people with pain. 
In my experience, threats are better delivered through actions, not rehearsed monologues. In our world, you administer pain before they even have a chance to beg for mercy or spew excuses about why they're short of what we demand.
“Julian.” My father says in greeting. 
“Father.” I reply just as coldly. 
“I hear you had a situation this morning.” He raises a brow at me in question. 
I shrug. “Just another girl who thinks sleeping with me means I’ll get down on one knee for her. It’ll blow over.”
My father’s face tightens. “I’m trying to move our business in a new direction, and you making a scene with some girl not on the side of the road isn’t helping. It would have been one thing if it happened once, but you popping up in the news because of another problem with a woman isn’t helping with the plans I have for us.”
“Right. Your plans to go legit. It’s a waste of time. We’re Monroes and we have run this city for the last five generations. It used to be something you told me to be proud of, and now this? It’s a fucking joke.” I shake my head at him. 
“Julian, we need to be more careful. The world is changing and if we want to stay ahead of that change, then we need to understand how to run legitimate businesses. This isn’t about cleaning money anymore. This is about a shift in dynamics and leaving a lot of this stuff behind. We can’t be connected to any of this if we want to move forward. It’s time son.” He sounds stern and harsh like he always has, but there’s a softness there that is showing his age. 
He’s getting old, and this whole thing about moving our fronts into legitimate businesses is because he can’t handle this life anymore. He tried to get his brothers on board with his new plan, but like me; they thought he had lost his mind. Our family has ruled this city from the darkness for too long, and none of us are ready to let it go yet. 
“Since things will be changing, it means you need to be ready to take a bigger role in the business. You didn’t finish your degree after your mom, but it’s time.” He slides a brochure across the desk toward me. 
I lean in and snatch it from the surface. It's a brochure, showcasing a school with a slightly awkward-looking man and woman flashing smiles on the front cover.
“What the hell is this?” I ask. 
“I’m sending you to Mishnia University to finish your business degree. Our investors will feel more confident working with you if you have the proper education. You start tomorrow.” 
“What? I’m not going back to school! Fuck no.” I throw the brochure down and scowl at him. 
“You will go Julian. If you want me to keep my word, then you will go. Do you understand me?” 
I clench my jaw and ball my hands into tight fists. He has used this threat on me before and if it was anything else, I would tell him to stick his threat up his ass, but this isn’t just anything. I can’t risk him making good on his threat, so I back down. Until I’m able to finish what I’ve started, I need his help, so I blow out a breath and nod. 
“Fine, but I know you. You aren’t sending me there just to learn. Why this school?” I ask. 
He smirks. “You are definitely my son. As a matter of fact, there is something else I need from you…”
He leans forward, his voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial tone. "Julian, you've always been the one with a way of... handling delicate matters. I've been hearing whispers about a potential threat rising in the underworld. Rumors of a rival faction gaining strength."
I narrow my eyes at him, trying to decipher the layers of his words. "And you want me to deal with this?"
He nods slowly, his expression as calculating as ever. "Yes. I want you to infiltrate this rival faction, gather information, and neutralize any threat they pose. We can't afford to have anyone challenge our supremacy, especially not now."
I lean back in my chair, a mixture of unease and excitement churning within me. This is the kind of challenge I thrive on—strategy, deception, and asserting dominance. The idea of diving into a dangerous game, even if it's in the pursuit of our family's legacy, sparks a fire in my veins.
But then a thought gnaws at the edge of my mind. "What's in it for me, Father?"
His lips curl into a wry smile, as if he had been expecting this question. "Once you're inside, you'll have access to a network of contacts, resources, and information that could prove invaluable for our expansion into legitimate ventures. You'll have the tools to secure our position as we transition into a new era."
"You understand, Julian," my father continues, "this is not a simple task. You'll need to be cunning, patient, and above all, you'll need to trust no one."

###>>>
Luck Always Runs Out

Mila’s POV
As it turns out, I misread my schedule. It turns out that my classes don’t start until tomorrow, but I was supposed to start my new job right after my last class. 
It would be a waste of time for me to take the bus home just to leave again, so I text Isabella to see if she can pick me up. She had an appointment with her councilor today, so she should still be on campus. 
It only takes her a few seconds to answer.
Izzy: I’ll be done in ten minutes! Are you okay waiting for a bit? 
Me: Of course. No hurries.
Izzy: Thanks babe! I’ll see you in a little while. (Kissy face emoji)
I smile down at her text. 
She’s always so upbeat and ready to go for anything, which still makes me wonder why she picked me as a friend. I’m a lot more quiet and standoffish than her, but what do they say? Behind every extravert is an introvert. Well, that is definitely true for the two of us. 
I find an empty table near the school coffee kiosk and sit down to wait. A few whispers float my way, but I ignore them. It’s nothing I haven’t heard before. 
Speaking of that, my phone goes off again. This time it’s from a number I don’t recognize. The message hits me like an arrow to the chest. Every word is vile and mean. Even after all the things I’ve been called, it doesn’t hurt any less. 
My eyes burn, but I fight back the tears. No way am I going to cry in public. Another message comes in from the same number, and a sound of shock escapes me before I can stifle it. 
This one is a lot worse. 
This one is a lot darker than any I’ve gotten so far. 
It isn’t from my ex since he wouldn’t bother hiding it was him, which is why he still texts me from his personal number. This is someone else and they aren’t holding back. The messages sound almost too personal. 
“Mila!” My head snaps up at the sound of my name and I see Isabella waving at me from her too cute pink VW bug. 
They stopped making those cars ages ago, but she won’t let it go even after her father offered to buy her a new one. Honestly, the thing is basically her in car form, so I’m not surprised.
I pocket my phone and head her way, but I keep my eyes facing forward. 
The whispers have gotten louder and I don’t want to draw any more attention to myself than necessary. If I could have gone to a different college so that I could escape my past, I would have, but I can’t. Isabella is the only one that makes going here bearable. 
I settle into her car, the comfort of the seat easing the tension that had gripped me just moments ago. She leans over, arms enveloping me in a warm embrace. Her hug serves as a remedy, gradually dispelling the heaviness that clung to me earlier. A smile tugs at my lips – a genuine response to her comforting gesture. There's something about her embraces that has a magical way of lifting my spirits.
Her grip loosens, and I'm left with a lingering sense of connection, a residue of her care. But then, before I can fully relish the moment, she plants a smacking kiss on my cheek. The unexpected contact makes me scrunch my face in mock horror, my hand instinctively wiping it away. My reaction becomes the catalyst for her unrestrained laughter, a sound that's both infectious and endearing.
“Don’t wipe away my love Mila!” She sing songs. 
I roll my eyes, feigning annoyance to match her theatrics. “Stop being gross, Isabella!”
Her laughter fills the car, a symphony of joy that envelops us as she navigates the car out of the parking lot. “So you have no class today and don’t want to go home. What should we do to pass the time?” 
“No.” I say as soon as she smirks at me. “Isabella please no.” 
She continues to smirk, and I drop my head back with a groan. How did I let myself get into this situation again?
My unspoken pleas for a miracle remain unanswered as we pull into the local mall, the wheels crunching on the asphalt. A mere fifteen minutes have passed since her initial question.
Isabella derives an odd sense of satisfaction from subjecting me to shopping expeditions. It's a torture that has become a recurring event, and today is no exception. It always ends with her buying me clothes I would never wear because my stepmom would wonder where I got it, and then take them. 
Isabella doesn’t know about my life outside of school though, so she doesn’t know that all the nice things she’s ever bought me are hidden in the back of my closet. She’s always too distracted to notice I’ve never worn any of them and I’m glad. It would break my heart to explain the situation to her, mostly because she would immediately try to help me, but that would only make things worse. 
Money is all my stepmom wants, so if she finds out that I have a rich friend, she will work her way into our friendship and ruin it. She’ll find a way to get money from Isabella, and I won’t let that happen. 
As we leave the car, I resign myself to the inevitable. The mall's entrance beckons, and Isabella's triumphant grin assures me that there's no escape.
Isabella grabs my hand and drags me inside to the giant building, not minding one bit that I’m dragging my feet. I pulled on a hoodie from my duffle bag and pulled the hood on, hoping it will conceal me enough from anyone who might recognize me. 
Yep, even in a huge place like this, I’m bound to run into someone who hates me. 
So far I’ve been lucky, but luck always runs out, eventually. 
“You should buy something for your new job! Or is it one of those places with a dress code?” Isabella asks when we stop at the first store. 
I follow her as she browses the racks and my eye lands on a shiny blue dress. It looks like something I see a lot of girls wear at clubs, and it’s beautiful. 
I’ve never worn anything that flashy or form fitting, but the urge to try it on is strong and Isabella must see it because she walks over and grabs it. 
“Come on!” She chirps before grabbing my hand again and dragging me to the fitting room. “Try it on.” 
I do as she says and step into the small room. 
First, I look at my reflection. 
I don’t wear any makeup or nice clothes, so most of the time I look really plain. It’s a side effect of trying to be completely invisible in this town. When I’m sick of looking at myself, I turn my back to the mirror and strip my clothes off. If I turned back around, I would see the many scars on my body. 
This dress isn’t leaving this store with me as its owner because of it, but it will be fun to see what I would look like in it. So I slide the smooth fabric up my body and run my hands over the fabric. It’s so pretty. I take a deep breath and turn around to see how it looks on me, and I gasp. 
There hasn’t been a time when I thought of myself as beautiful but in this dress…I can see how I could look and it’s nothing like the girl whose life is a complete mess. 
No, this girl has a nice life with tons of great friends who take her out every weekend for a fun time at the club. This girl has a real life. 
The reminder of my harsh reality quickly deflates the fleeting moment of happiness this dress has brought me. Carefully, I slip off the dress, ensuring not to damage it, and return it to its hanger. 
The weight of my own clothes feels heavy compared to the ethereal dress, yet there's a strange sense of comfort in wearing them again.
Emerging from the fitting room, I notice Isabella engaged in a heated exchange with a couple of unfamiliar girls. Their backs are turned towards me, preventing me from recognizing who they are, but Isabella's expression is seething with anger.
"How dare you spread rumors like that! You think you can just ruin someone's reputation and walk away?"
"Oh, please! We heard it from a reliable source. It's not our fault if she can't handle the truth."
Isabella's fury intensifies as she responds.
"You call gossiping about someone's personal life 'the truth'? It's nothing but malicious lies! You should be ashamed of yourselves!"
Another girl added, "Whatever. We don't need your drama."
The girls’ faces flushed with annoyance. I approach Isabella, concerned about what just transpired.
"Isabella, what was that all about? Are you okay?"
Isabella waves me off dismissively, trying to regain her composure.
"Don't worry about it. They were spreading false rumors about someone. Let's just focus on our shopping, okay?"
"Rumors? Come on. Hey, see, it is our poor Mila." A familiar voice sounded behind me.
My skin prickles.
It is him. The evil Scott. My ex boyfriend. 
"Hey there, Mila. Still dressing like you're invisible, huh? Oh, not today... I got it! You want to be a clown now, right? How pathetic," Scott sneers, his voice dripping with disdain. The memory of his cutting words during our breakup floods back, stinging as sharply as it did back then. His girlfriend giggles, a sound that pierces through me like an arrow.
Scott's voice cuts through the air, slicing through my newfound sense of confidence like a knife. His arrogant tone and the presence of his cheerleader girlfriend remind me of everything I'd rather forget. I feel a surge of discomfort, my pulse quickening involuntarily. I cast my gaze downward, focusing on my feet, desperately trying to tune out his words. No matter how many times I see him again, I can't face the damn memory. I was like a worm in front of him.
"You..." Isabella stepped in front of me.
"Hey, Scott," a deep voice cut through the tension. "The team's out looking for you. The game's about to start."
“Oh, hey, Julian! Right, I almost missed it because of this roadblock. ”
As if the universe had some twisted plan to heighten my humiliation, Julian, the guy I met at the bus stop appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He had that athletic build, which I didn’t notice this morning, that fit right into Scott's social circle – the kind of guy I always imagined Levi surrounded himself with.
They are friends, good, just as I thought.
"By the way, Scott," Julian continued, his tone casual, "you're boring. Seriously, I can't think of anyone more boring in the whole world."
Scott's mouth opened and closed, and finally he managed to force a stiff smile.. With a frustrated huff, he shot a quick glare at me before turning to leave with his girlfriend. He grabbed Julian, put his arm around him and walked out. It was an unexpected turn of events, leaving me standing there in confusion.
Is he doing me a favor? But why? Maybe he didn't recognize me.
Anyway, that was the end of a farce that I couldn't solve. Despite all that, a part of me couldn't shake off the feeling of being judged, just like I always felt when Scott was around. Julian, anyways, is just the same brush as Scott, as someone who saw me as inferior.
Isabella grabs my hand and pulls me along to the next store, repeating this pattern until I find myself laden with a bag full of new clothes while Isabella triumphantly claims seven bags for herself.
I promised her to wear one of my new outfits today and agreed when I saw what it was. It’s pretty and hides all my secrets perfectly. 
We leave the mall and head to my new job. There are tons of people standing in line when we arrive, and it’s only three in the afternoon. Isabella walks with me to the entrance where I give the two scary men out front my name. They wave me inside and even not let Isabella come, much to everyone’s dismay. 
“I’ll hang out here for a while. You go do your thing.” She isn’t looking at me when she says this. 
Tracing her gaze, I catch sight of an attractive bartender, his lips curled into a knowing smirk aimed at her. She responds with a feeble wave in my direction before gracefully maneuvering through the crowd, her destination unmistakably him.
I shake my head and ask one of the other bartenders where the employee locker room is. He points down a long hallway. 
Following the well-placed signs, I find myself stepping into a lounge area adorned with lockers neatly aligned against the walls.
A smile breaks across my face as my eyes settle on a locker adorned with my name—a personalized space for me.
The lounge exudes an air of lavish grandeur. The opulence is palpable in every detail—the intricately woven carpet underfoot, the soft glow of carefully placed lighting, the plush velvet seating inviting passersby to rest awhile. Elegant artwork graces the walls, hinting at tales yet to be told, while the glimmering crystals of a chandelier cast ethereal patterns on the floor.
This place is fancy as hell, which fits its name perfectly. 
The air is infused with a subtle blend of rich scents—perhaps a mix of expensive perfumes and aged spirits. Patrons in sophisticated attire engage in hushed conversations, their laughter punctuating the ambient murmur of voices.
It's a fusion of luxury and a touch of the forbidden, a place where indulgence mingles with secrecy.
The Hell Club.

###>>>
You Are Julian

Mila’s POV
As soon as I drop off my duffle bag, I grab my new clothes and head to the bathroom to change. The only thing we all have to wear is the same black apron and a black top of our choice. The new top Isabella got me has a sheer fabric covering my arm, shoulders and stops just above the dark black fabric covering my chest and stomach. I’m matching it with a pair of skinny jeans and some black wedge boots. 
I’ve never worn anything like it and when I see myself in the mirror, I can’t help but smile. Isabella gave me some easy make-up to put on in a little pouch and instructions on how to use it. 
I follow her directions exactly and finish my look by pulling my hair into a high pony tale. When I’m done, I look nothing like my normal self and its’ oddly empowering. 
Almost like for tonight I’m pretending to be someone else, and this new girl is confident and strong. 
Now, if I can hold on to that until my shift is over, then maybe I’ll get good tips. I suck in a deep breath and give myself a measuring nod in the mirror before I turn and walk out. 
Only a few dim lights illuminate the hallway, so when I turn into the hallway, I don’t know someone is there until I literally bump into them.
“I’m so sorry.” I say quickly and squint slightly to make out their face. 
“It’s fine.” A deep voice says in reply, but he doesn’t move to leave. “I know you.” 
I rear back a little. “You do? How I just started here.” 
He lets out a low laugh. “We met just now.” 
What is he talking about? 
He moves so that the dim light falls onto his face and then the realization hits me. 
“You. From the bus stop.” I recognize it now. Julian.
“That’s right. You remember me.”  His words show like: I see I made an impression.
Uh, he’s one of those guys who thinks he’s god’s gift to women. 
My internal radar beeps with a warning. He exudes the air of a man who's accustomed to turning heads, perhaps too aware of his own charm. It's a type I've learned to be wary of—someone who believes he's the ultimate prize in the game of attraction.
I hate guys like that. 
“Not exactly.” I say and move around him to head down the hallway. 
“Really? Then how did you know who I was?” 
His words seem to insinuate, "I caught your attention, didn't I?" It's precisely the kind of arrogance I've come to disdain. I just try to ignore him.
“You're not as timid as you were. Which one is the real you, huh?”
He goes on from behind me. 
I whirl around to face him and rest my hands on my hips. “Look. This is just some sort of weird coincidence. We met at the bus stop and nothing more. Now, this is my first shift, so I can’t be late. Excuse me.” 
As I pivot and stride away, there's a shadow of amusement dancing across his features, a smirk that lingers in my peripheral vision. I turn around and head back into the main area of the club. The lights have been dimmed down from when I first arrived and there are people everywhere. 
I weave my way through the crowd and head for the bar where I see one of my new coworkers already mixing drinks. 
Her name’s Brandy. We have a class together and have talked a few times. She heard I was looking for a new job and referred me to this place. 
When she spots me heading her way, she gives me a huge smile and a wave. I walk around the bar and tie my apron around my hips. This isn’t the first bar I’ve worked at, so I know the drill and jump right in to help Brandy serve drinks to rowdy customers. 
There is a lot more diversity in clientele than at any of the other clubs I worked in. On one side of the bar there is a group of guys who are clean cut suits that are probably looking for an edgier spot to get drunk. Then there is a bridal party group who’re half drunk already and making eyes at the half dressed servers. There is a group of rougher looking people, and then there are the average joes just looking for a good time. Unfortunately, these average joes include men who are loud and snarky who do a lot of shit talking. 
One of them flags me down from the furthest seat of the bar, and by how red his face is and the glossiness of his eyes, I can tell he’s already a few drinks in. 
“Hi! What can I get you?” I ask him with as polite a smile as I can muster. 
The pungent scent of alcohol and unwashed skin wafts from him, a heavy presence that hangs in the air like a suffocating fog. It's a sensory assault that makes each breath a conscious effort, contorting my features into an involuntary, subtle grimace.
"Another whiskey," he drawls, his words as sluggish as his demeanor.
"Of course," I reply, my voice steady despite the discomfort. As I reach for the glass to fulfill his request, I inquire, "Are you visiting from out of town?"
His response is a mere grunt, accompanied by an unsettling once-over that lingers on my form. An internal alarm rings, but I maintain a facade of congeniality, allowing a friendly smile to remain plastered on my face. With a deft motion, I set his drink down and smoothly transition to the next customer. One of the suits flag me down so I squeeze behind Brandy and make my way over to them. 
“Hello gentleman, what can I get for you?” I ask. 
“How about your number, beautiful?” One guy says. 
His friends whoop and hoot at him, but he keeps his eyes on me. There’s a smirk on his face, but instead of making him look charming, it's giving me an uneasy feeling. He looks like the sort of guy who seems charming but doesn’t like to take no for an answer. I have to be careful around him. 
“Sorry, not today, boys. How about a drink?” I ask again.
His smirk falls. 
“Just get me a beer,” he snaps, his tone a sharp edge that causes me to involuntarily flinch.
“You got it.” 
“One for me too, cutie!” One of the other guys says and soon the rest of them shout their orders. 
I serve them as quickly as I can and move on. 
“Hey new girl. Can you take this to booth three? I have my hands full.” a fellow server requests, handing me a bottle of champagne before bustling away before I can even agree.
I do as he asks and take the bottle to booth three. The booths are raised up over the main floor, so I have to climb the three steps to reach the table. My hand freezes mid air when I see the guy from the hallway. He’s sitting against the booth with his arms spread out behind two different girls and smirking up at me. 
“Hello again.” He says smoothly. 
“I have your champaign.” I say with a tight smile. “Would you like me to pour it or should I leave it on the table?” 
“Pour for us.” He says with a nod. 
I step closer and fill everyone's glasses, saving him for last. Once I’m done, I step back. “Can I get you anything else?” 
“Now who might you be?” One of the other men at the table asks. 
Honestly, I hadn’t really noticed him, but now that he’s speaking to me, I let my attention move to him. He’s handsome and has a smile that would make any girl blush. 
“Mila. I’m new.” I say, giving him a shy smile. 
“You must be. I would have remembered seeing a sweet thing like you.” He looks me over and I have an urge to shift in place. 
“Stop flirting with my staff, Ashton.” My head snaps toward the guy I’ve run into three times today. 
“Your staff?” I ask stupidly. 
He smiles widely. “That’s right, sweetheart. This is my club.”
Well crap. 
“Oh. Well, I better get back.” I take the empty bottle of champaign and hold it against my chest like a shield as I make my way back to the bar. 
My mind is racing. I told that guy off this morning because of some lovers' quarrel I had no business getting in the middle of and he didn’t fire me the second he recognized me. Why? 
“Thank god you're back! Can you grab those guys down there?” Brandy says nodding toward the suit guys. 
I groan internally but move in their direction. They’re a lot louder now, a clear sign that they’re too drunk to be having anything else. 
“There she is! The only girl in the world who’s refused Robert’s charm.” One of the guys says before slapping the guy I refused to give my number to on the shoulder. 
He scowls at me, but I try to ignore him. 
The atmosphere is charged with an unmistakable energy, fueled by alcohol and the anticipation of an eventful evening. My nerves are on edge, but I plaster a polite smile on my face, ready to fulfill their requests and hopefully make it through the night unscathed.
“Can I get you guys anything else or would you like to settle up?” I ask, hoping they’ll get the hint that they should leave. 
“Another round!” A few of the guys shout at once. 
“You got it.” I get their drinks and line them on the bar. 
The guy scowling at me grabs my wrist as I’m pulling my hand back and tightens his hold on me enough that it would hurt if I tried to pull away. 
His eyes heavy with alcohol and entitlement. My heart stutters in my chest, and a sinking feeling settles in the pit of my stomach.
"How about you make things up to me?" he leers, his words dripping with innuendo that sends shivers of discomfort down my spine. "How about we go to one of those back rooms and you can give me a private show?"
His words hit me like a punch to the gut, triggering a flood of memories that I've fought so hard to suppress. My breath catches in my throat, my mind suddenly veering into a dark and suffocating place—a place I've tried to leave behind.
Before I can react, before I can find my voice to extricate myself from the situation, a voice slices through the tension like a knife through butter. “She isn’t interested. I think you boys have had enough.” Brandy says leaning over and pulling his hand away from me. 
He laughs and shakes his head. 
The ground shifts beneath me.
It's the only sign I get that all hell is about to break loose. 

###>>>
Do You Feel That?

Mila’s POV
I feel a gush of warm liquid smash against my skin and across my chest and down the side of my face. My eyes blink rapidly as I try to process the scene in front of me. All the sounds of chaos around me fad into a steady ringing sound when I look down at my hands and see them covered. 
Blood. It’s blood. 
My eyes lift to where the man who had been touching me is clutching his hand to his chest. One of his friends grabs his arm and wraps it around the bloody mess. His head snaps to me and he starts toward me. 
That’s when the noise snaps into place, and I stumble back. Someone from behind me wraps their arms around me, pining my arms to my side. I struggle against him, but he turns and pushes me against the bar counter and pushes my head down on the counter with his arm. He pins me there and I feel something cold and metallic against my lower back and a tug that causes my shirt to rip down the middle of my back. 
The fabric drops past my shoulders and a sob escapes me. 
“Well, it looks like you’re a bad girl. So many scars.” The guy whispers in my ear. 
He’s bent over me and I can feel him quickly getting hard against me. I want to throw up as he slides his hand across my stomach and fondles my breast. 
“Is she yours Julian? You have good taste. Too bad you don’t know how to take care of your things.” The guy calls out. 
I turn my head and see Julian Keller fight off one of this guy’s men. 
“Isn’t that what your dad taught you? Destroy everything and take what’s left. Well, I’m about to ruin this girl, and then leave the mess for you to clean up.” 
His hand starts to slide lower to the top of my pants and I squeeze my eyes shut. I’m trying to push my mind to another place so I don’t feel or remember what this monster is about to do to me. 
There is a second when everything goes silent again and flashes of memories appear, but it’s all broken when the weight of the man is suddenly gone. I let out a sob and gasp for air. 
“Mila!” someone calls and there are hands on me again, but these are small and feminine. 
Brandy bundles up my shirt and wraps me in someone’s coat. There’s screaming coming from behind me and I turn my head to see the guy who had me pinned writhing on the ground. 
“What’s wrong with him?” I ask Brandy loudly over the sounds of fighting and music that no one has bothered to turn off yet. 
“He’s been electrocuted.” Brandy sounds shocked by her own words. 
Another cry of pain goes off behind us and I turn to see more men being thrown back by bolts of electricity. What the heck? Where is it coming from? 
More men rush toward him as the others are thrown back, but another falls and the smell of burning flesh grows stronger. The culprit is revealed when another two men fall and there stands Julian Keller. His hands are lit with currents of bright bolts of electricity. He smirks as he shoots them in every direction, and more people are thrown away from him. I watch in horror when he’s the last man standing, and he’s smiling down at the mess he’s made. The smug look on his face only lasts a second before he stumbles slightly and lifts a hand to his stomach. When he pulls his hand back, it has the same red to match mine. 
“He’s bleeding.” I say before I break out of Brandy’s hold and rush over just as Julian starts to fall. 
Brandy is there a second later and one of the waiters joins in. We weave through the mess of the club and head toward the back hallway. 
“Where do we take him?” The waiter asks. 
“See if any of the rooms are free. He needs to lie down, and then call a doctor.” Brandy barks orders like she owns the place, and I respect the hell out of her right now. 
I’m in too much shock to think straight, so at least one of us knows what to do. 
“I’m fine.” Julian grumbles before he lets out a hiss of pain. 
“You’re far from okay.” I tell him, and he shoots me a look that says I should stop talking right now. 
“Hang on.” The waiter releases Julian for me and Brandy to hold while he runs down the hall to find a free room. “Hey! This one!” 
The guy pushes the third door down open and comes jogging our way to take over, carrying Julian inside. Brandy follows him and I walk in last. My mouth nearly drops open when I see what kind of room we just walked into. This is not where I was expecting my night to lead me. 
“I should probably…go.” I say, taking a step back toward the door. 
“You can’t!” Brandy calls. “I have to get back out there and take care of the mess. I need to talk to the police and call the doctor. Please Mila, can you wait here with him just in case?”
“I don’t need a babysitter! It’s a small knife wound.” Julian calls from where he’s laying on the large bed. 
The bed could fit ten people. That’s how big it is. It’s also covered with purple silk sheets and…is that a mirror on the ceiling? That’s just great. 
“Boss, you need someone here to stop you from going into shock.” Brandy says over her shoulder. 
The girl has a big pair of ovaries to talk to her boss like that, but he doesn’t reprimand her. 
“I don’t know- “I say to her, but she gives me an exaggerated pleading look. 
“Please. I’ll owe you big time.” She pleads harder and I feel my resolve crack. 
“Okay.” I finally give in and 
“Thank you so much, babes!” She says before pulling me into a hug and rushing out of the room. 
“I’ll go help.” The waiter guys says. 
“Bring me a Burban!” Julian yells as the waiter jogs out of the room. 
“You got it, boss!” The guy yells back before disappearing down the hall. 
There’s a long stretch of silence where I watch the door, hoping someone will come along and save me from babysitting the man who took out a group of his attackers with his electric powers. How did he do that? Is that all he can do? 
“Close the door.” His voice is hard, but there’s effort in it, like he’s trying to keep the pain from melting into his words. 
I jump at his request and don’t hesitate to do as he asks. His command snapped me out of the idea that I’ll be saved from being alone with him, so I turn to face him instead. He’s laying back with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. I’m not sure if I should stay where I am or if I should make sure he’s okay. He’s been acting like he isn’t that badly injured, so it might offend him if I ask if he’s okay. He’s my boss now, and I can’t afford to upset him if I want to keep this job. Still, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if he was seriously hurt, and I didn’t help him. 
So I suck in a deep breath and walk toward the side of the bed he’s laying. When I reach it, I stand over him quietly. He doesn’t look at me right away, so I take my time to examine him more. He’s young, which comes as a surprise since until now he has seemed so much older. I guess his intense presence is usually enough to make him seem intimidating, but right now…he looks vulnerable. 
"How bad are you hurt?" my voice gentle as if treading on fragile ground.
He sighs, a sound heavy with a mixture of pain and exhaustion. His silence stretches, making my nerves skitter. The tension in the room seems to magnify as seconds tick by.
“I’ve had worse.” Is what he finally says. 
He turns his head to face me, and I gasp when I see his eyes. They’re brighter and almost glow. 
“But my powers seem to be on the fritz.” He says next and his lip quirks up slightly. 
Was that a joke? 
Before I can form a response, he moves, surprising me with the suddenness of his actions. His arm snakes around my waist, pulling me toward him with an urgency that sends my heart racing. In the span of a heartbeat, I find myself lying atop him, our bodies pressed together in an intimate embrace. My gaze locks onto his, and I'm trapped in the intensity of his electric eyes.
There's a palpable shift in the air, an undercurrent of something I can't quite put into words. It's as if the universe has conspired to draw us together, how is this possible? He reaches out for me and wraps an arm around my waist. I’m lying on top of him and staring down into those electric eyes. He’s hard against me and unlike with the guy who attacked me earlier, there is a warmth in me at the feeling. 
"W-what are you doing?" I manage to whisper, my voice a fragile thread that hangs between us. But the look in his eyes, smoldering with an intensity I can't ignore, answers my question before he does.
“Do you feel that?” He asks. 
I pause, allowing his question to permeate my thoughts. And then, as if in response to his inquiry, a tingling sensation dances across my skin. Tiny sparks seem to ignite along the surface, leaving behind a trail of goosebumps in their wake. His hand, warm and sure, slips under the jacket I'm wearing, his touch sending shivers down my spine.
I gasp, the sound escaping before I can hold it back. Our connection deepens as his lips descend upon mine, a meeting of mouths that's both electric and charged with a fervent energy. Time seems to stretch, the world around us fading into insignificance as I lose myself in the sensation of his kiss.
His lips are warm and insistent against mine, a fusion of fire and tenderness that ignites a fire within me. The spark that had been kindled between us now blazes into a full-fledged flame, consuming every thought, every reservation. In his embrace, the world outside fades away, leaving only the two of us suspended in a moment that feels infinite.
I don't know how long the kiss lasts—seconds, minutes, an eternity. The concept of time becomes irrelevant as our connection deepens, our breaths mingling in a rhythm that matches the cadence of our hearts. The taste of him, a heady mixture of vulnerability and strength...
This is just the beginning.

###>>>
His Beast

Mila’s POV
His lips are firm as he kisses me with violent desperation. I start to feel lightheaded as he moves his hands back down my back, and I can’t help the way I grind down against him. The small sparks from his touch are making me want so much more. My whole body feels like it’s slowly catching fire and yet I need more of his warmth. So much more. 
The wind is knocked out of me for a whole other reason when he flips us over and dives in to kiss me without skipping a beat. In my head, I know this isn’t a normal thing for us to be doing, given the fact that this morning I tore him a new one for being rude to another girl. It’s the fact that he’s technically my boss and I don’t know a thing about him. I’m not someone who hookup with random guys, but I can’t seem to help myself. His touch is making em ache for more, like I can’t go another second if I don’t have more of him. 
Why is this feeling so intense? 
He breaks away from our kiss and treats a trail down the side of my neck as he grinds down against me. The feeling of his hard-on against my already throbbing center. My body is begging for him and it’s killing me. We have so much clothes still between us. I tuck my hand under his suit jacket and run my hands over the firm muscles of his chest, but I go still when I feel something sticky on his shirt. That’s when I realize that he’s hurt and we shouldn’t be doing this. 
“Wait.” I say a little too breathlessly and push at his chest. 
He pushes himself up so he can look down at me better and looks confused by my sudden shift. “What?” 
“You’re hurt, remember?” I tell him. “We can’t do this if you’re hurt.” 
He glances down at where he’s injured, but doesn’t move away from me to check it. Instead, he looks back at me and smirks. 
“You think a small stab wound is going to stop me when I’m this hard?” He asks, sounding totally serious. 
“What? No!” I try to push him off me, but he grabs my arms and traps them over my head. 
"As I said, there’s no stopping now," he murmurs, his words brushing against my lips before he seals them with a kiss that steals all my protests away. It's a kiss that ignites a fire within me, a toe-curling, electric connection that I'm helpless to resist.
His mouth melds with mine, his tongue brushing against my lower lip, a silent invitation for me to open up to him. But I can't give in so easily, not when he's injured and reckless. I don't want to be responsible if his condition worsens. Despite my inner turmoil, my resolve falters when he bites my lip, a mix of pleasure and pain that elicits an involuntary gasp, granting him the opening he desired. The sparks, those tantalizing sensations that draw me to him, intensify, making it difficult to muster the strength to fight this irresistible pull.
Hold on, Mila.
Wait!
Somehow, the intenseness of this moment had made me forget what my powers are. 
I slide my hand down his chest again until my hand covers his injury. My hand rests there, and I push a great deal of my power into healing the wound. I’ve never healed a wound this bad, but if we are going to do this, I won’t let him be hurt. So I focus on that power inside me and feel him stiffen under my touch. He breaks our kiss and looks down at where my hand is stitching his body back together. 
"W-what the fuck?" he breathes, his voice laced with disbelief. "Are you—"
“Healing you? I am.” I admit. “I can’t go forward without making sure you’re okay.” 
“That is quite the power. People would kill to have you in their arsenal.” He says, and all the heat that had been coursing through me moments ago is extinguished by a chilling realization.
My heart constricts at his words, icy tendrils of fear snaking through me. His words unveil a stark truth—I possess a power that could be wielded as a soft weapon, a tool for manipulation. All the heat that had been coursing through me moments ago is extinguished by a chilling realization.
My widening eyes and cold touch seem to have alerted him to the turmoil brewing within me, and he regards me with confusion. The atmosphere that once crackled with tension now seems to have shifted, the allure of the moment giving way to apprehension.
"This was a mistake," I stammer, my voice trembling as I attempt to push him away once again.
This time he lets me and he rolls over and pushes himself to sit up against the red satin covered head board. I, on the other hand, try my best to cover myself in the jacket I’m wearing, but it wouldn’t take much to convince people what we’ve been doing in here. 
“What’s going on? Why the sudden change?” He asks from behind me. 
I glance back over my shoulder, my gaze inadvertently drawn to the view of his still prominent arousal beneath his slacks. For a fleeting moment, I'm tempted to ask if he's in pain, but the question feels too intimate, too raw for this moment.
“Mila?” My eyes snap up to his face and he has a serious expression on his face. 
"Yes?" I respond, my own voice quivering slightly under his scrutiny.
"Come here," he commands, his tone laced with authority, a magnetism that pulls me back to him.
I could say no, but it’s as if there is a thread between us and he’s tugged it so hard that I can’t help but move toward him. It would have been sexier if I crawled to him across the bed, but since I don’t know where things are going now, I decide to climb down off the bed and walk around it to stand next to him. He looks up at me and then down at his shirt as he slowly unbuttons it. My eyes follow the motion until the last button is undone, and he pulls the shirt the rest of the way off, leaving his toned chest and stomach on display. 
A second later, he wraps a hand around my wrist and tugs me forward until I’m close enough that he can pull my hand and place it over his injury. He leads my hand across the area, but all I feel is smooth skin and the tense way his muscles are bunched up. 
“See? You healed me.” He says. 
I look back at him and see a smirk that I’m quickly associating with him now on his lips. 
“So there is nothing else stopping me from having you. Right. Now.” He turns himself sideways just enough to grab me by the waist and lift me onto his lap. 
The move is so sudden that I make a sound of surprise and grab onto his shoulders to keep myself from crashing too hard down on him. It’s a crazy display of how strong he is, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed. 
One of his hands wraps around the back of my neck and his fingers tighten in my hair, holding me in place. He pulls me closer so that we’re face to face and his eyes lock with mine. That flare of light in his eyes appears again and I can feel the rush of electricity go straight down my spine, making me arch into him. My mouth opens in a silent cry and he takes advantage of this new position to kiss and suck on my neck. 
“Fuck you’re beautiful.” He says. 
His voice sounds a little choked, and he lets out a long groan when my body shakes from whatever he just did to me. 
“If you keep doing that, I won’t be able to control myself.” He warns, but I’m in some sort of daze and can barely register what he’s saying. 
All I can feel are the aftershocks of the amazing sensation I just had and how badly I want to feel it again. I can’t help but rock myself over his lap because his erection feels so good and is helping the fire inside me build again. 
“Fuck.” He hisses and then he’s rolling us again so that my back is on the bed and he’s hovering over me. 
He dives down and takes my lips so hard that I taste a familiar metallic taste. Except this time the taste is associated with pleasure, not pain. I’m gasping when he breaks our kiss and moves off the bed. I lift myself up on my elbows and watch as he reaches down to his pants and undoes them until I see the white of his boxers. His pants hit the ground, and he doesn’t wait longer before he hooks his thumbs into the band of his boxers and pulls them down too. My eyes move down his body until I see everything, and my eyes go wide. 
“Wow.” is all I manage to get out before he’s moving back to the bed and grabbing the buttons of the jacket I’m wearing. 
He pulls it open, exposing the loose fabric of my shirt. My shirt is torn off with one tug and he pushes the jacket away, exposing my body to him. His eyes take me in and his eyes darken at the sight of me. My face grows hot and I have an urge to cover up, but when I try to, he growls low in his chest. 
“Don’t. Don’t hide from me.” My hands drop away and I let him continue to look me over. 
My insecurities are on full blast now, and the urge to run away is growing by the second. Would he come after me if I did?
***
Julian’s POV
I can feel my powers flaring up inside me again. 
Mila’s eyes move over my body and it only makes me crave her when her hazel eyes nearly turn black. 
My wolf gasps
It is strange that he seldom do this.
“Mate.”
No way. She is a human, but
My control snaps and I stomp over to the bed and climb over her. 
I move onto my knees so I can get rid of her clothes as well. When I pull the jacket she’s wearing open, there is a small area of fabric from her ruined shirt covering her. 
One good pull and the ruined fabric comes off, exposing her fully to me. 
I suck in a breath at the sight of her. She’s stunning and the way her neck and chest turn slightly pink along with her face…it makes her look even more beautiful. 
She’s thinner than most of the girls I’ve been with, and that has my protective instincts kicking into gear. Why is she not eating enough? Is someone starving her? A boyfriend maybe? 
That last thought makes me see red and I take my anger out on the rest of the clothes she’s wearing. I cut the fabric of her pants off with a single claw, making her gasp in shock. 
Once she’s naked in front of me, I drink in every part of her. 
My inner beast growls at the feast in front of him. 

###>>>
Ready?

Julian’s POV
Mila tries to cover herself, but I snap at her. 
“Don’t hide yourself from me.” I warn her. 
Her eyes widen, but she gives me a small nod and relaxes again. 
“Now, hold still.” I tell her because I don’t want to hurt her. 
I can tell by the smell of her she’s human, even with the power she possesses. That means I could kill her if I’m not careful and I don’t want to do that. She’s too beautiful and smells too delicious to end in such a brutal way. So I take a deep breath and cover her now naked body with mine and the second our skin touches, my power fluctuates until it becomes a steady pulse of electricity that matches the beating of her heart. 
My body is reacting to her like it never has to anyone else, but I try not to focus on what that could mean. I think that's just an illusion. She's just too pretty.
Right now, all I can focus on is getting some relief. 
“Ready?” I ask her. 
Also, something I rarely do, but like I said, I don’t want to hurt her. She nods and I smirk down at her when she bites her bottom lip where I had bitten her. When she releases it, there is a smear of blood on the corner of her mouth and I tilt my head down and lick it away. I feel her shutter under me so I do it again and she arches her back, which makes my dick rub against her. That’s it. I snap and grab one of her legs, hooking it up and holding it against my side before I slam into her without checking to see if she’s ready for me. 
“Mate!” my wolf roars.
Her head falls back, and she cries out, which makes me even more desperate for her. 
She’s my prey right now and every sound she makes is feeding the animal inside me and driving me crazy. 
I’m so close to getting lost in my head and let my animal instincts take over completely. 
But then she does something no one has ever done. 
Usually when I’m with a woman, I don’t like them to touch me. It feels too personal, so I will restrain their hands above their head and fuck them until I find release or I will have them on their hands and knees. 
I didn’t think to do either of these things, so when Mila’s fingers thread into my hair, I go completely still. My eyes come back into focus and I look down at her wide eyes. 
“What’s wrong?” She asks, sounding breathless. 
“Nothing. I don’t like being touched during sex.” I blurt out, and she quickly drops her hands to her side. 
“Sorry.” Her eyes fall away from mine, and she bites her lip again. 
She’s naturally submissive, which is always a good thing for someone like me, but I don’t want her lowering her eyes from me. So I use my finger to tilt her face back up so she’s looking at me again. 
“Did I tell you to stop?” I asked her and then I thrust into her hard once more. 
“N-no.” She gasps when I rock into her painfully slow. 
“Then don’t stop.” I move my hand down between her breasts and then I lean down and wrap my mouth around one of her perk nipples and bite. 
She jumps and cries out. I slide my hand down her arm and entwine our fingers together. She tightens her hold on me and I lift our joined hands and place her hand back where it had been. 
“Hurt me if you need to.” I tell her before I pull back and slam into her hard. 
Her grip on my hair tightens, and the pain keeps me from getting lost in my head where the monster lives. She’s anchoring me, so that I don’t kill her and she has no idea. She doesn’t know the darkness inside me and how being inside of her is feeding that monster. There is no way in fuck I’m telling her now. Instead, I focus on the pain of my hair being pulled as I thrust faster and harder into her. Light flickers across my eyes and I can feel my power building low in my stomach. I’m about to make her see stars, and she’ll never be able to forget me. 
I’ll make sure that this isn’t the first and last time we’re together. When I’m close to exploding, I bend my head down and take her lips in a hungry kiss, nipping her again and tasting the metallic flavor of her blood. It’s the last straw that makes me release everything. Mila breaks away from the kiss and screams as my power floods into her, along with the release I’ve been fighting back since I touched her. 
I can feel her tighten around me, which makes me continue to thrust into her until every bit of my release is gone. My body goes limp and I have to pull out and roll off of her so that I don’t crush her. We’re both breathing hard in an otherwise silent room. 
“Fuck.” I manage to choke out and the sweetest sound comes from the woman next to me. 
She laughs. “You took the words right out of my mouth.” 
I turn my head to look at her and am stunned by the way a simple smile lights up her face. How can she be so…breathtaking and not have a boyfriend or any other guy worshipping at her feet? 
Her head tilts toward me and our eyes lock. Neither one of us says a word, but something clicks inside me and I know I want to keep her. She gives me a small smile and I reach out to brush some of her hair away from her face and behind her ear. 
“Sleep.” I tell her and she nods. 
I watch her eyes close and even long after as small puffs of air escape from her lips. 
Well, I am sure she is my mate now. There's no better taste.
My mind races over what I should do next, but my phone goes off, cutting me away from my thoughts. 

###>>>
Sounds Like Fun

Mila’s POV
My body feels sore and my eyes feel too heavy to open, but something feels off. I fight a battle against the urge to get comfortable and continue sleeping, and when I finally open my eyes, I notice Julian isn’t in bed next to me. I lift my head and glance around the room, but I don’t see him. The blankets pool at my waist when I move to sit up and I quickly grab them to cover myself. I look around the room and don’t see any sign that Julian was even here. What I do see is my shredded clothing on the floor. 
Where did he go? 
I don’t know what to do. My clothes are ruined, which means I’m stuck unless I can get someone to bring me something. I wrap the blanket around myself and climb off the bed and rush over to my pants to find my phone. When I pull it out of the back pocket, I see a dozen text messages and seven phone calls from my stepmother. Shit. 
There’s nothing I can do about her until I get some clothes, so I try not to think about that mess just yet. Instead, I pull up Isabella’s number and press call. 
She answers right away. “Hey babes! What’s up?”
“Izzy, can you come get me? And bring me some clothes?” I whisper into the phone even though I’m alone in the room. 
“Sure, but are you going to explain why you need clothes? I’m pretty sure you were dressed when I left you.” She says with a hint of amusement in her voice. 
Did she not see what happened last night? 
***
Julian’s POV
“This better be a real fucking emergency!” I growl at my father’s Beta Joseph through my phone. 
I try my best to sneak out of the room where Mila is sleeping without waking her, but I’m fucking pissed. This asshole is always sticking his nose in places it doesn’t belong. Well, my father pushes the asshole's nose into places it doesn’t belong. Joseph is a lap dog and in no way qualified to stand at my father’s right hand in our pack. 
“We have a situation on the south side docks.” He says in his all too calm tone. 
That’s another thing…Joseph is a changeling. He was created, not born like the rest of us. He was one of the many experimentations that survived the destruction of the research and testing facilities. The blood that flowed in him was the blood from one of our own who died so that this government could create soldiers too hard to kill. I can’t figure out why my father would bring him in with that knowledge, but when I made my thoughts known on the matter, my father shut me down hard. It was one of the reasons I started my plan to remove him as Alpha and the head of our company. 
“What kind of situation?” I ask as I walk down the hallway leading into the main area of the club. 
I glance around and see that the place looks the same as it did before the situation last night. Just another way of showing my father that I know how to get shit done. He was reluctant letting me take over the club, but I’ve proven a hundred times over that I’m a good businessman. This place makes him a shit ton of money, and he doesn’t even give a shit. He’s all in his head about his new plans that he doesn’t ask where the money comes from. I guess it’s his version of don’t ask, don’t tell. He knows all too well the sort of…depravity that goes on here, but knows now not to ask too many questions. 
Now he’s going off on this shit about me needing to learn more if I want to be a good businessman. There’s something else going on with this plan, but I can’t see it yet. I fucking hate that. There’s nothing I can do about it now, but I can handle whatever new crisis is happening on the south docks. This is the third time this month that something has gone wrong with our shipments. The culprits have been smart enough not to leave any evidence behind that could be used to track them, but I already know who’s behind this. 
Roman Thatcher, son of the deceased Stephan Thatcher, head of the Leven Gang. Their name alone should give away how stupid they are. Leven translates from dutch as ‘lightning’. Seriously, what the fuck is that? They lack the finesse needed in this life and yet they still seem to get past all my best efforts to keep their asses on in their territory. 
So for now they are an unfortunate thorn in my ass. 
One of the bouncers sees me coming and opens the front door for me and I sigh when I see Levi waiting for me. He’s leaning against his Porsche looking like a typical rich asshole. 
“What are you doing here?” I ask him, stopping a few feet away from him and crossing my arms over my chest. 
“I’m here to check up on a dickhead who ran off after making a huge ass mess in his club. So where did you run off to and with who because you should be passed out in the woods somewhere if you didn’t have…help.” He raises a brow at me but I ignore him and walk over to my car that parked a few feet away from his car. 
“Nothing happened.” I say without stopping to chat. 
I have shit to do today and telling him about who I fucked last night isn’t in the agenda today. 
“Don’t lie Julian, I know you.” He pushes and I whirl around to give him a warning but I stop myself when some of my employees pull up next to us. 
Not all of them know the truth about me, and they won’t if I have anything to do about it. Humans are fickle about things they don’t understand, which is why we have the chaos in the city that we do. It’s why every other day someone with unnatural abilities is hurting, sealing, or killing someone. It’s why the state is trying to crack down on crime, and causing families like mine to go legit. Well, they can shove their crack on violence laws up their shiny ivory tower asses because I won’t be giving up anything. I’ve spilled blood for this life, and for my place in this city. I will let no one take that from me.
This will always be my city. 
“Let it go Monroe.” I tell Levi in a low warning voice. 
He huffs out a weak laugh and pushes off his car. I don’t wait for him to climb inside and instead get into my car and pull out of the spot I parked in, knowing he would follow. Levi isn’t like me, but he has my back, and loyalty is the most important thing in this business. 
I head down the road I had built behind the club that leads to a personal entrance connected to the highway. It cuts a good chunk of time off my drive, but it also provides a good exit option if I ever get in a pinch. When I look in the rear-view mirror, I smirk when I see Levi’s Porche speeding my way. He gets close enough to slam me from behind but swerves last second so that we’re driving side by side. I roll down my window and flip him off. 
“Put that finger where your mouth is! We have a score to settle.” I yell and I shake my head. 
He thinks his prince car is a match for my Aston Martin Valkyrie, but I’ve shown him many times how wrong he is. The guy doesn’t know how to lose and let go. 
“We both know you can’t beat me so why put yourself through the humiliation?” I yell back. 
He scowls and speeds up and I stay back letting him take the lead. That’s how you trick your enemy into thinking they’ve won. You let them enjoy the illusion before you destroy them. So I let him win for a mile or so before I show him what he already knows. No one beats me. 
When I speed past him he flips me off and I laugh at the scowl on his face. He never learns. I don’t bother messing around with him any longer and keep the speed steady until I hit the highway. A chorus of horns honking goes off behind me but I ignore them and swerve through traffic to the exit leading to the docks. The club isn’t far for the reason that it’s one of the places we store product until it can be moved to a more secure location. 
Our docks are supposed to be just as secure, and yet this has happened again. Someone has to be helping them get past our security, and that is just another problem I’ll have to deal with. What I can say is that if it wasn’t for the night I had with Mila, there would be a lot more bodies scattered around the city. My inner animal does not like to go easy when his respect has been tested, and I happen to agree. Being with Mila was like nothing I’ve felt before, and I will chase her down for another round soon. For now, I have to handle business and then pleasure can follow as soon as possible. Hopefully, I’ll be done fast enough that she will still be naked in bed when I get back. 
When I arrive at the docks and see the damage, I curse the fact that I had no way of telling Mila that I wouldn’t be back. A dick move and I’m not proud of it, but this mess takes precedence. 
It takes longer than I would have liked to sort through the shit that was waiting for me at the docks, but once I got a closer look at it, I recognized it to be Roman’s work. His crew may be hard to catch in the act, but now I’m more convinced than ever it's because they have help. The lack of finesse in Roman’s work gives him away too easily, and yet I still haven’t been able to prove it was him other than speculation. 
This has sucked all the ease and calm I got from last night, but now that means I can go searching for the cute little brunette and charm her into my bed. 
Sounds like fun.

###>>>
Never Sleep with Your Boss

Mila’s POV
There is a soft knock on the door of the room I’ve been hiding out in all morning. I heard movement outside a few minutes after I called Isabella and ran over to the door, locking it so no one would walk in and see me. Since then, I’ve been pacing and running through everything that happened last night in my head. I felt something when I was with Julian, and the way he talked I thought…I thought he felt it too. 
I’m so stupid. 
This is why hooking up isn’t a good idea. Not that I’ve ever done this before, but now I understand why this would have been dangerous. As much as I wish, I could say that it was just sex, and it meant nothing…it didn’t feel that way! Still here I am alone with no wearable clothes, and Julian is nowhere to be found. What did I expect? He’s so handsome and has this dangerous aura about him that all girls love. 
He also owns this place and had more than a few women giving him attention last night. I was just the poor idiot who gave in and slept with him, but any of those other girls would have taken my place in an instant. 
God, I feel like an idiot. 
When I unlock the door and see Isabella, I break down and let the tears go. Her smile crumbles, and she pushes her way into the room so she can wrap her arms around me. 
“Aw sweetie. What happened?” She asks as she rubs my back. 
I am about to tell her I don’t want to talk where anyone can hear us, but she turns halfway around to close the door and then leads me over to the bed. 
“I was so stupid Izzy.” I say between sniffles. “Why did I do this? It isn’t me.” 
She lets out a small laugh. “It isn’t and if you weren’t crying, I would say how proud I am of you, but this doesn’t seem like the right time.” 
I laugh at her attempt to lighten the mood. “Yeah, maybe later.” 
“Look, I know this sucks right now, but you had a super hot night with an animal of a man, if this room is any indication of what happened last night. Did he hurt you?” 
I shake my head. “Not in a bad way.” I admit.
She lets a loud laugh, and her whole face turns a shade of pink. “You’re bad. Look, I’m sorry this happened, but if you had a good time, then that’s what matters. He was probably a jerk anyway and would in no way be good boyfriend material.” 
She had a point. Last night was a spontaneous thing that felt amazing but would never happen again, and I had to be okay with that. What I know for sure is that hooking up with another guy like that is out of the question. It’s clear that I’m more of a relationship girl than whatever that was last night. Not that I had good experiences in that area, either. Still, if I can’t find someone to care about me more than what pleasure they can get from using me, then maybe it’s best if I stay alone. 
“Here. I tried to find the most comfortable clothes I have, but you know- “She shrugs and I smile at her. 
Isabella always looks like she’s ready for a photoshoot even when she’s at home relaxing. She likes the finer things in life, and I don’t blame her. 
“Thanks Izz.” I wrap her in a hug and she squeezes me back. 
“Hurry and get dressed. Then I’m taking us to breakfast. Do you have anything else going on today?” She asks. 
Her question reminds me I was supposed to work here tonight. How can I walk around and act like I didn’t sleep with the boss all night? What if he shows up? Do I avoid him or play everything off like it never happened? God, this is a nightmare.
“I have something going on tonight, but I’m free until then. What sort of torture do you have in mind for me?” I tease. 
Inside, I’m panicking, but Isabella doesn’t need to hear all my internal turmoil. It’s mine to deal with.
“Great! Get dressed.” She lets me go and walks out so that I can change. 
I change as fast as possible so that I don’t leave her out in the hall too long, and draw attention to where I’m hiding. When I’m done, I look down to see the word ‘Barbie’ bedazzled on the off shoulder t-shirt I’m wearing over the felt jumpsuit pants she brought me that fall low on my hips. I think this was popular in the early two thousands but I guess it’s making a comeback. At least she brought me tennis shoes, but they have two stripes of pink on the side to tie the outfit together. None of it looks as good on me as she would make it look, but I’m grateful, anyway. 
Once I’m dressed, I open the door and peek out to make sure the coast is clear. Isabella comes closer to me and I grab her hand before tugging her down the hall toward the main room. I stop short to scan the room and once I’m sure we’re in the clear, I jog toward the exit. 
Somehow we don’t run in to any security when we push out of the door and quickly walk toward Isabella’s car. 
“I feel like we’re about to get in trouble.” She says as we climb into her little pink car. “Are we going to be in trouble?” 
“Not if we don’t get caught.” I say with a little extra bite to it. 
“Right.” She turns the car on and pulls out of the parking lot with a squeal from her tires. 
We’re out of there like a bright pink bullet. 
After a breakfast of French toast covered in fruit and whipped cream, Isabella takes me back to her house where we watch movies and bing on junk food. I should call my stepmother and tell her what happened, but I can’t bring myself to ruin all the work Isabella has put into trying to help me forget what happened today. One more day or pretending that woman isn’t a part of my life and then I can go home and let all her vile words roll off me. Her other punishments will take more effort to ignore, but I’ve survived this long on far less to distract me with.
Isabella’s able to find out that I have to work again tonight at some point between the mimosas at breakfast and the strawberry margaritas after lunch. Yeah, it was that kind of day. She talked me into wearing another outfit of her choosing. It didn’t escape my notice that it looks a lot more my style than any of her clothes ever have. I’m going to have to ask her about that when my head isn’t spinning over the fact that I might see the man I slept with last night again. 
Never sleep with someone you work with or, in my case, work for…it's messy kids. 
I do decide to send my stepmother a text letting her know I had been with Isabella studying this weekend and promptly turned my phone off. It’s not like I get many calls worth answering from anyone other than Isabella. Since she’s driving me back to work, I don’t need to worry about missing her call. 
“Okay, I’m letting you go inside alone because you are forcing me too, but you call me if anything happens and you need backup.” She says in a firm tone. 
She gives me a look that says she means business, and I dutifully nod my head when what I really want to do is smile. She’s the least intimidating person I know and her trying to be this bossy tough version of herself is adorable. 
“I will, I promise, but I think I’ll be okay.” I promise her before I lean over and give her one more hug. “Thanks for rescuing me.” 
She laughs. “I’ll always be your princess charming.” 
I laugh too and we finally break apart. “I’ll call you later.” 
“Okay. I’ll hold you to that!” She calls out before I close the door behind me. 
I wave to her, but she doesn’t leave and I know she won’t until I walk inside. So I turn to face the club and pull in a deep breath before I set my shoulders and walk toward the front door. The bouncers are there holding back the crowd, trying to get inside and pull the door open for me. It’s then that I know the only way I’ll get through this is if I pretend nothing has changed. So when I step inside and I sense him, I don’t look for him. I don’t let my eyes scan the room for a sign of him. I’m here to work, nothing more.

###>>>
Just Forget It

Julian’s POV
I got back to the club just in time for the employees to roll in. As much as I would like to say I played it cool, I discretely searched for Mila in the crowd. When I finally spot her, I slowly make my way in her direction, but she doesn’t look my way once. She doesn’t look anywhere other than the bar, and I’m not about to make a scene of me trying to chase her down. My body might be aching to touch her, but I still had an image to uphold. 
So I let her get away for now, but I was going to find a minute alone with her. Right now, I have some other shit to deal with. I make my way down the hall to where my office is. I pass the room where Mila and I had been in last night but didn’t stop to look inside. Someone has no doubt cleaned it by now and given that I just saw Mila walk through the front door, she wasn’t inside waiting for me. 
Fuck! 
Roman fucking Thatcher had made even more of a mess for me. 
As if my father sensed me walking into my office, my desk phone rang and I heard his sigh of disappointment as soon as I answered. 
“Julian.” He said calmly. 
“Dad.” I reply in greeting. 
“What happened last night? The media are speculating and I need to address them soon, so fill me in.” 
“I thought you didn’t want to be a part of this area of the family business anymore. Something about you wanting to go clean.” I scoff. 
“Don’t test me son, I’m in no mood for your back talk.” He snaps. 
“Too bad I’m not a kid and you don’t scare me.” I throw back, knowing I should just keep my mouth shut and give the man what he wants. 
“Julian, this is serious. I’m trying to pull us out of the underground life into a place where the government won’t be breathing down our throats and threatening us with charges at every turn. Three of our men got caught last week, and I’ve been informed that they were offered deals if they talked. This isn’t good, son, for any of us.” 
The way he called me son like that had me gritting my teeth. He was trying to sound fatherly and concerned, but I knew him too well that all his words did was piss me off. 
“If they talk, they die. All our people know that.” I remind him. 
“No. We can’t have bodies on our hands. That needs to stop Julian. You need to learn another way to handle these situations. Which is exactly why going to school will be beneficial for you. You remember you start tomorrow, right?” 
I hoped he would forget and I wouldn’t have to go, but clearly, I underestimated him.
“Yeah, I’m ready, although I still say it’s a waste of time. I know everything I need to know to run this city. Sitting by a bunch of stuck up rich brats won’t help what I already know.” 
“We aren’t discussing this again. It’s done. Now what happened?” 
As much as I would like to tell him to fuck off, he was right. He needed to know what was going on or he would do something stupid like say it was a misplaced shipment. That would have reported trying to look further and they would find far more than missing product. They would see the fire damage and destruction left behind. It would bring more attention to us, which is not what we needed right now. 
So I tell him the cliff notes version of what I found when I showed up at the docks this morning. He didn’t say much but to warn me to let him handle things. Like hell. I wanted to lay into him again but someone knocked at my office door so I end up hanging up on him instead. 
“Come in.” I call out. 
I’m taken by surprise when Mila slowly steps inside.
“Mr. Keller, Adam said we are low on Bourbon and that you had the key for the storage room.” 
Her voice is hesitant and subdued. She also doesn’t seem to be able to look at me. 
“I do have the key, but I want to talk to you about something first.” I motion for her to sit and she does. 
She sits with her back ramrod straight and her hands folded on her lap. What the fuck is wrong with her? 
“I wanted to explain about this morning.” I start but she cuts me off. 
“You don’t have to explain. It was what it was, and we don’t need to talk about it again. I know it would probably make things weird if anyone found out, so let’s just forget it happened.” She stands before I can say anything else. 
I watch her fidget in place, waiting for me to hand over the keys. This isn’t where I hoped this conversation would go, but if she’s so eager to run away, then I won’t force her to stay. I may be an asshole in the dating department, but I’ve never forced a woman to do anything she didn’t want to do. I’m not about to change that now. So I pull open the drawer on the left of my desk and grab the set of keys that unlock all the storage spaces in the club. I hold them out to her and when her fingers brush mine; I consider grabbing her hand and pulling her onto my lap. She wouldn’t be able to leave without hearing my explanation for leaving, but I don’t. I let her go. 
“Thank you.” She turns on her heels and almost runs out of the room. 
Once she’s gone, I curse and throw the closest thing to me against the farthest wall. 
“Shit.” I growl when I realize the thing I grabbed was my cell phone. 
“That’s just wonderful.” 
It wasn’t a big deal since I backed everything up, but it just added to the anger already roaring in my head. This day couldn’t get any worse. 
When I get myself together enough to be around other people without the urge to kill anyone, I head into the club and plaster a smile on my face. I greet a few regulars and make my rounds before taking my spot in my reserved booth, looking over the floor. 
A few scantily clad girls appear and flirt their way into the seats beside me, and soon some other people appear around me. I don’t see them or hear them. 
No all my attention is focused on a stunning petite brunette mixing drinks. 
She laughs at something one of the other bartenders says and I scowl at how easily she seems to be getting along with another guy. 
We spent one night together and I shouldn’t be this possessive of her, but my animal has decided she’s ours, so seeing any other man touching her but me is going to bring me to the brink of murder. 
Since murder is not an option at the moment, I’ll have to settle with firing his ass. 
“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise? I didn’t think you would be here tonight. You have quite a mess on your hands at the docks.” My blood boils at the sound of the familiar voice. 
“What are you doing here, Roman?” I try to keep my voice calm and my face indifferent, but I’m sure he could sense my anger. 
Our kind can sense a lot, including anger and murderous intent. Both of which I’m feeling right now. 
“I’m meeting some business associates here. I forgot this was your place, but I’m glad to see you. I hope we can speak about the Stanton building downtown.” He smirks like he thinks he’s catching me off guard, but like I said, he’s predictable.
“I told you on several occasions that we have no intention of selling.” I remind him to which he laughed. 
“Yes, I have to say you sure know how to make a potential buyer sweat. I’ll wear you down, eventually. It was great talking to you, Julian.” He waves before turning and walking causally over to the bar. 
My eyes stay with him every step of the way and even longer when I see him talking to Mila. 
He says something that makes her smile and a small hue of pink appears on her cheeks. 
A pink that comes to her breasts, and with that reminder, I feel myself growing hard. Unfortunately, one of the girls I had been ignoring had her hand on my leg and must have felt the change. 
“Oh! I can take care of that for you.” She purrs into my ear but all my attention is fixed on Mila smiling at Roman. 
Fuck no!

###>>>
Hi I'm Roman

Mila’s POV
I was doing well with not looking in the direction of where I saw Julian sit when he was done greeting people. It’s the same place he sat last night, and it didn’t take long for the booth to fill up with women and other guests. 
A woman touched him, getting closer and closer. Julian looked a little excited.
That’s when I decided looking that way would only make the ache in my chest hurt more. 
He really saw me as nothing more than some random girl he had sex with. For a second, when I was in his office, I thought…
It doesn't matter what I thought, because last night was a mistake. One I don’t plan to make again. 
“Hello there, beautiful.” Someone says as I’m fixing up a drink. 
My head lifts to get a quick glance at the guy with a retort on my tongue, but it died on my tongue when I saw the man in front of me. The sight of him took me so much by surprise that I end up spilling the drink I had been working on. 
“Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” He says with a sympathetic smile. 
I wave him off, but I can feel my face heating. “You didn’t. I wasn’t paying attention. What can I get for you?”
He makes a sound of consideration. “I’m not sure. What do you recommend? I’m sure anything you make will taste good.” 
I can’t help but smile at his attempt at giving me a compliment. “That’s sweet of you, but yes, everything I make tastes good.” 
My eyes widen at the reply that just tumbled out of my mouth. His face breaks out in a wide smile and I let out a nervous laugh. 
“Well, in that case, I’ll take a vodka soda with a twist.” He says. 
I nod and finish the drink I was making before starting on his. His eyes are still on me as I worked, and my focus is on not blushing from embarrassment at what I said. Once his drink is done, I set a napkin down on the counter and place the neatly made drink on top. Only then did I look at him again. 
He whistled. “Wow, this thing looks too pretty to drink.” 
Great, here comes the heat again. Why am I blushing so much at his simple compliments? Maybe because the last boyfriend I had was an asshole that only contacts me to say horrible things to me and Julian, who ditched after sex. So having a nice guy talk to me and throw compliments at me like it's natural is something I’m not used to. 
“Thanks.” 
“Tips are welcome!” Brandy calls out before sliding the tips jar our way. 
The guy laughs and reaches into his coat pocket to pull out his wallet. “Hint taken.” He pulled out a few twenties and dropped them in the jar. 
Brandy grabs it before his hand is barely out of the jar. She winks at me as she puts the jar next to the register behind her. I have a feeling she’ll be sneaking that to me when we close up tonight. 
“Thanks and sorry about her.” I say shyly. 
He shakes his head. “No worries. I get it. She wants to make sure all my attention isn’t me trying to get out of tipping. Not that I would! I always try to tip well.”
I nod and try to act unimpressed. “Good for you. I’m sure the working-class people appreciate your generosity.” 
What the hell? Why am I being snarky with this guy? 
He doesn’t seem offended, though. No, he laughs.
“Wow, you’re a little spitfire. I like that. Well, thanks for the drink beautiful. Maybe I’ll see you later.” He knocks on the bar counter and turns to leave. 
He weaves his way through the crowd and ends up at one of the VIP booths at the other end of the club from Julian. I had seen them talking and, by the look on Julian’s face; it wasn’t pleasant. It made me wonder who this guy was, but then I reminded myself that I was a blip in Julian’s life and that it was none of my business. 
Why did his rejection bother me so much? It shouldn’t. I knew what we were doing last night, and that it was a spur-of-the-moment thing and nothing more. I just…
No! 
I need to forget about his dumb handsome face and get through this shift without drawing too much attention to myself. Brandy and I get slammed with a rush of orders when the dance number on the stage ended. If you want to call it that, it was more like a strip tease but who am I to judge these people’s choice of entertainment? As long as I wasn’t forced to get on that stage, I didn’t care one bit what happened up there. 
When the same guy comes up to the bar again, I’m too busy to stop and talk, but that doesn’t stop him. 
“So I’ve been trying to come up with a reason we shouldn’t see each other again, maybe outside of this place.” He calls out as I hand a few beers off to a server. 
“Oh yeah? What did you come up with?” I say back. 
“Nothing. As far as I can tell, there is no reason you shouldn’t give me your number. I’ll try to play it cool by not calling you right away, but then end up texting you instead asking if I can see you tomorrow. You’ll smile at my desperate need to see again and agree. We’ll go out and have a great time, and I’ll ask for another date to which you will wholeheartedly agree.” He says, and I hear a few people snort and chuckle at him. 
“You have the whole thing planned out, I see. So, is this your way of asking me on a date?” I ask, raising a brow at him. 
He smiles widely. “Defiantly. So what do you say? Can I have your number?” 
I don’t know what makes me glance in Julian’s direction but when I see one of the girls next to him rubbing her hand down his leg and whispering in his ear…I don’t hesitate to reply to the charming guy in front of me. 
What the hell. He doesn’t seem to know about the mess with my ex and he seems genuine in his interest without seeming creepy. 
“Okay.” I say and grab a napkin and the pen in my apron. 
I jot down my number and pass it over to him. He looks down at it and smirks. 
“Mila, huh?” I nod. 
“That’s pretty. I’m Roman.” He holds his hand out to me and I accept it, expecting him to shake it, but he surprises me by kissing my hand instead. “I look forward to calling you tonight. Thanks for the drink.” 
He winks and walks away, leaving me a blushing mess. 
“Shit girl, you are one lucky bitch.” She smacks me with a towel, making me squeak in surprise. 
We both laughed and I couldn’t help but smile for the rest of the night. All thoughts of Julian had faded away, I guess and, for once, I felt genuinely excited about something. It’s been way too long.
When the end of my shift finally came, I clocked out and headed to the employee locker room. As I suspected, Brandy slipped the tip Roman had given into my locker and I quickly pocket it. I’ll have to hide it before I get home or my stepmom will find it. I’ll need it to cover books for this coming semester so I can’t afford to have her take it. 
I quickly grab my stuff and head for the door. Before I step into the hallway, I hear a female giggling and someone with a low voice talking to her. My skin prickles with awareness and without understanding why, I somehow knew it was Julian. I stepped into the hallway and sure enough; I spot a similar sized figure pinned against the wall by a leggy blonde woman. The lights above their head makes it easy to see that it was Julian, and a pain flared up in my chest. 
This had nothing to do with me! We were nothing but boss and employee to each other, so I couldn’t be upset about this. It made no sense, and it wasn’t fair for me to think he was mine to be upset over. 
So I held my head high and walked past them like I didn’t see them. I hear him call after me, but I pretend not to hear him and continue walking until I’m inside my car and on my way home. That’s when I deflated and let out a shaky sigh. This was so dumb. I need to let this go and focus on something like the guy who claimed would call me tonight. 
I grab my purse and pull my phone out and smile when I see a message waiting. A message from Roman. 

###>>>
My Girl is Here

Julian’s POV
No amount of protest has been able to keep me from setting foot on the Mishnia University property. Unlike the other students walking past me on the way to class, I didn’t bother with a backpack and books. Unlike them, I wasn’t here for an education. I was here out of necessity. Also curiosity. My father had many other opportunities to send me to college before, but he kept me on for his dirty week until this past year. 
So why now? Who is here that he needs me to be close to? He won’t admit to his real agenda, but I know my father well. Nothing he does is without reason. Until he was ready to divulge his true intentions, I would be stuck slumming it with a bunch of privileged humans. As I said, he could have sent me to a school tailored to our own kind, but no, he sent me here. Yet another reason I was so set on this being more than is hope for me to further my business knowledge. 
“Your class is that way,” Bash says. 
Yep, I have my trusted bodyguard attending college with me. No doubt to keep my father informed of my comings and goings. 
“You know this is a waste of time, don’t you? I don’t belong here.” I tell him. 
He doesn’t reply right away, which only pisses me off. I know he technically works for my father, but he also worked for me. He would have to pick his loyalties soon enough, and if he didn’t choose to be loyal to me, then he would have to be dealt with. He isn’t a bad guy, so I would hate to end him over this, but a cleansing is coming and it wouldn’t be biased. 
“Your father does everything for a reason.” Bash finally says, only confirming what I had speculated. 
“Who does he want me to get close to?” I ask him. 
“He wants to tell you when the time comes. I- “
“Cut the shit Bash. What is his play here?” I ask, turning to face him completely. 
“The son of an investment group linked to some powerful people in Europe attends this school. He wants you to get close to him and insert you into his life. That ay you can find out how to get your father in their circle.” Bash finally admits. 
What? This is about him getting a seat at the grownup's table? You have to be fucking kidding me. 
“This is- “My words trail off when I see a familiar face. 
A face that’s been flashing through my mind too much lately. Even in sleep, I can’t escape her face. Shit. She’s a student here? And she works at my club! I can’t escape her even if I wanted to. It’s as if fate is making sure I obey the laws of my kind. We may have been made by man, but the animals inside us ran on thousands of years of instinct. My wolf has chosen her as his mate, and he won’t let me forget it. Except she can’t be. I can’t be tied down by a girl with the life I live. She could get hurt and then we would have a far worse problem on our hands. 
Of course, when she turns her head my way and sees me, the instinct to go to her becomes almost too strong. It hurts to stay away from her, but I can’t be what she needs or deserves. 
“Julian! No way! You go here?” I high pitched voice calls out from my left. 
I turn my head to see a vaguely familiar face. She’s been to the club before, but I can’t remember her name to save my life. Still she there herself against me and kissed me. I didn’t have a chance to react but guilt ran down my skin and when I looked up to where Mila had been, she’s gone. 
Shit. 
Sure, I didn’t deserve her, but I didn’t want to hurt her either. I couldn’t. 
“Do you want a tour? Or we could go back to my room…” the girl hanging on to me says. 
I look at her and scowl. “Sorry, I have other plans.” I detach her from me and walk past her. 
Maybe I should run after Mila and explain, but what good would that do? 
“Let’s get the hell out of here.” I tell Bash when he catches up to me. 
I don’t give a shit what my father wants. I needed to get away from here. 
Bash is smart enough to sense how I’m feeling and doesn’t bother objecting. We walk in silence to the car and climb in. He drives me back home and I head straight for the gym I had set up a few years ago. I needed to blow off some steam. 
I turned on the sound system running through the whole room and moved toward the bag hanging in the corner. Lifting a few weights wouldn’t work for what I’m feeling. No, I needed to punch something, so I quickly wrap my hands and stand in front of the bag, imagining it being Roman Thatcher. 
He walked into my club. 
Slam. 
He spoke to my girl. 
Slam. 
He made her blush and smile. 
Slam. 
She smiled at him. 
Slam. 
I put too much anger behind my next punch, sending the bag flying into the wall. 
“Fuck!” I growled before releasing all my anger into a dangerous howl. 
My powers pushed their way through me and exploded all around me. The lights exploded, causing sparks to fall around me. 
“Julian!” I hear someone yell, but I’m too far gone. 
I can feel my skin prickle and itch. My gums bled and my palms burned from my claws digging into my skin. 
“Julian! Stop!” 
How could I stop? I’ve been holding it together for too long! I need it out!
Another growl comes bursting out of me, and I didn’t hold it back. 
My bones began to pop and crack as the change came over me. He’s been trapped too long, and seeing Mila with Roman was the last straw. Letting my hold go, the transition took less than a second and I was wearing through the tightened vision of a powerful animal. I catch movement in the corner of my eye and I whirl around, sending a warning growl to whoever made the stupid choice of coming in here. 
Levi is standing in front of me with his hands held up and a nervous energy rolling off him in waves. 
“Okay man, let’s calm down, okay? What happened? What has you going all beast?” He asks as if I could answer him in this form. 
It wouldn’t matter since I had no interest in answering questions in either form. No, I had something else in mind. The image of a smiling Mila sends a shiver through me and I propel forward past Levi and out of the gym. All the house staff has gone home now, they would normally stop me from leaving when I’m like this but no one was here. I was free, and I took advantage of it and ran out into the night. 
When did it get so late? Had I been in the gym that long? 
My wolf lets out a low growl in annoyance and I shut down any start thoughts I was having. He was on a mission, and that was finding his mate. Since I didn’t know where she lived, I went by scent. Normally it would be too hard to scent someone with how many people move through this city at a given time, but when it was a mate…you could find them anywhere. So I tapped into that link and started at the club. 
I picked up her scent next to one of the parking spots where she must keep her car when she’s working. With a good lock on her scent, I take off, following it through the city. I do my best to stay hidden, but when there is no one around to see, I run the streets. Her scent gets stronger and I follow the trail to a large house just on the outer edges of town. It’s not a small place, but it also looks like it’s seen better days. This is where she lives? 
My need to take care of her makes me growl with annoyance that she lived in this place. I move closer and look through the windows on the first floor, but all I find is an older woman pacing in the living room, yelling at someone on her phone. She looks nothing like Mila, which makes me think I must be in the wrong place, but then I see movement in the other room. I keep myself low and move around the side of the house and find Mila in the kitchen. She looks tired.
Then I see it. My vision goes red and then…nothing.

###>>>
An Date Invitation

Mila's POV
“Where the hell have you been?” I’m shoved back against the door before I’m able to close it all the way, knocking the wind out of me.
When I went home after work, I snuck in through my window so I didn’t have to face my stepmom when I was already feeling off by what happened the last couple of days. I wanted a good night of sleep so that today wouldn’t feel so hard. Of course, that means she thinks I’ve been gone this whole time. I should have known she would be furious, but I couldn’t hide from her forever. 
I have to suck in a few weak pulls of air to try and catch my breath before I can give her an excuse. She didn’t let me. This time she was beyond her normal level of mad. This time, she slapped me across the face the second I opened my mouth. I cried out and fell to the floor. My hand comes up to cover the part of my face where she struck me, and I look up at her with genuine fear. It’s been a while since she hit me in the face or anywhere visible, but today she did. I really screwed up this time, and now I would have to walk around with proof of my mistake for at least a week. 
“Who the do you think you are? You think you can hide this from me?” She throws something at me and I barely catch it. 
It’s the container I’ve been using to hide my school money. Shit! No wonder she’s so mad. She found out I’d been hiding money from her.
“I can explain.” I try to say, but her foot comes out and slams hard into my stomach. 
“Shut up, you conniving ugly girl! You selfish little brat!” She screams as she continues to kick me. 
I don’t bother trying to fight back…I never do. My mind drifts off to another place. Somewhere I feel anything other than pain. The hazy images in my mind becoming clearer, and I’m shocked when I see Julian’s face. He’s smirking at me and talking, but I can’t hear what he’s saying. I look around me and don’t recognize where we are. We’re in bed together. That much is clear, but the room isn’t the one form the club. It looks more like a normal bedroom, but a lot nicer than one I’ve ever been in. 
Something brushes my face, and I turn my head back to look at him. He’s smiling at me and he says something I don’t understand. 
“My mate.” He says softly before he tugs me closer to him and kisses me. 
Mate? What does that mean? 
***
Before I can ask him, everything goes dark. 
I don’t know how long I was out for, but when I come to, I’m curled up near the front door. There is a steady throb of pain all over my body, but I ignore it while I try to push myself off the floor. 
“I don’t care! I’m sick of this! There has to be a way to change the will!” I hear my stepmom yell from the other room. 
She’s talking to her lawyer again, but he’ll no doubt tell her what he always does. She won’t get what she wants. Even killing me would make it happen. I can’t die a suspicious death or she wouldn’t be able to collect the funds. So she’s stuck. 
I focus on my worst injuries and heal them as best I can. There are a few broken ribs, so I focus on those first because they could cause the worst damage if they aren’t fixed. Once I’m done with that, I get to work on other parts of me that are in bad shape. By the time I’m done with all the internal injuries, I’m too weak to fix the marks on the outside. It’s going to take some further recovery before my ability will be at full power again. This is why I still have so many scars. The damage is always too bad that I can never heal everything properly. By the time the scars heal, I can’t get rid of them. 
Time to see the damage. 
Quietly, I walk down the hall to the closest bathroom. When I flick the light on, I muffle a sob. I have an angry red mark on my face where she slapped me, and a black eye forming on the other side. There are also bruises on my arms as well. 
This is the worst I’ve ever looked. This is the worst she’s ever hurt me and that’s saying something. 
I can’t be seen like this!
Pulling the best I can on my powers, I try to fix what’s left, but I only manage to heal the red mark from her slap. The bruises haven’t changed at all. That will have to do for now. I’ll need some ice for the black eye, though. I turn the bathroom light off and walk silently to the kitchen. There are a few ice packs that I keep inside the freezer, so I pull one out and place it over my eyes. I hiss at the cold, but it gives me some relief. 
I fight back tears as I look at my reflection in the window. It’s dark now, which means I was passed out for a few hours…on the floor. She walked past me several times and did nothing. 
This can’t go on…
Even if she knows she can’t kill me, one day her anger will go too far and she will. This was proof of that. Any one of my injuries could have become life threatening. The idea of my last breath would come while I was lying on a cold floor makes a tear fall from my eyes. 
Would any wonder what happened to me? Or would they believe whatever crazy story my stepmom would tell them? 
Isabella wouldn’t know since I never told her what was going on here. She might believe that it had been an accident, too. No one would know the truth…
A sound from outside has me searching the darkness, but I only see my reflection looking back at me. I’m about to turn and head to my room when I feel something…like static in the air. It makes me pause and turn toward the window again and I could swear I see two golden eyes looking back at me, but when I close my eyes and open them again, they’re gone. A second later, I hear the faint sound of a howl far in the distance. 
Weird. 
I grab the ice pack from the counter where I had set it down and headed upstairs to my room. Exhaustion was taking over, and I could do with a good soak in the bath. It won’t heal the rest of my wounds inside and out, but it would feel nice. 
When I go to bed that night, I dream about Julian again. Why can’t I escape him? 
***
The next morning, I’m woken by the sound of my phone going off. I scramble out of bed to grab it and answer without checking to see who it is. 
“Hello?” I answer groggily. 
“Mila?” 
“Yep, that’s me.” I say. 
There’s a chuckle, and it sounds oddly familiar. “It’s Roman.” 
Roman. Oh shit!
“Oh, my god. Roman, I’m so sorry I meant to text you back, but the day got away from me.” 
I had been so happy when I got his text but that feels like ages ago, and now I’d forgotten to reply. 
“Don’t worry about it. Did I wake you?” He asks softly. 
I look over at the clock on my side table and curse under my breath. 
“Yes, but thank god you did or I would be late.” I tell him as I scramble to my feet. 
“Really? Where are you off to?” 
“I attend Mishnia College.” I put him on speakerphone and dash around my room, trying to get ready. 
“Wow! What are you studying?” 
“Everything.” I say with a tired laugh.
It wasn’t far from the truth. I piled my classes on because I didn’t know when I wouldn’t be able to afford it, and have to quit. 
“That’s cool. Do you get a lunch break at some point?” 
I stop brushing my hair and look at my phone like I could see him. “Yes.” I say warily. 
“I was hoping we could meet up.” 
A spark of excitement runs through me. “Really?”
He laughs. “Of course! I want to see you in the light of day, and not in a low lit club. Although you looked stunning in that light so I can only imagine what you would look like in the sunlight.” 
Wow, he’s good. 
“Right. Sure, I think I can be free for lunch.” I tell him, trying to hide my smile. 
“Great! See you at noon.” 
“Okay.” 
“Bye Mila.” He says in a low voice before ending the call. 
Did I just get asked out on a date? 

###>>>
Leave Me Alone

Julian’s POV
I blink my eyes open and groan at the intense head ache currently wreaking havoc in my head. 
“What- “
“You’re awake.” The family sound of my father’s voice makes me groan loudly. 
“What are you doing here, dad?” I say while I rub my eyes. 
I’m in no mood to deal with him, but with this headache, I don’t think I could escape him now. 
“I’m here because you destroyed an entire room in this house and took off in the middle of the night in your wolf form. Anyone could have seen you Julian, how could you be so careless?”
I guess we’re jumping right into things then. 
“I was angry and lost control, but I wasn’t seen and I didn’t hurt anyone. Okay?” 
Even though I want to nurse this headache for a few more hours, there isn’t time. I can’t show any weakness, and the way I lost control last night is bound to get around. Especially if my suspicions are true and we have a mole. Roman would use this incident against me if only to rile me up. 
“What are you really here for, dad? Are you finally going to tell me why I’m at Mishnia University?” I grab a shirt from my dresser and a pair of shorts before heading to my connected bathroom. 
I keep the door open so I can hear him, but he follows me and stands in the doorway. Great. 
“I need information, someone. He’s an important part of the next moves I plan on making.”
Just like Bash said. 
“Who’s the target?” I was not interested in doing what he wanted, but this might give me another bit of ammunition for my own plans. 
If this is so important to my father, then maybe I could flip it in my favor. 
“Melody Stalkton.” 
A girl? Bash made it sound like a guy. Why? 
“Who is she?” I ask trying my best to act as if this information didn’t take me by surprise.
“Her father is a banker who has some powerful people as their clients. Many of which use his services to clean their money. Which means he has access to accounts that no one else does.” 
I consider what he’s saying and then turn to face him. “Are you planning on stealing this money?” 
My father scoffs. “Please son, I wouldn’t lower myself to bank robbery.”
“Okay then, what’s your play?” I’m slowly losing my patience.
If he doesn’t get to the point soon…
“I want you to get close to the girl and get into the accounts. There is a specific person I want information on. A man call The Butcher.” 
Okay…
“Why do I need to find this guy?” 
“I need his help with a little problem I’m having. You’ve been taught to infiltrate these kinds of things thanks to your grandfather. So I need you to put those skills to use. Get close to the girl and charm your way into her father’s good graces. Get the account information and bring it back to me. Simple as that.” 
Right, simple. Except the fact that he was looking for a man that was most likely an assassin and won’t tell me who his target is. It makes me feel uneasy thinking about a man like that being contracted by my father. Could I be the one he plans on getting rid of? Did he find out what I have been doing? Fuck, I needed to call a meeting with my guys immediately. 
“Sure dad, I’ll get it done.” 
He narrows his eyes at me. “Just like that?” 
I shrug. “It’s not anything I haven’t done before. Unless there is something more you’re not telling me.” 
He scoffs. “Of course not. You know I never lie to you, son. Now get your ass to school.” 
He slaps me on the shoulder and it brings out the urge in me to shift and tears that hand from his body. 
He turns on his heels and walks out of my room, leaving me wondering what the hell he’s up to. This wasn’t good. An assassin on our turf was no small thing. Some serious shit was about to go down, and I needed to figure it out, and fast. 
I pull out my phone and call my main guy. 
“Steven, we need to meet.” I tell him. 
“Sure thing, boss. When and where?” 
“The cafe at 3.” I tell him. 
“I’ll get it done.” 
“Good.” I end the call and crack the back of the phone off and pull out the SIM card and wipe the whole thing. 
I never contact Steven on anything other than a burner phone. It’s the only way I’ve been able to keep all this under wraps. I’ll stop by a shop after school and grab a few more, and replace the one I threw at the club. I hop in the shower and wash myself quickly. When I step out and clear the condensation from the mirror and image flashes into my mind. An image of a bruised Mila looking tired and broken. Most of what happened after I shipped is a blur, but that image is as clear as day. Someone is hurting her, and if it’s Roman, I will hunt him down and kill the bastard. 
Until then, I have work to do, so I get dressed and grab the tablet sitting on my nightstand. Dad provided it for my schoolwork and downloaded all the books I would need for classes, along with a play-by-play of every lecture I would be attending. Apparently, getting good grades is a means to an end, and I’m no longer required to do anything on my own. 
I grab the keys to my Aston Martin and head over to the school. My car gets a few appreciative looks and a lot of female attention. I open the folder names Melody Stalkton and scan the crowd to see if she’s nearby. She isn’t here, so I give the girls a quick wink and head further into campus. The information on her says she sometimes hangs out in the library during her free time. So I head in that direction and silently hope she isn’t a bookworm and I have to pretend to be interested in romantic comedy books that she collects or some shit. 
As I’m walking down the path heading toward the library, the hairs on my body stand on end. That electric charge I always feel when Mila is close has me looking around for her. I spot her walking with her head down from one of the arts buildings, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by me that a few people are whispering about her. I catch a string of cold words and disgusting names thrown her way under their breath. 
What the fuck? What’s going on? 
I’m supposed to be looking for Melody, but I need to know what this whispering is all about. I jog over to Mila and she startles when I reach out and touch her arm. When she lifts her head, I see the faint edges of where she tried to hide a black eye. I grab her chin and tilt her head back so I can examine it better and when I meet her eyes; I see so much pain. 
“Who did this, Mila?” I say with a crack in my voice. 
It’s killing me to see her like this. Instead of scaring her with the rage I’m feeling, I brush my thumb along her chin and down to cup the side of her neck. 
“Please, sweetheart, tell me what happened.” I’ve never spoken to anyone like this, but she’s my mate and I need to know everything. 
She blinks up at me but turns her head away from me a second later. “It’s nothing. Nothing you’ll care about.” 
“What are you talking about?” I ask, feeling frustrated by the fact she’s pulling away from me. 
I know I should leave her alone, but things have changed. After last night, I realize I can’t just leave her alone. 
“You and I had a nigh together, and that’s all. You’ve moved on to other girls, and that’s fine. I just have to let that night go and move on too. That’s why I accepted Roman’s invitation for tonight. I’ve rested enough that I should be able to heal the bruises before tonight. So just leave me alone.” She pulls away from me and continues down the path. 
There’s this pain inside my chest the further she gets away and I would go after her and try to explain if I didn’t spot Melody coming out of the library. I had work to do, so this mess with Mila would have to wait. What I know is that I will be close by when she goes on this date. No way am I letting her be with Roman without me being nearby. 

###>>>
Date with Roman

Mila’s POV
I can’t believe Julian! He’s been openly flirting with other girls and then has the nerve to act like he cares about me. 
Again, I try to remind myself that it was one night, but as much as I say, it felt more than that. It felt like we connected, but boy has he proved me wrong every time I’ve seen him. He’s a popular guy, not that I could blame the girls flocking around him. He’s handsome there’s no question about that, but there is a dark secret hiding all of his nice features. I sensed the moment he touched me, and yet I still wanted him. That hasn’t changed and when he touched me just now, I wanted to lean in and accept his warmth. 
Why was he toying with me? 
Uh, I wish I could erase any memories of that night and him. I wish I could take it all back! 
Like I didn’t have enough drama in my life, I had to go and add more. I’m so stupid. 
Anyway, I’m meeting Roman today, so maybe he can take my mind off things even just for a little while. He’s handsome, charming and funny. A catch by anyone’s standards, so I need to focus on him. The fact he wants to go out with me at all is still mind blowing, but I won’t cancel because of my insecurities. No, I am going to enjoy the little happy moments as long as they are available to me. With my resolve secured I walk the rest of the way to the small cafe for my shift. It works out that my next class was canceled, so there won’t be any rush to end my date with Roman. Maybe today is looking up!
I make it through a huge rush at the cafe without my good mood being dampened and when things slowed down; I noticed Roman had been sending me texts. 
Roman: How do you feel about matching t-shirts? Is that too cheesy? 
Roman: Doesn’t matter because I got them, anyway. We’ll be one of those gross couples that wear the same stuff and enjoy every minute. 
He still hadn’t told me where he’s taking me, but from his messages it sounds fun!
Roman: Alright, now I have a serious question. Grilled cheese or pizza? Both have an unhealthy amount of cheese in them. 
Me: definitely pizza
Roman: A girl after my own heart. Pizza it is. 
Me: Do you plan on telling em where it is you’re taking me? 
Roman: No way princess. It’s a surprise. How about you play hooky today?
I consider that for a minute. I’ve never skipped school, even when everything went to shit back in high schools. Since I started college I’ve never missed a day either, but one time wouldn’t hurt. 
Me: Sure! I’m down for a little rebellion today. 
Roman: Excellent! See you in an hour, beautiful.
I can’t help but smile at our messages. Roman seemed so laid back and free. Like he didn’t mind letting loose and having a little fun, and boy could I use some fun. Things have been too dark and sad lately. I wanted to be spontaneous and live a little before reality hit me again and I was forced to live my normal life again. 
“What’s got you smiling like that?” My coworker asks with a knowing look. 
My face grows hot and I know I won’t be able to not to say anything. I’m too excited to keep it all bottled up. Might as well tell someone I barely know. 
“I have a date after my shift.” I blurt out. 
She laughs. “A good one, it seems. You look like you’re vibrating with excitement.” 
She wasn’t wrong. “I am excited. It’s been so long since I’ve been on a date. My last relationship ended badly, and I had sort of given up on finding someone but this guy. He’s funny and sweet. I think we could really have fun together.” 
“Well, enjoy it, girl. It’s hard finding a guy who’s both sweet and funny.” We both laugh and continue seeing customers until the whole quad empties. 
There were only a few people who didn’t have a class that was lingering, but they had been served, so I was free to leave. I grab my bag and head for the closest bathroom. I grabbed a larger bag so I could slip in a change of clothes. My clothes today were fine, but I wanted to look like I tried a little more. So I bought make-up too. Make-up that had been sitting in a drawer in my bathroom for over six months. Sad I know. 
I quickly changed and then set my little bag of make-up on the sink. My hair is a little disheveled, so I decide to pull it back into a high ponytail. It looks cute and playful. I look at myself in the mirror and notice my foundation is fading a little. My black eye was slowly revealing itself. I needed to take care of that quick before I move on to making myself look pretty. 
I wipe the make-up off completely and focus my power on the bruises. My head throbs the more I try to pull on my power. I thought a good night's sleep would be enough for it to get back to normal, but I still felt too weak. 
No. I’m not walking out of this bathroom with this embarrassing reminder of the horrible woman in control of my life. 
So I ignore the pain in my head and push the small flicker of power I have left and focus it on my black eyes. I watch the mirror as it slowly fades until it’s completely gone. I feel slightly headed and sway on my feet. Not good. I’ve never exhausted my powers this badly before. Maybe I hadn’t given myself enough time after healing Julian and then use a good amount of my powers healing myself. I needed to rest. 
That will have to wait. I squared my shoulders and pulled up a tutorial video on my phone. The woman in the video makes everything look so easy and I have a hard time not resenting her a little. Make-up for beginners, my ass. This had to be at least moderate level skills. Still, I do my best and when I’m done; it doesn’t look too bad. Not as seamless, but good enough. I till my head and make sure everything looks good before packing everything up and leaving. I told Roman to meet me by the statue of the school’s founder. 
I spot him a few miles away and laugh to myself when I see the shirt he’s wearing. It’s says ‘Property of this beautiful woman’ with an arrow pointing to the left. I’m guessing I will have to stay on that side of him for the whole date for the t-shirts to make sense. When he finally spots me, a huge smile forms on his face. I wave to him and he rummages through a bag and pulls out a shirt that looks just lie his but says ‘the owner of this guy’ with an arrow pointing right where Roman would stand. I stopped in front of him and took the shirt. It was big, but that meant it would fit perfectly over the clothes I was already wearing. 
“So, are you telling me where we’re going?” I ask as we walk side by side to his car. 
He takes something out of his pocket and hands it to me. They’re tickets for the fair that stops in town every year around this time. I’ve never been, so I do a little jump. 
“The fair? I can’t believe we’re going to the fair.” I say, feeling an urge to jump up and down some more. 
He gives me an amused look and smiles. “I knew you’d like it. Now let’s get out of here and have some fun.” 
I nod at him enthusiastically and then we’re off. As we drive, he asks me a few common first date questions, and I asked a few as well. It all felt so easy, which should have been a red flag, but I was too happy to see it. 
Hindsight is twenty twenty I guess. 
Anyway, we make it to the giant filled where the fair is set up and park at one for the far ends. This place is crazy crowded. 
“Come on!” Roman holds his hand out to me and I only hesitate for a second before taking it and allowing him to thread our fingers together. 
I let him lead the way while I gawked at every little thing I saw. 
“There’s so much to do!” I call out over the crowd and music playing. 
“We have time to do it all, so take your pick.” 
I smile at him and glance around. Fired Oreos? Yes, please! 

###>>>
Study with Melody

Julian’s POV
After I watch Mila walk away, I’m in a bad mood again. She pulled away from me and the ache has only gotten worse since she left, but I have to get this shit assignment from my dad done fast so I can work on fixing things between us. I’m fixing against hundreds of years of instinct passed through generations to stay away from Mila, which only pisses me off more. If I didn’t have plans to deal with my father already in motion, then I would rip his damn head from his body. 
Pushing aside plans of murder for now, I storm down the path to the library again. The large building is hard to miss once I get closer. Although most of the buildings here look like they have been around for a hundred years, there have been clear attempts to repair and modernize things slightly. The library, though, it looks like it hasn’t been touched. I would stop and admire the architectural art of its design if I wasn’t in a hurry to find this girl. 
Someone pushes the door open and a small group of students pass through. They give me a wide berth as they pass me and one guy holds the door for me. He doesn’t look me in the eye and scurries off once I’m inside. Even though I doubt they know who I am, they must sense a predator when they see one. 
Inside the library, I’m hit with the strong smell of old paper and anxiety. The students are giving off anxious pheromones as they struggle to study their course material. It’s fucking annoying smelling others' weaknesses when I don’t need the information for any use. Still, I endure it as I scan the room for the girl in the picture. She isn’t at any of the tables set up in rows through the middle of the giant space of the library. 
“Excuse me. Can I help you?” I turn my eyes to an older woman standing behind a large desk. 
She looks like a fucking cliche. The old lady sweater and glasses on a chain tell me this woman is the librarian. 
“Yeah, I’m looking for someone. Melody Stalkton.” I don’t show her the picture because that would cause too many questions, but her eyes narrow slightly, like she knows exactly who I’m talking about. 
“What do you want with her?” She asks with a little snap in her voice. 
“I don’t think that’s any of your business.” I tell her. 
“It is if you pose a threat to her.” 
I sigh and drop my head back. This woman is about to cause me to shift again if she doesn’t stop pushing into my business. 
“Look lady, I’m looking for her because she’s supposed to be tutoring me. Since my grades are slipping, you can imagine I’ve never been here before. So if you can point me in the right direction, we can end this interaction as quickly as possible.” I give her a fake smile, which she doesn’t seem to appreciate. 
“I don’t want to hear about any funny business involving you. She’s in one of our private rooms. They’re back there.” She points to the left of the library. 
“Great, thanks.” I step down the small set of stairs that lead to the main floor and walk past all the people with their heads in books. 
A few look up when I pass, but I don’t acknowledge them. 
“Well, hello.” A girl purrs as she steps into my line of sight, making me nearly collide with her. 
I reach out and grab her arms before we run into each other, but drop them just as fast. 
“Sorry, I don’t have time to chat.” I tell her and try to move around her, but she grabs my hand. 
A ripple of annoyance rolls over me at the feeling of her hand on me. The feel of another woman on my skin makes my wolf pissed off, and this woman is standing in the way of me getting shit done. So I twist my hand in her hold and pin it behind her back, making her gasp. I pull her closer and slide a finger down the side of her face, but her breath comes out shaky when my eyes shift to the golden color of my wolf. 
“Never touch me again. Understand?” 
“Y-yes.” 
“Good. Now go push those fake tits into someone else’s face.” I let her go, and she stumbles back a little before dashing down the row of books and out of sight. 
My wolf huffs in annoyance and starts to pace in my mind.
‘Relax.’ I hiss at him.
‘I want our mate.’ He growls back at me. 
‘Soon. First, we need to finish this.’
‘You do. I don’t care about human problems. You are keeping me from my mate, and I can make things very unpleasant for you if this goes on.’ 
‘What do you want me to do? She won’t even let me touch her.’ I remind him. 
‘Fix it.’ He says before cutting off communication. 
Fucking wolf. He thinks I can change Mila’s mind just like that, but I can’t force her to listen to me. What’s the fucking point trying? 
I finally spot a door with a glass window and see someone sitting inside on a laptop. It’s a guy, so I walk down and look down the row of rooms and decide to start on the right side and work my way down the line. The first few have guys and one girl who looks like she fell asleep at some point. There was one that had the blinds drawn and from what I could hear, whoever is in there isn’t studying. At least not in the academic sense. 
I finally find the girl in the third room to the end. She has her laptop open and a stack of books on the table that nearly reaches the top of her head. Holy hell. I recall her file saying she’s studying to be an astrophysicist. A loft goal if you ask me, but I’m not here to interview her on her learning choices. I’m here to collect information. So I knock on the door. Her head turns and her she gives me a confused look. I force on a friendly smile and wave. She looks at me a second longer before she pushes her chair away and walks over to the door. 
As a man, I can appreciate her beauty and figure, but she has nothing on Mila. Mila is stunning in every way. 
Melody opens the door just enough to talk through. “Who are you?” She asks in a skeptical voice. 
“Julian Keller. My father told me we were studying at the same school and wanted me to introduce myself.” Her face changes from confusion to understanding and then annoyance. 
“If you’re one of the guys my father has been trying to set me up with, I’ll tell you right now that I’m not interested. I don’t care what kind of name my father is trying to attach to our family. I’m not getting married right now.” She moves to close the door, but I slam my hand on it to stop her. 
“I’m not here to ask for your hand in marriage.” I tell and then I quickly try to come up with a reason she would be a perfect tutor for me. 
What does someone studying to be an astrophysicist would study? Stars?
“Your father mentioned what you're studying and I’m taking astronomy this year. Look, I’m hoping for some tutoring. Can you help me or not?” Maybe this isn’t the best way to do this, but this girl looks like she won’t trust me for shit if I don’t have a good reason to talk to her. 
“I’ve never seen you before.” She says, sounding just as suspicious as before. 
“I just transferred here. I took a break from school to work with my dad, but he insisted I go back to school to finish my degree.” Mostly true. “But the break I took put me back a lot more than I expected.”
There’s a beat of silence where she looks me over. I would think she was checking me out if I didn’t see the lack of interest in her eyes. Well, my father’s idea of seducing her will not work. There’s nothing wrong with me that much I know, so whatever she doesn’t like must have to do with her taste. 
“So, will you help me?” I ask, getting tired of this quiet perusal. 
She glares at me once more before dropping her head and sighing. “Fine, but only because tutoring would look good on my resume. Come in.” 
She steps back to let me in. Once I’m inside, I walk past the little station she’s made for herself and see several formulas scribbled on a notebook next to her laptop. Fuck, this girl is weird smart. 
“So, when do we start?” I ask. 
“Right now. I have this room for three more hours. I hope you don’t have anywhere else to be.” 

###>>>
Double Date?

Mila’s POV
This is the most amazing date I’ve ever been on. Roman is so sweet, and hasn’t complained once if I walk too fast from excitement or eat too slow. He has also stopped at every game to win me something to take home with me, and is carrying a plastic bag over his shoulder full of little stuffed animals. I can’t help but smile every time I look over at him holding that giant bag. 
This time I’m not quite sneaky enough, and he smiles. “What?” 
I shake my head, but I can’t shake my smile. “You just look so silly with that bag of stuffed animals over your shoulder.”
He chuckles. “I don’t mind it. It puts that beautiful smile on your face.” 
My face heats at his words and I lower my head, hoping he won’t see. 
“So where to next?” He asks. 
“Aren’t you tired? We did a lot already.” I point out, but he shakes his head. 
“No way! We haven’t done rides yet. Unless you’re not into that, then we can grab a few more fried Oreos. I think I’ve developed an unhealthy addiction to these things.” 
“Me too.” I admit with a dreamy sigh. “I don’t think anything could taste any better.”
“I could think of something.” He says and smirks at me. 
His meaning isn’t lost on me, but as handsome as he is, there is no way I’m sleeping with him tonight. I made that mistake once already and I’m not doing it again. As much fun as I’ve had today, if he’s just being sweet to get me into bed, then this will be our first and last date. I’m not into hooking up. 
“How about we try out that?” I point in a random direction, hoping to get away from this subject, and his head turns to see where I’m pointing. 
Since I didn’t think before I chose, my stomach drops at the ride I stupidly chose. 
“Are you sure?” He asks. 
“Yep! I can’t wait.” My voice is too high pitched to be convincing, but I won’t back down. 
Especially not if it means we’ll be in a position for him to convince me to sleep with him. If this is our last date, then I want to enjoy it until it’s over. 
“Okay. Let’s do this then.” He grabs my hands and leads me to the ride. 
How did they even set this up? Why would anyone go on this thing? It’s a giant circle bowl kind of thing with a bench that goes all the way around. From how people are sliding around, it looks like this thing doesn’t have any seat belts. That can not be safe, and it has to be a huge liability to this place. 
When we move closer, I see handles on the benches and a soft-looking floor and bumpers. I guess so if people fall; they don’t crack their skull open. Still, it does little to make me feel less worried. 
“Hey man. Two please, and can I leave this with you?” I hear Roman say, but my eyes are fixed on the thing too hard to listen to whatever else he says. “You ready?” 
Hearing his voice and the feeling him squeeze my hand has my heart picking up speed and not in a good way. For a second there I could just look at the thing and guess what it would be like to ride it, but know I’ll never know, but that was a hopeful dream. No, I am going to ride this thing and most likely puke right after. Nothing says a good date like said date having to hold your hair back as you throw up. So fun. 
“Yeah, let’s do this.” I say, trying to hide my fear and by his smile he ethers knows I’m lying or believes my lie. 
It doesn’t matter because he tugs my hand and we climb onto the monstrous thing together. We pick a seat that’s closer to the entrance, just like everyone else has, because how on earth would we get to the other side with this thing on its side? When we finally sit, I glance over at another couple and see the guy whispering into his girl’s ear and her head shaking, but her eyes are just as large as mine must be. 
This was a huge mistake! 
“Just hang on to me,” Roman says.
When I look at him, he has a smile on his face and winks at me like he’s hoping I’ll be all over him. No wonder he barely tried to talk me out of this. Men. 
As soon as the ride starts, I slam into him. An embarrassing squeaking sound escapes me and he immediately wraps an arm around me while I hold on to the handles like my life depends on it. I guess it does because, at my current weight, I would be thrown off this thing like a doll. 
“Here we go!” Roman shouts as the ride picks up speed and I squeeze my eyes shut. 
As soon as the ride starts to spin faster, I can’t hold back the scream. Neither can anyone else, and soon there is a chorus of screams coming from all of us, except for Roman, who’s laughing. If I wasn’t worried that letting one of my hands free from the handles would send me flying, I would smack him. How can he be laughing right now? 
I don’t know how long we are thrown in circles, but by the time the ride finally stops, my vision is still spinning. Roman has to wrap one arm around my waist and holds my arm with one of his hands. 
“I hate you.” I grumble, making him break out laughing. 
“Hey you picked this monster.” He says and I elbow him in the ribs. 
He’s generous enough to grunt like I actually wounded him, but my elbow throbs, which means he’s too bulked up under his shirt for my weak elbows to have inflicted any damage what so ever. I let him help me to a nearby bench, where I drop on my ass like a sack of potatoes. 
“The world is moving too fast.” I say. 
“That’s just you, cutie. Hang on, I’ll grab you some water.” 
I wave him off and try to focus on a single point in front of me to stop my head from spinning, but what I see only makes my stomach churn worse. Julian? 
What would Julian be doing here? He stands out like a sore thumb. I’m surprised I hadn’t noticed him yet. Unless he just got here, but seriously? He looks so out of place here that for a second I think I’m imagining him. That is until he stops short and looks right at me. Everything around us becomes a blur and everything goes quiet. It’s like all my senses zero on him. 
This is bizarre. 
He moves toward me when a girl jogs over and threads her arm through his and smiles up at him. It feels like an arrow has struck me in the chest at the sight of yet another girl hanging on his arm. 
Except that I’m here with Roman. So how could I be upset at him for being with someone else when I’m doing the same thing? 
I blink and look away from him. The sounds of the fair come crashing back in around me and I decide my hands are far more interesting than anything else. 
“Your water, my lady.” I look up to see Roman bowing slightly and holding a bottle of water out to me. 
He’s so extra and it should be embarrassing, but it’s sort of charming. So I smile and accept the water. 
“Roman.” The sound of Julian’s voice has both of us going ridged. 
Roman recovers far quicker and gives me one more smile before sitting next to me and throwing his arm around my shoulders. 
“Julian! What the hell are you doing here? I wouldn’t think this was your scene,” Roman says casually. 
I try my hardest not to look at Julian, but I can feel his eyes burning on the side of my face. So, against my better judgment, I turn my head slightly to look at him. The pretty girl next to him is all smiles as she looks between the three of us. 
“Hi! I’m Stephanie!” She says, holding a hand out to me. 
Not only is she stunning, but she has a hint of an accent that makes her voice send almost melodic. 
“Hi, I’m Mila.” I accept her handshake and give her the best smile I can. 
“That’s such a pretty name.” She says kindly. 
“She’s one of my employees.” Julian says, cutting into whatever else Stephanie was about to say. 
“Really? That’s so cool!” 
“I’m Roman sweetheart. Has Julian mentioned me?” Roman asks. 
My head snaps in his direction. Sweetheart? 
“Sorry, no, he hasn’t, but he’s not great at sharing.” She says before playfully smacking his arm. 
Our eyes are locked on each other and that pain I feel magnifies. Not because he’s here with this woman, but because I want to reach out for him but can’t. It hurts more to stay away from him than seeing him with someone else. How screwed up am I? 

###>>>
Someone Hanging There

Mila’s POV
The drive back to school is quiet. Not that Roman hasn’t tried his best to distract me from the awkward moment we shared with Julian and his date. I just can’t let it go and I hate that Roman has to suffer because I’m an emotional mess. 
Why am I a mess? 
It was ONE night! How could that man entrap me so easily after just one time? It’s like a put a spell on me and it keeps pulling me toward him, no matter how much I want to run away. 
“Hey.” Roman brushes a finger along my cheek and I finally turn to look at him. 
He gives me a weak smile, but there is no sign that he’s angry at me, which makes me hate myself more. 
“I’m so sorry. We were having such a great time and I- “
“Don’t,” He says, cutting me off. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s clear you and Julian have a history and from the tension between you two, I’m guessing it’s not good. You have every right to be upset at seeing him. I’m not upset about how things ended today, and you shouldn’t be either. We had a lot of fun before that and that’s all that matters. Okay?” 
His finger moves down my chin and along my bottom lip. I see his eyes follow the movement, and I know he wants to kiss me. Except I don’t feel the same urge. Not after seeing Julian because now all I can think about is the way he kissed me. The way we fit so well together and the way my body reacted to every touch. 
“Thank you for understanding. I really had fun today. It’s one of the best days I’ve had in a long time.” I give him a genuine smile because none of that is a lie. 
It’s been years since I had a day of just letting go and having fun. 
“Thank you for driving me back.” I say before I lean in and leave a kiss on his cheek. 
I unbuckle myself and throw open my door before turning to climb out. There is a sigh from behind me and I know he wanted more than a kiss on the cheek, but I just can’t. Once I’m out of the car, I turn around and give him one more smile and a goodbye before I slam the door and head to the car closest to me. He thinks it’s my car. I didn’t want him offering to drive me home because if my stepmom saw him and the car he drives she will make a scene. So I lied, and I wait next to the car and wave goodbye as he drives away. 
Once he’s far enough away, I head toward the closest bus stop. Since Julian showed up and ruined our date, it’s still early and there’s light out, so I’m not worried about taking the bus home. Isabella would come running if I called her, but I wanted to process today on my own. I can’t explain to her the feelings rushing through me right now, so I need to figure it out on my own. So far, that has not proved helpful, but maybe I can pretend for a minute. 
I nearly jump out of my skin when my phone goes off. My hands fumble with it when I pull it out of my small over the shoulder bag. It’s a text from Roman. 
Roman: Hey beautiful. I forgot to give you that bag of stuffed animals. I guess that means we’ll have to meet up again. You game?
My lip quirks up slightly at his playful tone. He doesn’t seem the least bit upset by today, and I’m glad of it. I would hate to hurt him after how nice he’s been to me. So I quickly answer him. 
Me: Sure! I’d love that.
Roman: Good, I’ll see how my schedule is this week and see when we can meet up again. Sleep tight and dream of me. 
That makes me laugh. 
Me: You wish
Roman: You have no idea.
Me: Good night.
He sends me a winking face emoji and I shake my head. Other than Isabella, I’ve never met anyone so laid back. I wish I could channel some of that energy so it doesn’t feel like my insides are wrapping around each other all the time. 
I reread our conversation and feel a small bit of hope. We may not share a strong connection yet, but he’s nice, and that’s good enough for now. It’s new and fun, so I won’t let myself over think it. 
Who am I kidding? What girl in history has never done her share of overthinking? 
The bus arrives a few minutes later and I still have a smile on my face as I step on. It’s still too early for me to head to the club, and I brought nothing to wear, so I’ll have to go home. Since it’s early in the semester, I don’t have much schoolwork to do, but I wish I had the excuse to go to the library for that reason. There’s a chance my stepmom won’t be home, but just to be safe, I decide to send her a text. It’s not something I would normally do, but I’m too tired to deal with her, so if she is home, I’ll have to sneak in without her knowing. 
I healed most of my injuries from last time, but not all of them, and adding any more would make it impossible for me to heal any faster. My ability has been getting weaker, and I think it has to do with the fact that I’ve had to heal myself a lot more often. I also healed…Julian too. 
Uh! I drop my head back and close my eyes just for a second. It isn’t my intention to fall asleep, but I know wherever I am, it isn’t real. I’m in the middle of the club, with Julian on one side and Roman on the other. Both of them are calling me to them, but I can’t move. It’s almost like a fork in the road and I don’t know which path to take. Roman’s bright smile and relaxed demeanor are appealing, but Julian’s brooding silence and intense eyes are just as appealing. Then there’s the smirk…his makes me feel warm all over while Roman’s makes me cringe slightly. 
When I don’t choose him quick enough, his charming smile and kind eyes morph into a scowl and hatred. It’s such a drastic change that I stumble back to get away from him. 
“I should have known you would turn into another number in his book. Too bad I don’t like sloppy seconds.” Roman hisses at me. 
My stomach rolls, but then Julian is on him. His fist slams against Roman’s face. The sound of flesh hitting flesh and the cracking of bone makes me even more sick to my stomach. Then something changes. Both of them start to change. The skin on their bodies begins to stretch and morph as their bones crack and come back together. 
Soon there are two large wolves attacking each other where men used to be. A scream rips through me and the fear of what I had just seen jolts me out of my dream. I’m gasping for air as I try to escape the last tendrils of the horrible things I’d just seen, but something about it felt too real. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get that image out of my head. 
I look out through the window and see my stop has already passed, so I pull the string over my head to tell the driver I need to get off. At least the bus is empty, and no one saw my small freak out just now. We pass another street before the bus finally pulls over and opens its doors to let me out. Once my feet are on the sidewalk, I realize I’m not familiar with this area. I turn to get back on the bus, but it’s already pulling away. Panic has me running after it with my hands waving in the air, but the driver doesn’t notice and keeps on driving. 
Shit. 
My heart is racing from the jolt of fear and the burst of running I just did, but it gets worse now. It feels like it’s ready to jump out of my chest and make a run for it, and I don’t blame it. 
“Toto, we aren’t in Kansas anymore.” I mumble to myself. 
How have I lived here for so long and haven’t ever seen this area of the city? The sound of shattering glass makes me jump and whirl around to see someone hanging out of a window in one of the apartments. Someone bursts through the door below and starts screaming. Oh, my god, what is that?

###>>>
Can You Heal Him?

Julian’s POV
“So I’m guessing you know that girl we saw today.” Stephanie says next to me as I drive us back home. 
I shrug, but she nudges me and gives me a look that says she won’t let this go if I don’t answer her questions. 
“Yeah, I know her.” Is all I say, but she waves her hand, telling me to go on. “We slept together a couple days ago after I lost my temper.” 
Her eyes widen slightly. “You never lose your temper. You’re a coldhearted asshole. One of many, but the worst by far.”
I give her an unamused look. “Your brother isn’t the warm, cuddly type, either.”  
She laughs. “Ryan is an asshole with a god complex, but you are a whole other monster.”
She isn’t wrong. My cousin is one of the most lethal people in this city, but he has a way of blending in that I have yet to master. My father taught me to be the biggest presence in the room, where my uncle taught my cousin to blend in and strike without being seen. Sometimes I envy his ability to be hidden, but when it comes to what I do, that’s not an option. Thanks to my father, my face is often in the media, so staying hidden isn’t an option. I have to live two separate lives, one as business mogul Ezekiel Keller’s son and then in my town as a ruthless son of a mafia boss. 
Well, an ex-mafia boss if we’re getting technical. 
“So, what are you going to do?” Stephanie asks after a long silence. 
“Nothing.” I tell her and I mean it. 
I have no rights to Mila, mate or not. She doesn’t know what she is to me, and has clearly chosen another guy, so why would I make a move on her. That would only make things worse. The real problem is that I know Roman doesn’t give a shit about her and she’s going to end up getting hurt, but if I warn her, she won’t believe me. So yeah, I’m not doing anything. 
Stephanie finally lets the topic go when she finds something more interesting on her phone. I decide to take a shortcut through one of the neighborhoods I’ve been hearing some reports about. There have been some reports of a new product being brought in by a new distributor, and many people have been getting sick. This is my city, and I will not let someone come in and screw with my city. 
The first thing I see are some kids standing on the corner looking fucking guilty. I decide to pull over and send their dumb asses home. I stop on the curb and shut the car off. Stephanie rolls her window down, playing the part in getting their attention. She already knows the routine thanks to her life of being a mafia princess. 
One guy whistles and walks over to talk to her. “Hey sexy lady.” 
I shake my head at their lack of imagination. 
“Hey boys! Can I get some of what you got?” she asks, sounding just as stupid. 
“You can have anything you want, but it’s going to cost you.” The leader of the group says as he moves closer. 
“What would that be?” Steph asks. 
The guy leans down to look through her window, and his smile drops when he sees me. 
“Julian Keller. Hey man!” He says, trying to act like we’re old friends, but he can’t be more than seventeen.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him. 
He lets out a nervous laugh. “Nothing man. Just hanging out.” 
“Really? So you haven’t heard anything about- “
A loud shattering sound comes from across the street and someone screams when a loud pop echoes through the street. 
“Shit!” the guys say and take off running. 
Another pop and more screaming. 
“Are you fucking crazy?” Someone yells. 
“I’m calling the police.” Steph says, but I barely hear her because I feel her. 
My eyes scan the street for her, but I don’t see her. There are people yelling and a crowd has formed in front of one of the apartment buildings. 
“Call an ambulance!” Someone yells from inside the crowd and my chest tightens. 
I can’t see her…is she…
I throw my door open and run toward the crowd. Panic grips me as I imagine her body bloody and broken, but when I finally push my way through the crowd, she isn’t the one hurt. She’s bent over someone and her hands are covered in blood where she is pressing down on a wound. 
“They said the ambulance is twenty-minutes away!” A woman calls out before kneeling on the other side of the person on the ground. 
I move closer and see that it’s a kid. Shit!
My eyes move back to Mila and I remember the night we were together and how she had healed me. Can she do that again? It’s rare for people to have abilities like us and a chance that the crowd could freak out if she does. Maybe that’s why she hasn’t healed the kid already. There’s a chance it could make the situation more volatile. 
“Did anyone see the shooter?” I say. 
The crowd goes quiet and turns to look at me. 
“N-no. They ran off before we could get a look.” Someone in the crowd says. 
“I saw them.” Mila’s soft voice hits me and I have to fight back a physical reaction to the sound. 
“Can you describe them?” I ask her, trying my best to keep my face neutral so she can’t see the effect she has on me. 
She nods. 
“Good.” I move closer and squat next to her and lean in so only she can hear me. “Can you heal him?” 
Another nod. 
“Do it. Just enough that he won’t bleed out before the ambulance arrives. Then I need you to tell me everything you saw.” I instruct her. 
She turns to look at me. “Why?” 
I lock eyes with her and my wolf purrs at the sight of or mate. Fucking animal. 
“Because this is my neighborhood, and I don’t trust the cops. I have my own form of justice.” 
She looks at me like she can’t understand who I am, and I both hate and am happy about it. If she sees me as nothing more than a thug, then she’ll stay far away from me, but on the other hand, all I want is for her to be close to me. 
“I don’t think- “She starts to say something, but I cut her off. 
“I’m not asking you to think, Mila. You need to do as I say. Understand?” I try to say it without leaving any room for discussion, but she narrows her eyes on me. 
“You don’t have a say in what I do.” She glares at me, and I can’t help but smirk. 
Feisty thing. 
I grab her chin and force her to keep looking at me. “I do have a say, princess, and you will listen to me because if you don’t, then a whole lot of bad shit will happen and I don’t want you involved in it. Do you understand me?” 
Her chest rises and falls and her jaw clenches. “Okay.”
“Good girl.” I whisper and brush my thumb over her bottom lip. 
The urge to kiss her right now is strong, even with the mess going on. 
“Now heal him and get the hell out of here.” 
She pulls her face out of my hand and focuses her attention on the injured boy. Her eyes fall closed, and she lets out a deep breath. I can feel her power when she uses it, but no one else seems to notice. They don’t notice because they’re human and not her mate, but I feel it all. 
“I need something to hold on to the wound.” She calls out to no one in particular. 
“Here.” Her head turns to look behind me and her eyes drop to mine for a second before she accepts the sweater…Stephanie’s sweater. 
“Thank you.” She turns back to the kid and covers his wound with the sweater and soon we hear the ambulance. 
“That’s good enough.” I tell her and grab her wrist, pulling her to her feet. 
“Make room!” One of the EMTs calls from the outside of the crowd. 
As they move in, I tug Mila out and away from the crowd. She lets me until we reach my car and then she pulls out her arm hard. 
“Let me go.” Her voice is meant to be confident, but I can hear the uncertainty. 
Anger like nothing I’ve ever felt grows inside me and I whirl around to face her, ready to tell her off until I see her scared eyes. She is rubbing her wrist where I held her and curled into herself like…like she’s afraid of me. 
Fuck!

###>>>
You can Heal!?

Mila’s POV
Julian’s eyes shift from anger to concern so quickly that my breath catches.
“Don’t,” He says in a low voice with a slight hitch of emotion. “Don’t look at me like you’re scared of me.” 
Is that what he thinks? 
Okay, I won’t lie and say that the way he dragged me away didn’t cause a few bad memories to flare up, but…I wasn’t scared of him. Which makes no sense given how he just acted and yet it’s true. He doesn’t scare me. 
“I’m not.” I snap at him. 
So I’m still a little annoyed, but can you blame me? 
He narrows his eyes at me. “And why not, princess?” 
I can’t tell if the pet name is meant as an insult or a compliment, but either way, I was the farthest thing from a princess you could get. 
“I don’t know.” I admit sounding less annoyed and more breathless as our eyes stay locked on each other. 
He looks at me for a long moment, probably wondering if I’m telling the truth. He shakes his head like he wants to get rid of anything he saw on my face just now. His hand goes up to his hair and he runs his fingers through the dark stands. My eyes follow the movement of their own accord. I’m caught watching him and a small smirk tips at the corner of his lips, which makes me scowl. 
“Come on, princess, I’ll take you home.” He says and tilts his head in the direction of a super expensive sports car. 
“What about your girlfriend?” I ask him as he walks away and toward the car. 
He doesn’t even bother checking to see if I’m following him. 
“Jealous princess?” He shoots over his shoulder, making me scowl at his back. 
“Not in the least.” I lie. 
Of course I’m jealous! I mean, why wouldn’t I be when he shows up with a girl as gorgeous as her twice on the same day? Also, he isn’t denying it, which is only making me feel worse. He stops in front of the driver's door and places a finger on a small section of metal cut out from the rest of the door. The car makes a sound that I’m guessing means it’s unlocked, and he pulls the door open. I watch in awe at the sight of this car. It smells expensive! There is no way I’m climbing in it. 
“I can take the bus.” I blurt out. 
Julian turns to look at me and laughs. “Like hell you are, princess.” 
“Stop calling me that!” I yell at him. “I’m not a princess! Nothing about me is.” 
He seems startled either from my words or from my outburst, but I don’t stick around to figure it out. I turn on my heels and start storming toward the bus stop. I’m stopped by a hand on my wrist, but it’s far more gentle this time. Then there is a firm tug and I’m falling against Julian’s chest. He wraps one of his arms around me and I feel him rest his head on top of mine. My whole body goes completely still. What is he doing? 
I try not to breathe as I feel his head lift from mine and his hand reaches up to brush my hair away from my neck. The barest touch of his fingers sends a shiver through me and he makes a sound I can’t describe deep in his chest. I feel his breath against my ear and my body feels weak. 
“You don’t like being called Princess? How about Mi Reina?” He whispers.
The slight accent that seeps through his words makes me swallow hard. 
“W-what does it mean?” My voice trembles slightly, proving to him what a mess he can make me. 
“It means My Queen.” He says with a slight growl, and then he nips at the skin just below my ear. 
That small move makes my legs buckle and go limp in his arms. Oh my god, what was that? 
He lets out an approving sound and runs his nose along my neck. “I can’t resist you.” 
Okay, I need to stop this before things get too far. I already fell into his trap once and what about Roman? We might not be official, but he’s been so kind to me. He deserves better than me getting weak in the knees for some other guy. 
“Stop.” I whisper and push at his chest. 
He makes a sound in protest but slowly lets me go. I take a step away from him and wrap my arms around myself. 
“I can’t.” I say, as if I’m ashamed to refuse any attention from him. 
He sighs and blows a breath out, but doesn’t grab me again. Instead, he gives me a weak smile. “Come on, I’ll take you home. I’m surprised Roman would let you out of his sight like this. He’s usually a lot more careful with his things.” 
All that tension and warmth I felt for him was suddenly gone. “I’m not his.” I hiss at him. 
He tilts his head. “No? Then what are you?” 
Good question. “I’m not his. I don’t need a ride. See you at the club later.” 
“I won’t be there.” He says, and I look up at him. “So don’t worry about feeling like my eyes are always following you.”
Once again I get a chill. The way he says that he’s watching me and the golden hue swirling in his eyes makes me suddenly feel hot all over. It would be so easy to get lost in those eyes, but I need to get out of here. 
“Fine.” I say and rush off toward the bus stop. 
I can feel him watching me, but I don’t turn around or look over my shoulder at him. When my phone rings, I nearly jump out of my skin and fumble with it, trying to answer it. 
“H-hello?” 
“Mila? What the hell happened? I saw you on TV at shooting?” Roman’s panicked voice echoes in my ear, and I deflate. 
“I’m fine. I was just in the wrong place at the right time. A kid was shot, and I was able to help until the paramedics came.” I purposefully leave out the part where Julian showed up. 
“Are you alright?” He asks, and for a second, I think about telling him the truth. 
The truth is that I am so confused about my feelings that I’m not okay. 
“I’m fine. I’m heading home now.” 
“Maybe I should come get you.” He offers, but I shake my head and then realize he can’t see me. 
“No, I’m fine, I promise.” 
There is a short pause before I hear him sigh. “I was scared shitless, babe.” 
Babe? 
We’ve been on one date! Unless…is it normal for someone to use pet names after one good date? 
I can’t say I know the rules for dating, since things with Scott weren’t exactly normal. He wanted everything to be secret between us because of my stepmom, but now I know it’s because he didn’t want people to know he was with me. 
“I’m sorry, but please don’t worry.” I assure him. 
“I don’t think I won’t be able to not worry about you ever again. From now on, I’ll pick you up and drop you off at your house.” His voice comes out in a way that tells me not to argue. 
The sound gives me a chill, but not in a good way. Unlike when Julian speaks forcefully to me, which makes me feel something a lot different. 
“Don’t worry. I’m heading home to get ready for work, so I’ll be fine.” I assure Roman. 
“Okay. I might stop by tonight then.” I could hear the smile in his words. 
“As long as you leave a good tip, then I’d love to see you.” I say playfully. 
He chuckles. “Gotta take care of my girl. I’ll be there. See you tonight, beautiful.” 
“See you tonight.” I say back and end the call. 
I’m smiling to myself when I reach the bus stop again. I barely sit down before a car pulls up in front of me. My blood runs cold when the window rolls down and I see my stepmother sitting in the driver's seat. 
“Get in Mila. Now.” Her voice leaves no space for debate, and I quickly climb in without a question. 
She pulls away from the curb so fast that the sound of rubber burning follows behind her. 
“What the fuck have you done, Mila?” She says, far too calmly. 
“What do you mean?” I ask. 
“I saw you heal that child.” She says. 
My breath gets caught in my chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 
Her head snaps in my direction. “Don’t lie to me. I’ve raised you and I know what I saw! You can heal people. Don’t lie to me!” 
I bite my tongue. She doesn’t know what she saw, and anything I say now will confirm and suspicions she has. 
“This is why you can heal so fast.” She says with a humorless laugh. “What happen to your father…it happened to you too.” 
It isn’t a question. Again I stay silent. Everything I have feared since this happened to me is coming true.