My eyes snapped open, and a deep breath escaped my throat as the door slammed open. I shifted my gaze towards the entrance, and amidst the haze, I recognized the outline of a familiar figure making its way towards me.

I blinked repeatedly, attempting to focus my eyes, but everything remained blurry.

Suddenly, a strong pressure seized my neck, and a sharp scream erupted from my throat as I was yanked up by my collar, forcing me onto my feet.

Struggling to maintain my balance, I swayed precariously as my back collided with the wall.

"Still not awake, huh?" a gruff voice hissed, followed by a searing pain on my cheek.

The force of the blow jolted my weakened body, sending me sprawling in the opposite direction.

Gasping for air, I crashed onto the ground, my back colliding with the unforgiving rocky gravel.

"Bring me the water pitcher," he ordered with a contemptuous and malicious tone, addressing his enslaved followers.

Before I could comprehend the situation, my face was drenched with what felt like an avalanche of water, causing me to cough as it entered my nostrils.

Yet, my vision remained unfocused, and I continued to struggle in my battle to stay conscious.

"My lord, she has been injected with wolfsbane. It's making her weak and impairing her senses. She won't be able to respond until the effects wear off," one of his slaves informed him.

The audacity of someone speaking without his permission kindled his anger, and he let out a menacing growl.

"YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" he snarled, seizing the slave by the neck and snapping it in an instant, ending his life.

The gruesome sight of witnessing someone's life being extinguished right before my eyes danced hauntingly in my mind, sending a chill through my entire body.

My eyelids grew heavy, and I teetered on the precipice of darkness, when a sudden, sharp sting pierced my right arm.

I hissed in pain and instinctively tried to break free, but an ironclad grip held me firmly in place.

With great effort, I blinked, forcing my vision to focus on my surroundings, and a blurred image of someone injecting my arm etched itself onto my retina.

Fear and panic surged within me, and I began to jerk my arm, fearing that the unknown assailant was poisoning me.

However, before I could take any action, the needle was swiftly withdrawn, releasing my arm from its clutches.

"Give it a moment, my lord. The antidote will take effect soon," a soft voice whispered, eliciting a satisfied growl in response.

Gradually, the fragmented pieces of information started to assemble in my mind, forming a coherent picture. One by one, the puzzle began to reveal itself.

Wolfsbane. Death. Abuse. Familiar face. Antidote. Pain.

A wave of realization washed over me, and a curse escaped my lips. I had been kidnapped.

"What is it that you want?" I growled, yanking on the silver shackles that seared and bruised my skin beneath them.

I refused to flinch. Pain held no power over me right now.

"You know damn well what I want, you wretched whore!" He spat, gripping my jaw and distorting my face with agonizing pressure. "I want every scrap of information you possess. If you cooperate and spill your secrets, I'll release you. Think about it. No more suffering. No more struggles."

I regarded him with an incredulous look, as if he had just uttered the most absurd proposition imaginable, and burst into raucous laughter.

My laughter echoed through the room, so loud and unrestrained that it caused me to clutch my stomach, and his face flushed with humiliation.

Enraged, he raised his fist high in the air and delivered a brutal blow to my face, snapping my jaw and causing my cheeks to collide with my teeth, making them bleed.

I cradled my injured cheek, spitting out the blood, while waves of pain radiated through my jaw and cheeks, and dizziness swirled in my head. Yet, I remained resolute.

"I won't utter a word," I declared, defiance lacing my voice. "I owe my loyalty to my pack, my family, and my people. You won't extract any information from me. I would rather meet death than surrender easily."

My words seemed to strike a nerve, as a deranged glint flickered in his eyes, and he growled at me.

"So you refuse the easy way, huh? What do you want then? Pain? It's easier said than endured. It's simple to make promises, but difficult to bear the consequences. Women are weak, and I'm certain you won't withstand the torment."

Anger blazed in my eyes as I stared him down.

"Women are NOT weak—"

Before I could finish my sentence, a vicious kick landed squarely in my stomach, driving me backward into the wall. Agony coursed through me, and I gasped, doubling over, but the shackles restricted my movements.

"Remove her restraints and let me show her the true meaning of weakness," he commanded, and soon the chains were undone.

A look of sheer horror crossed my face as he advanced toward me.

"I could have given you wolfsbane, but your wolf is already dead. Poisoned at such a tender age."

My wolf is not dead! I wanted to shout at him, but even to my own ears, those words sounded desperate.

"However, I want to inflict upon you a pain that will stain your soul forever. Something you won't forget, something that will scare you to the core."

I used a towel to dry my hair a bit as I stood in front of the mirror after my shower. Football was my love, my passion. But sweaty jerseys were something I just couldn't handle, and I had to take a shower after every game. I was a clean freak like that.

I gelled my hair into the perfect spike, sprayed on some cologne that drove all the girls crazy, and pulled on a simple v-neck shirt that showed off my toned chest. I was getting ready to head out when my phone pinged with a message. Initially, I ignored it, assuming it was some girl I had been with before, asking to come over. But this time, I decided to check, just in case she had sent nudes.

To my surprise, it wasn't from a girl. It was my best friend Thiago, informing me about a party.

I sighed and slipped my phone into my pocket. Despite the exchange with Thiago, I couldn't shake off the feeling that this party was going to be a drag. But hey, a party was a party, and there was always a chance of meeting new people. Maybe there would be some attractive girls there, even if I wasn't planning on hooking up with them again.

I grabbed my keys and headed out the door, leaving behind my thoughts of one-night stands and focusing on the evening ahead. Deep down, beneath my carefree and promiscuous exterior, there was a part of me that craved genuine connections. Maybe this party would surprise me and offer something more than just another conquest.

I playfully sent him an insult and shook my head in amusement. That's what best friends do—insult and tease each other mercilessly. But when someone else tried to say anything negative to either of us, we would go all ballistic and defensive. It was a dynamic we had perfected over the years.

Thiago had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. We were inseparable even as kids, always causing mischief and pushing each other's limits. We were like the Alpha and Beta, working together to run the pack in the best way possible.

I opened my bedside drawer and grabbed a few condoms, tucking them securely into my jeans. Picking up my phone, I grinned at myself. I had a party to attend, and who knows what the night had in store for me.

°•°•°•°

"So, are you officially turning into a nun now?" Thiago, the witty bastard, said as he slid onto a chair next to mine.

I rolled my eyes and playfully flipped him off. "Just because I haven't found a cute butt to grind into yet doesn't mean I won't."

"Yeah, right. All you've done since you got here is drink and stare into space," he remarked, raising an eyebrow.

I took a sip of my third beer, contemplating his words. He had a point. I hadn't even made an effort to flirt with anyone yet.

When I arrived at the party, my intentions were clear—get laid. But now I found myself brooding in a corner, as if my favorite bitch had died or something.

"I don't know, man. My wolf is feeling off tonight," I confessed honestly. My wolf, Carson, was never thrilled at the idea of me hooking up with random people. To him, it felt like infidelity to a future mate and all that sentimental stuff, but I didn't care.

Today, however, something was different. Instead of incessantly whining about not having a mate, Carson seemed restless and eager, searching for something.

God knows what was wrong with him. It was as if he sensed something in the air, some hidden scent that piqued his curiosity. But what it was, I couldn't say.

I shrugged off the peculiar feeling and took another sip of my beer. Tonight was about letting loose, enjoying the party, and who knows, maybe even finding someone worth breaking my one-night stand rule for.

Thiago had a momentary concerned expression on his face, which quickly transformed into a teasing one. But before he could say anything, his name was called from behind, and he turned to look.

A girl wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering something seductive into his ear. Thiago immediately smirked and gave me a triumphant look.

I rolled my eyes. This was definitely the girl he was going to hook up with tonight. She fit his usual type perfectly—curved ass and perky boobs.

We often went for the same kind of girls, but the difference was that I preferred tall girls while he preferred shorter ones.

Virgin girls were not my thing, though. Not at all. I had been with a few before, and they were nothing but high maintenance. "Taking care" of a girl whom I wouldn't see after the night was not my idea of a good time.

Call me a jerk if you want. I don't care.

"Okay, seriously, Carson, what the hell is wrong with you?" I asked my wolf, who had started howling inside my head.

"Mate," Carson replied, panting.

I mentally rolled my eyes. "Can you stop obsessing over your imaginary mate for a while, Carson? We don't have one. So chill out."

I had turned 18 just last month, and my dad threw a massive party to celebrate the fact that the new beta had come of age. The purpose of the party was simple—just like every other parent out there, my dad wanted me to find my mate. He invited the entire pack and some important people from neighboring packs as well. Everyone expected me to find my mate that night.

But I didn't.

No big deal, though. I was actually kind of glad about it. Mates meant commitment, and I wasn't looking for that right now.

Commitment scared me. And as someone who had never been in a relationship, I didn't want to start now.

I was too young, anyway. I wanted to enjoy my life as it was right now. My mate could wait.

"You disgust me!" Carson scoffed in my brain.

"I don't care about what you think," I replied, dismissing his opinion. "I can kind of sense her here. Get your lazy ass up from this spot and get moving. Let's explore this place and try to catch a whiff of her scent."

I rolled my eyes at my wolf's persistence but obliged anyway. I didn't want him whining about it later. He would learn his lesson when we returned mateless, anyway.

As I walked around the house, something surprising happened—I didn't look at or flirt with other girls. Maybe I was intrigued too.

Could my mate really be here? The possibility lingered in my mind as I continued to explore, eager to uncover any signs that might lead me to her.

I was nearing the dance area when suddenly everything went dark. The room filled with groans of annoyance as the power went out. A power cut was unusual, but not unheard of. I knew the generators would kick in soon and restore the light.

As I sighed, anticipating the return of the lights, I felt a sudden collision with another body. "Owwww!" I hissed, rubbing my arm where the impact had landed.

"Watch out!" I cursed at the person, but my annoyance was met with a soft apology.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry-" she began, but her voice trailed off as her skin brushed against mine. In that instant, I felt a surge of electricity, as if sparks were igniting in my arm.

My eyes widened, and a sense of recognition and excitement coursed through me. Could it be? Had I found my mate?

Holy mother of Jesus...

In the darkness, her hand reached out, tenderly touching my face. I inhaled sharply, feeling the tingles spread from my face to my toes. I couldn't deny the pleasure I felt from her touch.

But just as I was about to speak, the lights flickered back on, illuminating her face.

"YOU?" I bellowed angrily, pushing her away from me.

She gasped, falling to the ground in shock, clearly not expecting my reaction.

Regret was absent from my emotions. She deserved my anger.

"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF ME, YOU BITCH!" I spat at her, my voice dripping with disgust.

She remained stunned, her gaze fixed on the ground as I cast her a final disgusted glance and walked away.

To hell with being mates.