Chapter 1 Couldn't Help But Smile

ZIRA

I woke up with my head feeling like it would explode. My brain was having its own personal rave inside my head. The room was dark, but a sliver of light passed through the windows and across my face. My eyes could barely open as I tried to focus on my surroundings.

Surroundings that looked unfamiliar at that moment. This room felt huge, way bigger than mine. The walls were not the usual deep red. Instead, it was more of a deep almond color, but the smell of it was familiar. I'm still in the pack house, in someone's bed. A bed that was significantly bigger than my queen size.

Wait, this isn't my room, I thought to myself.

"And this guy isn't our mate," my werewolf, Nina, growled.

"What are you talking about-" I stopped when I noticed someone's weight on top of me. Oh shit! How the hell did I miss that?

I couldn't for the life of me remember what happened last night. The darkness obscured some of his features, and my eyes were still unfocused. He snored softly, and I could feel his warm breath against my neck. I could barely move my head to look at him, so I tried my best to get a side view. His black curly hair covered his face, leaving only his lips displayed. They looked bruised. I'd like to know if I did that.

"You did more than that," Nina said, with a bit of annoyance.

I was sure this person looked familiar, but my mind was too occupied with my current headache. I tried not to panic as I wanted to move him. That's when I felt something twitch inside me, and instantly pain traveled through my body. My mouth was so dry that my whimpers were inaudible.

Shit, I think he's still inside me, and why the hell is he still hard? Fuck! Now I panicked as I untangled one of my legs from his. Next, I carefully pulled my arms from between our bodies and placed them on his shoulders.

"Mmmm," he groaned, grinding his hips against me, making my body tighten its grip. A mixture of pain and pleasure enveloped me, and for a moment, I wanted to stay.

"Zira, focus and get this guy off of us. We have to leave now," Nina yelled, snapping me out of it.

"Right. You're right. A little help would be nice," I yelled back.

My vision was still a bit blurry, and the stupid sliver of light made me want to keep my eyes closed. Nina was angry; hell, I was angry. How could I have let this happen? How exactly did this happen? I couldn't dwell on that now.

The Batman clock read seven thirty-eight am, meaning the pack house would be fully awake in less than thirty minutes. So, with the help of my werewolf, we lifted the man off us and right onto the floor with a loud thud. I froze for a moment, thinking it would wake him.

"Nina, what the hell!" I yelled at her, knowing she did that on purpose.

"Just be lucky that's all I did," Nina growled before disappearing to the back of my mind.

With bile slowly building in my throat, I didn't have time to argue with her. Hell, I could barely concentrate enough to get up. Standing made everything worse. I took a deep breath and focused on my balance. The man groaned behind me when I stumbled in the dark to pick up my clothes.

I turned to face him, and my eyes widened. His hair no longer covered his face, and I was looking at a completely naked Alpha. The Black Moon Pack Alpha.

Isaiah! Did I...I mean...we...

"Fuck, Zira. Stop being such a virgin," Nina snarled. "Well, I guess you're not anymore."

"You are the worst," I said to her.

Isaiah was slowly waking up, and I couldn't let him see me here. What would I say? I bolted for the door and did my best to keep from falling. I used the wall to help guide me down the hallway, and I heard someone coming. I froze in fear as I watched Isabella walk to her room with someone. Her back was turned away from me, so I slowly tiptoed around the corner and ran straight into Luna Bella, of all people.

"Slow down there, Zira. Where's the fire?" She laughed. Then she took in the view in front of her. "Are you alright, dear?" She asked, looking over my attire.

She gasped and stood back when her eyes glanced at the bottom of my dress. I followed her gaze and noticed dried blood on my legs. Am I already being punished? My brain was fried, so I said the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm so sorry, Luna Bella. That son..."

"My son," she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No," I nearly yelled. "I said that the...sun came right through Isabella's window and gave her a jolt, and she scratched me by mistake. You know she's a crazy sleeper. I don't even think my scream woke her up. So, I better go take care of this before it gets worse." I bowed and ran down the stairs, mentally slapping myself in the face. I couldn't come up with a better lie. Maybe, 'Oh hey, Luna. Oh, the blood. Well, you know Aunt Flo comes when she wants to.' It was much more believable, but I couldn't dwell on it now.

I immediately threw up on the lawn when the sun and air hit my face. I took a moment to control my queasiness before making the three-mile trek home. Now I understand what the walk of shame means.

Sneaking into my house was easy. My room was on the second floor near the side of the house, and I always kept my window unlocked. So the moment I climbed in, my door almost flew open. I quickly jumped into my bed, trying to cover myself as my parents sauntered into the room. My mom sat on the breakfast tray near the side of my bed. The smell of bacon and eggs was making me queasy.

"So, how was the party?" She asked, sitting on my bed with my father standing behind her.

"Oh, it was okay, some might even say forgetful, but I'm not really dressed for this conversation," I croaked out, trying to keep from throwing up, hoping they would take the hint.

Like always, they didn't. "Oh, don't I know it? My first party was horrible but amazing at the same time. It was the first time I met your father. I shifted and ran five miles to keep him from mating with me right there," she laughed and continued, "but I was so happy to finally have a mate."

"Mom, please. I would love to hear this story again, but I just need a moment to collect myself," I pulled the covers over my head.

"Of course, sweetie. It's just, there were about three different packs at the party, and I wanted to know if you met him?" She asked, a bit too hopeful.

"Mom!"

"Or her? Whatever floats your-"

"Alright, honeybun. I think our daughter needs to be alone. She'll talk with us when she's ready. Let's give her a moment," my dad said, trying to get my mom out of my room. I was grateful because I wanted to strangle her.

"But I don't need all the details. Just a simple yes or no," my mom yelled as my dad pulled her out of the room.

Finally, a bit of peace. Since I decided to leave the pack, my mom has been nagging me about finding my mate. Hoping if I find him, I will stay or make him stay. She believed it would change my life and make me stronger or whatever. My mom worked at the pack hospital, so she's constantly surrounded by wolves who've found their mate and started the family process. Then she would come home and bug me about wanting grandbabies, in which I'm hoping my brother, Zed, grows up faster and fulfills her dreams. He only has two more years to go.

On the other hand, my dad could care less if I find a mate or not. He just wants me to follow in his footsteps and become the best hunter in the pack. When I was younger, he would take me on long treks through the woods and teach me ways to find my way home by myself. It became so routine, there were times I would beat him home.

I hurried out of my covers and ran straight to the bathroom. After shoving my ruined dress into a bag to throw out for later, I finally took in the whole view. I could feel the bruises on my body, mostly on my wrists and my ass. Luckily, my dark skin could easily hide them, and they would disappear in a few hours. Werewolves were great at healing, but it always depends on the werewolf, and mine was a lazy bum. I saw a mark on my neck, and I panicked. I looked closer and was relieved to see he didn't mark me. Thank the Goddess. Not only did I not find a mate, but now I'm a slut who couldn't save herself for her mate.

"It was what I was trying to say all night," Nina said, "but no, someone just ignored me, and now we're ruined." She was sitting in the back of my mind and turned away from me. She's so dramatic.

"Ruined, really? It was once with one guy," I hesitated, hoping I was right. "Yeah, but that one guy was supposed to be with our mate," Nina shouted before I shut her out. I didn't need a moody werewolf right now. Instead, I needed to clean up and figure out what had happened. Bits and pieces came back to me, and even though I knew this wasn't an ideal situation, I couldn't help but smile.