Chapter 3 Aurora

"Oh, my baby girl, you look so grown," Mom gushes, kissing me repeatedly on the cheek.

I smile and hug her tighter, trying to ignore the hollow feeling gnawing at me, the ache of staring at someone who once completed me. There's a void in me, and I've mastered the art of pretending it doesn't exist. Or at least, I thought I had.

"Let me hug my daughter too, wifey," Dad chuckles. I pull away from Mom and wrap my arms around him. He feels almost like him, almost.

"You've been missed, Adaline. I hate that I missed out on your growth," he murmurs. Guilt floods me.

I left New Orleans almost nine years ago. No one knows why, only I do. I grew up in the Big Easy, in the Blue Moon Pack. My mother is a witch, my father a werewolf. Everyone turns at sixteen. A few months later, they meet their mate. By 'mate,' I don't mean marriage, unless they choose it. Mates are like soulmates: your wolf's chosen partner, the one you're meant to spend forever with.

I remember praying every night to the moon for a good mate, for the chance to become a werewolf. But I never did. I waited. I hoped. I watched as my best friends shifted, hunted, trained in their wolf forms, while I remained the only eighteen-year-old left behind. The abnormal one. After five years, I gave up. I left.

"You didn't miss much, Dad," I say, forcing a grin as I step back.

I glance around the room, resisting the overwhelming urge to look at him.

Alexandru.

Fuck.

I smile as I greet the Alpha, biting my lip to stifle the emotions rising in me. I finally glance at Alexandru, only to find him already staring at me. His eyes, bluer than ever, study me like I'm a puzzle he's trying to solve.

He's changed, roughened.

I tear my gaze away and greet Faye and Catalina. The pleasantries stretch on until I've greeted everyone, except him. I finally look again. He's still watching me, like he sees through me. Like he sees me.

This is awkward. I force a smile. "Hi, Alexandru."

He grits his teeth, and something rushes through me. I try to ignore it.

"Fuck you, Adele," he says quietly, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

I bite my lip, shocked. He storms out of the room, each step echoing like thunder.

"I'll talk to him," I say, already heading toward the door.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Zach calls out.

"I've got this. It's just Alexandru," I shrug.

__

I pull off my jacket, New Orleans heat pressing against me. Feeling oddly self-conscious, I glance down at my outfit: a black skirt and a nude crop top. Not exactly ideal.

It doesn't take long to find him.

"I said fuck off, Adele," he snaps, his eyes clouded.

"Hello to you too. Long time no see," I reply, rubbing my arms.

He glances at me, just a moment, and it sets me on fire. What is this? I don't feel this way with Cyprus.

"Why are you here?" he asks bluntly.

"I'm here for my parents' anniversary," I shrug, stepping closer. God, New Orleans is hot.

Before I left, Alexandru was my best friend. Now? I'm looking at a stranger.

"You should leave. You don't believe in us, remember?" He smirks.

After I failed to shift, I turned to psychology. I studied the inner workings of human minds. I came to believe they are the abnormalities, not me. Science helped me heal.

"Yeah, I don't believe in you," I mutter, rolling my eyes.

I step even closer. There's a pull, an urge to touch him, to kiss him. I shake my head, trying to banish the thought. He watches me, amused, like he knows exactly what I'm thinking.

"Did I hurt you?" I ask quietly.

He laughs. "Fuck you, Adele."

I tilt my head, studying him. His face looks older, hardened, scarred. His eyes are the deepest shade of blue I've ever seen. His hair is dark, probably like his soul. It mirrors mine. I glance at his arms, his muscles, his body, taking it all in.

There's fire in me. I want us to burn together.

"Fuck you, Alexandru," I snap, playing his game. God, I need to get away from him. I hate him... and the way he makes me feel.

I turn to leave but he grabs me, yanking me back into his arms. Our bodies collide.

God.

The sensation is divine.

"Don't call me that," he growls.

I gasp, it's like his voice vibrated between my legs.

I cling to him. My hands find his hair. He closes the distance and kisses me. I melt into it, drinking him in like oxygen. My legs wrap around his waist, and he presses me against the wall.

Mine.

I heard that.

But I didn't say it.

I pull away. His hands grip my waist, my ass. My head spins.

"Did you say something?" I ask breathlessly, licking my lips.

"Did you hear something?" he smirks, licking his.

I gulp. I hate how that makes me feel.

"Let me make something clear, Adele," he says, leaning in. I'm backed against the wall. I should run.

But I don't.

I can't.

I don't want to.

"I want to tie you down and have my way with you. I want to hurt you like you hurt me. I want to hit you where it hurts most."

I gasp. "Alexandru..."

But he didn't speak.

I just heard him.

In his thoughts.

And I'm not a werewolf.

Werewolves can hear their mate's thoughts. That's the bond. But I never shifted. I'm not one of them.

I must be hallucinating. I need sleep. A bath. Something.

"Science won't help you," he says, reading my face.

I freeze.

"Don't try to rationalize what you feel," he murmurs.

I say nothing. My heart is pounding.

Still.

"Still think you're not one of us?" he asks, no longer smirking, just looking at me with those damned kind eyes I hate.

"Fuck off, Alexandru," I say through gritted teeth.

I turn and walk away, heart thundering. I've been here barely an hour, and I already want to run.

__

I smile and sip champagne.

It's my parents' 35th anniversary.

Disgusting.

Werewolves are one of a kind. We believe in something deeper than soulmates. Mates. The one true connection. Mates can heal each other. When my dad was injured, Mom healed him, not with witchcraft, but with the bond.

Mates can read each other's minds. Every thought.

That's insane. And terrifying.

To be that bare, that seen.

But maybe that's what love is meant to be.

They feel each other's presence. Their emotions. Even their arousal. The mate bond heightens everything.

It's love in its most brutal, beautiful form.

I glance around the room. I feel it, the sense of family, of community. And I've always been the outsider. The observer.

"Here's the cake!" someone announces.

I freeze.

Elena.

Alexandru and I, Elena made us a trio. And I ruined it.

She smiles brightly at my parents. "Happy Anniversary."

"Happy anniversary, Grandma!" a little boy shouts.

Elena's child. He has her features.

"Thank you, my love," Mom beams at him.

Jealousy stabs through me. That should've been my child. But I left. I got replaced.

It hurts.

I smile faintly. No one's watching, so I turn to leave, only to find Alexandru.

"Going somewhere?" he asks, frowning. He looks... cute.

I shake my head, trying to dispel the thought. He's staring at me, at my dress, my cleavage. It's blue, like his eyes. God, did I subconsciously wear it for him?

"You're showing too much cleavage," he snaps.

"Now you're telling me what to wear?" I laugh bitterly. "Get out of my way."

He doesn't move. He just looks at me.

"You are not replaceable, Aurora."

I stiffen. "Stop doing that, Luc!"

He chuckles. "Doing what? Say it."

He's so frustrating. I need to find a way to close my mind to him.

"Aurora! I've been looking for you," Elena says, appearing at my side.

"So have I," I lie, smiling brightly as I hug her.

When I glance back, Alexandru is gone.

"How have you been?" she asks.

I smile and tell her.

Moments later, my parents join us. My mom wraps an arm around my waist. They look so happy.

I feel a pang.

I should call Cyprus.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," I blurt out, awkwardly.

"What?" Mom frowns. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah." I shrug. "I have to be back in New York before Monday, I have a class."

"We thought you'd stay for at least a few weeks, darling. You can't leave now," Dad says, his voice filled with quiet disappointment.

"I'll call you. We'll talk. I just... I need to go back home," I say.

"Home?" a voice echoes behind me.

I turn and find Alexandru standing there. His gaze is sharp, unreadable. I narrow my eyes.

"What is your problem, Adeline? You disappeared without a word, and now you think I'll just let you leave again? Especially with what I know, what we both know."

He steps toward me. His eyes are starting to glow, that eerie neon that always sends a chill down my spine.

"Let me?" I snap. "I don't need your permission!"

"Tell them," he says, voice low and steady.

I freeze.

"What is he talking about, Adele?" Mom asks, her tone wary.

"Tell them. Now." Alexandru's voice is firmer, more commanding.

My anger bubbles to the surface. "You don't get to do this."

"Adele!" Mom snaps.

I let out a shaky breath. "Alexandru and I might be mates," I rush out. "Which isn't possible because I'm not a werewolf. Not like everyone else."

The room falls into stunned silence.

"Might?" Dad finally says, his voice strained.

"You are my mate," Alexandru says, stepping closer. "And I'd rather die than let you walk away again."