ALPHA AIDEN AND HIS HUMAN MATE.

Melanie POV

"So your birthday is on Saturday?" I happily ask my two best friends Liam and Lily. They are identical twins and we've been friends for 3 years now.

"Yeah," Lily hesitantly responds. I don't know why but since we became friends, I have never been to their home, most of the time we hang out at mine. They never invite me to their birthdays either. If the gods favor me, this would be the first.

Sometimes it gets lonely at home since mum is always traveling and working, so needing company from my two best friends isn't much to ask right?

"Am I invited to this one?" I ask, making my most vulnerable pouting face because I know they can't resist it.

"Of course" Liam agrees and it causes me to squeal in happiness.

Finally.

"Yes" I beam hugging him tight and he chuckles causing his dimple to appear. He has one on his left cheek and I always find it cute.

My two friends are gorgeous and sometimes I find it surreal that such beauty exists. They are completely different from anyone I have seen. From their physical structure to how they behave, it differs from anyone at school.

Their beauty is remarkable.

They are so lucky to have each other, I wonder how it would feel like if I had a sibling.No doubt amazing.

"Can jake come too?" I hopefully stare at them. Jake is my 6-month-old boyfriend.

We knew each other since childhood. We were great friends till late last year when he confessed he had feelings for me.

Being the soft-hearted person I am, I couldn't turn him down for fear of losing him and our long-term friendship. Also, the loneliness at home pushed me to say yes to his proposal.

Sometimes I feel guilty because he's a good person, and he deserves to be loved back. Hopefully, maybe in the future, I will learn to.

"I don't know Mel, my brother said strictly family, sorry," Liam apologetically mumbles and I nod in understanding.

I hope I won't be intruding though.

"Your brother, is he hot?" I playfully wiggle my eyebrows and they groan in unison. They are probably bored with my question because I ask them that all the time.

"Easy there Melanie you have a boyfriend, remember?" Lily lightly hits my shoulder and Liam shakes his head in amusement.

I chuckle "What? am just asking, you know I hate surprises" I say scooping the salad into my mouth.

It's lunch break and we are in the school cafeteria. School food is generally disgusting that's why one of my guards brings me lunch every day.

Don't even ask me why I have guards because honestly, I don't know. Each time I ask my mum she brushes it off and the conversation is to never repeat itself.

My mum and I don't have a relationship at all, she's even barely at home. Being a fashion designer makes her travel a lot and each time she's around, she controls my life beyond imagination and it sucks.

The food I eat, the clothes I wear, and everything else must meet her standards. She made me start working as a model when I was 10. I started by modeling her designs and later on, I got offers from different companies. With her influence of course.

Also, my mother made me go to etiquette classes, Can you believe that?

Sometimes it's hard managing school and work, but that's not my mother's problem.

According to her, I have to figure everything out by myself. She says nothing comes easy and one has to learn to be independent earlier in life. I think everything is always about money to her, that's why I was raised by my nanny and guards, she had no time for raising a baby.

She stopped supporting me financially the day she made me start working. I'm grateful for that though, because it made me realize how much I can achieve by myself.

I don't even know who my dad is, I have never met or heard of him.

I was denied a chance of experiencing a proper childhood, I never did what normal kids do. Instead, I was forced to mature at age 10.

I'm planning to move out of her house as soon as possible because it never felt like home, not even once.

After a long tiring literature class in which I got completely nothing, the bell finally rings signalling the end of the lesson and the day.

God knows how happy I am since today I don't get to work. I need a good rest.I barely sleep anyway, especially on school and work days.

Sometimes my schedule is so tight that I don't get enough time for myself. So whenever I get time is my lucky day, just like today.

We head to the school gates with my two friends who seem to be in a hurry. Supposedly, they have a place to be like every other day.

They act like they're hiding something from me most of the time but I always ignore the feeling. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Besides my car, Jake awaits along with Axel one of my guards.

"Hey babe," he says immediately I reach him and pecks me on my cheek.

"Hi, handsome" I give him a warm hug.

"Axel" I acknowledge my guard and he gives me a gentle nod. Just because I don't like the idea of having guards doesn't give me a reason to act rude to them. I do respect them because I know they're just doing their jobs.

It has been that way since I knew them and I'm glad we have a great and decent relationship. Better than the one I have with my mother.

"Any plans for today?" Jake asks, brushing the lose strands of my hair from my face.

What should I say, I want to take a long long shower and just sleep till tomorrow. I owe myself that much after too much overworking, good thing I have no homework today.

If I tell him I'm free, he'll want to take me out on a date because he's been nagging about it for some time now.

I like jake but there is no spark on my side, and that kills me every time I'm around him. It makes me feel guilty for not returning his love. It's bad enough we can't just love someone because we want to, it's a matter of our heart's choices.

So like always, whenever he talks about us doing something together, I bring something else up just like I'm planning to do right now.

God! I feel like I am a terrible person for lying to him.

I thought it was the best thing to do. I didn't wanna hurt his feelings but now I'm regretting my decision. Maybe I should've said no to him or maybe I should learn to love him.

" Today I'm going out with my Mum" I lie avoiding his gaze. I never go out with mother if it's not work related.

She hasn't been home for the last two weeks and I'm positive she won't be there today also.

"Oh! I thought you might be free," he sadly mumbkes, disappointment lacing his features.

Now I feel horrible.

" Sorry Jake, what about tomorrow?" I have to make time for him. It'll lessen the guilt I feel every time I turn him down.

Sometimes I wish he was a jerk, maybe then I could have an excuse of rejecting him. But Jake is different in every sense.

"Really? " he perks up with excitement, his previous sad face brightening like I just pressed on a happy mode button.

I chuckle at his cuteness"Yes, really"

"Thanks, babe, im taking you on a date tomorrow," he lets out with a toothy grin.

Oh goodness! I don't wanna take away that smile.

I smile back pecking his lips.

"Can I go now?" I request offering him a hug which he returns enthusiastically.

"I will miss you, see you tomorrow, yeah?" he says staring into my eyes like I'm some special jewel..

"See you tomorrow," I say back smiling.

Jake opens my door and ushers me, the smile on his face only growing wider. Does love make people this happy?

If so, I don't deserve him.

Jake deserves better and I feel like crap for lying to him.Okay, maybe I'm not lying. I have never said I love him too nor cheated.

So there is no need to feel guilty about it.

He leans forward and kisses my cheek one last time and walks away. I silently groa tugging at my hair. I know I will feel bad if someone I care about or love doesn't love me back. It kills me that I'm doing just that to my boyfriend.

Sorry jake.

The drive home is silent.

I wish I could talk to my mum about the boy's problems. I wish she was there for me when I need her. I still dream for that miracle.

Looking out from the window, the weather outside is drastically changing.

The bright blue skies are turning to dark grey, a clear indication of the upcoming downpour. I hope it finds me home.

Resting my head on the backrest of my seat, I reminisce about the dream I have been having since my 17th birthday.

A silver wolf keeps appearing in my dreams. She's caged and every time I look into her eyes, it's like she's begging me to release her.

The strange dream keeps recurring but I always push it away. It's nothing serious, so I always thought.

If only I knew.

Melanie Pov

The party is happening today and Liam is supposed to pick me up anytime from now.

I'm wearing black ripped skinny jeans, a white crop top, a white coat, and black sandal heels.

I let my silver long hair down and it flows freely down my waist. Today I decided on a minimum touch of makeup, I prefer my natural looks anyway. Being a model makes me confident in all ways.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rings and I know with no doubt Liam is already here. I grab my black purse to match my dress code and finally meet the grinning birthday boy at our doorstep.

" Hey Liam" I beam, giving him a hug and a peck on his cheek. Heaven knows how extremely happy I feel today.

" Hey, you look beautiful Mel" he compliments, regarding every inch of me.

" Thank you, happy birthday" I'm finally going to learn something about them.

" Thanks, shall we? " he points at his car with a quirked eyebrow and I quickly nod.

"Yes please", he takes my hand with a chuckle, probably amused by the wide smile on my face. You can't blame me though, it's the first time I'm getting to interact with other people who are not my fellow students or workmates.

Of course Axel and Ryder trail behind. I have been convincing them not to come with me but they never listen to my pleas anyway.

I understand they're just doing their jobs, but it gets suffocating sometimes and it's not wrong wanting a breath of fresh air in my own space.

Liam and Lily must be living on the outskirts of the town because the route we are taking is covered with trees and more trees.

It looks like a forest and on a completely unfamiliar road. Almost like it's not frequently used.

I would've been so worried that we were lost but then again, everyone knows their homes like the back of their hands. So I sit back and enjoy the view of raw nature, and the fresh air it provides, unlike the city.

He drives until we come across cabins built close to each other, and finally, he pulls to a huge blue stone house. A mansion.

"Wow! This house is massive" I exclaim, scrutinizing the extremely tremendously beautiful mansion ahead of me.

"Yeah, it is" Liam laughs, entertained by my surprise.

I have never been to a place like this before, it's so freaking captivating.

"Please adopt me" I quickly turn to him and he laughs some more shaking his head at my joke. Is it just me or does Liam seem so nervous today?

Their place is magical, surrounded by a huge thick forest. It's quiet and the air is so fresh and cool. I love nature a lot, I won't mind staying here.

Just looking around, I can easily tell that his family is extremely rich. The house is surrounded by a large swimming pool with a variety of flowers planted around it.

Amazing.

There are a lot of people and children everywhere though, they must have invited a lot of people I think.

"Do these people live here?" I curiously whisper, letting my eyes wander to every possible location. Don't mind me, I am a very curious person.

"Yes, they are like family", he hesitantly answers, cautiously looking around us. Is he scared of someone or something?

Just how big is his family anyway? not wanting to pry so much, I leave it at that. I don't want to make him uncomfortable on his big day.

I can't help but notice how people are strangely staring at us, but Axel and Ryder seem unfazed by the stares. On the other hand, I feel slightly uneasy. It's giving me chills.

Liam leads us to the backyard, where there are a lot more people, and extremely loud music blaring through the speakers surrounding the well-decorated area.

Are these people still family? I swear, they are thousands and more.

The party is already on, various couples are dancing together. Red cups are littered everywhere and I don't miss the table holding several kinds of dishes. It will certainly be my next stop after meeting the birthday girl.

Out of nowhere, two huge wolves block our path. Two enormous wild animals amid people and they're not even scared? Out of fear and shock, I scream at the top of my lungs diverting everyone's attention to us, me.

Once again my guards and Liam are not fazed by the wolves. Even the slightest. Instead, they protectively stand in front of me but it does nothing to stop my erratically palpitating heart.

I hopelessly look at Liam whose expression is more of a worry than fearful.

Everything looks weird to me, it's not my paranoia anymore.

The wolves keep growling and bearing their sharp teeth at us, while everyone is just looking on and whispering to themselves. Why aren't they scared of the animals? maybe they're used to them considering they live around the forest.

The sight is horrifying and I can only hide behind Axel. I'm sure they can't even hurt a single fur on the wild beasts. They are hazardous.

It was the first time seeing a real wolf in my life. Why are these so big compared to the ones on tv?

They look nothing like the ones I see in my dreams. She's calm, beautiful, and looks completely harmless. These are ferocious.

Suddenly the whisperings and the music stop altogether, and everywhere becomes dead silent.

Odd.

"What are outsiders doing in my pack?" a dominant voice booms through the crowd. People move to create a way for the person who spoke as they bow their heads to him.

His voice is deep, demanding, and authoritative. It makes shivers run down my spine and that alone is strange.

Is this a park or something? I have never been to a park before considering my childhood.

"I'm sorry Alpha I invited them" Liam takes a step forward, bowing his head to the man who Isn't in my line of view yet.

Alpha?.

Why is he bowing? and who names their kids Alpha.?

"With whose permission?" the voice sternly demands. It's becoming louder and now closer, even the wolves make way for him.

What the fuck!

Who is he.?

Lifting my head from behind the guys where I have been hiding, I look at him and a gasp leaves my lips, which brings his attention to me.

Damn!.

He is surely a man, a very masculine and visually enticing one.

His dark green eyes resemble the forest surrounding us. They stare back at me with surprise and awe. His jaw is so sharp and clean-shaven. He has dark hair that will put charcoal to shame. His red plump lips with a straight nose fit his face perfectly.

He is shirtless and his body is covered with endless tattoos, his neck, arms, chest, and all visible parts are adorned by dark ink.

The man has abs, a well-defined six-pack, and a hairy v-line trailing down to his grey sweatpants, which are low on his waist. He must have just finished working out due to how his body is firm and sweaty.

OMG! This man leaves me speechless, and breathless at the same time.

I have never seen a being so beautiful in my life.

He is so perfect.No exaggeration I swear.

Looking back into his eyes, his pupils seem darker and dilated. He starts taking slow steps towards me and I feel like my heart is gonna burst out of my chest from how loud it's beating. My palms become sweaty and my breaths are heavy.

Why is he coming towards me?

My guards are effortlessly pushed away, and only one word from his lips is heard across the quiet crowd.

"Mate" he growls out.

A fucking animalistic, terrifying roar.

Everyone in the room gasps making me wonder what that means. Mate?

As in friend? He wants us to be friends?

The beautiful stranger unexpectedly hold me so tight to himself, with his face snuggled in the crook of my neck. Inhaling deeply like he lacked air all his life, and I'm the only source in the world.

I'm stunned by this gesture that I'm unable to react in any way. Wherever our skin touches, I feel tingly like a great pull is hauling me to him. His body carries great warmth and it's comforting. I know it sounds crazy but I don't want him to pull away.

Maybe I am crazy.

He smells so good just like the forest. I can't help but inhale deeply and relax in his arms. It's nothing like I have felt before even with Jake.

Crap.Jake.

Remembering I have a boyfriend, I try pushing him away and it only results in another growl as he tightens his grip on me.

I don't even understand what is happening here. He called me mate, and he's gripping me tightly while inhaling my scent.

And the growling? everything here is strange, this is not normal at all.

I just hope I am wrong.

I haven't heard of anyone growling in my life before.

"Get away from her," a new voice says, louder and more authoritative just like the stranger holding me.

The stranger looks at the source of the new voice growling louder at him, and he growls back.

What's with the growling, it's starting to freak me out. Normal people don't growl, only wolves do. Right?

The new voice is a man older than the stranger. What catches my attention is the fact that his hair is silver like mine, and his eyes are exactly like mine. I'm like a female version of him.

They are glaring at each other as Alpha tightens his grip on me.

Around the man are wolves. Ten wolves beside him, and behind him. Everyone in the party suddenly becomes a wolf and starts growling at the man and his wolves.

What is happening? I can't find Liam or Lily anywhere, just wolves and strangers and it's scaring the shit out of me.

Where are my guards?

"What is happening? "I ask no one in particular in a breaking voice. I'm scared.

"Shit" Alpha says looking down at me with worry, like he just figured something out.

"I said let her go", the man says again, this time approaching us.

"I can't, she's my mate" Alpha growls out making the man halt in his steps, looking at Alpha with surprise.

"And she's my daughter " he shouts back and I swear, It's enough confirmation that I'm dreaming. I knew it was not real.

Did I hear him well though?

"What?" my voice is low and weak as I stare at him.

"Im your father Melanie" he confirms with a soft look,his voice becoming tender in contrast with the one he has been using since he got here.

Tears of pain flow down my cheeks uncontrollably and I don't make an effort to stop them. Coming here was a bad idea, I shouldn't have come at all.

Maybe my friends had a reason for keeping their lives a secret, and I should have respected that.

I have a father?

Melanie Pov

As a kid, I used to ask my mum where my dad was but only got ignored. At times, I would stay awake till late, thinking just maybe he left for work and he'll be back.

So I had to wait just in case he appeared.

With my mum's absence, which was almost every day, I couldn't ignore the longing I felt in my heart. Not even once did my mother let me believe she loved me, she never attended parent meetings at my school either.

All the responsibility was left to my nanny, who I appreciate so much. She has been more than a mother to me.

I could watch other kids with their both parents. How they interacted with their fathers, the love and admiration in their father's eyes, their smiles, I wanted that.

I wanted the love and protection only a father could give. I wanted a warm hug from my father because my mum never gave me one.

I yearned to experience what it felt like to have a father, who would be proud of me and love me.

I wanted my father to show me homework, and drive me to school every morning. Instead of hard face guards.

One day I was so determined to know the truth from my mother, but she brushed me off harshly. She said that my dad was gone and he never wanted me. That to him I don't even exist. I was only seven by then and she didn't even care about hurting that little girl's feelings.

I stopped pestering her but still kept my hope. That may be, just maybe one day he'll come for me. And I held on to that maybe tightly.

When I started working, courtesy of my mother. I hired investigators to help me find him but they always came back with zero results.

My childhood was full of sadness. Hopelessly waited for the miracle of having parents to happen, but unfortunately, it never came.

When I turned seventeen, I gave up the hope of ever knowing him and stopped wishing my mum would love me.

I accepted the fact that not all parents love and want their kids, and I stopped wishing my mother was home. That's when I found myself a penthouse in the city, which I'm moving into today when I get the hell out of this place.

I'm sick and tired of my mother's cold heart and her lies. She can have the empty house to herself from now on.

No kid deserves to feel the way she made me feel. Look at the man before me. He's just like her, he never cared.

He knew I existed and did nothing but stay away for seventeen years, and now here he is claiming to be my father.

He was never there when I needed him, too bad for him because I don't need him anymore.

When I think about it now, it was he who didn't want to be found.

Yet here he is, magically dropped from whichever hole he's been hiding in for 18 years, to claim me as his daughter.

Why does the universe hate me?

"How come?" Alpha wonders looking from my supposed dad, and back at me with doubting eyes.

"I will explain later," the man says with a sigh. His gaze still on me.

Who are these people anyway? do they know each other? Was this a setup?

How will humans interact with wolves without hurting each other?

Am I finally going to die? Or worse, am I dead?

My mum will not even care. No one will notice I'm gone, except maybe my boyfriend. I can't find my friends or my guards, did they plan this or something?

"No no no, this can't be happening, please let me go," I look at Alpha with teary eyes, silently pleading with him to release me.

The man looks down at me, tenderly stroking my cheek. His features are covered with concern and I wonder why. He gently wipes away my tears using his thumb, while his other arm is still holding my waist protectively.

"No one is gonna hurt you" he assures me but I don't trust anyone right now. I just wanna go home and forget anything ever happened. And remain safe in my own house.

It's like being in a dream. A nightmare that i'm trying to wake myself up from but I can't. Sadly, this looks real. I have never been in a situation like this one before.

"What is happening?" I worriedly whisper looking around me. All the people at the party are now wolves.

"We need to get her out of here," my supposed father pleads with Alpha.

This is bad, really bad.

"What are you, people?" I shout in exasperation because no one is saying anything.

Alpha looks at the one calling himself my father and they seem to be communicating with their eyes.

Weird, weird.

He sighs and finally speaks,

"You are in a pack of werewolves sweetheart" he answers calmly.

Sweetheart?

Pack of werewolves? does that mean they live with werewolves or something?

"You live with werewolves, " I calmly ask him.I'm trying to understand what he's saying. Nothing here makes sense to me.

"No, everyone here is a werewolf," he softly says back, pointing at the wolves staring at us.

This is not possible.

" Where are my friends and my guards," I fearfully look around me to no avail.

Four wolves come forward and before I could react, they turn to my best friends and my two guards.

Them too?

No, this is not real.

This is not happening.

My two best friends are werewolves even my guards?

Am I that stupid to never have noticed?

All this time and they never said anything to me.

I look at them with teary eyes shaking my head, am I that thick in the head?

Why didn't they tell me?

"Mel we are sorry we didn't tell you" Lily breaks the silence crying like I'm doing. Even my guards? Oh, God!

Is my father one of them too?

I look at him to confirm my suspicion, silently begging him to say no but he nods yes.

How?

If he's a wolf does that mean I am too?

No. I'm hundred percent human. It's my first encounter with these kinds and I'm sure I couldn't have known they existed if I didn't push the twins to invite me to the party.

What about my mum, she must also know. She can't possibly have a baby with someone she knows nothing about.Or maybe it's the reason they broke up. Perhaps she found out and decided to run for her life.

And why is Alpha calling me mate, and more importantly, why is he is being nice to me when I just met him?

What does mate mean to them?

All these questions with no answers make my head hurt.

"Can I go home please?" I don't want to be here anymore second.

My eyes silently beg Alpha who doesn't wanna let go for some reason. When I get out of here, I am gonna run for my life and I won't look back ever.

How can wolves change to humans and vice versa? I have never heard of that in my entire existence.

He looks unsure, like he's thinking hard about it. What if they keep me here for good?

Or eat me. Wolves eat meat, right?

Please, God, help me.If I get out of here alive, I won't do anything wrong in my life. I will even admit the truth to Jake, please just help me.

"I won't tell anyone, I swear" I assure them in a pleading tone.

Maybe it's their secret, that's why no one has ever heard of their kind.

"Let her go Aiden, obviously she's not okay right now," my supposed father says and for the first time, I appreciate his presence.

So the handsome man holding me is Aiden? Aiden Alpha? The names don't match but that's not important right now.

Aiden runs his long fingers through his hair with a tired sigh.He seems to be battling with his mind about the idea of letting me go.

"Please, Aiden" he shivers when I murmur his name as his eyes darken. Aiden stares down at me with so much affection it scares me. I just met him but he's behaving like we've been long time lovers. This is really weird.

Stop looking at me like that.

He pulls me to his chest with both arms secured around my waist. Once again, his face finds my neck and he inhales deeply.

I don't understand why he's behaving this way. I'm also supposed to be scared of him but strangely, I find comfort in his arms.

I don't understand my emotions at all.I feel drawn to him yet I just met him, his presence for some reason gives me a sense of safety, comfort, and warmth.

He reluctantly pulls away with yet another sighing. He looks at my father again, doing the communication thing with their eyes.

Aiden brings his eyes back to me, kisses my temple and finally lets me out of his arms.

Thank God.

I take a stumbling step away from him and head to the car.Right now I just want to be alone, cry my eyes out for the betrayal of those I trusted, and sleep for a very long time.

If possible for the rest of my life.I can only hope the events of today don't haunt my dreams.

With one last glance at everyone, especially my friends who are sadly looking at me with guilty eyes, I quickly open the door to the car my guards came with.

I don't miss the look of pain and longing in Aiden's eyes and it makes me somehow uncomfortable.

Weird Weird.

As soon as I look away from him, a sharp pain goes through my spinal cord and to every inch of my bones. It disappears after a second and I sigh in relief.

What was that?