DONOVAN’S POV
“You are a f*****g sly, Zara; I am not even joking with you,” I snarled, kicking the bark of a tree and immediately bending down to massage my bruised leg.
“I am sorry, Donnie, but my dad is really strict about me being grounded after that stunt that we pulled. I really can’t leave the house.”
I scoffed. “I was grounded too, wasn’t I?”
She heaved a sigh. “You are literally the rebel that rebelled, and you know that your mum is not like my dad.”
I heaved a sigh and ran a hand through my hair. “You’re right about that one. I know the nightmare that your dad is.”
“I am really sorry,” she said.
I rolled my eyes. “f**k you, Z; I am going to have an extra good time skinny dipping just so that I can rub it in your face.”
She groaned. “Whatever, have fun.”
“Stay safe, babes, love you.”
“I love you more.” And then I hung up.
You might be wondering how I got here on a full moon, barefoot and standing alone at a lake by midnight, dressed in nothing but a red satin nightgown, fully intending on skinny dipping no matter what, and I will happily fill you in. I mean, not like I had much to do right now anyways.
I was literally stood up by my own best friend.
After Zara and I came back from the date, our parents literally lost their minds, and Mum grounded me until I turned sixty… not like that was going to stop me anyways. And we decided that to celebrate me escaping another matchmaking attempt which I was not a party to, we would go skinny dipping.
The plan was already in motion, and I had taken the liberty of sneaking out through my bedroom window.
But damn, Zara’s dad, Beta KC, just had to step in and ruin everything.
I let my foot dangle in the water, enjoying how cool it was against the sole of my feet. The lake at the center of the Moon Flower Pack was always warm against the skin no matter the temperature.
Some say it was specially blessed by the Moon Goddess, but to me, all it was, was a good time.
“How refreshing,” I nearly moaned from how good it felt.
My hand reached to the strap of my gown, ready to remove it, when I heard a sound behind me.
My ears immediately perked up, and every muscle in my body was on high alert.
“Who is it?” I shouted. All I was met with were growls. “Come on, doggie, don’t be a f*****g coward… show yourself!”
Footsteps echoed behind me, and a figure came out of the shadows.
Stuck between a half transformation, and bright red eyes glowing under the moonlight.
I extended my claws. “A f*****g Alpha, how cute.”
And yes, the sarcasm was very much in the space with us.
There was a reason why Alphas were the lowest of the food chain in this pack. These idiots did not even know how to control themselves during the full moon, letting their animal instincts control them; all they do is hurt people.
I despised every single walking Alpha with every fiber of my being.
He growled and took a step closer to me.
I didn’t move, though, only tightened my stance.
“You made a mistake coming here tonight,” I said. “I will take pleasure in ending you…”
He morphed back into his human form, and I completely forgot all the words that I was about to say.
I'd recognize that scent anywhere. Cedarwood, a touch of black pepper—a smell so earthy and masculine that it had ingrained itself into my memory since the last encounter we made.
All of the anger that I had felt earlier had once again disappeared into thin air, and what remained in its place was want.
A want so raw, so carnal that it threatened to consume me.
My mouth was wide open and my heart beating at a pace that was impossible to call normal.
“I- It’s you….”
There was only one way that I could describe this man.
Beautiful.
He had thick brown hair that cascaded down his neck, stray hairs sticking to his sweaty face. His eyes were the deepest shade of green that I had ever seen, like a jungle; there was no way that you would be able to find your way out once you were sucked into those orbs. His nose was slightly crooked, like it had been broken once, but somehow it only made him even more attractive. Perfectly shaped pink lips completed a face that was almost unfair to look at….
I was so lost in him that I did not notice him come closer, and now he was directly in front of me.
I gulped.
The sparks were back again, and this time they were more intense than ever. My blood felt like molten lava, and I was longing for the man standing in front of me to extinguish that fire. He was shirtless; my eyes greedily trailed over his biceps and well-defined six-pack, ingraining every bit of this body into my memory.
I wanted to touch him, so damn much, but every muscle of my body screamed that I should not.
But he just looked so good… Apollo could not even hold a candle to this man—
Why the f**k was I lusting over a f*****g Alpha? I hated them; all they cared about was their ego and their fragile masculinity. Those were the very things that I could not stand for.
My face hardened instantly, even though it was completely betrayed by my core that was getting wetter with every passing second.
“Step the f**k back!” I growled.
I was already ready to break this man, tear him into shreds for him daring to even look me in the eye. Such a disgusting—
I did not expect him to drop down on his knees at my feet, looking up at me with eyes that could only be described as "f**k me" eyes.
When he bared his neck to me, I completely forgot how to breathe… he was submitting to me.
This man that reminded me of the same faceless man that had made me go through more than twelve new bed sheets in the past three months was submitting to me, and I did not know how to react to it.
To make things worse, he just had to open his mouth.
“Please, possess me.”