NINETEEN

The first thing I felt when I stirred awake was the balloon in my head, slowly inflating and pressing against the insides of my skull. My brain felt like a mushy blob of goo and opening my eyes, it felt as if someone struck me with a bolt of lightning. Short and sweet, I felt like shit.

Cursing at the pain, I somehow managed to roll out of bed and stumbled my way to the bathroom. With my eyes still practically closed, one hand got the shower running and the other started stripping off last night's clothes.

I'm never drinking again.

Screw Reyna and her warm-up tequila. Was this how Madison felt every morning after clubbing? If so, she's a moron for doing it on a weekly basis.

The shower worked wonders on my body, soothing the aching muscles after I so spontaneously performed in front of those people. I cringed just thinking about it. And not to mention risking myself getting arrested for nearly starting a bar fight. The cut on my cheek stung at the mere memory of it, as hazy as it was.

After scrubbing off last night's grime, I wrapped myself in a towel. However, as I stepped out of the bathroom, I realized with a start this was Rheon's room and my clothes were all the way on the other side of the castle.

Shit.

Well, I'd rather run naked through the castle before putting on last night's outfit.

Peering at the walk-in closet in the room, I had an idea. Another thing my mother taught me was to never snoop through other people's things. So far, I broke the 'don't get into a stranger's car' rule, what's breaking one more? Hopefully, Rheon won't mind.

It was like walking into a fancy department store. On my left were several shelves containing neatly folded T-shirts and jeans, on my right, an entire closet space reserved for suits and dress shirts - all sorted by color, of course. And at the far end of the closet, hung his beloved leather jackets and...hoodies?

That could work.

I was instantly drawn to the dark grey one. Slipping it off its hanger, I held my breath to listen if anyone was coming before quickly unwrapping the towel. The damned thing barely hit the ground when, out of the blue, the door opened, and Rheon strolled in. He glanced to the side at the same moment I yanked the towel back up before doing a double take, his eyes the size of UFOs.

"Hey, don't look!" I shrieked, turning my back on him as I tried getting a grip on the towel.

"Sorry... I..." He averted his eyes. "You're naked. Is that intentional or..."

"What do you think? That I would just randomly walk around like this?" I caught him shrugging as if saying 'that wouldn't be so bad'. Scrunching my face in embarrassment, I added, "I don't have any fresh clothes, figured I'd just borrow something from you to make the trip to my room while keeping my dignity intact - the little I have left, at least."

"Perhaps, if you weren't so hungover and opening your eyes didn't hurt like a punch to the face, you would've noticed the fresh pile of clothes I left for you at the foot of the bed."

I froze when hearing him walk towards me. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed his one hand covered his eyes while the other held a pile of neatly folded clothes towards me. Muttering a thank you under my breath, he stepped away so I could dress in peace.

"I thought you should know," his voice came from deeper down the room, "the other packs have arrived already."

"This early?" I stressed, shimmying into the skinny jeans he picked out for me.

He breathed a laugh. "Actually, they're on time. It's two in the afternoon, Ash."

"What?" I lost my balance and drop to the floor like a dead weight, "Ow, shit..."

"That's what happens when one's suffering from a hangover."

Pulling his grey hoodie over my head, I emerged from the closet and waved a finger at him. "First off, last night was the first time I did shots. How the hell should I have known I was such a lightweight? And secondly, I'm keeping this hoodie. You may have it back when I'm done with it."

His eyes drank me in, smiling at how the hem reached past my butt and how the sleeves covered my hands. But then a frown pulled at his lips. "Do you remember anything that happened last night?"

I shook my head. "Nothing after the fight, no. Why? Don't tell me I did something embarrassing." My blood ran cold when something came to mind, "Please, please, please don't tell me I threw a stick and told you to fetch."

He breathed a laugh but seemed disappointed for some reason. "No, you didn't. Never mind, though. Are you ready to meet the other packs?"

And just like that, my worry was replaced by agitation when I remembered there were now four packs of werewolves under the same roof. Thinking back, I remembered the others' names; Bloodrose, Nightstar, and Crescent Moon. Reyna was part of Nightstar which meant I'd probably see Astrid again. The last time was when they locked me in the pantry.

Rheon linked our arms and escorted me down to the living room where I could hear a group of people talking and laughing. Upon reaching the entrance, he paused to allow me a moment to gather some courage. I took that time to scan the room, noticing the packs all sitting in their own separate groups.

Out of Craven Pride, only Rieka and Emric were present to keep the guests company. Upon noticing us at the entrance, Emric's face lit up. "There they are. Come meet the others, Ashlyn."

I was overwhelmed to see the other packs rise to their feet and approach me like one man. The men were all exceptionally tall and well-built and the women all seemed to have climbed out of the pages of beauty magazines.

"Us first!" Reyna, who stood among her pack with Alexander, chirped. "Ash, meet my parents Lyon and Fallon, and my sisters Astrid, Freya, and Kenna."

The Nightstar pack greeted me with warm smiles before Fallon spoke, "When Reyna told us Rheon's mate is human, I was thrilled. I used to be a human too before meeting Lyon. Tell me, what did you feel when you met? I'm curious because it varies from other bonds."

Glancing up at Rheon to find him already looking at me, I said, "Lightheaded, mostly. And sweaty."

They laughed lightheartedly, causing blood to rise to my cheeks.

"Nothing to be ashamed of, dearie." Fallon waved it off. "It only means your relationship is built on passion. The first time I met Lyon, he was in his wolf form. It was strange because, somehow, I wasn't afraid of him."

"She came right up to me and started petting me like a dog," Lyon added, "I instantly knew; she's my mate and our bond was built on trust."

The Nightstar pack stepped aside for the next group to introduce themselves. Rheon leaned down and whispered 'Bloodrose' in my ear. It was the smallest pack of the four and appeared to only have three members.

"I'm Colin," a tall and muscular man with greying brown hair said, "This is my mate Rista and our son Declan. His brother Larkin won't be arriving until this evening."

"Nice to meet you." I managed to smile, ignoring my racing heart.

At last, the fourth pack came forward. They all had the same dark ginger hair and green eyes, which made it easy to spot the resemblances.

The alpha of Crescent Moon gave my hand a friendly shake and said with an elegant voice, "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Gregory and this is my mate Coraline and our children Imrie, Iwan, and Nathan. It's such a relief to see Rheon has finally found his mate. I take it the curse is broken then?"

The room fell deathly silent as awkward glances were exchanged between the three packs, Rheon, and Emric. The latter shook his head slowly, avoiding all eye contact with the guests.

"What do you mean?" Colin frowned deeply and gestured at me as he said to Rheon, "She's your mate! What's stopping you from claiming her and save us all from what you did?"

"She's not ready," Rheon spoke through gritted teeth, pushing me behind him.

"Whether she's ready or not doesn't matter," he hissed, "Do we need to remind you what happens if Lucine gets what she wants? It's not just you who becomes her pawn to dispose of as she pleases, it's all of us. I will not sit by and let her manipulate me and my pack to do her wretched bidding. Either you claim your mate, or risk losing Bloodrose as an ally."

Although I kept my mouth shut, my head was swarming with all sorts of disturbing thoughts. I just became the string that kept Craven Pride tied with the other packs. They weren't relying on Rheon to save them from Lucine's influence, they were relying on me.

But was I ready for the mark? Was I ready to leave my family behind and take my place at his side? This wasn't just about him marking me - he's still a duke. Didn't that mean I had to become a duchess? And let's talk about the elephant in the room next; I'll have to become a werewolf eventually. This was too much too soon.

Before another word was spoken, I turned on my heel and fled the room of werewolves.

"Ash, wait!" Rheon's voice called after me, but I didn't look back.

It was Emric who found me at the chalet. I was testing out the new equipment, snapping pictures of random objects when he appeared at the top of the stairs. We didn't speak at first, but I kept stealing glances at him as he studied the lights and backdrops.

"Rheon thought I might find you here," he started, "Somehow, he knows where you'd go without any sense of smell. He wanted to come after you but had to kill some fires with Bloodrose first. So, I volunteered to check in on you."

Lowering my camera, my lips settled in a thin line. "I feel bad for leaving him back there but... the pressure was too much. Also, I get the feeling Alpha Colin doesn't like me that much."

Emric snorted and waved it off. "Don't think too much of it. The Bloodrose wolves have always had this fickle streak in their families - bunch of assholes." I snorted. "But they're loyal to a fault and would always do what is right. Colin will calm down, don't you worry, lass."

Sitting down on the corner of the desk, I raked my fingers through my hair as a question came to mind. "Does accepting the mark means I have to become a werewolf."

He nodded. "Yes."

"Rheon failed to mention that."

"Because he'd rather sell his soul to the devil than force you to do something you don't want to do." Upon noticing my eyes welling up, he gently took my hands in his and gave them a comforting squeeze. "None of this is your fault, nor your responsibility, Ashlyn. You're human, the conflict you're experiencing is normal."

"So, you're saying it's easier for a werewolf to want the mark?" I blinked fervently, trying to hold back the tears.

Emric shrugged, nodding his head lightly. "It's an instinct we're born with. You know it by another name, common sense. It's what guides you to make the right choices and what stops you from making the wrong ones. And right now, your common sense is telling you you're not ready to take the next step in your and Rheon's relationship."

He pulled me into his chest when a sob tore through my body, stroking my hair with the utmost care. "I want to be ready; I really want to... I even tried convincing myself, but I can't."

"And that's okay," his voice was soft and soothing, like my father's when I was still a little girl and he used to comfort me after I had a nightmare. "All that matters is that you're happy. That's all Rheon cares about."

"But I want to help him, I want to help all of you." I wiped my eyes with my sleeves and sniffled. "I just don't know how. If only we had more time, if only I came here sooner..."

Emric smiled sadly. "If only we knew the answer to the question 'If only'. We would've done a lot of things differently, I imagine."

I paused, repeating what he said in my head. Truer words have never been spoken. If only I knew Matt was cheating on me three months ago... I would have broken up with him sooner. Maybe then fate would have brought me to Scotland to cross paths with Rheon, and maybe then we would've had more time to break the curse.

"Let's not dwell on this any longer," Emric interrupted my thoughts, "We should make the best of the little time we have left. There's still a ball to look forward to. Who doesn't love dancing? I've been looking forward to a good waltz for months now."

Swallowing nervously, I fumbled with my fingers. "I don't really know how to waltz."

"You don't?" He reminded me of a kid in a candy store at that moment. "Well, then you're about to learn, lass. Luckily for you, I'm a great teacher. Who do you think taught Rheon to dance?" He pulled me towards the center of the studio and showed me where to place my hands. When he was satisfied with my form, he placed his hand on my back. "Just follow me and have fun. Ready?"

I nodded.

"And here we go... one, two, three... one, two, three... one, two, three..."