Leticia's POV:

The grandfather clock is ticking. Not the usual tick tock of a normal clock but the tick tock sound of someone pounding on your head with a stainless spoon. The heavy one. This is what I'm currently going through, listening to Zephyr stumble with his words, giving reasons why he has to break up with me. I don't know the expression I have on my face-but I am trying hard to look bored. One thing I've learnt from some self-help books is to act like you don't care-men love it. Make them curious! Make them want more! I'm trying to look like I want Zephyr to want me again but he still wants to break up with me.

He says for the umpteenth time, "it's over between us, Leticia..." He eyes me like he is irritated, "are you even listening?"

I force a smile. I don't know how to reply to him. All I know is how to be a girlfriend. Not an ex. A thousand fuckyous replay and echo in my head yet my mouth is too nice to utter them straight to his face. I have suddenly become useless to him. I am no longer 'Leticia, my world, my bank, my emotional dumpster.' He has finally found someone better. He doesn't say that. He is trying to be a gentleman. I don't know why I'm still sitting there, listening to him. Fuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyou-

"There are better people out there, Leticia. We both need to stop lying to ourselves now and move on. I'm not trying to be the bad guy here. I'm doing something... better for us. For you, okay?"

I feel my canines protruding. My wolf is ready to tear this fool in pieces.

«So ordinary. So cheap. I don't know why you chose this hybrid as a boyfriend. He's not even good at intercourse. He sucks. Leticia, you've let me down.» My wolf-Ronnie berates me like I'm a little child. «Are you still here listening to this loser talk?» I stand up and cast one final look at Zephyr. He stops talking and grins like I understand half of what he just said. I spin and leave.

"Hey, Leticia! The bill!" I hear him yell and I scoff, adding my pace, determined to forget his face and his voice. What a man. He wants to break up and still can't settle his bills? Great.

I thought I was strong during the encounter with Zephyr but after I left what used to be our love restaurant, I wander the woods in my wolf form, bawling like an idiot. Ronnie ignores me and we roam the cemetery ground and I go to my father's and sister's burial site and lie, weeping. It has been ages since I visited them and I come over like this, a total wreck because of a bastard like Zephyr.

Something wakes me. I don't know, maybe a howl? Ronnie is vigilant and we begin to sniffing around for threats, treading the forest floor carefully, despite the dried leaves crunching beneath my paws. I hear a bunch of snarls from a broken down, dilapidated block of house I see in the distance. I head over and carefully tread in. A bunch of rogue wolves; big, dark and ferocious outlanders, I know by the human scent emitting from most of them. These wolves have scars running from their ears to their eyes, a form of identification. They are ganging up on this grey wolf-a beta who's backed to the ground, helpless and wounded. From the open window, the crescent moon showers on him. That's something about him...

«You feel it too, right? Let's go save him.»

«Ready when you are, slowpoke.» I say to her, ready to charge.

«Let's go get those bastards.» I let out a howl and dash straight to them, knocking them away with my cranium. Maybe it's the adrenaline of being dumped and numb or maybe I'm just suicidal but I'm charging straight into these wolves that look like a pack of Alphas instead-their glowing red eyes. I'm fast enough to dodge their counterattacks and I bite one hard enough to leave a gash that might take time to heal. But there are too many of them and I realize I entered the wrong battle.

The outlanders take to their heels, scattering like helpless chicken. I hear a soft grunt behind me and a dull thud. I spin and take in this gorgeous man sprawled to the ground. He's naked and I'll be too when I turn to my human form. That will be embarrassing. I flee and go to my father's grave. There's a crevice under the fine block of plastered cement where I hide a bag of clothes for emergencies like these. I morph to myself and grab a simple singlet and a pair of knickers for myself. Another black singlet and knickers for the gorgeous stranger. I return back to him and throw the clothes at him. He looks at me with his striking green eyes. I look again. I squint. Green eyes. His leafy eyes trail me and I feel scorched like he's undressing me with those eyes. His pale body is wounded, his healing taking more time than normal. His thick brown hair cascades his chest, showing signs of pulling and grabbing, shimmering in the moonlight.

"Let me take you home. Where do you live?" I'm about to ask more questions when he manages to stand and starts to wear the clothes I brought. He's silent but he doesn't regard me with hostility and I wonder who I just saved. Is he a criminal? Is he a killer? Is he a psychopath? He raises his head when he is done and smiles broadly, throwing me off balance.

"Aaron Turner. Or you must know me as the Alpha's brother."

I shrug, trying to remember where I know him from. Nothing comes to mind. I shrug again, "never heard of you. Sorry."

He approaches me with a teasing smile. He is different from the dying wolf I was headbutting and biting a jerk for. I frown and brace myself. If he wants to end back to that dying wolf, I'd be willing to bite his flesh off. Now, he's standing a few inches taller before me, his breathing fanning my nose as he utters, "are you pretending not to know or do you just want something from me?"

I step away from him and scoff, looking at him incredulously. "You're not even the Alpha. Get a load of this guy."

"I'm related to him."

"No. You're not. Stop lying," I'm looking at him like he's the cause of my problems.

"Seriously?" He chuckles, revealing rows of bloodied teeth. He could be looking like art if he hadn't been beaten to stupor. "You do know the Alpha of Alton Ridge pack, right?"

Is he dense? Or does he think I'm dense? "Yes?"

"And you don't know me?"

"No."

"I'm basically his twin."

I suck a breath and say to him, "Do you want me to take you home or do you want me to leave you at the mercy of your friends?"

"They're not my friends," he spits and I know he's dense. Who thinks those were his friends? He tries to walk but he groans, his lower legs shuddering as if they can't support his weight anymore. "My house is not safe either."

"I'll take you to the nearest hotel and-"

"I have no money..."

I stare at him and he stares back. What? How can a grown man like him who claims to be the Alpha's brother not have a dime on him? Is today an April Fool's day or something? "So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I can sleep in your house. It'll only be a couple of days and I..."

"No way." I say, my voice higher than I intend it to be. "I live with my mom and she doesn't like strangers in the house. Sorry."

"You saw those wolves," he says with wide eyes as if he's now starting to get scared of them. "They must have raided my home by now."

"Did they attack you from your house and chase you all the way?"

"Yep."

"You don't have any friends?"

"They could be stalking them."

"Tough luck." I folded my arms over my chest. He's barefooted and dirty and his lengthy fine hair probably needs a thorough wash. He must be a playboy.

«Leticia, let's take him home. We've nothing to lose. Even if you take him to bed, you-»

"Shut it!" I yell.

"Are you..." He chuckles again, "are you talking to me?"

I swallow. He's teasing me and I don't know why it's affecting me like this. Like it's a big deal. "No."

"Are you talking to your wolf?"

I choke when he calls me out and I yell, "no. Not your business." He looks at himself like he knows what I'm thinking and my face flush. It's embarrassing looking at this gorgeous man despite all the soot and dirt and he's starting to make me loose focus. "You've got no friends you can call for help?"

"Please, take me to your house. I promise to repay you in return. What do you need?"

I look at him like he's a clown and mutter, turning away, "I want gold."

"I've got gold. Just tell me how many ingots of it you want."

I pause and spin to eye him. "You've got gold."

♣. ♣. ♣

The taxi driver keeps glancing at us through the rearview like we're a bunch of kids who ran off and are caught. Of course we're weird. We're both dressed like hikers from the East. Aaron Turner looks at the trajectory of life through the window, his forehead locked on the pane like a little schoolboy. I turn to look at the moving trajectory from the left side of the car and he asks, "where are we going?"

"Home," I answer perfunctorily.

"Your home or my home?"

I turn to him, slightly exasperated by his playful attitude. He freezes and looks at me with amusement. I want to biff him right now. I think his eyes also need some blood too. He has to shed blood. "What do you think?" I snap and turn away.

"You didn't tell me your name."

"Leticia," I say, "Leticia Olsen."

"Very pleased to meet you, Leticia Olsen."

"I'm sure you are."

"Do you always come around the woods?"

"Sometimes, mostly when I'm upset."

"Does it mean you were upset when you're sleeping in someone's graveyard?"

"None of your business." The car whizz past Turner street and I throw a casual glance at him. He is fidgeting with the clothes I gave him. Is his brother really the Alpha? Is he really Regan Turner's brother?

The current Alpha's family. The Turner wolves. The legends of Alton Ridge pack. It's surprising that that family has had the best Alphas that led Alton Ridge throughout the storms that have shaken several werewolf territories. Several clans from these territories also belong to the Turners through the efforts of the previous Alphas. Alpha Cain Turner, Regan Turner's great grandfather who's now late, has ruled with a roar so powerful, it shook trees. He died in a victorious battle against the outlanders. Alpha Sage Turner, Regan's grandfather who's also late has achievements to his name. His wife, Luna Carolyn Reigns Turner was a powerful shaman who made her stand on equal footing with her mate, her husband. Alpha Torem Turner and his wife Lucerne Harvey Turner they ruled with grace and became a monarchy, crowning Regan Alpha. Regan Turner is currently Alpha because someone from Torem Turner's sons refused the title. Is he the one? Why did he reject the title? If he was chosen, it meant the moon goddess knew he would be greater than the great. Why did he refuse?

Not only just in werewolf territory. Regan Turner has taken the Turner business and has made it global in only four years, making him a sought-after businessman that even the humans always sought after him for collaborations. He is the face of Turner group. He's every girl's dream man, including me. A business legend admired by all. So where is Aaron Turner in all of this? I've heard that his two brothers and his two sisters are now married to their mates. Why is Aaron Turner different from his family if he really is a Turner?

I pay the driver and we come down on the pavement in front of a bungalow. Its faded yellow paint is peeled thanks to the sun and rain. Dying shrubs in flowerpots cluster around the freshly mowed lawn. An older woman with pale blue eyes sits by the porch, on a lawn chair, listening to folk songs from the radio in her hand.

"Mom?" I stop short when I see her rise, her eyes trailing the man behind me.

"Who's the gentleman with you?" She breaks into a grin that shocks me. My head tingles. What is she thinking?

Aaron Turner beats me to it and goes to my mom, proffering a hand, "Aaron Turner. Very pleased to meet you, Mrs Olsen."

Mom takes his hands warmly and sniffs it, "I recognize you. You're that big grey wolf that saved me from those damned outlanders. You risked your life... I thought you almost died, son."

Mommy shakes Aaron Turner's hand, "Are you the Alpha's brother by chance?"

"You could say that..."

"I see that. You're a matured version of him."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Come on in," she pulls him inside and I'm unwilling to let Aaron sleep in my house. Why is my mom acting like he is her best friend or something?

For the rest of the night, we eat pudding and bread mom made at the dining table, the light bulbs twitching as heavy insects blindingly jam into them. I listen to him crack jokes all night until 2 AM. Mom tells me to show him a room as she retires to her room.

I open the guest room and gesture inside, "this is your room now. Until you sort out your issue." The room has only one made bed, a nightstand and a wardrobe by the window. It used to be my sister's room but everything that belongs to her has been cleared leaving only the bed. Even the sheets were changed.

"You're too kind, Ms. Olsen."

Before he can pass by me and enter inside I grab his wrist and he pauses, looking at me with a raised brow. "I don't know if I'm doing the wrong thing here, Aaron. I don't even know if you're indeed Aaron Turner but if I'm right and you're lying to me, I will hunt you for the rest of my life. Do you get me?"

"Do you have a knack for threatening people or what?"

"It's hard to earn trust. I respect people who fight to earn one. You're a stranger and for all I know, you could be running from the Alpha. So forgive me if I up my guard against you."

"Can I go in? Or are you taking me to the bed?"

I unhand him faster than he can finish uttering those words and I stomp away, hearing him chuckle behind me.

♣. ♣. ♣

I twist and turn for the umpteenth time, my eyes wide without sleep. I grunt in frustration and jump out of bed, heading outside for some breeze. The fan in the room makes it harder to breathe.

Aaron Turner is out on the porch when I come out. He looks lonely and disturbed, hugging his knees like a little troubled girl. I go towards him and sit on the step beside him. He stretches his legs, resting his arms by his sides.

"Can't sleep?" I hear him say.

"Yeah."

"Me too." The breeze is chilly than normal.

"Are you the only child of your parents?"

I eye him and look away. "Yeah." Now.

"Must be fun."

"I do wish for a sibling sometimes."

"Trust me." He looks at me, "you wouldn't want one. You're better being by yourself."

What he says strikes a chord in me. A memory plays in my mind and it makes me long for something. Something unattainable. Guilt gnaws on me. "Why do you think like that?"

He opens his mouth. I only hear him breathing, then he stops and says, "nothing."

I nudge at him, "Tomorrow is a full moon."

"So?"

"Tomorrow, some of us will finally meet our mates. Might just make your life easier."

He chuckles, tilting his chin to look at me, his gorgeous green eyes shimmering in the moonlight. "You're so naive, Leticia."

I scoff, "don't worry. I will pray to the moon goddess to make you meet your mate tomorrow."

He chuckles again-low and dark. Then, it turns into a full blown laughter. I have to remind him my mom is asleep.

"Don't tell me you've given up on finding your mate."

"I'm not.... Who knows if she's dead?"

"Don't think like that, Aaron Turner." I sigh, exasperated. Why is this wolf filled with melancholy? I should have left him at the mercy of those outlanders. Does he want me to cry?

"Can we... Can we change the topic?"

"Alright. What do you want to talk about?"

"Anything."

He shifts so close to me that our bare elbows are touching. He is so warm that I almost melt beside him like candy. "What about your girlfriend?" It comes out so quickly and I immediately regret what I did. But I'm curious so I push forward, "surely, you must have a girlfriend." I downplay it with a pathetic giggle.

"No. I'm currently single."

"Have you even dated before?"

He chuckles, "Ms. Olsen is so invested in my love life. Should I be honored?" he sighs, "Do you have a boyfriend, Leticia?" He looks me dead in the eye and I fumble with my words. By God, what those deadly green eyes are doing to me and I don't actually hate it.

I open my mouth and say, "well, I just got dumped so I'm currently single."

"Your ex must be crazy to have let go of someone of your caliber." He says and my face burns. Did he just compliment me? Should I compliment him back?

"Boyfriends suck," I say, feeling more like basking in his pity party.

"Boyfriends don't suck. It's just that you haven't met the right one," and he drawls, "yet."

"Well, who knows? I might just find my mate tomorrow."

His face grimaces and I quietly laugh. I notice he's stopped talking and I look at him. He's looking straight at me. And, he's not smiling. There's something in his eyes. It's too thick for me to make out. I stop grinning and anticipation fills my core. Why is he looking at me like that? He leans closer, blocking the gap between us. His breath is fanning my face and I'm sure mine is fanning his. Is this happening? Is Leticia about to be kissed right here, by a stranger in front of her mother's house? His lips touch mine for a brief moment. An invitation. I open up to him and he takes me with eagerness, biting softly on my lower lip as I kiss him back, the flies jamming the lightbulbs have formed summersaults in my stomach. He brings down my walls and walk into my heart like he owns it. His hands connects with my body. One rests on my back. The other trails my thighs, my stomach, pulling on my wrist to hold him too. I feel his hard shoulders, his biceps. His hands squeeze my hips and I flinch. I feel his mouth curve up in mine. He's teasing me. I wonder if he's invested in this little act of intimacy like I am. I cup his cheeks and I pour myself into him. Maybe it's because I want him to want me. To take me. Not here. Somewhere better