Thud! Thud! Thud!
I silently register that the last time my heart had beat this fast was the night I had to protect my one year old daughter, Heaven, from being eaten by a pack of rogue werewolves who'd broken into our house at night two years ago.
As I stand there, watching Hector retreat to his luxurious car with his bodyguards, my heart nearly beats out of my chest.
I'm outraged, but deep down, there's another emotion I cannot seem to hide. Fear.
I'm scared because Hector Kensington is right. Right from the day I first met him, he's always gotten his way in every situation, even when he didn't deserve it.
I know that if Hector is serious about coming for me and my children, it would take nothing less than an army to stop him.
Fingers trembling, I delve into my purse, retrieve my phone and call to check on them.
"Hello, Nara, are the kids okay? What are they doing right now?" I ask frantically.
Sensing the fear in my tone, Nara, my children's nanny asks;
"Is everything okay; Athena?"
I take a deep breath in a bid to calm my rioting nerves.
"Yes. Yes. Everything's fine. I just missed them. That's all."
"Okay, then. They're doing absolutely fine. They miss you, too."
I swallow the painful lump in my throat.
"I'll be home soon. Please lock all the doors and windows. Try to make sure they don't wander outside."
I end the call and dial my best friend's number. She answers on the second ring.
"Oh goddess, Athena! Where are you?!" She squeals. "I just saw Hector's convoy leave the premises. Were you with him?"
I shut my eyes tightly for two seconds and wrap my fingers against the railing.
"I'll tell you everything if you're ready to meet for drinks at La Rosa in the next thirty minutes."
"You bet. I'll be right there." She replies without hesitation.
Thirty minutes later, we're sipping martinis and I'm ready to spill some serious tea.
"Wait. You're saying you were with him the entire time you disappeared?" Jasmine gasps, totally shocked.
I nod. "I was. And I'm afraid I might have some bad news."
"Oh, no." She whispers, dropping her glass. "What's wrong, chipmunk?"
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my ragged nerves.
"Apparently, Hector wants me and the kids to return to the NightHunter Pack with him."
The last thing I register before Jasmine spits her drink all over my face is her loud gasp of shock.
"Oh goddess, I'm so sorry." She faffs around, dabbing at the traces of martini on my face.
When all the martini is gone from my eyes and I can finally see again, Jasmine's face is already glowing red with rage.
"That stupid, foolish bastard! Can you even imagine his audacity?!"
I drop my head into my hands and sigh deeply.
"I know, right? And he seemed very serious about it. It almost seemed like he expected me to jump up and follow him back immediately or something. No questions asked."
"He better have another thought coming!" She snaps. "You and my Godbabies will never return to that pack after everything they did to you."
When I don't respond, too busy stewing in my own anger, Jasmine pauses and moves her head closer to mine, her eyes shining with suspicion.
"What?" I ask when she just keeps staring at me.
"You're not planning on going back with him, are you?"
An incredulous gasp slips past my lips.
"I'm gonna assume you made that statement because of my slumped sitting posture."
I push myself upright, straighten my shoulders and lift my chin like a queen.
"Jasmine, baby girl, after everything I've endured for the past three years, pigs and their young would have to hold a fucking flying parade in the midst of a thunderstorm before I agree to go back with Hector. It will never happen."
Jasmine gives me a nod of satisfaction and a huge smile.
"Yes and Amen! I'll drink to that."
After we clink glasses and I down my drink, Jasmine excuses herself to answer an important phone call.
Suddenly, I feel goosebumps on my skin two seconds before I hear a strange voice behind me.
"Hector might not take you home, but I hope you'll give me a chance, pretty princess."
I spin on my stool and the minute my eyes clash with that of the stranger standing behind me, my skin crawls.
"Hello, princess." He drawls, stretching a hand towards me. "Name's Zayn. What's your name?"
He's a stranger. A very… interesting-looking stranger.
Not only is he handsome, he has strange dragon tattoos all over his forearms and some of them even disappear up the sleeves of his shirt.
You can tell from the quality of the tattoos that they cost a fortune.
But what really ticks me off is the fact that he's not human… and he's not a werewolf either. Even with my heightened senses, I cannot seem to figure out what he is.
This is NewYork City. It's very rare to encounter a strange creature around here.
He could be anything. A vampire, a dragon… anything.
When I still refuse to take his hand, a strange emotion flashes in his eyes before he drops it to his side.
"So, is this seat taken?"
Without waiting for my response, he sinks into Jasmine's chair immediately.
A sliver of annoyance shoots through my veins.
"If you'd actually waited for me to answer your question, I would've told you that that seat belongs to my best friend. She'll be back shortly."
His green eyes twinkle in the club's lights and he bites his lips, staring intently at me. Cringe.
I decide to endure him and wait for Jasmine to return but mere seconds later, this man literally starts undressing me with his eyes.
His gaze burns into my skin, focusing on the tiny patch of exposed skin on my chest.
That's when I decide that I've had enough.
I lift a finger and the bartender appears.
"Hello, I'd love to pay for the drinks, please."
"Aw, princess. Are you going already?" The stranger drawls.
It suddenly hits me that I hate it when this man calls me "princess."
And I hate myself even more when I realise that deep inside, I still feel that the only person who has the right to address me by that name is Hector.
I get to my feet and pull out my credit card but the Bartender stops me.
"Miss, there's no need for that. Someone has already paid for all your drinks."
I blink in surprise.
First of all, La Rosa is a luxurious club for the elites of New York City and second, their drinks are quite expensive — which is why Jasmine and I only come here once a month. It's our guilty pleasure.
Why would anyone want to incur that kind of expense for a total stranger?
"Who is this person?" I inquire.
The bartender smiles.
"I cannot give you that information because he wants to remain anonymous. My apologies."
He?
"Um… thank you."
He probably paid because he was drawn to Jasmine's flawless beauty, I tell myself, deciding to brush it off.
I turn to leave but as the gods of misfortune would have it, the stranger grabs my arm, bringing me to a halt.
"Where are you going, princess? I'm not done talking to you. It's rude to walk out on your guest."
Okay. I'm done playing nice.
I whip my head in his direction and hold his gaze with my angry one.
"You know what's really rude? Holding me here against my will. Let go of me right now."
All traces of warmth disappear from his eyes and his lips curve in a mocking grin.
"Such drama. Shouldn't you be glad that a man like me decided to give your ugly ass a chance?"
My anger finally explodes. I yank my wrist from his grip so hard, he winces in pain as he finally lets me go.
"I will not justify that statement with a response because you and I both know that it's a blatant lie." I say coldly. "Good night."
I turn to leave but I've only taken one step when a loud "thwack!" sound pierces the air.
First comes the sound, then comes the pain.
It takes me a moment to register that the bastard actually slapped my arse.
I can already feel the cold, dark rage crawling through my bloodstream no matter how hard I try to control it.
"How dare you?" I ask through gritted teeth.
In the blink of an eye, I cover the distance between us and push him against the bar with a strength I didn't even know I possessed, crashing my elbow heavily on his windpipe.
Gone are the days when people tormented me. Not anymore.
"How dare you lay your filthy hands on me, you sorry excuse of a man? How dare you!"
Alas, my friends, I'm afraid I may have miscalculated my situation.
For a second there, I almost forgot that this man is not human. And neither is he a werewolf.
My skin grows cold with shock when his green eyes slowly morph into an eerie shade of red.
Before I can say "Jack," he flips our positions and within seconds, I'm the one being pinned underneath his heavy, solid weight.
"Let go of me!" I snap when I manage to get my throat working again.
He doesn't budge.
"Didn't you hear me? I said let gooo!!"
His mocking smile grows wider. "That was an impressive move, princess… and you will be punished for it. You're not going anywhere until I've had my fill of those lips."
His words send my heart crashing to the bottom of my stilettos. There's nothing I can do. I'm trapped.
I turn my head frantically towards the bartender, surprised to find him standing there and watching me get molested.
"Help me, please. Help me!!"
The bartender does not move a muscle to come to my aid. He seems to be frozen to the spot, wide-eyed and watching it all happen.
Thud! Thud!! Thud!!!
The pressure in my heart increases as the stranger brings his face closer to mine.
Suddenly, I'm transported to the dark, horrible pain I had to endure three years ago.
My breathing comes out in cold puffs. I shut my eyes tight, slowly starting to panic.
"Let go of me. Someone, please help me…" I whisper, completely paralyzed with fear.
"Such a poor little lamb." The stranger mocks. "What happened to the fiery young lady who almost took me out a second ago?"
His words spark a dull fire inside of me. There and then, I decide to fight back.
I try to lift my hands but the stranger has effectively pinned them above my head. The moment I feel the swell of his erection against my thigh, I open my mouth to scream… but thankfully, Jasmine beats me to it.
"Athena!! What the hell are you doing, you bastard? Get away from her!!"
My chest tightens painfully and tears of humiliation are already sliding down my cheeks when suddenly, the stranger is yanked off me with a powerful, supernatural force and slammed against the opposite wall.
Shouts and screams from the guests pierce the air. I roll to the ground, draw my knees to my chest and remain there, my head firmly buried between my raised thighs.
I'm too scared to feel relief. I'm too scared to even speak.
"How dare you touch my woman? How dare you touch her!!" A deep, guttural voice roars. A very familiar male voice.
My entire body stiffens as I slowly raise my head. The first thing I see is his broad, shirt-covered back. His suit is nowhere to be seen.
Hector Kensington. Where did he come from?
"Chill, man. I was just fooling around." The stranger replies, slowly staggering to his feet.
Half his face is already covered in blood and his left arm hangs stiffly by his side. It seems broken.
"Athena! Goddess! Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Jasmine appears by my side, running her eyes and hands all over me in search of potential injuries.
Once he hears her voice, Hector turns towards us and my heart flips when his eyes clash with mine.
They're no longer blue. They're currently a bright shade of gold, which can only mean one thing — his wolf is close to the surface.
"Chipmunk, he didn't hurt you, did he?" Jasmine asks again, but I cannot bring myself to look at her. I'm too busy getting burned to ashes by Hector's smouldering eyes.
He runs his heated gaze over my body and for a moment, I'm almost deceived into believing that he's trying to see if I'm okay.
I snap myself out of that dream immediately. Hector doesn't care about me. He has never cared about me. He only cares about himself.
As if reading my mind, his eyes darken with cold rage and he turns to the guard by his side.
"I need this club to be emptied in the next sixty seconds. I might end up killing someone and I don't need an audience to witness it…"