"Say it again…."

Aadhira gaped at her best friend Shraddha's soulmate as if he had grown two heads. Again? She wondered.

"I love you," Shraddha spoke reluctantly. Her voice came low and forced. She hated moments like this. Her so-called soulmate wouldn't rest until she confessed her love for him. But the problem was, she didn't love him. How could she love a monster?

Aadhira knew very well what her friend was going through. She had always known how possessive werewolves were of their soulmates! But somehow, she thanked all the gods in heaven for not giving Shraddha an Alpha as a mate. Alphas were famous for their possessiveness and obsession with their soulmates.

Shraddha glanced at Aadhira for help. It was only Aadhira who could save her from her soulmate, Jay. Right from the moment she had hit puberty, werewolves couldn't harm her physically. Why? No one knew!

"I love you too, my love," Jay told Shraddha. The truth was laced in his voice. He really loved his soulmate, Shraddha, from his heart and soul. The beast inside him urged him to hug his woman, and so he did.

Shraddha gasped a little, though she had gotten used to this. It was just three days ago that he had found out about her being his soulmate, and from that day onwards, her life had become a living hell.

Aadhira could see her friend getting suffocated due to the strong grip he had on her. This was the time she decided to interrupt.

"The lecture is about to begin," Aadhira spoke low and steady. Her head was facing the ground, as she didn't want to enrage a werewolf. She knew what her fate would be if she tried to take a werewolf's soulmate away from him.

She heard a growl erupt from Jay, and Aadhira rolled her eyes in her head. Jay wanted to snap at her for interrupting the moment he was having with his woman, but he couldn't. Right from the day he had met Aadhira, he couldn't snap at her. Why? He didn't know. His wolf couldn't disrespect her.

Jay ignored Aadhira and looked at his soulmate.

"I don't want you to talk to any male. Or else…."

Jay threatened, but Shraddha didn't let him finish.

"I won't," Shraddha spoke in her low, timid voice.

Jay smiled and hugged her again.

"Good. I'll pick you up after your last class ends, and…"—he gripped her chin lightly, making her look at him—"…DO NOT TRY TO RUN AWAY," he threatened.

Shraddha couldn't say anything, so she just nodded.

Jay finally decided to leave his little woman, but before that, he kissed her intensely on her lips. Aadhira looked away to give the couple their privacy. The sound of their kiss was making her feel disgusted, but she remained silent.

What could she say anyway? She was just a normal, powerless human being.

"I'll go now. Don't miss me much," Jay said.

This time, Aadhira again looked at him as if he had gone mad.

Can't he see she doesn't love him?! Aadhira exclaimed in her mind.

"Okay," Shraddha replied, while internally cursing him with every word she knew.

Finally, Jay left for his car reluctantly. When his car drove far away from their view, Aadhira faced Shraddha, who was still staring at the car that had now vanished from sight.

"Don't miss me???" Aadhira asked sarcastically.

Shraddha glanced at her angrily. Her anger was, of course, towards Jay. She bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it in the direction where the car had gone.

"F*** o**!" she screamed.

The students passing by, who were mostly werewolves, looked at her with disgust. Aadhira calmed her down.

"Hey! Don't get mad over that dog. He isn't worth it," she said.

"You know what, you are right. I have six hours to stay away from him. Finally, I can enjoy my personal time. These three days were no better than hell," Shraddha confessed.

They both turned around and faced the main gate of their college.

Werewolf College of Medical Science and Research, Jaipur.

"I really missed you, Shraddha. I thought that dog wouldn't allow you to come to college," Aadhira said lowly so that only Shraddha could hear her.

They started walking towards the college.

"You thought right. He didn't allow me to continue my studies," Shraddha replied.

"Ouch! Why?"

"He wants to take care of me by himself. He wants me to bear his child—oh, sorry… pups. He also wants me to wait for him every night on his bed and ask him to make love to me," she replied with disgust.

"That's so cheap!" Aadhira concluded.

"Oh dear, you haven't heard enough. If I disclose all the things he has done and told me in these three days, you would vomit right here," Shraddha said.

"Shraddha, I am so sorry."

They showed their college identity cards to the sensor, which granted them entry.

"Don't be. It's not your fault," Shraddha replied rudely.

Of course, she was jealous of her friend. She had to face the fate of having a monster soulmate, whereas Aadhira didn't. But she also prayed to God not to give Aadhira any mate. She loved her friend more than the jealousy that was creeping out of nowhere.

"Why did he say not to run away?" Aadhira asked curiously as they walked towards their lockers.

Shraddha couldn't help but chuckle at this.

"That is because I tried to run away the first two days. And frankly, I almost succeeded, if not for this…."

Shraddha spoke and pulled her scarf off her neck.

Aadhira froze as she saw the bite of a werewolf. It was crimson red, and the shape of the teeth was clearly visible.

"This is… insane!" Aadhira exclaimed.

"He is a psycho!" Shraddha stated.

"Why do they bite? I mean, what do they get by hurting the one whom they call their soulmate?" Aadhira asked sincerely. She seriously wondered why werewolves bit or why vampires sucked blood. It just didn't make sense.

"You wanna know why?" Shraddha asked with an evil smile.

"Please enlighten me!" Aadhira said jokingly, to which Shraddha laughed.

"Then see."

She looked to her left, then right. Her gaze fell on a couple who were standing in front of their locker. Well, they were not standing—they were kissing the hell out of each other.

"Hey, get the hell out of here!" Shraddha scolded the two werewolf couples.

The male werewolf growled to see who had the audacity to shout at him. Aadhira was counting how many seconds she had before her neck would be snapped in two halves. But looking at the expression of the male werewolf, Aadhira couldn't help but gape. Her mouth fell open.

She saw the male bow lightly—reluctantly—to Shraddha and leave. His soulmate walked behind him too.

Aadhira looked towards her friend and asked for an explanation. They were humans, and until today, werewolves had treated them as waste. But today… they bowed to her? This was beyond her understanding.

"Did they just bow to me?" Aadhira asked, shocked.

"No. They bowed to me," Shraddha replied.

"Oh please!" Aadhira scoffed and opened her locker.

"What, you don't believe me?" Shraddha challenged her in a friendly manner.

"Why would they bow to you? What happened in a day?" Aadhira asked while she removed the books required for the first half.

"Because of this."

Shraddha pointed at her neck where the mark was.

"I don't get it!" Aadhira said.

"I am Jay's soulmate, which makes me his equal. He is the head of the 'Warrior Wolf Committee, Jaipur.' This means all dogs below him will have to give respect to me," Shraddha smiled proudly.

"Me too?" Aadhira asked.

"You're not a dog, Aadhira," Shraddha joked.

"But how do they know that you are his soulmate?" Aadhira asked.