Bluebell

Werewolves weren't supposed to be afraid of ghosts, I told myself. And being a werewolf didn't necessarily mean ghosts existed either.

Both statements were logical, but I found it hard to keep a tight grip on that logic- as well as resisting the urge to throw myself off the couch and flip on all the lights in the flat. I'd turned them off thirty minutes ago before letting my date in- my date who was also a werewolf. My date who was also looking as freaked out as me.

Luis was a sweet fellow with soft eyes that had been attentive and romantic under the glow of the dozens of scented candles I'd lit in the living room. The candles had been a special effort because that's exactly what Luis was: special. Mate kind of special. We'd met in the aftermath of Alpha's attack on the pack, he'd been a relative of one of the deceased and had flown in for the funeral. He was supposed to leave the day after but that was until he saw me. It was passion at first sight and we've been inseparable ever since, but this was the first time he was spending the night at my place and not the other way around. His hotel room was clean but it was small and far less romantic so tonight was supposed to be different.

It was supposed to be special.

Which was why I wasn't going to let any creepy knocking at the front door- that stopped whenever one of us went to take a look- ruin everything.

I grabbed both sides of Luis' face. "I've been thinking of marriage lately."

My palms were sticky against his skin, he was sweating. "I'm afraid I can't hear any wedding bells over the sounds of that ghost," he said.

I wanted to slap him.

The violent thought sent a jolt of shock through me, I've never felt that way with him before. Did mates have violent thoughts about each other? Wait, of course they did. Werewolves had legendary tempers that often ended in violence, it was probably normal to have a few murderous thoughts about your partner. So long as you didn't act on them.

I let go of him. "Ghosts don't exist."

As if in protest to my statement, the knocking started again, slow, low but loud in the strained quiet.

"What is that knocking, then?" Luis asked, hiccuping at the end, eyes big and watering.

There were no scents that could be used to identify the person, no heartbeat that could prove the thing knocking was living. Still. There were no such things as ghosts.

"It's coming from downstairs," I said firmly. "From the television I bet. Or maybe the neighbors have a visitor who doesn't know they aren't home-"

The knocking grew in intensity, each strike of the knuckles against the wooden door growing heavy with doom. Our doom.

I shook my head. "It's not real."

The knocking stopped.

I smiled. "See?"

And the banging started up again- two fists this time by the sound of it- beating against the door in a rage, as if the ghost was angry at his existence being denied. Startled, I reached for Luis. But instead of hugging him or holding his hands, I grabbed his cheeks, my newly painted nails- I'd chosen red because they reminded me of roses and roses were romantic but now I noticed that they were more blood red than rose red- digging into his skin and making him scream. Which made me scream. But then a cold wind blasted through the room, blowing out all the candles and plunging us into absolute darkness, leaving our open mouths frozen in horror.

This couldn't be happening.

That was all I had time to think before Luis threw my hands off, leaping away the same moment my front door burst open and a hulking figure stalked in, large canines bared, saliva dripping from its snarling lips.

Not a ghost. A monster.

I didn't get the chance to take in anything else though, Luis grabbed me by the shirt and hauled me to my feet, his sweet eyes filled with fear but gleaming with a grim determination.

He was afraid but still making sure we were together, was taking care of me just like a mate would do. I felt even more ashamed of my earlier thoughts. If we made it out of this alive I'd treat him better, I promised myself.

Luis' fists took on a firmer hold on my shirt, his lips tightening before he threw me. Right. At. The. Monster.

I screamed so loud it felt like I'd break my own eardrums but that didn't stop me from flying towards the creature. It didn't stop me from hearing the opening of the window behind me as my supposed soul mate made a stealthy escape after using me as a sacrifice.

I covered my arms over my face, clenching my teeth against the impact.

I should have slapped him when I had the chance.

***

Ember

"Bluebell is hunting down some guy who pretended to be her mate," Mitsuki said, holding up her phone's screen from where she lounged on my living room table. She'd stacked a bunch of pillows on it so it'd be more comfortable after I'd admitted her closeness was making me uncomfortable. The couch was spacious enough for the both of us but even when she sat at the other end she'd find her way right back to me. Since I only owned a single couch, she chose the table over the floor. Was I being a bit too strict? It's because Mitsuki not only invaded my personal space, she was also extremely fond of physical contact- hugs, hand holding and head petting- and considering the fact that she'd joined the pack a day ago and I was awkward with people I'd known for much longer, I was still struggling to get used to her personality. Which was at odds with what Bluebell had told me when she'd introduced us- that Mitsuki was an omega who'd been through a traumatizing experience and was kind of a hermit ever since.

As the unofficial alpha female, it was my job to make sure she felt safe and welcome in the pack so I'd invited her over to my apartment expecting awkward silences and hostile glances. But what I got instead was a teenager who took an instant liking to me and who loved to gossip. Apparently she'd already joined several of the pack's WhatsApp group chats. I wasn't even aware there was a group chat for the pack.

"Why did he pretend to be her mate?" I asked her, resting my chin on my palm. "How did she fall for it anyway?"

"Bluebell trusts too easily and jumps to conclusions," Mitsuki said, fingers flying over the phone's screen as she typed. "This is her tenth time. The last one changed his identity and fled the country when she brought up marriage. This one probably ran away for the same reason."

"Have you ever found someone you thought was your mate but wasn't?" I asked her.

She shook her head, silky long hair swishing from side to side. "I'm a hermit, remember? Plus, look at me." She waved a hand towards her plain face. "It's not like I have men lining up to date me like Bluebell."

"You have a great personality," I said.

She perked up at this. "Does that mean I can sit next to you again?"

"No. I thought you didn't like being around other people?"

"Due to a very traumatizing experience, what you say is generally true. But you're different."

I raised both brows. "How so?"

"You're harmless."

I laughed. "I met you today, how do you know I'm harmless?"

"It's an omega feeling. Plus, recently everyone in the chat room has been talking about how pitiful you are and how alphahood must be freaking you out."

"What?!" I started to sit up- only to lie right back down when a huge body landed on top of me, crushing me with its weight and the panic that had me tensing. My first instinct was to elbow my way out but-

Deja vu.

Sure enough, it was Ian's voice that came from beside my ear, "Em, my mom is trying to kill me." He made a pitiful sound, wrapping his arms around me.

What was up with everyone and hugs lately? No wonder Jett didn't like them.

"Why is she trying to kill you this time?" I asked, studying the living room over his shoulder in case his mom came rushing in armed with fireballs. What I found was Mitsuki quietly slipping out the front door...and Kane quietly slipping through the kitchen window. His blue eyes snagged on Ian, his eyebrow arching as he grabbed a knife from the counter and started towards the couch.

Before I could warn him, Ian's sat up abruptly (at the current state in his career he was probably very good at sensing malevolent intent) and waved once at Kane before vanishing.

Kane cast the knife aside. "I'll catch him someday."

"I doubt that," I said, getting up. "What are you doing here?"

"I can't show up for no reason?"

"You never show up for no reason."

"Don't I?"

"You drop by, piss me off and take off," I reminded him.

"You're very attractive when you're angry," he said, leaning down, his scent invading my senses and making me aware of how good he smelled- and more importantly how his blue shirt didn't match the color of his eyes like it should.

Yellow eyes was a sign that a werewolf was close to losing their shit, maybe even shifting. I guessed this time someone else had pissed him off.

I folded my arms calmly, wondering if asking him about it would make things worse. "Why don't you stick around afterwards then if I'm so attractive when I'm pissed?"

Instead of answering, he kissed me firmly on the lips, moving away before I had time to react. "Do you have a suitcase?" he asked, walking over to my bedroom.

"Suitcase?" I asked, trying to shake off the slight dizziness his kiss had brought (no matter how brief). "Why suitcase?"

I cringed at that, covering my face with a hand- but unfortunately not soon enough because I still saw him smile. Not smirk. I lowered my hand. "Why are you asking me if I have a suitcase?"

"You're moving in with me," he said, then he opened my bedroom door and stalked in like he owned the place.