When she jolted awake, she panicked for a moment before swimming as fast as she could to the surface, faster than she thought she ever could. Once on the bank of the river, she lay on her back, staring at the night sky. An electricity shook her body before she glanced around. All the noises of the woods bombarded her, making her press her hands over her ears in an attempt to drown it all out.

"Such a waste." Elias sounded disappointed.

She lurched to her feet and faced him to be attacked by one of Sierra's hugs. "I was so worried." She wept now, tightening her hold around Malaysia.

"You smell like flowers."

Connor did not move, appearing almost like a statue. "You've been turned."

"Well, at least now, we don't have to worry about those mutts killing you." Elias' smug smile scared her. "You're going to have many mutts after you." He glanced at Connor. "Damn, brother. Now, you have competition."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Malaysia asked.

"There hasn't been a she-wolf in almost one hundred years...The bastard who put a target on your head now has to step back. If they dare harm a hair on your head, all of the alphas will wipe out their pack in the blink of an eye."

She shook her head as tears streamed down her face. "I'm human." She jerked away from Sierra and moved to walk away, but slammed against a tree trunk. She cried out in frustration before Elias took hold of her hand, and instantly, the turmoil within eased.

"What--What are you doing?"

"I have the ability to ease anyone's pain..." He smiled. "I might hate mutts, but you...You've proven yourself as an ally."

"Elias, all the werewolves near will catch her scent--the news will spread like wildfire. Alphas around the world, will come for her."

"They can't--" Sierra glanced around, tears enveloping her eyes. "It is against the law--"

"She is no longer human, Sierra." Connor ran a hand through his dark mane. "I'm sorry, but she is not your responsibility now."

"She's my friend! I'm not turning my back to her!"

"It's okay," Malaysia said. "I'll be okay."

"There is no law that forces you to be with any of them." Elias thought for a moment. "If you want, Connor can help mask your scent."

Her cheeks flamed. "It's not time to be joking around."

"I wasn't joking."

"Let's just get out of here."

After arriving at the apartment, Sierra rushed to the closet in the living room, searching for something. When she returned with a spray, she covered Malaysia with it. Elias coughed and backed away, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "What the hell is that?"

"It's some stuff given to me by a witch I helped a while back. She had told me that if I ever piss off someone supernatural, this will keep them away. It hides any scent."

Elias actually sniffed Malaysia. "Well, it smells horrible."

"I need to contact someone who can help--"

"Sierra, you've interviewed many...Tell me how many females?"

Sierra seemed lost in her head. "None."

"You should trust no one at the moment."

Elias sat down on the sofa, hands folded at the back of his head. He squinted one eye before smiling. "Damn, this is going to piss off Alec." He guffawed. "I can already imagine his face."

"What are you speaking about? Who the hell is Alec?" Malaysia asked.

Elias stopped laughing and knitted his eyebrows together. "Alec is the alpha of the pack residing in this town."

Malaysia leaned against the wall and pressed a hand against her temple. "You act as if these alphas would force me--"

"There are twenty five packs all over the world. None with females." Connor scarlet eyes had a soft glow to them as he met her gaze. "We know well the desperation of wanting one's blood line to continue."

"Vampires don't have females either?" Malaysia asked. "Not one at all?"

"We did," Elias began, pain evident in his eyes. "Unfortunately, something happened...We suspect it was a curse...All females died right after giving birth."

"How could you be certain?" Malaysia asked.

Connor was the one to answer. "When it began, rumors of the curse spread like wildfire. My family didn't believe it, until they witnessed it with their own eyes. Twenty years ago...Our mother was the last female vampire...She died giving birth to me."

"I'm sorry." Now, she regretted even asking.

"Who is supposed to help her through the shift if we can't contact a werewolf?" asked Sierra.

Elias's smile could blind anyone. "We will. It can't be that difficult."

That night, she slept on the sofa whilst Sierra slept alone in the master. Apparently, the men feared that Malaysia would shift any second and could hurt her. Not wanting to run such chance, she agreed to sleep in the living room with them.

Malaysia shot a look at Elias, who sat on the accent chair beside the bookshelf, studying her every move. "Can you stop that? You're making me nervous."

A smug look on his face, he shrugged. "I'm simply trying to look out for any sort of change. Some werewolves change within seconds; others, take minutes. I've heard that the longer you take, the painful it would be."

She covered her face with the blanket. "Thank you for making me feel better."

He chuckled. "You're welcome."

She moved the blanket from her face and shot him a look. "I was being sarcastic."

"I know."

She could not help but join him when he began to laugh. Connor came from the kitchen with the tea Sierra had told him to prepare for her. Apparently, Sierra received gifts from the many she aided. The herbs in the tea were from a fae of the forest. They were said to aid with any sort of pain.

Would it work for her pain during the shift?

She had no idea.

Conner handed it to her and she drunk it without hesitation, the taste reminding her of green tea but far sweeter.

"Do you feel anything at all?" he asked.

"Not yet."

"Maybe she won't shift tonight." Elias thought for a moment. "She should have by now."

After sitting up, she ran a quivering hand through her hair to flinch back at the pain. Wide-eyed, she stared at the wolf claws before letting out an agonizing scream. She turned and fell off the sofa, feeling her body being torn apart as bones began to shift.

"Shit."

Elias sounded worried. Another painful cry erupted from her lips before it echoed around her like a snarl. Not able to withstand it, she dropped to her side, her body shaking as if she was having a seizure before darkness consumed her.

When she came to her senses, she glanced around to find Sierra's apartment looking like there had been a tornado. Elias was looking too amused, battered and bruised just as Connor, who stood at the door, as if he had made certain she did not leave.

She stood, closing her eyes as she stretched her limbs. "Sorry...I blacked out."

Connor's gaze was on her before he moved with unimaginable speed, covering her with the blanket. Her cheeks flamed as she realized she was completely naked.

"Your wolf kicked the shit out of us." Elias narrowed his eyes. "Hopefully, next time you remain in control." He paused for a moment. "Do you feel pain?"

"No," she said, still feeling a bit embarrassed.

Connor placed a hand on her shoulder, making her turn her head to meet his gaze. "Congrats, you're officially a werewolf."

"Could I have died?"

"Many die during the first shift..." Elias pinched his chin. "I've heard of rumors of some losing their selves entirely, becoming savages to the point the alpha has to kill them."

"Get some sleep, you need to recover your energy. Shifting takes a lot from you." Connor truly sounded worried for her. Could it really be possible for friendships to be created within days of meeting each other?

Well, Sierra and she became friends pretty fast and had been really close since they were fifteen. Sadness overwhelmed her heart at the memory of Jordan with her husband. Someone she had considered a sister...Clearly, Jordan never cared for her just like Lennox.

The next morning, Malaysia woke to the smell of waffles and bacon. She sat up from the sofa and smiled as Sierra and Elias cooked. Elias appeared to struggle with the simple job of cooking the bacon. He glanced at her, as if sensing she was awake. "Good morning."

"Good morning...Where is Connor?"

"Well, he is still resting. We were out all night trying to follow the lead on the witch we're searching for."

"What exactly did you do to piss her off?" Sierra asked.

"I did nothing." He seemed insulted by the question. "From the start, I told her I did not want anything serious. If she fell in love with me, it's not my damn fault."

"That happened to me before--I told him from the start that it was casual sex, but then he wanted to become official."

"What did you do?" asked Elias, but it was obvious he knew the answer.

"I stopped having sex with him and cut him off because he became a bit stalker like."

"That's exactly what I did--but the moment I refused, she got pissed off and here I am."

"How is turning you into a young boy a curse though?" asked Malaysia.

Conner thought for a moment. "I lost my position as the clan leader. Because I look like a child, many think that I'm weak...and I can't really go around flirting with women."

Sierra laughed before ruffling his hair, which obviously annoyed him for a moment before he too laughed. At a knock on the door, Malaysia opened and was surprised to see Jordan. She could have lost it, but chose to remain calm and act like her presence did not faze her.

"What's going on?" Sierra asked.

Elias stood frozen before wrinkling his nose in disgust but said nothing.

"Mal, let me explain--"

"Explain what? You fucked my husband...Don't worry though. You can have him."

When Connor came from the guest room without a shirt, Malaysia wasn't the only one distracted by his muscular figure. His eyebrows knitted together before he glanced at Jordan, a look of disgust on his face. "She reeks of male wolf."

"W--What?" Sierra was astounded just like Malaysia. How had she not realized it before. Her husband, the man she had been married for many years, was not human. He was a werewolf, most likely the one behind the werewolves who hunted her.

He had attempted to murder her...but why?

Sierra slapped Jordan across the face, actually making her stumble to the side before she regained her footing. "How could you do something so atrocious? Mal is your friend!"

Jordan's hatred began to peek through. "Why? This bitch never did anything--Yet, Lennox fell for her. Every fucking man did, even though she's nothing special." She gestured to Malaysia. "Look at her. She's nothing compared to me."

Sierra's eyes widened before she rushed to her bedroom to return, looking like she was about to murder someone. "Where is it Jordan!"

"I don't know what--"

Sierra shook her before Elias pulled her away. "Calm down."

"When I told you about the potion, I never expected you would steal it from me to use it on Lennox. How sick are you!" She slapped her again after getting out of Elias's hold. Elias staggered back as his body began to shake. In that instant, everyone forgot about Jordan.

Connor checked his brother. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know." He stared at his shuddering hands. "That was fucking weird."

Malaysia grabbed Jordan by the forearm and shoved her out of the apartment before slamming the door shut. With a sigh, she faced her friends. "What potion were you speaking about?"

Sierra stared at the floor. "A friend gifted me a love potion--I did not use it because...I think it's wrong to force someone to love you...In the end...It would not be real." She paused. "I showed it to Jordan about four months ago."

Malaysia fell on the sofa, covering her face in her hands. "That's when Lennox became even more distant."

"Interesting." Elias clearly had recovered from whatever had happened to him. "But no spell would have him unleashing his friends on you. Tsk. Tsk. Alec is going to kick his ass when he finds out."

"Are you still getting a divorce?" asked Sierra.

Malaysia thought for a moment. "Yes. I just can't go back, knowing that I have to continue to compromise...I want children." She began to braid her long hair to calm her nerves. "Can we discuss something else?"

"I have to head to the office."

"Wait--I'll go with you. I told you that I want to register as blood donor."

"I don't think you should."

She glanced at Elias. "Why not? I need a job asap and I'm pretty sure that pays a good amount of money."

Connor shoved his hands in his pockets. "I think you should reconsider. Many of the humans registered get paid high amounts, but trust me, most are doing illegal things."

Malaysia held his gaze. "What do you mean?"

"Some are willing to do whatever their master or mistress asks of them for the right price. Trust me, I've been told some humans get paid three hundred thousand to do twisted things. But then again, perhaps to them, getting paid such amount for a day is worth it."

"How the hell do you know this?" Sierra asked. "Such things should be reported to the council."

Elias chuckled. "As if they're not on it as well. Don't be so naïve, Sierra...There are many twisted creatures in the world, humans are no exception."

After Sierra got out of work, Malaysia wanted to get some fresh air so they decided to head to the beach. Of course, they made Elias and Connor come as well. Malaysia thought they needed to lighten up a little.

Malaysia got in the cold water and splashed some of it at Connor. The moment she did, the look he gave her terrified her. She didn't even see him move until he had picked her up to toss her into the deeper area. After reaching the surface, she met his gaze, noting the small smile pulling at his lips.

Sierra hit the water with a splash beside them, splattering them with beads of water. All of them laughed. Malaysia had to admit that she never imagined she would become friends with two vampires, but as the days continued, they all became close. Elias and Connor continued to search for the witch to no avail. Malaysia finally had the strength to start the process of the divorce.

After two months, Malaysia was getting tired of the legal battle. She could not comprehend why Lennox would not simply set her free. When she was by his side, it seemed he did not care for her, but the second she had the courage to leave and file for divorce, now, he wanted to make it work and compromise.

She tried to not think about it whilst she organized the items in the store she managed to get work at. When she hung the clothes in the racks and turned, she came face to face with a tall blond-haired man with bright blue eyes. She narrowed her eyes, said "Excuse me" and attempted to walk past him, but he grasped his forearm.

"All werewolves need to be registered in the system." Her eyes widened as she lifted her gaze to meet his, noting the soft golden glow.

She jerked away and began to walk toward the cash register. "You must be mistaken, but--"

"Nothing can hide a pack mate from me...I am after all, the alpha of the pack."

She froze, her heart palpitating wildly against her chest. Even though she wanted to run, escape this man, she was glued to the spot as she struggled to breathe normally. This couldn't be happening. Even with the potion to block out fragrances, Alec had located her.