First message
Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains of the unfamiliar bedroom. Alecade Blackbriar woke with a dull headache, his massive frame tangled in unfamiliar sheets. For a moment, he couldn't remember where he was. Then he noticed the girl sleeping beside him.
Memories of last night's Halloween party came rushing back. The girl dressed as a werewolf. The inexplicable pull toward her. His wolf's overwhelming certainty that he'd found his mate.
His gaze landed on the mark he'd left on her neck.
Then he caught her scent.
Human.
"What the fuck..."
His emerald eyes flashed gold, and his jaw tightened beneath his thick mustache. He was a twenty-two-year-old alpha from one of the oldest werewolf bloodlines, and he'd just permanently marked a human.
His wolf stirred, wanting to curl around her, to protect her, to stay.
Absolutely fucking not.
Alecade climbed out of bed, dressed quickly, and collected his belongings. He glanced at her one last time, his expression hardening as he forced down the unfamiliar possessiveness clawing at his chest.
It was a mistake. There had to be a way to reverse it. He'd find one, and until then, nobody could know what had happened.
Without waking her, he slipped out of the bedroom and shut the door behind him.
By the time she opened her eyes, Alecade Blackbriar would be long gone, leaving nothing behind but an empty bed, a permanent mark on her neck, and absolutely no explanation.