Melina POV
The next morning came faster than I expected.
I woke up before the sun fully rose, the soft light slipping through the curtains like a gentle invitation. For a moment, I forgot where I was. The soft bed beneath me, the massive room, the silence none of it felt like my life. Not the life of a girl who slept on the cold floor of her foster parents' house and begged for scraps.
But shelda shifting yesterday told me that Everything was real.The wolves.The Alpha.
The mate bond I didn't understand.
And the plan already forming in my head.
I dragged myself to the bathroom, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and pulled my hair into a simple ponytail. I found a black gym wear folded neatly on the chair. Shelda must have dropped it off last night.
It looked tiny.
And revealing.
But it was either that or wearing my club dress, so I slipped it on. The stretch fabric hugged my waist and hips, outlining everything. I stared at myself in the mirror and almost didn't recognize the girl standing there. For once, I actually looked… good. Not the scared, scruffy nightclub girl everyone pushed around.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Mel? You ready?" Dennis called.
"Coming!"
I grabbed the map, shoved it under my pillow, and stepped outside.
Dennis froze.
His eyes widened slightly. "You… you look different."
"Different good or different bad?" I asked nervously.
"Different 'the whole pack will break their necks staring at you'," he muttered, scratching his head.
I frowned. "It's just gym clothes."
"Not on you," he whispered, but loud enough for me to hear.
I rolled my eyes and followed him. The cold morning breeze brushed against my bare arms, sending a shiver through me. As we walked, the pack came alive wolves shifting back to humans, warriors jogging, some practicing with spears and swords.
Everything around me screamed danger.
Dennis gestured toward a huge open field filled with people stretching and warming up.
"Welcome to training," he said as we approached.
My stomach flipped.
Training.
With werewolves.
What kind of torture was I about to witness?
The moment we stepped onto the field, eyes turned. One by one, warriors paused mid-stretch, mid-punch, mid-conversation. Some whispered. Some openly stared. Their gazes traveled down my legs, over my waist, to my chest like they'd never seen a human girl before.
Heat crawled up my neck.
I leaned closer to Dennis. "Why are they staring?"
"Because you're the Alpha's mate," he whispered. "And because you look… yeah, well, like that."
"Like what?"
"Like a goddess," someone behind us muttered.
I stiffened.
Dennis groaned under his breath. "Ignore them."
I tried, but it was impossible. Their eyes were everywhere. I felt like prey walking into a den full of hungry predators.
Then everything stopped.
Completely.
It was like someone pressed a pause button on the entire field.
Because Alpha Mason walked in.
He didn't enter the space.
He claimed it.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Black shirt stretching over muscles. Eyes like storms. His presence made the air heavier, thicker, and suddenly every wolf bowed their head slightly.
Except me.
I just froze.
His eyes locked on me instantly. Heat burned in my chest my stomach somewhere deep I didn't understand. His jaw clenched. His eyes darkened, swirling between pitch black and his original color.
He looked like he wanted to kill someone.
Or grab me.
Or both.
Jessica appeared beside him, wearing a tiny sports bra and tight shorts that showed off her impossible curves. She looked like a model. No like she owned the whole place. She smirked when she noticed Mason's eyes fixed on me.
Then she turned and glared at me openly.
I swallowed.
Great. Just great.
"Dennis," Mason said, voice deeper than I remembered. "Why did you bring her here dressed like that?"
I blinked. Dressed like what?
I looked down. It was normal gym wear. How was this a problem?
Dennis raised both hands. "Alpha, I swear she just..."
"Melina," Mason said, ignoring him. "Come here."
My breath hitched. Everyone watched me as I walked toward him. My legs felt weak, my heart pounding like drums in my head.
When I reached him, he leaned down slightly, his voice low enough for only me to hear.
"You can't wear this outside your room."
I frowned. "Why? It's just clothes."
His eyes flashed. "Not when every male wolf here is imagining things I would kill them for."
My mouth fell open.
What kind of response was I supposed to give to that?
Jessica folded her arms. "Alpha, she's human. She doesn't understand our rules."
Mason didn't even look at her. He was still staring at me like I was a problem he couldn't solve, a temptation he didn't want to admit existed.
His eyes dragged over my body, slowly, reluctantly, like he was fighting himself.
My cheeks burned.
Finally, he forced himself to look away.
"Training begins now," he announced loudly. "Dennis, keep her beside you. No one touches her."
Everybody obeyed instantly.
Jessica scoffed and strutted to the front.
Training started, and I sat beside Dennis, watching wolves sprint, flip in the air, lift weights that looked impossible for humans.
My heart pounded with every thud of their feet.
Dennis leaned close. "You okay?"
I nodded, even though I wasn't.
Not even close.
Because I could feel one gaze on me the entire time.
Alpha Mason.
He didn't stop watching me— not even for a second.
And every time our eyes met… something inside me tugged, pulled, burned.
I didn't know what it was.
But I knew one thing:
The longer I stayed in this place, the harder running away would become.