1. THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER

~YULIA

It was my mother's funeral today.

And I had watched helplessly as they put her body in the ground, sealed it so that we were separated forever and I would never see her again.

Thus, in an attempt to drown in my sorrows and wallow in self pity, I had wound up in Club Purple.

Giving in to the alcohol, allowing myself to get drunk— was the only way I felt I would be able to get through the pain of losing her.

They say you only realise the value of something until you lose it.

I let out a sad laugh as I thought of all the times I argued and rebelled against her. All the times I told her I hated her. All the times I screamed at her that she wasn't even my real mother, that I was just a child she adopted and she had no rights to boss me around.

Now I was regretting it all.

I wished that I could turn back the time and at least get to tell her how much I loved her, how much I missed her and wanted her to be here right now.

I wiped away the tears that had escaped my eyes again and downed another glass of tequila.

"Need a refill?" The kind bartender asked.

I gave him a small smile as I nodded at him. Getting high was the only way to escape the pain.

The bartender poured me another glass and I was about to down it again when my phone buzzed.

It was Mr Rogers, my mother's lawyer.

"Where are you, Yulia? You have me worried!" He exclaimed impatiently.

I rolled my eyes at his voice. "What do you want?"

"We were supposed to have a talk right after the funeral. I know it is hard for you but we need to have that talk now."

"I don't need a guardian, Rogers. I am eighteen. I can take care of myself!"

I cut the call immediately and logged him into ’Do not disturb.' The old man was beginning to get on my nerves at this point.

The last thing I wanted was some foster parent when I had just lost the only parent I ever knew. I hardly even got along with my adoptive mother, what was the guarantee that I was going to get along with this parent?

I gulped down my tequila and it was at this point that my vision began to blur.

"Shit," I cursed.

I was already intoxicated by the alcohol.

‘We should leave,’ Yara— my wolf warned from within me.

I shook my head in response and was about to pay with my phone when a sudden chill instantly erupted at the pit of my core.

I released a shocked shiver as I turned my eyes toward the entrance of Club Purple.

That was when I saw him.

A man with eyes so green they made my wolf stir with desire. I swallowed hard as I took in his build.

He was like a shadow of danger. Everything about him screamed death but in a dangerously enticing way.

He had on loose pants that complimented his towering height. Followed by a tight dark shirt that showed off his perfectly carved body. He looked older than I could ever be yet unaging, probably around his thirties or more if he was a werewolf.

A werewolf could be way over fifty and still look as if he was in his late twenties.

It was at that moment that our eyes met and I flinched. I looked away instantly as another shiver ran down my spine.

I turned to the bartender immediately and swallowed hard. The last thing I wanted was that harbinger of danger coming my way because I knew I would not be able to resist him.

I was easily drawn to dangerous things.

I released a shaky breath and told myself that if I stayed with my back turned away from him, he would get the message and move on. After all, it was not like a man as hot as him would be interested in a young adult like me.

He was probably into hotter women with insane curves.

"Hey. . ." A dangerously sexy masculine voice suddenly reached my ears— dragging me out of my thoughts and I froze just as my wolf stirred with desire.

I turned instantly only to be met with those same forest green eyes that had rumbled my soul earlier.

I blinked at him, still surprised that the hot stranger was actually sitting with me and talking to me.

"You're not from around here, are you?" I asked instead.

He smirked. "Is it that obvious?"

My eyes subconsciously ran over his hair. They looked a wet mess which gave me the urge to run my fingers through them.

And of course, my eyes moved to the exposed part of his chest. The skin underneath looked moist and I wanted to run my hands over all of his bare body.

Shit! Where the fuck were all these thoughts coming from?

What was happening to me?

Yara on the other hand could not stop dancing with desire.

I had never once met a man I badly wanted to fuck on the spot!

"It is," I managed to say.

"What would you like to have, sir?" The kind bartender asked.

I looked at the strange man again.

"What the beautiful lady is having and refills for her too."

The bartender nodded before pouring us each a glass.

I instantly downed mine like I had been doing before to hide my now flushed face.

This man had fucking called me beautiful!

"Having a bad day?" He asked, gesturing at the way I drank so fast.

Thus I thought of my mother again. "You have no idea."

"That makes two of us," he whispered. Then he downed his glass, imitating me. "Best for us to enjoy each other's company since we can relate to the pain."

I shot him a wide glare at this point and he held my gaze before his eyes began to travel down the rest of my body.

I was wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of pants. Completely plain clothes yet the way that he looked at me, it felt as if he was undressing me.

I saw myself in his arms, his lips on my skin and his cock buried within me.

My mouth instantly went dry.

What the fuck was happening to me?

"Are you trying to seduce me?" I suddenly blurted out.

He laughed. My question had caught him off guard. And when he finally stopped laughing, he scooted closer to me and ran his fingers over my cheeks.

"Do you want me to?"

Electric sensations instantly scattered across the area and traveled down to my legs.

How was it even possible? How could a simple touch from him make my body react this much?

"I'm eighteen. And you're obviously older than me," I whispered instead, hoping to discourage him.

But he smirked. "Don't you want to find out how a man as old as me can satisfy a woman as young as you?"

I widened my eyes at him. He was daring me to play with fire.

At this point, Yara was going into a frenzy within me. She was burning with desire and I doubted if I could keep her at bay long enough.

She wanted him.

I wanted him too.

But I could never openly admit that.

"Let's dance and let me show you how I can make you forget," he whispered into my ears instead.

With that, he rose to his feet and offered me his hand.

Every reasonable voice within me screamed at me to stay away from him. But my wolf and the other half of myself was roaring, salivating for him.

‘Accept him!’ Yara growled.

I sighed in defeat at the end as I gave him my hand. "Fine, let's dance."

He smiled in satisfaction as he pulled me up and led me to a spot where it was less crowded and a bit secluded.

He stopped and backed me up against the wall so that he was towering over me in the dancing red-purple lights.

"I thought we were dancing," I whispered.

He chuckled before taking both my hands and gently placing them over his shoulders. Then he leaned down to my left ear.

"We are. . ." He whispered. "But ours is a different and slow dance."

And my body began to heat up with need just from the sound of his husky whispers.

His hands rested on my waist as he began to move us slowly to the sound of the sensual music.

"Just go with the flow. . ." He added.

That was when he began to plant soft gentle kisses on my neck. It made my core erupt with emotions.

It felt crazy, dangerous and enticing at the same time.

This wasn't right.

How could I be feeling this way for a man I just met?

An older man at that!

His hands started traveling over my body, provoking more sensations, assaulting my body with feelings I had never felt before.

"I want you. . . Baby. . . You smell so fucking good, it's messing with my senses," he whispered.

"This makes no sense, you're a stranger," I managed to say in a weak voice.

"Yet it feels as if my wolf has known yours forever. . ."

I stopped and looked up at him. "Who are you?"

He smirked as he tucked my stray hair behind my ear. "I am yours. . ."

Then he crashed his lips against mine.

I should have pushed him away. I should have been disgusted. I should have been angry that he kissed me without my consent.

But I was none of that.

Instead, I was shocked by the instant fire that came alive inside of me for him. It was as if I had started burning for him. Like I existed to be with him.

My soul came alive with a desire so strong it threatened to cripple my soul. My body started trembling as my hands shot up into his hair and his hands touched me everywhere.

And when he deepened the kiss and dug his tongue into my mouth, I lost all my senses.

I became his to please and that was what terrified me the most.

I was already completely lost in his charms when my phone suddenly buzzed in my pants.

I jumped instantly and pulled away from him. I stared at him wide eyed as I tried to catch my breath.

"I— I need to go. . ." I managed to say.

He looked at me in shock. "You're leaving? Why? Did I do something wrong?"

But my tremors only intensified. I was afraid to stay even a second longer because I knew that there would be no stopping me from giving in.

"I'm sorry. I have to go!" I cried and turned instantly.

Then I broke into a run.

"Wait! You didn't even tell me your name!" I heard him call.

"Neither did you," I answered and ran out the exit door.