Episode 1

"Evelyn Amaris"

I felt a heavy arm draped over my body, blinked open my eyes, and upon gazing at the ceiling, I was certain I wasn't in my own home. I couldn't recall how I ended up here as my eyes wandered across the unfamiliar room, finally resting on the bronzed, ink-laden limb laid across me. I tried to dig deep within my mind to recollect last night's events, but my memory was blank. I was horrified to realize I was naked, covered only by a sheet across my breasts and lower region...

Turning my head to the right, I panicked at the sight of Varum sleeping soundly. I shoved his arm off me and sat up, clutching the sheet around me.

"What happened?" he mumbled, rubbing his face, while I stood frozen by the bed, in disbelief that I'd spent a night with my father's rival pack's alpha!

"Why am I here, Varum?" I asked while gathering my scattered clothes from the floor.

"What do you think happened?" he replied sitting up on the bed, a smug look on his face, modestly covering himself with a sheet since he too was devoid of clothing.

"You must have drugged me!" I exclaimed, dashing into the bathroom connected to the room.

Locking the door behind me and feeling the panic of considering what my father would do if he found out... I slapped the wall in frustration trying to remember, but couldn't—my father would kill me for even thinking about it... I hurriedly dressed, and just as I put on my lingerie, I heard the lock break and Varum entered with a grin.

"Do you really think I'd need to drug a little wolf to sleep with me..."

I was angered by his mockery and, involuntarily, my inner wolf began to stir. He froze, eyes wide with disbelief, as I quickly blinked a few times, returning my eyes to their normal brown hue...

"You're an Amaris!? What were you doing near my pack?..." He paced back and forth, his eyes shimmering in a mix of green and yellow as he continued, "I can't believe I spent the night with Arrow's daughter!!"

I finished dressing without dignifying him with a response, brushed past him as he was wrapped only in a towel... Regardless of my will, I couldn't help but notice his perfect physique—chiseled abs, defined chest, tattoos sprawling across his arms and chest... His tousled hair and the inviting pink of his lips, which I might have kissed but couldn't remember... I grabbed my car keys from the headboard, realizing I had somehow ended up here, oh God! And as I turned to leave, he caught my arm.

"How have I not met you before? I knew Arrow had daughters, but I never knew who they were! Did he send you?" His gaze glinted that distinct color, and his seriousness made me pull my arm away.

"No, my father didn't send me. He wouldn't do such a thing... I don't even know how I ended up here—a mistake... Excuse me, I need to go," I opened the door and headed for the exit, his parting words echoing behind me.

"It's a shame you don't remember; last night was perfect. I warned you not to overdo it with the drinks..."

"How low..." I said loud enough for him to hear, vexed by his taunting.

I left the hotel, doubting myself... How could I have ended up at a hotel, especially with my father's adversary? What was I thinking? And why was I near his territory? Questions I wasn't going to wait for that insolent man to answer. My car was parked right outside the place; I sighed, realizing I was in Portland, the largest city in Oregon, USA. I started the car, drove off, my home the destination...

At twenty-six, an age where most people are considered mature and settled, yet for me, born and bred in a wolf pack, secluded from the city and with lineage of alphas to boot... My father anticipates that as his eldest daughter, I should marry a beta wolf, second in the pack hierarchy...

Driving a good distance from Portland... How did I end up on the other side of the city, close to Varum's pack? We're aware of who he is because my father often warns us to keep away from their territory, and what had I done? Slept with him, or perhaps nothing happened, and it was just a cruel joke—his surprise at my "shimmering green" eyes was genuine...

Eventually, I approached the entrance to our home—a place many would call a village, perhaps because it's set apart from the city, surrounded by thick vegetation near a mountain, ours and Varum's pack sharing this vast space. Numerous packs are scattered across the world, yet we conduct ourselves normally among humans.

Our village isn't luxurious; homes made of bricks and clay as my father cherishes the old ways, and even though we draw water from a well, I love living here. We have everything we need; the place is clean, with a doctor, and cars available for trips into the city. My father is hard to handle—stubborn and authoritative...

Our house nestles among the others; all residents are wolves awaiting their first transformation at every month's first full moon. This occurs to the youth at the age of fifteen, an agonizingly painful experience—I still remember mine... I drove through the houses towards mine, seeing my sister emerge at the door.

"Where were you all night, Evelyn? Dad had everyone searching our territory!" She confronted me through the car window as soon as I stopped. I scrambled for an explanation, dreading the idea of my father learning what transpired first.

"I needed to clear my head—I went outside the city..." I'm unsure if this would suffice, but it was all that came to mind...

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