"Alright." He sighed. "The origin of werewolves is still a mystery because every piece of evidence available states a different story. But basically, it's an evolutionary process to survive the changing conditions of the environment."

"That's it? No magic involved?" To say she was disappointed would be an understatement, this wasn't interesting at all.

He chuckled. "You can ask Nicholas or better so refer to the books in the library for more information. You may find a story or two that satisfies you."

"There's a library nearby?" she asked, her eyes wide and bright with excitement. Had she known this before, she wouldn't have had to sit in this boring room all day.

"Yes, the room next to my office."

"You have a library in your house?" She could not hide her surprise.

Icarus nodded and pushed a stray tendril of hair behind her ear. "Now, hush and listen to me. So, as I told you earlier, I'm the Alpha of the Imperial pack, which means I'm the leader. Nicholas, the Beta, whom you've already met is the second in command. He serves as my right hand. He has to take over in my absence. Mason, the third in command or Gamma, is the pack warrior in charge of the security and safety of the pack. There's a packhouse where all the werewolves live as a family, but those who prefer privacy can have their own house."

"Like you."

"Yeah."

"Are there more werewolves?"

He nodded. "Like humans, we are scattered all across the world."

"Oh?" Her eyes nearly bulged out hearing the newly discovered information. "How come we know nothing about you guys?"

"Your government does know about the creatures of day and night since we all have signed a peace treaty, and having sworn to secrecy, they cannot expose any of us."

"There are more creatures?"

"Vampires, Witches, Demons, Elves, Fairies, Angels, Nymphs, Gargoyles, Shadows, and the list goes on."

"Oh my god!" She squealed, leaning closer to his side. This was more than amazing. Who knew the mere mythical creatures in story books would become her reality? "Can I please meet the witches, fairies, and Angels? I grew up reading about them."

"Angels rank higher than us so we aren't permitted to contact them. Rest, yes, being equal and friends, I can arrange something in the future."

"Oh, that's fine with me." She squeezed his hand in hers and smiled happily.

He smiled back. "We have a pack doctor who is called healer. Imperial pack has two healers, Mr. and Mrs. Hans." She nodded as he continued to explain. "We believe and worship the Moon Goddess. She guides us to the good throughout our lives."

"So, did she tell you that I'm your soulmate?"

He shook his head in exasperation. "She paired the compatible souls to unite and become one. I know it's hard to believe but she had it all sorted. You were meant to be mine and you are here."

"But she is the goddess of werewolves while I'm a human," she whispered softly as a feeling of uncertainty washed over her.

"She is the goddess of creatures of the night," he amended and tightened his grip on her hand which was casually resting on his lap. "You being human doesn't change anything. You are my mate."

"But what if you are mistaken and there's a female werewolf out there looking for you?" She felt terrible, her stomach in knots when something akin to pain flashed in his eyes. "I don't mean to upset you. It's just, one of us has to be rational and think clearly."

He stared at her intently, his lips set in a thin line. "I'll show you."

She was confused for a split second but when his hands reached the edge of her hoodie, she flushed, both embarrassed and enraged. "Hell no!" She grasped his wrist and pushed his hand away.

"It's not what you think. Come here." He tugged at the hoodie again and yanked it off her head in one swift movement.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You cannot force yourself on me." She glared at him, her blood boiling. She jumped out of the bed, with him following her. "I'll scream."

His hawk-like gaze bored into hers as he closed the distance between them, caging her between the wall and him. She opened her mouth for a fight but he pressed his finger to her lips, silencing all her words of protest and plea.

"I won't do anything. I just need to make sure."

Her heart hammered in her chest, her palms sweaty when he brought his hands to her shirt and undid the buttons. His fingers gently peeled it off her shoulder, dragging it down her arms, until she was left all exposed for his eyes to drink.

He turned her around and unclasped her bra. She swallowed, her eyes prickling with tears as she held the material to her chest before it could fall to the floor.

"There it is." His fingertips traced her back, leaving a trail of heat in their wake. "Your soulmark."

She trembled and exhaled shakily. She had never shown the mark to anyone except her roommates, but she had told them it was a tattoo. How else was she supposed to explain the random symbol? She didn't know when she got it, but it hadn't faded. "What does it mean?"

He hooked her bra in place before coming to stand in front of her. Slowly, he took off his own shirt, revealing an identical mark on his back. All she could do was stare in shock and amazement.

"This is impossible." She stepped towards him and touched the crescent moon with a little star above it. The only difference she noticed was that while hers sat in the middle of her back, his was on the right side.

He stiffened, and she immediately pulled away.

"These marks help to identify the mates," he explained. "It can be numbers, symbols, shapes, words or names— a proof that they belong to each other. It appears on the eighteenth birthday or when a person goes through puberty. Sometimes it appears at birth."

"But I-I... This can be a coincidence?" Now she sounded like she was trying to convince herself, not him.

"Bullshit!" Anger flared in his eyes as he stalked towards her and the amber she had come to get attached to shined so brightly in them, she gulped audibly.

She felt heat radiate off his body and course through her when his fingers curled around her wrist and pulled her to his chest. "Does this not affect you?"

Her hands flew up to rest on his shoulders and she looked up at him. Yes. "No," she said.

"This?" He leaned in closer to her face and she felt his warm breath stroke her senses.

Yes. "No," she rasped out.

"And this?" He pressed his lips against hers, his eyes fixed on her face for a reaction.

She pushed him away before she did something she shouldn't have done. Her lips still tingled, the fuzzy feeling returning to her chest. Who was she fooling? Even she could see right through her lie. What she felt for him ran deeper than she had expected.

She should not be accepting him, not in any way. Kidnapping her because she was his soulmate was unethical. He could have chosen a different approach.

But despite what he'd done, she couldn't bring herself to reject him. She knew what it would do to him, it would leave him ashen. She could see how truly invested he was in the idea of mates, in her, even though it had been only a week since they met.

She heard his sharp intake of breath before he stepped back and slipped on his shirt. His fingers tangled into his hair and he clenched his eyes shut, his sullen expression of a man who had lost everything in a matter of seconds. When his eyes opened, they were flashing between brown and amber, holding so many emotions she felt her throat close up.

"It's okay. I understand," he said and turned around to leave. "Nicholas will be here to fetch you. You are free to go."

She wanted to escape from the very moment she woke up here. She should have been ecstatic hearing his words but she wasn't. Instead, she felt her chest burn and stomach churn violently as she watched him disappear.

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