Mya stayed with me until dinner time, going as far as to skip lunch with me. I quite enjoyed her presence. I found her easier to talk to than her sister. Where Eve was strict and old-fashioned, Mya wasn't afraid to curse and talk about things Eve would class as taboo.

"I understand your reluctance about us all." She commented, relaxing on my bed. "If they threw me into your world, and told I was stuck with some guy who I never met, then I too would be pretty peeved. But you're not as innocent as you look, are you?"

"Innocent?" I quirked an eyebrow. "Sexually?"

She laughed. "Goddess, I wasn't talking about that but we can go down that route if you want!"

I laughed with her, shaking my head. "Your sister nearly had a meltdown when she found out I was engaged to a man."

"I bet she did." Mya grinned. "How long were you with this guy?"

I hesitated, chewing my cheek as I debated my answer. Deciding Mya was friendly enough, I shrugged, dropping my eyes to the torn skin on my leg. I often traced the harsh lines with my fingers; they had become rather red from the intense get-away I tried to accomplish earlier.

"I was with him since I was sixteen." I explained. "We were supposed to get married when I turned eighteen, but I prolonged it until the summer..."

"Prolong it?" She barked a laugh. "Could it be that bad? A man you were with for what, three years nearly, finally to be as one?"

I remained silent and her amusement died down as the seriousness of my face hit her. A small whisper of a curse left her lips, followed by an apology.

"It was an arranged marriage." I began. "My mother..."

"What?" She cocked her head, her nose flaring. "You smell... mournful."

My laugh was lacking in amusement as I shook my head at her. "My mother arranged it. She was not a good parent. After my father died, she became a shell of herself. My marriage was to a man of money, a man whose parents ran the village. In the marriage, it would secure her a future. My little sister... I just hope she doesn't have to live how I did."

"I'm sorry." Mya frowned, her hand coming to rest on my shoulder.

I gave her a faint smile, and we stayed silent as my mind ran with the memory of my mother changing my life, controlling my life. Mya's hand traced gentle circles on my shoulder, her thumb brushing my jaw and ear. It tickled, causing goosebumps to raise on my arms.

Levelling my gaze with hers, I saw her staring down at me with rather dilated pupils. "Mya, are you okay?"

She blinked a few times, her hand stopping the patterns on my skin. It took a few moments for her normal brown to be blinking back at me, but when they did, she appeared sheepish.

"Sorry, my wolf... She was studying you. She can smell a lot better than I can and she was just reacting to your changes." She flashed a toothy grin.

"Is that why your eyes turned black?" I wondered.

She nodded. "The pupils dilate when wolves try to take over, so you can still see some colour."

"Is that why Asra's are always black?"

She twitched slightly at the drop of her Alpha's title but didn't react otherwise. "His wolf is strong. We are one soul, wolf and human; one entity. We have human eyes and our wolves' eyes, and Alpha just so has a powerful wolf's instinct. It is why he is such a good Alpha."

"They say the eyes are the window to the soul." I commented. "So his are always black because he is always a moody wolf?"

She laughed, her body vibrating the bed. "I suppose you are right. He has a higher prey drive, bigger instinct... bigger sex drive."

She nudged me suggestively, but I just wrinkled my nose at her.

"What?" She snorted. "You are telling me you have not got hot around him?"

I pouted, childishness overtaking my expressions. "Maybe."

She laughed again. "Ailia. Sex is normal. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"So needy all the time. You're such a little whore."

I cringed at the memory of my enemy, remembering how restricted and at his mercy I would be. How my body was his and would betray its own owner. It would disgust him at the end of the deed.

"It's not that... I just haven't had the bet of experiences with it." I muttered. "He is a very... handsome man, but my body betrays me around him and it scares me."

She stiffened, the rise and fall of her chest pausing for a second. "Why would it scare you? It is just the mate bond telling you what it wants."

"Mya, this is all new to me. There is no such thing as bonds in the human world. You fall in love and marry and that is that. Then you fall out of love and divorce, or you die, simple." I grumbled.

She exhaled loudly. "Mate bonds are not like that. You are chosen to be together by fate itself. You will never divorce and once you are mated, you won't die."

"Of course, I will die." I rolled my eyes. "I am eighteen and humans, on average, live for seventy years today."

"That is all you got from what I am trying to say?" She mused, sitting up to look down at me. "Ailia, they made him for you and you for him. I know it is scary. I know it is new to you, but you have to trust this, trust me. I know we just met, but surely you at least have a gut instinct. Humans are not that behind."

Frowning, I studied her. From her exasperated expression to the pleading in her eyes, I knew I couldn't just dismiss her. I felt those instincts, especially when I was around Asra. I felt safe and like he wouldn't hurt me. It was comical how I could feel such things around a man who clearly embraced his feral side and was the size of a tractor.

"I do feel safe around him." I agreed, to which she grinned at. "But... I am not perfect, Mya. There are things that have happened to me and without sounding like I'm asking for attention, but I cannot trust him. I cannot be here. Fate... Destiny... Mates... It's not for me, it is not my nature."

"It is though, I can feel it in you." She pleaded, shaking her head. "You are strong minded, witty and brave."

"I am not brave." I laughed. "I may seem so, but deep down, I am scared."

Her eyes softened. "You don't have to be scared. Just... just trust your gut, embrace the feelings. Wolves live by nature, the pull of the earth and moon... they made it this way."

"An alpha to be paired with a weak human?" I scoffed. "Some twisted game, in my opinion."

"Or rather perfect in mine."

I raised an eyebrow, encouraging her to go on but she dismissed it as though she had never spoken. With a sigh, she spuon,n her legs around to the edge of the bed to stand. I watched as she raised her arms above her head, lacing her fingers as she popped her spine and knuckles. My eyes wandered along the contours of her body, amazed someone female could have so much muscle.

"It's dinner and I have already skipped lunch and do not plan on missing two meals today. I burn twice as many calories as you and I am starved." She groaned, turning back to me with a smirk. "Stop eyeing me. You have a mate."

I blushed, my eyes widening. "I was not."

"You were too." She teased. "Trust me, if you were not mated, I wouldn't mind having a go."

If possible, my blush deepened, but Mya's grin just widened. With a devilish look in her eye, she bent down to kiss me on the cheek before shooting up and walking to the door.

"Bye!"

The door closed loudly behind her, but I was in too much of embarrassed shock to even react to the noise. I was not staring at her like that, was I? I mean, she was... attractive, but I was just looking! I have never seen a woman so strong, so defined before. In Evermore, women were prepped and dainty, made for cooking and raising children. Not warriors, with hard lines and toned muscles.

Shaking my head, I pulled myself to the edge of the bed as well. Determined to bite back to Mya, I hobbled my way to the door. My leg and ribs ached with the rush of my body as I slammed my door back open. Grumbling through the pain, I walked down my hallway to rest by the elevator.

"Wondered how long it would take you."

I jumped in fright, my arms coming up to defend my head unconsciously. When my brain registered the lack of threat and the name to the voice, I lowered my defences to glare at Mya. She leaned against the opposing wall right by the corner so I never saw her. Arms crossed, her cocky smirk gave away her enjoyment.

"What's with the turtle reaction?"

"Turtle?" I wondered.

"Slow and deaf, and curling into a ball." She snorted.

"That is called my reflex."

"Protecting your head instead of fighting?" She teased. "Not going to get you anywhere."

"Saves my face getting punched." I retorted, agitated.

Her face sobered up, a look of knowing on her face. "So, Eve was right."

"What?" I asked, confused.

This woman must've been on another planet or dimension, but she confused me with the random change in subjects.

"Eve reckoned the bruising was because someone in your village hurt you, but I said no. But she's right, isn't she?" She quipped. "I've gathered some evidence, and the turtle reaction has just topped it."

"W-what are you talking about?"

The elevator beeped, and she gestured for me to step inside first. I did so begrudgingly, trying to hide my nervousness from her.

"Things you say, reactions you have all point to someone abused you. So now you just tell me who it is and I will happily rip the bastard's head from their shoulder." She interjected, crossing her arms to glare down at me.

I flinched at the look, dropping my gaze as her eyes and nostrils flared.

"Aha! See, another one!" Mya retorted. "I promise you Ailia, whether or not you open up fully, no-one is going to hurt you again."

If only that was so true... I thought.

The elevator fell silent when she realised I would not give another answer or reaction to her boisterousness. When the surge of gravity hit my stomach and the doors opened, I followed her out of the death-box.

"Mm, smell that?" She wondered.

I sniffed, not finding anything but the smell of her perfume. "No?"

"Really? Your noses are that bad?" She wondered, genuinely surprised. "It's Italian night, let's go!"

"Italian?" I wondered. "Sounds interesting."

"You've never had Italian?" She gasped.

"No?"

"Wow, I think I really am going to burn your hometown to the ground." She laughed. "Come on, I'll take the lead."

"Okay, but not so fast." I grimaced as she tugged on my arm. "Broken bones here."

"Oh, yeah." She frowned, slowing down. "You know what you need? Wolf blood."

"What?" I spluttered. "Why would I need that?"

"Shifters have high blood cell count, fast metabolism and regenerative abilities. A paper cut for you lasts about what, a day before its closes? For us it's less than ten seconds. A broken rib will heal within an hour, easy." She shrugged.

I blinked at her, frozen to the spot. This world was getting weirder and weirder. A pinch to my arm proved I truly was not imagining what she was saying. This was like something out of children's book, not a real-life situation.

"You are joking, right?" I asked. "Like, you're pulling my leg?"

"If I pulled your leg, I think you'd have a lot more injuries than some stitches." She teased.

"Wow... Okay... That's... That's... cool." I stammered.

She laughed. "It is very handy, too. It's why there are so many of us and why we are so hard to kill."

"That's why you won the war." I commented.

She cringed, but I didn't mind; I can't change the past and wars happen all the time. People get too greedy and power hungry. Shifters were just stronger, braver and smarter than we gave them credit for. Learning they could heal that fast, though, when I thought things like that were myth, was not as peculiar the more I think about it. They can change into a four-legged dog. It's not like this is much worse.

"I suppose so..." Mya mumbled. "Anyway, enough. Let's eat!"

******

Early update (:

Question of the Day:
What is your favourite trope in a book?
Enemies to lovers, jock, celebrity&fan ... weirdest and most random are always welcome haha!