Far Waters was the town where we all lived in. Our houses was close by so Cora dropped me off first. I still lived with my parents as leaving them was too difficult.

"You're going to come clean, right?" Ann asked, touching my back to see the mark. "To your parents?"

"Of course," I grunted, shifting as she touched my mark. "I have to. Alpha Richard will kill me if he learns this from someone else," Mating with someone out of the pack was forbidden and could be only done if the Alpha gave the permission too.

I didn't have a fucking option to hide it all.

"All right. The mark is still not infected so I guess you're going to live," she replied, pulling up my shirt and leaning back against her seat.

Cora pulled over at the garage of my house and stopped the car there. A groaned pushed past my lips as I saw Evan's car there—he must've known that I was going to come back.

"Fuck me,"

"Just kick him out. Why do your parents even let him in?" Cora asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't told them yet that Evan and I broke up,"

"It's been weeks, Lily!"

"Come on, I didn't have time but I am going to tell them, everything before the pack meeting tonight." I raised my hands in surrender and told them both.

The pack meeting happened once in every month. Previous month, I was given a rank but my training hadn't started yet as I had been busy studying. Most of the meetings were conducted by Alpha Richard, at his large house. I hadn't missed a single meeting since I came here but I had second thoughts for tonight.

It wouldn't be long before everyone, including Alpha Richard found out that I was marked. The beast's scent was all over me and regardless of the dozen showers I took, nothing was going to get rid of his smell.

"You better!" Ann said.

"I will, chill!"

Getting off the car, I went to the trunk and pulled out my suitcases. During all that, Evan walked out of my house, concerned.

"Lilliana," he called out my name.

"Not now, Evan, I can't talk with you—"

"Just for a few minutes," He said, interrupting me. "I have been wanting to talk to you for days,"

"And, I don't want to. I have too many things in my mind—"

Evan leaned in closer and sniffed my shirt. "Why do you have a male scent over you?"

Great.

I threw my heavy suitcase down on the ground and released another huff. "Does it matter?"

"Were you with someone?"

"You're not my boyfriend, Evan. I can be with whoever I want to be," I told him in clear words so he could back off before my anger got my own beast out.

"Okay, fine. But, can we talk?" His innocent blue eyes melted into my mine and I looked away. Fuck him.

"I told you, I have too many things to do. When I am free, I will let you know and then you can talk. Till then, please leave me alone." I begged him and for the first time, he listened to me.

When Evan walked away, Cora and Ann jumped out of the car and came over to my side. I had warned them earlier to not say anything bad to him and since then, they never spoke to him.

"God, he's obsessed." Cora said, chewing her gum and eyeing Evan's car. "I hate him,"

"Trust me. I know that feeling," I grabbed my suitcase and my hand bag to the porch and then waved my friends, letting them know it was their time to leave.

They both jumped back in and drove away from my house. I closed my eyes for a second and took in a deep breath to calm my nerves down. This was going to be difficult.

"Hey, I didn't know that you were coming back so early! Didn't you tell me that you were coming back on the weekend?" Mom asked the instant second I stepped inside the house.

"Yes, but something went wrong and I had to hurry here." I replied, pulling my suitcase inside the house.

"Is it Evan? He sounded pretty sad today,"

"No. I mean, yes, it's also Evan. Where is Dad?"

"He's in the shower," Mom replied, pointing at the bathroom that was shut close. She left the kitchen and came to my side. "Tell me what happened then?"

"It's something big and I'd prefer if you and Dad were there together to listen what I have to say,"

"All right. We will wait for the ole' man to finish his shower," she joked, running back inside the kitchen.

I was looking forward on telling my parents everything—from Evan, to the beast and to the mark. They were okay with everything I did and I assumed that they'd take this easy. There were so many times I drove them nuts and they still loved me as I was their only child.

When Dad got out of the shower, which was twenty minutes later, he hugged me and then sat down to listen what I had to say. After spilling every detail—apart from the sex—I clasped my hands together and placed my fingers over my lips. My eyes whipped around from my Dad to my Mom. They had no reaction, not until a minute passed by and they took in everything.

"So, you are marked?" Mom asked, her face hardening.

"Yes,"

"By the beast?"

"Yes,"

"Are you sure it was the beast?"

"Yes," I nodded. I was hundred percent sure that I was fucked and marked by the beast. Who else would be in the forest apart from him?

"Let me the see mark," She got up from her seat and came over to my side.

Sitting down, I turned, showing her my back and revealing where the mark was.

"It's not infected so that's a good thing," Mom was trying to hard to stay sane. "Usually, the mark gets infected in twenty four hours if it's not by the right person. Are you sure you're not sick?"

"No,"

"And, it has been twelve hours by now, right?"

"Almost," It was afternoon by then.

"Well, you found your mate, darling." She stated, serene in her voice as it didn't matter that I was mated to the fucking beast.

"No!" I whipped around and looked at her, "I'm too young to have a mate," Well. Females usually were marked by their mates around the age of eighteen and twenty-five.

"You're not, and at least you're not going to die so be grateful," Mom eyed me before getting up and going back to where Dad was seated.

I whimpered out of frustration. "I don't want to be mated to that beast!"

"You don't have a choice,"

"Dad! Say something," I glanced at him and said. Mom worked as a part time comedian back in her twenties and that habit still didn't wear off.

This was serious.

And, I was going to cry.

"What do you want me to say, Lily? It's better to be mateless than be marked by a beast?" His face was filled with disappointment.

I was a little shocked. The only person who knew about the beast was Ann. Cora didn't even know who it was and we were never warned about the wolf who lived in that forest.

"Do you know who is the beast?"

My parents shared a strange look with each other. The atmosphere thickened as I waited for a response. They definitely knew something.

"Yes, we do." Dad replied after a long minute.

"Well, who is he?"

"We can't go in details, but, we are sure that it wasn't the beast who marked you. It must be some other male around there." He looked at my Mom and nodded his head. "So, it's fine."

"No. I knew it was the beast. Ann told me about him," I argued, proving my point. Memories of last night were clear. The beast spoke to me, telling how females died and it matched with Ann's story. I couldn't be wrong.

"Sweetheart, the beast hasn't appeared in over fifteen years. No one has seen or spoken about him," Mom shook her head and said.

"Mom, I know who he was. No one has seen him because everyone that does, dies. He had a cabin in the forest," I tried my best to explain to them.

How did they even know about him?

"Fine. What did he look like?"

I sighed, narrowing down my head and remembering his face. This was going to be awkward. "He had gray eyes, quite sharp. Looks old but still handsome. And, he had a scar on his face." It was all clear in my head.

The face.

I wanted to sit over that face.

I bit down the inside of my cheek and waited for my parents to say something. Their faces were filled with fear when I explained to them what he looked like.

Mom glanced at my Dad and said, "Micheal, she's mated to the beast."