The days that followed were filled with my normal routine.

Waking up at seven in the morning, hopping in the shower, get dressed, packing up my backpack for classes, then heading to the corner coffee shop across the street.

This routine was mostly the same except for the fact that Caleb had one of his friends following me around. I'm pretty sure his name is Alex, the one that was sunburnt to a crisp just days ago.

He said it was to keep a watchful eye on me and keep tabs for him while he did the stuff that he needed to do. What exactly that stuff was, I'm not sure. I wanted to know what kept him so busy during the day but at the same time, I was still trying to find a balance between my life and this new one I was being pulled into.

Caleb would come to the apartment late at night when I was usually asleep. I wasn't sure if he was avoiding me or trying not to scare me. Honestly, I think it was the latter of the two. I was grateful though as it helped me come to terms with the new living arrangements.

It was now Wednesday and I was standing at Milly's Cáfe paying for my mocha. My phone buzzed in my jacket pocket alerting me of someone sending a text. Saying thank you to the barista I slipped my wallet in my backpack and pulled out the phone to see who texted. Alex trailed close behind as I left the coffee shop.

My stomach did a flip and a twist as my eyes read the name on the screen. Caleb Pierce.

Good Morning it read. I found it odd to see his name flash on my screen. He never texted me, that's probably because I haven't given him a reason to. I told him what my schedule was every day and I made sure to stick to it. As much as a small part of me still yearned to know him my instincts were still reminding me why that was a bad idea.

My thumbs fumbled with my phone as I tried to figure out what to say back. Do I even say anything back?

Pursuing my lips, deciding if I should reply or not my thumbs struggled to type anything on my phone. A sliver of my conscious had this undeniable urge to talk to him. I hated that part of me still but I was slowly growing used to these feelings, simply ignoring them as the arise.

"Are you okay?" A male voice said behind me making me drop my phone on the concrete sidewalk. I cursed as I saw a long crack on my phone screen. Great!

Turning around I saw Alex standing looking at me. He looked apologetically at me as I looked over my phone's condition. Yup, definitely cracked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I groaned annoyed that I had dropped my phone.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you. It's just I could smell how nervous you were just now." He explained. To anyone else they would have thought the man had lost his sanity. I had him following me around for days and it still caught me off guard whenever he would say he could smell my feelings.

When I didn't reply and turned around to continue my commute to class he spoke up again.

"Luna, is it the Rogue?"He questioned bring me to a halt.

The loathing in his voice when he mentioned rogue made me stop. I knew he was referring to Taylor. Caleb had made it very difficult to talk and meet up with her just because of her life choice to be free. At least that's how I saw it. He had his friend even paranoid about me seeing her. I had on numerous occasions had to tell Alex to back away.

I still remember the first day they met each other. Alex and Taylor nearly fought each other because they thought that she was a threat. I had to yet again put myself in between them to keep them from attacking each other.

Taylor had pointed out to me just to demand Alex to stop bothering us and he'd listen. She was grinning from ear to ear when I told him to stop and it worked. Of course, I had Caleb calling me moments after telling me not to do that again. I told him I wouldn't as long as no one touched Taylor. He reluctantly agreed.

I had this invisible authority and power I didn't know I had until then. Alex listened to me on demand and it was oddly satisfying and disturbing.

"No it's not Taylor." I grumbled at him glaring through my lashes. "And don't call me that. I don't want any part of your world." My voice held repulsion but it was the truth. I hadn't asked to be apart of all of this. If it were up to me I wouldn't have opened my door on my birthday and landed myself in that strip club.

When I caught the reflection of Alex's face in one of the boutique windows I wasn't expecting a hurt expression that flashed upon his face. I didn't say anything however not trying to entertain a conversation I didn't have the energy to have. His facial expression was gutted, as if I had hit a sensitive subject. Had I?

Of course I hadn't. I had just spoken my mind.

I found myself less afraid of their kind and finding his presence more of a nuance than anything now. Having a man in his late twenties following me around was drawing unwanted attention to me the last couple days.

"I'm sorry." Alex said. I could hear the hurt in his voice. "Then why were you nervous?" He brought my attention back to the message I still hadn't replied to.

"I forgot about an assignment I had." I lied trying to end the conversation.

Just a moment after I had lied my phone buzzed again in my pocket.

Are you alright? It was from Caleb. I stopped and turned to Alex raising an eye brow suspiciously. Had he texted him cause he definitely didn't call I would have heard him ring him.

Alex raised his hands in a defensive manner seeming to know exactly why I was glaring once again at him. He knew I was on to him but I have no proof.

I'm fine why? I asked trying to get the proof I needed to tell Alex to stop tattle talking on me over the smallest of things.

The typing icon popped up but disappeared. It did that several times before a minute passed and I rolled my eyes putting the phone away.

I had more important things to focus on like my exam I was getting to.

Running into the biology building I looked for Taylor. We had the same class. She had texted me this morning telling me meet her early in the lobby.

She was there waiting in the lobby for me slouched in a chair with her beanie half covering her face. Her nose rose up in the air and from the looks of it she smelled me when I came in.

"Finally." She stood up pulling her beanie in place, coming towards me grabbing. She grabbed my hand and yanked me towards the bathroom.

Alex grabbed my other hand causing a stand off with me yet again in the middle. He growled lowly at Taylor who did the same.

"Let her go." Alex seethed not liking Taylor's hold.

"No you! I'm taking her to the bathroom perv now let her go." Taylor retorted yanking my arm. I hissed as she used more strength than she needed to knowing Alex still held my other wrist.

"Guys! Stop people are looking." I reminded them as I nodded my head to a couple sitting at a table studying and a professor walking by staring at us. "Alex let go. I promise I'll be okay we are just going to the bathroom." I told him.

Alex was glaring at Taylor still but listened to my order to let go. He followed us but stopped just down the hallway where he could still see the entrance to the bathroom.

One more tug from Taylor and I was dragged into the bathroom. It was still early and there was no one in the bathroom besides us.

"I fucking hate pack wolves they are always overprotective of their alpha's and luna's it's annoying." She spat turning on all the sinks. I was confused by her actions and she must have seen that in the reflection of the mirror. "It's so that idiot doesn't hear us talking."

"They can hear through the walls?" My eyes grew wide. I didn't know that information. It would have been nice to know that before I had called my doctor yesterday to prescribe me more anxiety medication because of all this.

Taylor laughed at my shock.

"Yes Evie, we can hear clearly through walls and doors." She crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. "That's not why I pulled you away from them I wanted to see how the last couple days have been. Has the brain dead alpha touched you?" Her voice was nothing but concern.

I rested my hands on the counter putting my phone from my pocket on it as well. There were several messages on my phone now, all from Caleb. I was going to have to talk to him if Taylor was going to continue being an issue for him. I wasn't giving up my best friend. Werewolf or not. Rogue or not.

"No Taylor he hasn't touched me. Honestly, he's hardly been at the apartment while I'm there." I explained to her hoping she would see that Caleb wasn't harming me just like he said he wouldn't.

"Wow the alpha's too busy to be with his new found mate." She muttered under her breath rolling her eyes as if she were disgusted. "He's going to have to mark you soon or you're going to have to reject him. Cause it's going to start a shit ton of problems."

"Reject him? Mark me?!" A feeling of fear came over me and I took a step back from her. "What are you talking about?"

Taylor sighed uncrossing her arms.

"I'm not surprised he hasn't told you but I am more surprised he hasn't forced a marking on you. Alphas are known to... lose control when they first meet their mate." As Taylor continued to explain my stomach felt more and more sick. What the hell was she telling me that 'alphas lose control'? And what did she mean 'forced a marking'?

Just when I thought I was finding a happy medium in this mess.

"Taylor you're scaring me." My heart picked up and my voice was meek. I didn't want to be forced into anything. I didn't want to be apart of this in general.

"I want to tell you not to be, but there's still a lot about this world that you don't know. Like for one, finding your mate isn't the finally thing to being true mates. For werewolves they claim each other by biting each other's neck as a sign to every other wolf that you are taken. It's the equivalent of an engagement ring." She said it so nonchalantly like biting someone's neck was normal. "Then there's the finally cherry on top to binding your souls... mating." I blinked at her not knowing what she meant. "Sex Evie, the final step is sex."

"What the hell animalistic shit are you talking about? I'm not doing any of that with- with him!" Thinking about having sex with him was both nauseating and tempting. I shamed myself for thinking that this was ever going to actual play out. I shouldn't have any temptation towards him but I do. The fact that I had the slightest feeling of wanting that outcome was unsettling.

"It's just how it goes Evie, but there's something else I wanted to tell you." Her once amusing tone dissipated before a sense of dread replaced it. "I'm sure the brain-dead alpha had said how you're now a target being his mate." She paused allowing me to nod my head to answer. "Being a rogue I have a way of getting a round and well, it's worse than I originally thought it could be for you. Word has already gotten around that the Alpha of Black Nova has an unclaimed mate. An unclaimed human mate and someone's already put a bounty on your head."

As she told me this news my body felt like someone hit me with a semi truck and then backed over me with it for good measures.

"Someone is trying to kill me?" My voice cracked as I rose my hand to my chest feeling it grow tighter with every second.

"Not exactly. The bounty was to hand you over alive. I think someone is trying to use you." Taylor looked saddened as she watched me seemingly crumble apart before her.

My knees started to give out but Taylor was able to catch me in time propping me up from falling.

"Relax Evie. I don't think anyone yet knows who exactly you are." She tried to sound reassure but I was past being able to be comforted. Someone was out to get me... no a whole group of supernaturals were out to get me. "I'm going to try and see who put the bounty on you. I'm sure your mate will want to know."

I looked up at her still on the verge of collapsing.

"I don't want to die Taylor." Tears now brimmed my eyes as the realization set in. "I'm too young to die." I whispered knowing she would still be able to hear it.

"You aren't I promise. Just don't say anything to dinkle-berry yet, I don't want him barging in guns blazing. I have my way around and friends I can count on to get information. The moment I know who it is I'll tell you and him." She pulled away from me to look at my teary eyes and trembling body. "Everything is going to be alright." She hushed pulling me into a hug.

I tried to hug her back my limbs weak and shaking.

How was everything going to be alright?