Rosemary
I woke up in a strange room, blinking against the soft morning light filtering through the curtains. For a moment, I wondered if I was still dreaming. Everything around me felt unfamiliar - the bed, the sheets, even the air. It all felt wrong. I sat up, rubbing my eyes, trying to shake off the fog in my mind. That's when it hit me, a flood of memories from last night crashing over me like icy water.
I glanced around, searching for my phone, and found it on the nightstand. The screen was dark - dead battery. Of course. I rummaged through the drawer next to the bed and found a charger, plugging it in before heading to the bathroom. I was already undressed, my clothes discarded somewhere in my exhaustion. As I stepped through the door, I was taken aback by the sheer size of the bathroom. A massive Jacuzzi took up one corner, next to a glass-enclosed shower that looked big enough to fit several people. Two marble sinks gleamed under the soft lighting.
I slipped into the shower, letting the hot water cascade over me, washing away the remnants of sleep and, hopefully, the confusion clouding my mind. I stood there for what felt like forever, scrubbing my curls, running my hands over my body, trying to ground myself in something familiar. But no amount of hot water could wash away the questions swirling in my head.
What happened last night? Why was I here? Where was even 'here'?
The need for answers gnawed at me, but I was too tired, too overwhelmed to make sense of it all. I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, drying myself off before heading to the closet to find something to wear. My clothes were nowhere to be seen, and my shoes had mysteriously disappeared, so I opened the closet door, hoping for something, anything.
What I found made me pause. The clothes were all pretty much my size, but definitely not my style. The shorts were absurdly short, barely covering anything, and the tops all had plunging necklines that made me cringe. The shoes? All high heels. Every single pair. I had no choice. I pulled on a pair of shorts that barely covered my ass, paired them with a tight black shirt that left little to the imagination, and slipped into the smallest pair of heels I could find, 5 inches - still ridiculous. I felt like a stranger in my own skin.
Once dressed, I went back to my phone. It had enough charge now, so I dialed Nathaniel's number, my fingers trembling with frustration.
He answered on the first ring. "Hey."
"Don't hey me, Nathaniel. Where the fuck am I?" I snapped, my voice shaking with anger and confusion.
"I'm coming to get you right now," he replied calmly. "Give me ten minutes."
I let out a long, exasperated sigh before hanging up. Ten minutes. Fine.
True to his word, about ten minutes later, I heard the lock on the door click open. Nathaniel walked in, his expression unreadable.
"Let's go. The Alpha is waiting."
"Alpha?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow, but he didn't elaborate. Of course, he didn't.
"You'll understand everything soon," he mumbled, avoiding my gaze as we walked down a long hallway. I wanted to press him, demand answers, but something in his demeanor told me he wouldn't give me any. Not yet.
He led me to an elevator at the end of the hall, pressing the button for the fifth floor. How enormous was this house? Mansion? Whatever it was, it felt like a labyrinth, full of secrets I wasn't sure I wanted to uncover.
When the elevator doors opened, Nathaniel guided me down a corridor and stopped at the third door. "This floor belongs to the Alpha and his mate," he explained, his tone matter-of-fact. "Their offices, private rooms, everything they need is here."
Alpha, mate. These words felt foreign, almost ridiculous. What was wrong with him?
Nathaniel knocked on the door, and a low, commanding voice answered from within. "Come in."
I stepped inside and immediately locked eyes with Ethan. His intense, deep blue gaze met mine, and I felt a strange mix of fear and curiosity wash over me. He was sitting behind a large desk, the weight of authority radiating from him.
"Rosemary," he said, his voice firm but not unkind. "Please, sit."
I hesitated for a moment before moving forward and sitting down across from him. The room was suffocatingly silent as Nathaniel closed the door behind me.
Ethan leaned forward slightly, his gaze unwavering. "I know this is going to be a lot to take in. But I need you to listen to everything I'm about to tell you without interrupting. After I'm done, you can ask whatever you need."
I nodded, my throat tight with anxiety. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear whatever was coming, but I didn't have a choice, did I?
"The first thing you need to know," Ethan began, his voice steady, "is that Nathaniel, myself, and everyone you've seen in this place… we're werewolves."
I blinked. Werewolves? Was he serious?
"I am the Alpha of this pack," he continued, his expression serious. "Nathaniel is my Beta, second in command. You'll soon meet Dylan, my Gamma, and his mate, Grace. They'll help you adjust. But the most important thing you must understand is that you're one of us, too."
I sat there, staring at him, my mind struggling to keep up with his words. Werewolf? Me?
"You were born into a werewolf pack," Ethan explained, his voice softer now. "Your parents were the Alpha and Luna of the 'Crimson Rose' pack, one of America's largest and most powerful. Your pack was hunted by a witch named Andromeda. She killed your parents. Our pack's oracle, a witch herself, erased your memories and put your wolf in a coma to protect you from Andromeda. She hid you in the human world, away from the danger."
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as his words sank in. Memories erased. My wolf is in a coma. Everything I thought I knew about my life, everything I believed about who I was, crumbled at that moment.
Ethan continued, "Last night, Andromeda struck again, searching for you. That's why we had to take you from the city. Your parents were allies and friends of my family, and we swore to protect you. Rosemary, you're one of us now. You always have been."
I looked into his eyes, searching for any hint of deceit, but all I saw was sincerity. The weight of his words pressed down on me, too heavy to bear. My mind couldn't process it all, couldn't accept this reality that had been forced upon me.
Before I could say anything, the world around me blurred. My vision darkened, and the last thing I saw before the blackness overtook me was Ethan's concerned face as I slipped into unconsciousness.