The Most Explosive Novel Since Fifty Shades of Grey

EPISODE 1

I knew it was a risk to draw the Alpha. But how could I resist? 

I’d never seen him there before. Not at the riverbank where I go to draw and clear my mind. You don’t find a lot of our kind hanging out around here. Why? I don’t know. Maybe it’s the calm, when we’re always expected to be wild. Maybe it’s the water when everyone of us burns with a fire within. Or maybe it’s just a spot I’ve only ever thought of as my own.

A secret place where I’m not one of the pack. Where I’m just me, Sienna Mercer, a nineteen-year-old red-headed self-taught artist. A seemingly normal girl. 

Except, of course, I wasn’t. Not normal, no. And definitely not just human.  

The Alpha, crouched by the water, alone, turned his head for a second and sniffed. I froze, stylus and tablet in hand, mid-stroke. If he were to see me now. If he were to see what I was drawing…

But then, to my relief, he looked back out at the water, getting lost again in some dark reverie. His name, I knew, was Aiden Norwood. Everyone knew him. I mean, he was only the Alpha of the third largest pack in the United States. Towering at six-foot-five, with disheveled jet black hair and eyes, a golden-green color that seemed to change every time he turned his head, Aiden was the definition of mouth-watering. 

I’d always watched him from afar. I’d never been this close. But now I could see how his biceps bulged from his torn shirt, how his spine curved to accommodate his transformation. How quickly he could shift, I imagined. Bent over, eyes searching like a feral animal’s, he seemed, in this instance, already halfway there. 

A man, yes. But even more so, a werewolf. 

The Haze was fast approaching and everyone could sense it. The time of year when every werewolf from the age of sixteen and older goes mad with need, the season where everyone—and I mean everyone—is driven by their most primal desires. Once or twice a year, this unpredictable hunger would infect all of us in the pack. Those who didn’t find mates found a temporary partner to quell the burning need. So there was no one older than sixteen who remained innocent. Although...every rule has an exception.

Looking at Aiden now, I wondered if the rumors swirling around him were true. If that’s one of the reasons he was here, alone, brooding by the riverbank. Some said it’d been months since Aiden had taken anyone, that he was distancing himself from everyone. Why? A secret mate? No, we would’ve sniffed her out by now. 

Then what was it? What was to come of our beloved Alpha if he had no partner when the Haze struck? 

It’s none of your business, I chided myself. What did it matter to me who Aiden spends his time with? He was ten years older and, like most werewolves, only interested in someone his own age. To Aiden Norwood, I didn’t exist. And, y’know what? Putting aside my school-girl crush, I knew I was better off that way. When you’re with the Alpha, you are owned. You are there fill one role, please the Alpha, to give birth and be considered a mother and nothing more. Screw. That. I wasn’t about to be tamed by anyone.  

Michelle, my best friend, was dead-set on finding me a partner for this season. She’d already paired up in advance, as was common among the younger weres before the Haze. Trying to set me up with three of her brother’s friends, all who seemed perfectly decent and who were blunt that they thought me fit for a good time. Michelle couldn’t understand why I’d turned each of them down. 

“Ugh,” I could almost hear Michelle’s voice reverberating in my head. “Why are you always so damn picky, girl?” 

Why, Michelle? Because your friend Sienna Mercer has a secret, that’s why. The truth is: at the age of nineteen, I was the only she-wolf in our whole pack who had decided to wait. I’d been through six mating seasons, and no matter how crazed I became, I never found a partner who was worth it. I know. Very un-wolfy of me to care about “feelings” and “first times”, but I cherished mine. And, unlike most girls, I’d decided would wait for him, save my for him. 

Whoever he might be. 

I continued to sketch my digital version of the Alpha, reflected in the water, when notifications popped up on my screen, interrupting my flow. My Mom was looking for me. My sister was coming over for dinner tonight, and I was running late. 

I smiled at the thought of seeing Selene again. Now that she was a fancy fashion designer and all, she barely had time for her boring old family. She was like the prettier, smarter, more successful version of me on every level. Whenever I said this out loud, which I did—often—she’d shove me gently and just say, “You’re still young, Si. Give it time.”

But when it came to my dreams, to my future career as the world’s greatest artist, I’d never been patient. One day I was going to open my own gallery. One day soon, I promised myself. I didn’t care what my parents said. I love them, but also—screw them. Selene had proven that law school wasn’t everything. I was going to make it as an artist, just you wait and see. If that meant I had to be penniless, so be it! 

I was about to continue my soon-to-be-award-winning drawing of the mysterious Alpha at the edge of the river, when I looked up and saw, to my surprise and sudden dread—he wasn’t there.

“Not bad,” I heard a low voice beside me, almost a snarl. “But the eyes could use a little work.” 

I turned to see, standing right next to me, looking down at my sketch: 

Aiden. 

Norwood. 

Before I could catch my breath, he looked up and our eyes met. I tensed, realizing I was making direct eye contact, and immediately looked away. No one in their right mind dared to look the Alpha in the eyes. It could only mean one of two things: 

1. You were challenging the Alpha’s dominance. AKA a death wish. 
2. You were signalling the Alpha you were open to his advances.

Since I didn't intend to do either, my only option was to look away before it was too late and pray he didn’t interpret the meaning of the gaze for me.

“Forgive me,” I said quietly, just to be on the safe side. “You took me by surprise.”

“I apologize,” he said. “I didn't mean to startle you.”

That voice. Even saying the most polite words imaginable, they sounded loaded with menace. Like at any second, he might rip your throat out with his bare human-form teeth. 

“It’s okay,” he said. “Really. I don’t bite...most of the time.” 

I was so close I could reach out and touch his rippling muscles and golden skin. I lifted my eyes and chanced a look. A brutal, jagged face that shouldn’t be handsome—but was. Thick eyebrows that looked coarse to the touch, like a residual of his werewolf form. And a nose, even though slightly crooked—no doubt broken in some past scuffle—that couldn’t interfere with his so-attractive-it-hurts looks. 

The Alpha took a step closer as if to test me. I could feel every hair on my body rise in trepidation. Or...was it temptation?

“Next time you draw me,” Aiden said. “Come closer.” 

“Oh...okay,” I sputtered like an idiot. 

And then, just as quickly as he’d appeared, Aiden Norwood turned and took off, leaving me by the river, alone. I sighed, feeling every muscle in my body ease. 

It wasn't an everyday-event to see the Alpha out of the Pack House, his headquarters.  Mostly we would see the Alpha on occasions like gatherings or balls. Always something formal. What had happened here today was rare. And I knew it. 

But I wasn’t about to go tell Michelle or Selene or any were for that matter. Don’t get me wrong, I desperately wanted to. What had just happened? It was crazy. I was dying to spill my guts. But I also understood that if word got out about this, Aiden's fan club would go ballistic. Even a whiff of interaction with a female, especially a young commoner like myself, would be enough to send the them into a frenzy, tearing down the Pack House’s walls just for a taste of him.

A Pack House that was meant for peace-seekers. Not thirsty she-wolves. An event of that magnitude was sure to stress the Alpha out. And a stressed Alpha meant a dysfunctional alpha meant a dysfunctional pack meant—you get the picture.

No one wanted that.

I decided, with the little light that was left of the day, I would finish drawing to clear my mind. Just me and the river in peace. But all I could see were Aiden Norwood’s eyes. And how very wrong I had drawn them. The Alpha was right. I could do better. If I could just get...closer.

I didn’t know then what I know now. That within a few hours the haze was about to begin. That I was about to become a crazed beast. And that Aiden Norwood, the Alpha of the East Coast Pack, was going to play a very prominent role in my awakening... 

It’s enough to make a girl howl.

EPISODE 2

You don’t get to decide when and where the Haze hits you. Driving? Better pull over and fast or you’ll cause a 50-car-pileup. At work? Punch the clock and run for the hills. But what do you do when the Haze hits you in the worst place and time imaginable? When you’re surrounded by family in your childhood home?

I was serving a plate of home-made spaghetti bolognese, a personal specialty, to my sister, Selene, when it happened. I froze. A slow, pulsing molten heat ignited within my core, making my body feel as if it was on fire. Breathing became impossible, sweat covered every inch of my skin, and a harsh gaspleft my mouth before I could stop it. When I opened my eyes, which I couldn't remember closing, I saw that everyone else in the dining room had the same reaction as me. No, no, no. Not here. Not around family. 

I couldn’t bear it. I ran from the room as fast as my feet could take me. The kitchen. The hallway. The front door. And out into the cool night where I collapsed upon my knees. 

The Haze crawled through my body like a venomous snake. My throat was clogged and I fought to breathe. Even in the windy night, my clothes stuck to my skin. I wanted them off. 

Oh God. The Haze had never been this strong. It was probably an accumulation of every need and frustration I'd endured throughout the past Seasons. I should've expected that. Of course this was gonna happen. What was I thinking? Quick answer: I wasn’t. And now I was paying the price, unprepared for this war.

I looked behind me at my home, a place where I’d normally find safety and comfort. But not right now. No way. I put my family out of my mind and ran for the trail toward the woods. I passed humans, totally oblivious, minding their own business, and some weres who were, like me, in the first stage of the Haze and trying to catch their bearings.

I threw my bag near the closest tree at the entrance of the woods. I stripped. I didn’t care if someone saw me. I needed to shift. Right here. Right now. 

Normally, I could shift upon command. Normally, I was in complete control. But not when the Haze was taking over. No. I couldn’t stay in this human form any longer. 

Now I was just torturing myself. Resisting. And for what? No more. 

I closed my eyes, and felt the bliss of shifting. 

Usually, I would feel every bit of the change; the limbs stretching, the muscles tensing, the body growing tall, the red fur, matching my human hair, that sprouted from my skin. Covering me whole. But not now. Now, I felt nothing but the Haze. 

I breathed and my voice was a growl. My fingers, now charcoal-black claws. Through the eyes of a wolf, everything was more aggressive, more violent. Especially now. When the Haze was just beginning. 

Now in my full wolf shape, I raced deep into the woods like a rocket. The cold wind blew over my fur, the hard ground was moist under my paws, the scents of the woods filled my nose. Howls resounded in the woods. The unmated kind, I could tell. The kind who were looking to find a partner. I cursed inwardly. In my Haze, I’d forgotten to think of the implications. Going into the woods at the beginning of the Season was a dangerous idea. These woods were like a college bar. All thirst and stupid impulses. 

Any second now, a wolf was going to get a sniff of my scent and recognize I had no attachment. They would stalk me until I yielded. More than one, I was sure of it. A game, a challenge, for who could win the unmatched she-wolf first.

Best of luck, boys. I would be no wolf’s trophy. I became hyper-aware of the male wolves’ every movement, their scent. Seeking it, involuntarily releasing pheromones into the air, luring them closer. And soon I knew they were about to corner me. 

Five of them. All hungry males.

Now I didn’t just scent them. I saw them. A large blonde wolf, a strange sight if you didn’t know he was a blonde in human form, rounded a tree, slowly stalking towards me. He was big, but that didn’t make him dominant. His eyes, like most wolves, were a bright gold. I was an exception; my eyes were as icy blue in wolf and human form. From the appreciative look the blonde wolf gave me, he recognized their uniqueness as well. 

I saw the four others circle around me, beginning to feel claustrophobic. One came so close, I could feel his nose press against me. The two to my right were snarling, the one to my left licking his lips, and the big blonde in front of me looked like he was...grinning. Strange. No one could really grin in wolf form. But here he was. Taking another slow step toward me. Then another.

Remember, I forced myself to think, remember the conversation you had long ago…

Emily, I thought hard. Something to do with Emily…

That's when the memory finally penetrated my Hazed mind. 

“...Promise me, Sienna...”

Like a bucket of freezing water spilled all over my body, I snapped out of my Haze. It was only a dull heat deep in my core now. 

I had control.

I growled as loud as I could, making sure these wolves knew I wasn't interested. But—typical males—they didn’t like following orders. They kept on moving closer.

I growled again. The kind of growl that said, “Lay a paw on me, and I’ll make sure you lose it.” I was no tame, little, submissive she-wolf that could be dominated. No, I was the dominant.

The blonde wolf before me could see from my expression—I wasn't messing around. He turned away. The three wolves to my sides realized it a second later and backed off. The only one who seemed to have a problem reading—or rather—scenting signals was the one behind me. 

That’s it, I thought. 

I turned around, lightning fast, and sank my sharp teeth into his jaw. I clamped down. Hard. Making his furry skin bleed. He yelped in pain, struggling to back away, but I didn't let go. This wolf would learn his lesson today.

Only when I felt I was about to tear a vein, did I release him. The wolf didn’t stop to stare. He knew who was in charge now, turning and high-tailing it out of there. When I looked back, the other four were gone. That shows ‘em. 

Satisfied, I ran further into the woods. Once I reached the outskirts, I rested against the tree where my bag and clothes lay. Then I shifted. 

This time, I felt every excruciating detail. the bones thinning, the neck turning slender, the hind legs stretching, the arms folding and unfolding. Then it was over and I was human again.

“God,” I heaved out and quickly put on my clothes. What a ride. 

I grabbed my phone and found a message from Selen giving me the all clear to come home. If I wasn’t having fun with my partner.

When I arrived home, my father was sitting in the living room, watching the local news, while Mom was folding laundry.

“You didn’t get to eat, did you?” Dad asked.

“I’m fine,” I said, heading for the stairs.

“She got her fill, I bet,” Mom smirked.

“Mom. PLEASE. So gross.” 

It was gross, sure. But that wasn’t the reason it bothered me so much. What I didn’t like was the lying. When I said my virginity was my secret, I meant it. Not even my mom knew.

Which was weird because we had always been so open with each other about everything. She’d never kept the truth from me. Not about how she met Dad, who was a human, not a were. Not about how the two of them had their one and only daughter, Selene. And certainly not how they found me. That’s right. They’re not actually my biological parents. I was discovered in an abandoned carriage outside the hospital where my mom worked. Not that it mattered, Mom had always said. I was their daughter, who cares about the circumstances? 

But it did matter to me. It stung not knowing who your real parents are. 

“Why did Selene and Jeremy rush off?” I asked, trying to change the subject even in my own mind. “They just got here.” 

“An urgent meeting at the Pack House,” Mom said. “Makes you curious, doesn’t it?” 

I thought again of the Alpha I’d met by the riverbank. How dark and glowering his eyes had been. What was going on that they needed to involve Jeremy, the pack’s lawyer? 

“I wonder, I wonder,” my mom said, eyes twinkling. The woman loved her gossip. “Do you think the stories are true? That the Alpha’s lover left him for his beta, Josh? That would explain why he’s been so remote.” 

“Mom. Stop meddling in other people’s lives.” 

“Oh, but it’s so fun. You should try it sometime.”

With Aiden Norwood, I had to admit, the urge to gossip, to meddle, to know everything there was to know—was there. At the thought of him, I felt the Haze rise up in me again and, blushing, I headed up the stairs. 

 “I’m going to bed.”

“Sweet dreams, my dear,” Mom called out. “Hope they’re extra sweet...if you catch my drift.”

EPISODE 3

I woke up to a barrage of messages from Michelle. She was getting out friends hyped up over the latest rumor. The Alpha, it seemed, was inviting a few select families to a dinner at the Pack House. A lottery supposedly, which meant any of us could be on the list. 

As if. 

I rolled over in my sheets, clicking off my phone. Michelle was a wannabe journalist and thus absolutely obsessed with being in on the scoop. That said, I don’t think she really understood the difference between fluff and front page news yet. This? This was one of those articles you don’t even read, just scan over as you continue to sip your coffee and put off going to work or school. 

Who cares that the Alpha was having some random families invited to the Pack House? They’d done it before. It was just a way for the leadership to show they cared about every were in the pack. Paying attention to the common folk was one of the best ways to cement loyalty for generations to come. It was politics. That’s it.

Nothing worthy of a 7AM text. 

Awesome, I thought. Now I couldn’t get back to bed even if I tried. Michelle just had to bring up the Alpha. And, given that I was still hazed, yeah. Not a good combo. 

I got up and made my way downstairs, surprised to see Selene, Jeremy, Mom, and Dad gathered around the kitchen table, all looking at something. 

“What’s going on?” I asked, rubbing my eyes, still groggy.

“Oh, nothing,” Selene said. “Just standing her with our jaws on the floor for the fun of it.” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Come look, dummy!”

I walked over, looked at the center of the table, and stopped in my tracks. 

No way. 

It couldn’t be.

This must be a prank.

It was the invitation to the Pack House. To the event Michelle, just two seconds ago, had been telling me about. What were the chances? 

“Why...why us?” was all I could manage.

“You know how it works,” Selene said. “It’s a lottery. That or...Jeremy rigged it.”

“I would never,” Jeremy laughed.

An irrational idea occurred to me then. A silly suspicion that couldn’t possibly be true. But that, for just an instant, felt so real it had to be. What if, I wondered...What if Aiden Norwood rigged the lottery just to see me again? 

Come on. Who am I kidding? There was no way the Alpha even remembered me, let alone went to these lengths. I was just some girl he’d caught drawing him...right?

“And,” my Mom said, nudging me, “your meddling mother heard another little rumor. That the reason our beloved Alpha is inviting all these strangers into his Pack House? It’s to find himself a partner for the season.”

“Melissa,” Jeremy said, shaking his head. “I told you not to repeat that!”

But now everyone was laughing. My mom sighed, picking up the invitation. 

“If only I had a daughter the Alpha’s age. Still. This is going to be so much fun.” 

Fun? Was my entire family nuts? No, it wasn't going to be fun. It was Haze, and while my parents and sister had a partner, I didn't. A fact that would be obvious to every unmated male werewolf within my scent's radar.

I didn't know about the other families who would attend the dinner party. I did, however, know about one person in attendance who was unmated and very much a wolf.

I gulped. This was going to be a disaster. 

***

The Pack House was an enormous mansion, far from the activity of our town, the sole source of illumination in the quiet countryside. From a distance, at night, it almost looked like a glowing halo. I had been a few times for the Yule Ball and Summer Solstice. But never for an event so small. So intimate. 

We had just parked and were making our way toward the towering front doors, every family member dressed to the nines. I’d decided to wear the only evening dress I had in my closet: a light green garment made of silk that made me look as if my body was poured into it. It reached my ankles, left my back almost entirely open, and accentuated my more than plentiful assets. Dad had almost gotten a heart attack when he saw me in this dress, but Mom seemed satisfied, telling me I looked “delectable”. Disgusting, Mom. 

“Oh, this is going be so good for our family,” she said as we approached. “For our standing in the pack. I can’t wait to meet the Alpha. I swear if I were a few years younger…” 

“Mom, please.” I begged. “Stop.” 

“Speaking of which,” she narrowed her eyes. “Do you have a partner for the season yet?”

Internally, I grimaced. On the outside, though, I gave her the same cryptic smile I used every time I lied, “Maybe.”

Luckily, my mom quickly became distracted again and I didn’t have to elaborate. The Haze was doing a number on me right now, to be honest. All day, I’d tried to repress it, but now...Now the Haze decided it was a good time to try and take ahold of my body. Just as we were attending the dinner party. Please don't, I begged my heating body. I don't have time for this. 

A human receptionist greeted us and led us inside and we saw other families, also dressed to impress, being led into the dining hall. What a room it was. Chandeliers, old portraits of former alphas, and a dozen tables, looking like they were each fit to serve a king and queen. Not a bunch of commoners like us. When we sat down, I finally had a good vantage point to judge the other ladies there. 

I was definitely not the best-looking, that much was for sure. Selene looked stunning in her creamy-white dress, of course. And there were a few other ladies, about the alpha's age in their late twenties, who were simply exquisite. With their long, slender legs, their full, pouting lips, and sparkling golden eyes—I knew there was no way I could compare. 

I was curvy, my fire red-hair splintered wildly across my back, and my icy blue eyes, they were less...traditional I guess. But, what I lacked in sophistication, I know I made up in raw intensity. Nobody in that room burned brighter. For better or worse.

I noticed one of the boys at another table eying me and was flattered, when a woman strutted through the door and his eyes flicked to her immediately. Everyone, even the women, stared at her. She was a one-of-a-kind beauty. Tan, tall, with an almost unnaturally long neck, she wore her red dress like a gown. The grace of royalty, not a werewolf. 

“That’s her!” Selene whispered. “That’s Jocelyn, Aiden Norwood’s ex. And there’s her new man.”

Beside Jocelyn was a blonde spiky-haired hunk everyone knew. He was the Alpha’s beta, after all. His #2. Josh Daniels. I wondered if he and Aiden could still be friends if Josh was dating Jocelyn now. But just then, my thoughts were interrupted by gasps all around. I turned to see the life of the party, Mr. Aiden Norwood, alpha of the East Coast Pack, enter the Dining Hall.

He wore an expensive tux with a dark green tie, which made the green in his golden eyes all the more evident. His raven hair was tousled, like he’d just gotten out of bed. His jaw was clenched in an aggressive grin. A leader, but one of us. A man, but a wolf. A study in contrast. And, though I hated the word my mom had used, I had to admit…

He looked pretty damn delectable. 

“Welcome, my pack members,” he said, unable to conceal a bit of the snarl in his throat. “Dinner will begin shortly, so please take a seat.”

Although his statement was simple, gentleman-like even, I felt a threatening undercurrent laced within every word. It made me tense. It made me hunger. It made the Haze rise within  from its temporary slumber. With a lopsided grin, the Alpha turned toward his seat. 

I couldn’t take it. Flares trailed down my body. My throat dried, my cheeks flushed with renewed heat, and I had to clench my fists, nails digging into palms, to stop myself from gasping. Get a grip, I chastised myself. You're not going to lose it in front of everyone, understood?

Aiden sat down beside Josh and Jocelyn and, to my surprise, chatted warmly with both of them. So the rumors weren’t true. That’s not what tortured him. Then what? 

I knew a thing or two about torture right now. The Haze was quietly tearing me apart. While in human form, werewolves thankfully didn’t have their heightened senses. But, during mating season, it was common knowledge that an unmated were could scent it when someone nearby was hazing.

If I wasn’t careful, if I became hazed out of control, those unmated men would start to scent me. Please not now, I mentally begged. I can't bear the humiliation. Being hazed in public was like giving the world an invitation. The last thing I needed was to invite anyone here, least of all the higher-ups.

As the first course was served, the unmated werewolf who served our table took a sniff of me and his eyes lit up. Which meant I’d started giving off the Haze scent. Face aflame, I narrowed my eyes in warning and held his gaze, showing him I was a strong dominant she-wolf who wasn’t interested. He was cute, don’t get me wrong. But I was saving myself for my mate. Not some waiter at a dinner party. He backed off at once—smart guy—distancing himself from me.

I was about to let out a sigh of relief when I felt someone's eyes on me. I didn’t dare look up. That gaze, wherever it was coming from, had a powerful pull. It seemed to be intensifying the Haze even more. Making me burn brighter, if that was even possible. 

“Aren't you going to eat?”

I almost jumped when Mom spoke. I turned to give her a strained smile and nodded, gritting my teeth.  

“In a minute.”

Mom, oblivious to my pain, shrugged and took a bite of her Salmon. It looked delicious, but my hunger was fixated on something other than food.

The eyes were still on me. I could feel it. And, worse, now I could feel others eyeing me as well. That meant my Hazed scent was all over the hall, drawing every unmated wolf's attention, demanding to be eased.

I had no choice.

I had to get out.

Now.

I stood up at once, murmured a strained “excuse me” and walked as fast as I could out of that goddamn dining room. I knew it went against the rules to excuse oneself in the middle of the meal, especially in the presence of the Alpha. It was akin to an insult to his royal Highness.

I didn't care.

I practically sprinted to the restroom. Once there—thankfully it was empty – I locked the stall door, leaned on its wall, breathing heavily. The tension, the need, the fire—it was agonizing. I was going to explode—for real this time. 

But then I heard it. The door to the restroom opened and footsteps echoed. Not heels. The flat low thud of men’s dress shoes. 

I froze, motionless, stopped breathing entirely. My heart slammed in my chest.

Just when I was about to yell at whoever had decided to enter the restroom—a man in a woman’s restroom no less—to leave me alone, a deep, snarling voice beat me to the punch.

“I can scent you, woman.”

My breath hitched. 

The Alpha was standing right outside my stall.