~JADE~

I awoke to a hammering headache and shots of pain spreading all over my body when I tried to move. I was confused as to why I was in so much pain because I didn't do anything strenuous last night, and Hunter was probably asleep when I came back from the party.

Wait, Hunter?

Alarms went off in my head as my brain registered the unfamiliar scent that wasn't Hunter's. My eyes snapped open to an unfamiliar chest, and a heavy hand wrapped around my waist. Warning bells rang blaring in my head as I jolted up in panic.

"What the fuck!" I cursed angrily as I recognised the face of the man who was in bed with me.

"Why the fuck are you in my bed Darren, what the hell is wrong with you," I yelled in his face while trying to get off the bed, only for my legs to get tangled in the sheets.

"Good Morning," Darren responded mindlessly with a smug grin.

I turned to him with fumes shooting off my head. "Good Morning? Are you shitting me? What the hell is good about this morning, get the hell out of my bed."

The smile on his face stretched wider, and I had to hold back the urge to move closer to smack that smug grin off his face. "Look around sweetheart, you are the one in my bed. Did you already forget last night?"

"Don't you dare sweetheart me?" I snapped at him, as I looked around the room, and my gut twisted at the unfamiliar bedroom.

The feeling of his finger caressing my waist had me turning my attention back to him with a growl. "Get your filthy hands off me, you fucking creep."

I scrambled to detangle the sheets from my leg, and only then did I realise I was naked. I was stark naked in bed with my sister's boyfriend, if anyone had come into this room by mistake.

No. No. I need to get out of here.

I reached down frantically, shoving desperately to get the bedsheet off my leg so I could get out before Hunter came looking for me. I was supposed to leave the party early. Hunter had told me not to sleep over, how the hell did I end up in bed with this bastard?

My mind screamed at me, as I finally got my legs free of the sheet, and I turned ready to scramble off the bed, only to find out I was backed against the wall.

"Why are you acting like you didn't enjoy last night?" Darren taunted and I ignored his words, turning back to glance around the room for signs of my clothes.

Once I caught sight of my clothes, I shot off my side of the bed, I didn't bloody care if I had to crawl over him to get out, all I know is I needed to get out of the bed.

"Come on now, why are you running away so soon." Darren grabbed my wrist before I could successfully climb off the bed, and he practically pulled my body up against his. "I can still vividly remember how sexy your voice sounded when you moaned and the pretty face you made when I made you climax. So what's chasing you away this fine morning, we could pick off from where we left off."

The anxiety bubbling inside me turned into unbridled anger as my hand moved before I could make sense of the ringing noise in my head and I slapped him hard. "Do you have a death wish?" I screamed at him, unable to contain my resentment as memories of last night came barrelling in.

The last thing I remembered, was seeing his face. I was with Arya, we were talking about her leaving. I ate the smoked meat she prepared, and there was too much pepper. I drank something, perhaps water, and then my memories from there on were blackout. Nothing, nothing else popped up, until his face. I remember opening my eyes briefly to see him peering down at me, and I can still faintly remember hands that peeled off my clothes.

Did I let him touch me?

My mind spiralled with anger, self-hate and anxiety at the possibility of that question.

Darren grinned comically at me. "You don't remember what happened? I brought your drunk ass into this room so you could sleep because Arya begged me to, but you were all over me and wouldn't let me leave. You begged me to touch you." Darren remarked mockingly.

"I..." No, there is no way in hell I would do that. Why would I beg him of all people to touch me? Even if my memory chose to betray me, I refused to believe that I had let that happen, because how the hell will I explain this to my mate if it is true?

What will I tell him? That I was drunk, and Darren took advantage of me? Hunter didn't want me to come to this party but I insisted because it was my sister's party.

‘Levana, do you remember what happened last night?' I called for my wolf, hoping she would help jolt my memory because the last thing I remembered did not correlate with anything this bastard had just said.

"Well, your ass was pretty drunk last night, and it sort of made you hotter than you've ever looked." The creep replied, winking at me, and bile rose in my throat as panic set in the pit of my stomach.

I shook my head at the crude suggestions of his words. "I know you're sick and you play all kinds of dirty games. Nothing happened last night, and you're trying to mess with my head. I know that's what you're trying to do, and I won't let you gaslight me into believing something happened between us. Now let me go, shameless twat," I cursed at him, as I tried to pull my hand out of his grip.

"You think this is a joke?" He voiced, smirking while he arched his left brow.

"Fuck you, Darren," I growled out, irritated with him.

"Oh, we did that already, but I don't mind showing you a reminder of what it felt like."

"If you think I am going to let you get away with this nonsense., what the hell?"

I gasped in shock as he grabbed my neck, and in one swift move rolled us over on the bed. I landed on my back with a shrilled cry as his weight pressed down on me

In that moment a loud growl bounced off the walls, sending dreadful shivers down my spine because I knew that voice. Panic and frustration crashed through my nerves as struggled to shove Darren off me and I tried relentlessly to wiggle out from under him.

"Get off…" I barely completed my sentence when I felt Darren's weight being lifted off me, and Hunter tossed him across the room.

Hunter turned to me with fury in his eyes, and I scrambled, aimlessly trying to get off to the bed, to cover my naked body all at once. "Babe, It's not what it looks like. I swear it's not what it looks like."

I rush out in a frantic voice, hoping that would quell the bloodlust in Hunter's eyes. But it doesn't appease him because I watch the shift in his eyes with trepidation as Hunter loses control. His wolf pushed forward, Hunter turned just as Darren managed to drag himself off the floor and Hunter lunged at me with claws and fangs all out to attack.

Arya screamed as Hunter caught Darren by the throat, and I watched with fear coursing through my body as Hunter bashed Darren's head against the wall. He growled words I couldn't make sense of at that moment as he began hitting Darren's face with heavy blows that could do permanent damage to him.

I wasn't sure how to react because fear had me rooted in place. I didn't realize how badly I was shaking until a hand struck my face. "You greedy piece of sh*t, why the hell couldn't you have chosen another man to mess with? Why must it be my boyfriend?" Arya screamed in my face, slapping me, and I moved to grab my cheek.

"What?" I blinked away the tears in my eyes as my brain finally decided to catch up with everything. "I didn't. I would never do that; why would I?"

"You are so fucking selfish Jade, Hunter isn't enough for you, and you went after my boyfriend. Why? What exactly did I do to you to deserve such wickedness?" Arya choked out.

"I didn't. Arya I would never, I swear, believe me." My sentence got cut off as an anguished sound echoed through the room, and I turned in the direction of Hunter and Darren.

"Oh my god," Arya whispered, clapping her hand over her mouth. "He is going to kill him. Do something; your mate is about to kill my boyfriend." She snapped at me, shoving me towards them.

"Get your mate off my boyfriend; he's going to kill him," Arya screams again, and this time, I could make out and understand what she was saying amidst all the recurring noise in my head.

Hunter is an Alpha who has trained almost all his life. I know his strengths and how he is in combat. Darren was no match for him, and we all know that.

"Hunter, please stop. You'll kill him. Please stop; this is just a misunderstanding; nothing happened. I swear--" Hunter denied me the liberty of completing my sentence as he turned to me and struck me across the face.

The force of his slap knocked me backwards, an anguished groan slipping past my lips as I fell sideways, and the foot of the bed frame connected with my left side. Impacting my ribs with a force that cuts all the air out of my lungs momentarily, a silent gasp of pain escapes my airways.

"Stand up." Hunter yet, and I staggered to my feet, biting back a groan as the pain travelled down my chest.

My body trembled as I tried to compute words in my head. "Hunter, I swear I didn't; nothing happened between us. I swear, please believe." I couldn't get the rest of my words out because he grabbed my neck, pulling my body against his.

I clamp my lips together as the hatred in his eyes burns through my skin. "Nothing happened? You are fucking naked; I found you naked in bed with him, and you're telling me nothing happened." Hunter bellowed; his voice bounced off the walls of the room, and it took everything in me not to fall flat on my ass out of fear.

"I swear I… Nothing…" I tried to speak, but my words came choked and barely above a whisper.

"Then explain to me why you're naked. Explain to me why my mate is fucking naked in bed with a fucking Delta, your sister's boyfriend." He grabbed my shoulder, and his claws broke through my skin as he shook me vehemently with every word he said.