When my eyes fluttered open, I was lying on the ground. I glanced around, four guys were surrounding me, including Theo, the guy I had kissed at the party.
Wait. I had really kissed a total stranger?
"Actually, you did," Theo answered.
"Did you just hear my thoughts?" I sat up, even though my head was pounding. I was kind of out of it, but I was certain I hadn't said that out loud.
"Yup."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "How?"
"There's something you should know, Raven. It's the reason you're here." Theo's blue eyes locked onto mine. "I'm a werewolf."
I had kissed someone who claimed to be a werewolf?
Note to self: never drunkenly kiss a stranger.
"I'm not a weirdo," Theo said softly.
Okay… how was I supposed to explain that? He could obviously hear my thoughts.
"Obviously," he agreed.
I stood up, needing to get as far away as possible from Theo, assuming that was even his real name.
"It is," he interrupted.
"Would you stop that?" I glared at him. "I don't know how you're able to hear me, but this has to be some sort of prank. There's no way you're a werewolf."
"Actually, I am." Theo met my gaze. "We all are. Let me introduce you to my pack, we're known as the Darken Pack."
"Why is your pack called that?" I found myself asking. "Because you're all bad wolves?"
"It's a long story," Theo replied.
I shrugged. "I've got all night." If he was going to make up some story about being a werewolf with a name like Darken, it should at least have some meaning behind it.
He hesitated. "Werewolves generally have gray fur, though it tends to be lighter. Some red wolves exist, but they're incredibly rare. Our pack… we're darker than the rest. My pack members are dark gray, very few in the world. That's part of how we came up with the name."
"And the other part?" I asked.
"It sounds intimidating, doesn't it? You asked me yourself if we're bad wolves."
"Why would you want to sound like bad wolves if you're not really bad wolves?"
He met my gaze. "We have to keep other werewolf packs on their toes. They need to know never to mess with us. And it works—most of the time. Now, let me introduce you to the others."
Theo motioned to the guy sitting to his left. Longish blonde hair fell into his forehead, gray eyes gleaming. Like Theo, he was tall, muscular, and stunning—like a Baywatch lifeguard.
"Raven, this is Colton."
"Hey, Raven." Colton flashed a grin, a heart-stopping, gorgeous grin.
"And this is Rhys," Theo continued, pointing to the auburn-haired guy with dark blue eyes. Shortest of the four, but still well over six feet, and just as muscular as the others.
"And Aiden," Theo said, pointing at the last guy: dark brown hair, tan skin, and honey-brown eyes. Rock-solid body, like the others.
Why were they all so muscular? Were they bodybuilders?
Theo let out a laugh. "We're not bodybuilders. We're werewolves. Werewolves naturally have more muscle than the average human."
"There's no way werewolves are real," I said, shaking my head.
"Actually, we are," Aiden said. "And you're one of us."
I stared at him sharply. "I'm a werewolf?"
"It's why I can hear your thoughts," Theo said quietly. "When you kissed me, something happened..."
Colton nudged him, shaking his head. "Not yet. She's not ready for that."
Theo glanced at me, swallowed, and paused. "There's something you need to know, Raven."
"What?" I asked, skeptical. I didn't believe any of this.
Or… did I? Wouldn't I have walked away if I really didn't believe them? Maybe a small part of me was starting to entertain the possibility.
"Your parents didn't just die in a fire," Theo said. "That fire was set by their archenemy."
"H-how do you know about the fire?" I asked. I hadn't spoken about my parents or the fire when I kissed him, hadn't even known him long enough to mention it.
"We were close friends of your parents," Rhys explained. "We promised them years ago that we would take care of you if anything happened to them."
"We promised to protect you," Colton added.
"That's why we're here," Aiden agreed.
I glanced at each of them. If they were lying, they were brave, or insane. "Protect me from who?"
"Their enemy. The one who killed them," Rhys said.
"And who would that be?" I pressed.
"His name is Milos Santorini," Theo said. "He's the Alpha of one of the most powerful packs in the world."
"Why would he want to kill my parents?"
"Because of you."
"Because of me?" Was he blaming me for my parents' deaths? I hadn't done anything to provoke anyone.
"Milos wanted you to be his wife," Theo said. "He wanted you to rule his pack alongside him."
"Why me?" I asked.
"Your parents were powerful werewolves. Your father was an Alpha. Milos thought together, you could rule the world."
I shook my head. "There's no way this is true. Werewolves aren't real."
"Wanna bet?" Aiden asked.
Before I could respond, Aiden unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a chiseled chest. God damn.
In moments, he dropped to all fours, and a gray wolf stood there, staring at me.
I stepped back, nervous.
"He won't hurt you," Theo assured me.
There was no denying he could hear my thoughts.
"You can't say you don't believe us now," Aiden said, though his lips hadn't moved.
"H-how did I just hear him speak?" I asked.
"You heard it because you're a wolf," Theo explained.
Oh. I swallowed hard. Part of me was starting to believe them. If they were telling the truth, it meant my parents were werewolves—and had kept it from me my entire life.
Aiden shifted back to human form right before my eyes. They were being honest.
"We're not lying," Theo said.
"Unless I'm just really drunk and this is a dream." I pinched myself. Nope. Definitely not a dream.
"You need to come back to Werewolf Academy with us," Theo said. "It's the only place you'll be safe from Milos."
"As safe as she can be," Colton added. "We don't even know where Milos is."
"Werewolf Academy?" I raised an eyebrow.
"It's a boarding school for werewolves, shifters like us," Theo explained. "You'll enroll as a student. The Headmaster is expecting you."
"Maybe I don't want to," I protested. "Maybe I want to stay at West Brook High and finish my senior year like a normal teenager."
"You're not a normal teenager. The Academy is safest. You'll have constant security, and learn to control your inner wolf. You'll learn this life, and train to be the most powerful werewolf you can be." His eyes locked on mine.
I just stared at him, unconvinced.
"Let me put this in perspective," Theo said with a sigh. "Milos killed your parents. If you don't come with us, he might come for you. He could force you to marry him, to rule with him… or worse. He might kill you."
"So… what do you say?" Aiden asked. "Will you come with us?"
I glanced from him to Theo, to Colton and Rhys.
What did I really have to lose? I'd already lost everything: parents, home. I could stay here and risk being killed, or I could go with them. And… they were all so gorgeous.
"Okay," I said after a long pause. "I'll go."
"I knew you'd make the right choice." Theo smiled and handed me something from his pocket. "To get to the realm where the Academy is, you need to wear this."
I looked down at the necklace, a simple white gold chain with a round pendant, shimmering like an opal but prettier.
"It's a moonstone," Theo explained. "Wear it, and it will transform you into a werewolf and take you to the gates of Werewolf Academy."
"Are you all going, too?"
"Yes, we each have a moonstone," he said with a nod.
I took a deep breath. This would reveal the truth, one way or another. If I wore it, I would shift, if I was truly a werewolf.
Shaky hands sliding the moonstone over my neck, I immediately felt my bones shift and contort. Light gray fur, almost white, covered my skin, and my hands transformed into paws.
It was happening.
It was really happening.
I was shifting… for the very first time.