SHE'S OUR MATE

Chapter One: Once Bitten…

NEW ORLEANS

SPRING SEASON

Aria glared at the red wine stain on her favorite lavender dress.

She knew immediately that it had to be Chloe, who had carelessly spilled the wine. Chloe was always so reckless and inconsiderate.

Aria shook her head in frustration and tried to get the stain out with a damp cloth. But it was no use, the stain was set.

Just as she was about to storm into Chloe’s room to give her a piece of her mind, the door burst open and Chloe barged in, holding Aria’s favorite sneakers in her hand. “Hey, can I borrow these?” she asked nonchalantly.

Aria seethed with anger but decided not to react.

“You borrowed my dress without my permission and got it stained.” She answered as calmly as she could. “Now you already have your hands on my sneakers?”

“Oh come on,what are sisters for?” Chloe asked dryly.

“You already made it clear to me a lot of times that I am not your actual sister and that I am only adopted.”

“Well,aren’t you adopted? Besides, my Mom got these sneakers for you so I have every right to it.”

And with that,Chloe walked off.

She really did not have to rub it in every damn time. Aria had been adopted a month ago by the Hilson’s when she lost her mom to cancer. It was a big blow because her mom had been the only one to take care of her all her life.

Lydia Hilson was a best friend to Aria’s Mom and it was only right she took her in and helped further her education as Aria really didn’t have anyone else.

She had moved to live with them and started as a freshman in college alongside their daughter Chloe.

Chloe always made it limpid that Aria wasn’t wanted in the mansion. She adored being the only child.

Now Aria was going to share everything with her and she hated every bit of it.

Sighing in exasperation, Aria decided to go downstairs for dinner. As she made her way down the stairs, she noticed that the door to the basement was slightly ajar. She had never seen it open prior to that time. With curiousity getting the better of her, she pushed the door open and descended the stairs.

What she saw was both shocking and fascinating. The basement was filled with weapons of all kinds, from guns to knives to silver bullets. It was like something out of a spy movie. She was mesmerized and couldn’t resist examining some of the weapons more closely.

Just then, Lydia, her adoptive mother, walked in. Aria quickly straightened up and tried to act casual, as if she hadn’t been snooping around. But Lydia had noticed her interest in the weapons and decided to come clean.

“Aria,” she said, “I think it’s time we told you the truth about our family.”

Aria’s heart raced as she listened intently to Lydia’s words. Lydia explained that their family was part of a secret organization of anti-were wolves, whose mission was to hunt and kill these creatures.

Aria was incredulous. She had never even heard of werewolves, let alone believed that they existed.

But Lydia was insistent. She showed Aria pictures of the werewolves they had encountered, and told her stories about their battles and close calls. Aria was both scared and fascinated, but couldn’t believe that this was all real.

“Until I see one for myself, I can’t ever believe they are real. Wolves? Yes. Werewolves? Nah,” Aria shook her head.

Lydia gave a gentle smile and stroked Aria’s black voluminous hair a little.

“Don’t worry my dear,” Lydia assured her.”In due time,you would be trained in the family’s tradition and would become an important part of the fight against the werewolves. Trust me,they deserve to be eliminated.”

Aria wasn’t sure how to feel about the new information she had just discovered. She did not want to be part of anything violent.

Who was she kidding?

Werewolves weren’t even real!

“Wow this is a lot though,” Aria managed under her breath.

“I know you must have a lot of thoughts on your mind right now but don’t worry,everything would be clear to you in due time,”

Lydia guided Aria to the dining room for dinner where Chloe and Lydia’s husband,Daniel were already seated.

The rest of the night passed in a blur, as Aria’s mind raced with thoughts of werewolves and secret missions. As she finally settled into bed, she couldn’t help but wonder what other secrets her new family was keeping from her, and what other dangers lay ahead. But for now she had to focus on preparing for the test she had in two days time.

She was part of a study group and they met on particular days in the week. She and Chloe attended the same college that was just eight minutes away from the mansion.

It was the reason they attended classes from home. There was no point living in campus.

Chloe was a spoilt rich kid who did not want any form of discomfort. How was she going to survive being in college by herself?

Aria would have preferred having an apartment but she had no money to afford it.The Hilsons also suggested she wasn’t out of their sight so she didn’t feel the loss of her mother too much.

The next day, Aria sat in the library, surrounded by her group members and textbooks, trying to study for their upcoming exams. They had been there for hours, poring over notes and quizzing each other on difficult concepts. But one by one, her friends had started to leave for home, until she was the only one left.

Aria didn't realize how late it had gotten until she looked up and saw that the sun had set and the library was almost empty. She quickly packed up her books and headed for the door, feeling a little uneasy being in such an empty and quiet space.

As she stepped out into the cool night air, Aria couldn't help but admire the beauty of the full moon in the sky. It was so bright and big, illuminating the street with a soft glow. She took out her phone and aimed it at the moon, trying to snap a quick photo to capture the moment.

Just as she was about to hit the shutter button, she heard a rustling in the bushes nearby. Aria turned to look, thinking it was just a small animal or maybe one of her friends playing a prank on her. But what she saw next made her heart stop.

Out of the bushes emerged a huge, wild animal, snarling and baring its teeth. Aria couldn't tell what it was at first, but as it got closer, she realized with horror that it was a werewolf. She remembered the pictures Lydia had shown her and was shocked at the revelation of what was in front of her.

Was she dreaming?

She tried to run, but the werewolf was too fast. It pounced on her and bit down hard on her arm. Aria screamed in agony, but no one seemed to be in sight to help her. She tried to fight back, but the werewolf was too strong and overpowered her.

As she lay on the ground, bleeding and in pain, Aria knew that she was being attacked by a werewolf. It was something that she had only heard of in movies and folklore, but now it was real and happening to her.

Aria struggled to get away, but the werewolf was relentless. It continued to bite and claw at her, tearing through her clothes and flesh with ease. She could feel her strength ebbing away as the pain became unbearable.