Alpha King's Missing Mate (Book 1 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 1

Jenna Browning lifted the wooden spoon to her lips to taste the pasta sauce she'd spent the last half hour making. It was perfect. She smiled to herself as she glanced up at the clock hanging in the brightly colored kitchen and sighed, worry creasing her forehead. Talia, her roommate, should have been home by now. If she wasn't home soon, Jenna would call her. She had said she was meeting some friends, and she'd be home by nine, and now, it was almost ten pm.

Living in New York City was unsafe for two single young women, especially at night; and Jenna and Talia always kept each other aware of where they were.

She glanced around the kitchen for her phone to call Talia, and just as she spotted it laying on the end table in the living room, she heard the sound of keys in the door lock. She breathed a small sigh of relief and turned her attention back to her sauce. She was going to kill her roommate for not letting her know where she was.

"Jenna!" Her scream ripped through the apartment, setting Jenna's teeth on edge.

She rushed out of the kitchen at her roommate's cry, the spoon in her hands all but forgotten as she dripped sauce across the floor. "Good grief Talia, must you be so dramatic about everyth.." She cut herself off at the sight of her roommate.

Talia Sanders stood in the doorway bent over, her hands clutching her stomach as blood seeped heavily through her fingers.

"Talia!" Jenna exclaimed. "What happened?" She dropped the spoon and hurried over to her friend, helping her onto the couch.

Talia carefully stretched out on her back, whimpering a bit. Jenna pulled her hands away before lifting her shirt. Four long slashes crossed her stomach and blood oozed out from the deep wounds. She gasped softly as she stared at the deep cuts.

"I was attacked," she murmured, biting her lip to keep from saying anything more.

"By what?" Jenna shouted, staring in shock at Talia's exposed stomach. The slashes looked deep, and like they'd be made by an animal. Almost like she'd met a large cat.

"Jenna, can you go grab some towels? I have to get this bleeding stopped." Talia pulled her shirt down and rested her hands over her wounds, grimacing in pain, and completely ignoring her question.

Jenna pursed her lips, but ran down the hall and grabbed some towels out of the closet. She headed back to the living room and gently placed the towels over her wounds. Jenna looked Talia over for any more injuries and noticed slashes on her neck as well, though they weren't nearly as bad as the ones on her abdomen. If they were, more than likely her friend would be dead. "Your neck is slashed too."

Talia reached a hand up to the wounds and sighed. "They're not bad," she said and squeezed her eyes shut.

"What happened?" Jenna demanded again, keeping pressure on her wound.

Talia opened her blue eyes and met Jenna's green ones. "I ..." she sighed. "I was attacked in Central Park," she said reluctantly.

"We need to call the police..." Jenna started before

Talia grabbed her arm with surprising strength, cutting her off. "NO! We cannot get the police involved." Talia said.

Jenna frowned as she took a step back, studying her friend, confused at her vehemence. She had been viciously attacked, probably by a wild animal from the look of her wounds. Someone needed to do something. Others could get injured if the attacker wasn't stopped. Someone could end up dead.

Talia pulled herself up off of the couch, still clutching the towel to her stomach, and turned to face her friend. "I absolutely cannot get the police involved." She pushed her long blond hair back behind her ear. She winced when some of it stuck to the bloody scratches on her neck.