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

Chapter 2

When the alarm went off the next morning, Jenna heard Talia groan. She reached up and shut off the alarm. She'd been awake for a while now and had already decided it was best if they both took the day off. She scrolled through her phone, looking for her boss's number. "I'm going to call us both off," she said, pressing the call button.

"No!" Talia roared, grabbing her phone and ending the call. "You need to go to work," she all but shouted at her, dropping Jenna's phone, before she lay back down with a grimace.

Jenna stared at her friend, shocked by her outburst. Being hurt made Talia cranky. She'd been crabby since last night. "Talia..."

She shot her a glare, annoyance clear on her face. "Jenna, please. I just want to be alone. Go to work. I'll be fine here by myself. If I need help, I can call down to the cafe. It's just a few scratches. I'll be fine."

Jenna reached up and grabbed Talia's shirt, lifting it and noticing that her bandage was seeping blood. "You're not okay. You should have gone and gotten stitches. I'm not leaving you alone. What if you pass out while I'm gone or worse?" Jenna glared back at her, growing frustrated. Why was she so difficult?

"I'll be fine," Talia said, tossing a hand over her face. "My wolf is healing me up as quickly as she..." She stopped and threw a hand over her mouth, shocked at what she'd almost said.

Jenna raised an eyebrow at her. "Your wolf? What the heck are you talking about? Did you hit your head too?"

"No, I didn't hit my head. I shouldn't have said that. Just don't worry about it. Go to work. I'll be fine," she muttered.

Jenna didn't move. Instead, she sat glaring at her.

Talia sighed and closed her eyes, muttering under her breath about insufferable roommates, before she turned her head to look back at Jenna. "What I'm about to tell you CANNOT leave this apartment. You cannot tell anyone. Promise? It would be very bad if anyone were to find out that I told you what I'm about to say."

Jenna frowned as several different scenarios ran through her head. Was Talia in the mafia? In a gang? She hoped not. She knew Talia had her secrets. She sighed softly, wondering if she really wanted to know, but finally nodded.

"Say it out loud, Jenna. Tell me you promise," Talia prompted, sitting up on the bed, her eyes on her friend.

"I promise," Jenna agreed, watching her warily. She couldn't think of anything Talia would make her keep secret that wasn't a crime. Aiding and abetting? Maybe Talia really was in a gang. Or maybe it was really nothing, and Talia was being her usual over-dramatic self.

Talia took a deep breath and let it out slowly before closing her eyes. "I'm a werewolf."

Jenna laughed a little at Talia's confession, then rolled her eyes. She really didn't expect Jenna to believe that, did she? "Of all the things you could say, you picked that? I mean, seriously, Talia? Why didn't you just tell me you were in the Mafia or something? That would have been more believable." She met Talia's gaze and saw that she wasn't smiling. In fact, she looked dead serious and rather annoyed by the entire thing.

"I'll prove it." Talia stood up and moved over to the middle of the room, pulling her shirt over her head before slipping her shorts off. She grabbed the bandage covering her stomach and pulled it off with a grimace.

Jenna frowned as she watched her friend. At least her wound had stopped bleeding. For now. As long as she didn't rip her wound open. But why was she... "Talia, what are you doing?" Jenna lifted her brows. She swore Talia would be naked all of the time if she could be.

"Don't freak out," she said, and suddenly, the sound of cracking bones filled the room, making Jenna cringe as Talia shifted into a big red wolf.

Jenna's mouth dropped open as she stared at the large red wolf standing where Talia had been. To say she was shocked would be an understatement. Her legs gave way, and she sat down hard on the bed, staring at the wolf, who was calmly staring back at her.

Talia was a freaking werewolf. Had she been attacked by a werewolf and become one? Was this her big secret? Was she attacked by one last night? Jenna suddenly wasn't sure she wanted to stay in New York anymore if the city was inhabited by killer werewolves and they were randomly attacking people in the streets. But then, she realized she was in an apartment alone with a giant wolf, and fear hit her hard as she slowly pulled her legs up on the bed, waiting for the large creature to attack her.

The wolf whimpered, then sat down before lying on her side. She watched the big beast curiously. It didn't seem interested in bothering her, and after several moments, Jenna heard the sounds of bones cracking again, and Talia sat on the floor where the wolf had just been. She eyed her friend warily. "Say something, Jenna," she whispered.

Jenna snapped her mouth shut, realizing that it was hanging open. "Does that hurt?" It was the first thing that popped into her mind and would hopefully break the tension between them. The sound of bones snapping was almost enough to make her nauseous.

Talia smirked and shook her head. "No. Not at all."

"How did you become a werewolf? Were you attacked by one? Is that what happened to you last night?" Jenna asked, trying to piece it all together in her head. "I'm so glad you're not a criminal or in the Mafia," she muttered under her breath.

Talia gave her a weird look before she stood slowly and pulled her clothes back on. Jenna's gaze flickered over her wounds, and she noticed that they looked much better than they had last night. She blinked in surprise.

Talia sat back down on the bed next to Jenna. "Yes, I was attacked by a werewolf," she started. "But he didn't turn me into one. I was born this way. You thought I was a criminal?"

"Well, what was I supposed to think with you not wanting me to share your secrets? Wait, you were born as a werewolf? Are your parents werewolves, too?" Her mind was spinning as theory after theory ran through it. She'd met Talia's parents, and they seemed like perfectly normal people, but then so did Talia until a few minutes ago. Was she dreaming? She reached down and pinched herself. Nope.

Talia nodded and smiled, then grew serious. "But Jenna, you can never tell a living soul about werewolves, okay? You can't tell anyone that I'm one. You have to keep this secret."

She nodded. Who would believe her anyway? She'd sound crazy if she told anyone. "I'll keep it quiet."

"This is very important. I broke Werewolf Law by telling you. If anyone were to ever find out, both of our lives would be forfeit," Talia said solemnly, studying her friend to make sure Jenna realized how important this was.

Jenna swallowed hard, half wishing Talia hadn't even told her in the first place. "I promise I will never tell anyone."

Talia nodded. "Good, but that doesn't mean we can't talk about it when we're alone. It's actually kind of a relief that you know. Now I don't have to hide it from you." She smiled. "My wolf is named Lila. She will help me heal up."

Jenna nodded slowly as she stared at her roommate, still in shock. "You're not going to kill me on the full moon or anything like that, are you?" They'd been roommates for three months now, and Talia had never bothered her on the full moon, so maybe not. But this was so freaking weird.

Talia hugged Jenna, then gave her a small smile. "No. Lila loves you like a sister. She adores you. She would never hurt you. Besides, if we wanted to kill you, you'd be dead. My shifting isn't controlled by the moon phases anyway. I can shift whenever I want to."

"Wait, we? So, she's like a separate being from you?" Jenna asked curiously.

"Yes, and no. She can talk to me in my head, and I can feel how she feels, and she senses my feelings. She can hear my thoughts and see my memories. We don't always agree on everything. But she's my best friend, and I can't imagine my life without her. Lila is amazing." Talia smiled. "Now, go make us some breakfast. I'm starving."

Jenna bit her lip but stood, still eyeing her roommate. Of all of the things she'd thought Talia was keeping secret from her, this was most definitely not on the list. But then, who knew werewolves were real and lived in apartments in New York City and worked a normal job? Definitely not her.