- Arora - The Queen Luna (Available exclusively on GALATEA soon!!!)

“Damn, girl, I could eat you.”

Mia’s voice purrs behind me as she fluffs my already wild blonde waves, making them fall just right over my shoulders.

Cathy leans in with a teasing grin, “damn right she’s edible!” She giggles, half-drunk and fully dangerous.

Both of them are tipsy.

Me? I’m just high on adrenaline—and dread.

Mia spins me to face the mirror behind the bar, her eyes sparkling with trouble. “Come on, Arora. Loosen up. We’re here to have fun, remember?”

I roll my eyes and groan under my breath. “I’m not sure about this. Can’t we just go home?” I mutter.

Cathy crosses her arms, already slipping into her fake-dominatrix mode. “You are not leaving Chicago without completing the dare.” She arches a perfect brow. “Or are you chickening out?”

I sigh. Deeply.

She is so dramatic. Loud enough for the whole club to hear.

“No… I’m not.” Even though—honestly? I kind of am. But I can’t bail. Not on them. Not tonight.

They may be human, but they’ve been my people for four years. They’ve stood by me without knowing half of what I really am. They don’t understand why I’ve never hooked up, why I ghost dates, why I act like I’ve got the chastity of a nun.

And this morning, when Mia dared me, I just couldn’t say no to her.

So here I was dancing. My besties on either side, music pulsing, bodies swaying, drinks flowing. Our usual club, our usual chaos. This time, though, it is a goodbye party. Which apparently meant extra rounds for them.

I’d had my fair share too, though I didn’t get drunk as easily. Perks of being a werewolf, I guess. But still, I felt it. A rush buzzing in my head.

Something was off. Or maybe on.

My body was warmer than usual. A slow burn rising inside me. Was it the challenge? The dare that had been haunting me all night? Or was something else stirring?

Sure, I’d kissed guys before. Dated a few at university—nothing serious, nothing wild. Always reserved. So this dare? This game? It required something I wasn’t sure I had. Confidence. Sex appeal. The ability to flirt without second-guessing every move.

And yet… here I was. Letting the bass reel me back into the heart of the club. The crowd was thick. Hot. Electric. Bodies moving like they had no past, no shame. Hot guys everywhere—most of them glued to girls who were hotter than me.

At least, that’s what I told myself.

Was I a looker? Sure. People said it all the time. Long legs. Lean frame. Small waist, delicate wrists, nice boobs. Big, icy blue eyes. Thick platinum blonde hair that always made people assume the same thing: Barbie.

They didn’t see the girl who’d earned her scholarship. The one who pulled all-nighters on strategic marketing decks. Who lived off coffee and ambition, not compliments.

I was a career girl. A future PR powerhouse. And I’d worked damn hard to be taken seriously. I wasn't normally the partying, flirting type. And this whole dare? It went against everything I’d taught myself to be.

However, tonight was about letting go. Just once. And to be honoust, I couldn’t say no to Mia. Not after everything she’d done for me. I’d practically been living on her couch for the past six months—rent-free, judgment-free, and endlessly supported.

Chicago had drained me—financially, emotionally, spiritually. It was expensive, fast-paced, and lonely when you didn’t have roots. After finishing my degree and losing my scholarship, just surviving became a struggle. I stretched every dollar, took every job I could, but it wasn’t sustainable.

Besides, I needed to go back. Back to the world I’d once run from. Because no matter how independent or career-driven I was, one truth kept echoing louder every day: No wolf can thrive without a pack.

And as much as I’d fought it, I was craving belonging. So it was time for me to say goodbye to the human world. Although I knew I would miss Chicago. Miss my friends.

Mia and Cathy were more than friends—they were my makeshift pack. And I didn’t want to leave on a low note. I wanted this last night—our last night—to be unforgettable.

And, I didn’t want to be remembered by them as just the serious, career-obsessed girl. I wanted to be wild one last time. Or maybe I just needed to drink the ache away—the grief of leaving behind a life I had fought so hard to build. I didn’t know. I just knew tonight had to mean something.

I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of Cathy’s voice, purring like a satisfied cat. “Damn… any of those will do.”

She nodded toward a private booth near the back of the club.

Three guys. All tall. Masculine. Drop-dead gorgeous. Every single one of them oozed danger and sex appeal like they were born to ruin good girls.

I groaned.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, right? Seriously, Cathy? They’re not even on the dance floor. How the hell am I supposed to go up to them?”

Mia giggled, flipping her hair like a devil in heels. “Oh, you wuss. We’ll help you through.”

She tugged her blouse just a little lower, flashing a peek of cleavage that made me question every fashion choice I’d ever made.

Before I could even blink, the girls had me surrounded and were pushing me through the crowd. The bass thumped in my chest as we weaved through dancing bodies, heading straight for the booth where the three guys were lounging like kings.

They weren’t laughing or flirting or even paying much attention to the club. No drunk energy. Just… calm confidence. Like they were having some elite, half-business, half-bored gathering in the middle of chaos—with whiskey in hand and unreadable expressions.

I hesitated, grabbing Mia’s arm. “They don’t look like they want to be disturbed,” I hissed in her ear.

“Shush,” she whispered back. “Just don’t forget the rules. No names. No talking. No info. Just let loose.”

She winked, then turned on her best purr and stepped up to the booth like she owned it. “Hey, hotshot,” she cooed at the blonde guy sitting closest. “Mind if we join you?”

An instant smirk curled across the blond guy's face as he gave her a full top-to-toe scan, his eyes dripping with interest.

Mia had clearly caught his attention. Tall, lean, legs for days, glowing bronze skin, long chocolate-brown hair, and that curve-hugging outfit—yeah, she definitely looked hot.

“Well, hello, ladies,” he said, voice deep and rich with flirtation. “Of course you may join.”

He didn’t even glance at the others in the booth. Just slid his body over to make room, letting Mia ease in beside him like it was already a done deal.

The guy next to him—a gorgeous black man, built like a bodybuilder—perked up the moment Cathy stepped forward. His grin was full of eager approval. Cathy didn’t hesitate. She hopped onto his lap like she belonged there. Her confidence was practically dripping.

And then there was me.

Left standing in the middle of the club’s chaos, my pulse erratic, my breath uneven, trying to figure out what the hell I supposed to do next.

My gaze drifted past the loud music and the easy laughter of my friends until it landed on him. The third one. The only one who hadn’t moved a muscle.

He was sitting in the far back of the booth like he owned the darkness. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair—thick and tousled like he’d just run his fingers through it in frustration. And those eyes… piercing black, guarded, steady. There was no smile. Just a slow swirl of amber liquid in a glass gripped between long fingers and a jaw that looked like it could have been carved from stone. Everything about him radiated strength and power.

I couldn’t overthink this. So, I Just let my legs carry me to the space beside him and slid into the booth.

Our arms touched—bare skin meeting bare skin—and a heat pulsed between us that I was not prepared for. Subtle but electric.

My wolf stirred beneath my skin, unsettled by the touch, a ripple of excitement reached down into my core and tangled with something I didn’t know was waiting to be stirred.

I exhaled slowly, trying to steady my frantic heartbeat. Around us, the world kept spinning—music thumping, drinks pouring, laughter echoing—but it felt muted. Blurred.

I shifted slightly, trying not to focus on the way his arm brushed mine—how warm it was, how steady. And how aware I had become of every inch between us. Or rather, the lack of it...

He was watching me now. Almost amused. Calm. Infuriatingly composed. And expectant. Apparently waiting for me to make a move. The same kind of move my best friends had made already, without hesitation, without thought.

My heart thudded painfully against my ribs. He was tall—ridiculously tall. Alpha-built, definitely. He could’ve been a werewolf. But I couldn’t smell it on him. Maybe he was just... human. Hot humans existed, right? Chicago was full of them.

I forced a seductive smile, trying to shake the tension out of my shoulders. But the longer I sat there beside him, the tighter my chest grew.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my friends immersed in their little flirtation games. Cathy had a pink smudge on her neck and was giggling like she didn’t care about anything else. Mia was halfway into Blondie’s lap, whispering something that made his pupils dilate.

Suddenly the Adonis next to me spoke, low, rough, and lazy, like the words were dragged straight from somewhere deep inside him. “So… you gonna take the bet?”

I blinked, startled. My head snapped toward him.

What?

His mouth curled, just a little, and I saw it then. The amusement. The fact that he somehow knew, that I had been challenged.

“How did you…?” I asked, too stunned to play it off.

A slow, rich laugh rumbled from his chest, a sound that sent goosebumps dancing up my spine. “So it is a bet,” he murmured. “Figured.”

I froze. Mortified. Caught.

He shrugged like it was no big deal, tipping his glass toward the others. “You don’t exactly scream ‘willing participant’ like those two over there,” he nodded toward my best friends.

“They’re definitely here by choice,” he added, eyes cutting back to mine.

And just like that, my face burned.

Whether from embarrassment, irritation, or the fact that this stranger had read me like an open book, I couldn’t say. But something bloomed under my skin—fast and hot and uncontrollable.

“So,” he said, lowering his voice just enough that I had to lean closer to hear it, “what exactly are you betting on?”

I turned to face him fully, my eyes narrowing. There was something about him. Something unsettling and familiar. Something I couldn’t explain. His presence pressed against mine like gravity—heavy and constant.

I whispered the rules to myself like a charm. No names. No talking. Just let go.

And before I could talk myself out of it, before I could convince myself that this was a terrible idea—I leaned in. Closed the space between us.

And kissed him.

The second our mouths met, a surge of something electric jolted through me, so sharp, so intense, it stole the breath from my lungs.

I gasped softly against his mouth, my fingers curling into his shirt. My hand slid across his chest, the heat of his body burning through the thin barrier of fabric.

God, he was built like a warrior.

My fingers brushed his collarbone, then traced around the back of his neck, my fingers tangling in his thick hair. I wrapped myself around him and bit down gently on his lower lip—daring him to open up to me.

He groaned, his mouth parting. I dove in without hesitation, kissing him harder, deeper, hungrier. It wasn’t polished. It was instinct. Raw and real and reckless.

He hesitated for a moment, but then he was right there with me.

I gasped into his mouth as he pulled me onto his lap, our bodies locking in perfect, maddening alignment.

I could feel every inch of him—hard, solid. He groaned again, deeper this time, a rumble that vibrated against my chest.

One of his hands slid to the small of my back, the other gently twisting into my hair, pulling me closer, angling my head just right. His lips slanted over mine with increasing pressure, until I was clinging to him, breathless, burning.

My whole body arched into him, chasing the friction, letting instinct take the reins. My heart pounded so hard I felt it in my fingertips. My thighs pressed together as heat pooled between.

The club faded. The noise blurred.

The world narrowed until there was only the taste of his lips and the fire burning beneath my skin.