Nyla stared at her door, eyes wide and heart beating fast.

That couldn’t be him that fast. Could it?

The knocking resumed, this time more insistent. A voice then followed that made her body relax.

“Uh-uh chick, I know you’re in there. I heard you walking around over my head just a bit ago. Now, stop trying to pretend like you ain’t home and open this damn door.”

The voice was a welcoming sound. It was the voice of Latricia, her neighbor from the apartment beneath her.

“Yeah, girl. Open this door right now. You know we’re supposed to be hanging out tonight. Don’t you dare try to bail out again,” said another familiar voice.

Nyla couldn’t help the grin that begrudgingly appeared on her face. Her downstairs neighbors, Latricia and Melody Bowmen, had moved into the building about six months ago during a bad storm that had chased Nyla from her apartment. The weather had threatened to unleash potential twister-type storms and the three of them had to seek shelter in the laundry unit located on the first floor of their building. Nyla had Se'Nya with her, which broke the ice between the women. It also helped them focus on something other than the violence that was occurring outside. From that long night, a unique friendship blossomed between the three women.

Nyla moved to her door and hit the switch on the wall to turn on the lights. She then unlatched the two chains and turned two deadbolts before opening the door. Nyla took in the two beautiful women standing in front of her and smiled. Her friends were indeed dressed extra sexy tonight.

Latricia Bowman was light skin with light brown eyes and long hair, which was currently pinned up in a messy bun. She was slightly taller than Nyla and proportionally possessed the three things that typically made men go crazy: ass, hips, and boobs. She was dressed in a short-sleeve, form-fitting black dress that stopped mid-thigh, with a plunging neckline. She wore black leather thigh-high boots and accented her arms, neck, and ears with silver jewelry. Nyla also noted that Latricia was wearing makeup. The woman never wore anything but lipstick, however, tonight her face was completely made up as if she was about to hit the runway during fashion week.

Melody, Latricia’s cousin, was no slouch either. She was brown skin, slightly darker than Nyla with a similar body type as her cousin. She was dressed in a skin-tight black skirt that barely covered her large ass and a red tank-top that matched her red stilettos. She had very short hair that was spiked on the top and tapered on the sides. Melody also wore makeup and had jewelry draped along her neckline and wrists. Indeed, these women were ready to have a night out and break every man’s heart they could find. And for Nyla, hanging out with them would definitely be entertaining.

The trio had been planning this girl’s night out for weeks. It was hard to work around each other’s schedule and for Nyla to find a babysitter, but they had done it and scheduled this night as their “single women on a prowl” night. Seeing the excitement and enthusiasm in her friends’ eyes made her feel guilty. She had completely forgotten about their plans. It was a fluke that Se’Nya wasn’t here or she definitely wouldn’t be going.

“Uh-uh, bitch,” Latricia warned, taking Nyla’s silence to mean she was bailing out. She pushed Nyla aside and walked into her apartment, with Melody close behind. “You are not about to bail out. We made plans for this night a long time ago. Come on. We still have time to get you looking fuckable and fabulous.”

Nyla shook her head and closed her door. She locked up and turned to greet her guests. She had a protest and a bunch of excuses to stay home on the tip of her tongue, but she stopped herself.

“I’m on my way.”

That’s what he had said and she had no doubt that he would make good on his word. She didn’t want to see him or talk to him—not now. And she especially didn’t want him coming to her apartment. She knew damn well that the second she saw him, her weakness for him would take over. She needed to get out of here fast.

“Come on, woman, chop-chop. Your clothes aren’t going to magically appear on your body. And I swear, don’t you even think about saying you don’t have anything to wear. I have plenty of clothes in my closet. Actually, I have just the outfit you can wear.” Latricia started for the door, but Nyla brought her hands up quickly to stop her.

“Oh, no! That’s not necessary,” Nyla said quickly, causing both Latricia and Melody to jump back slightly. Nyla’s smile spread farther along her cheeks to seem less threatening. “I’m not trying to bail. We’ve been planning this for weeks, right? Lemme go find something to throw on and put a little bedazzle on my face and we can get out of here.”

Nyla’s heart was beating frantically. It was as if she could feel him coming closer. She moved quickly past her friends and headed to her bedroom, thinking of what she could throw on that wouldn’t require an iron.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Latricia called to her back. “And you better not put on one of your grandma dresses either or you’re not going.”

“Tricia,” Melody admonished softly.

“What? You know it’s true,” she heard Latricia bite back before she closed the door to her room.

It didn’t take long for Nyla to find something that she could wear. Tonight, they were heading to City Lights, one of the hottest clubs in the city. Nyla had heard that it was impossible to get into if you didn’t get there early. The club was usually packed to capacity every night with a line of eager partygoers that stretched almost as long as a city block. It stayed open until four in the morning with people trying their best to get in all the way up until closing. Everyone who was someone in this town went to this club; celebrities, athletes, and the wealthy alike. It was an upscale place full of beautiful people that denied you access if you didn’t meet their dress to impress requirements and Nyla had just the dress to wear.

She reached into the back of her walk-in closet, found the dress she wanted, and pulled it off the hanger. She held up the little black dress and smiled. This is perfect!

She had stumbled on this bodycon dress when she went thrift shopping with Dee-Dee a few months back. The dress hugged her curves like a second skin. It stopped close to mid-thigh and had thin straps with a heart-shaped neckline, exposing a healthy dose of her girls. Nyla accented her dress with silver jewelry around her neck, wrists, and earlobes, and accented her feet with a pair of black 4-inch heels.

She didn’t have to do much with her hair; she had wrapped it in her scarf once she emerged from her bath earlier. So, all she needed to do was unwrap her hair and style it the way she wanted. Makeup was the issue. Latricia and Melody did it big with their attire, hair, and makeup. She didn’t have the time or the skill to do the same. But she couldn’t do anything less either, messing with those two. They were very beautiful women and grabbed the attention of any male within a two-mile radius. They couldn’t help themselves. Nyla had actually witnessed just how much men fell over themselves to get their attention. Tonight would be no different, and if she wanted some attention of her own, to help get over Andrew and feel good about herself, she needed to come correct. The dress was there, no doubt about that, but the rest...

“Mel, can you help with my makeup?” Nyla yelled as she grabbed a T-shirt to cover her dress. Even though it was black, she didn’t want to get any makeup or anything else on her clothes.

“Of course, here I come.”

Melody met Nyla in her bathroom and signaled for her to sit down on the lid of the commode. Melody then searched through Nyla’s makeup until she found what she needed. She studied the canvass that was Nyla’s smooth chocolate skin before she smiled. “I know just what to do.”

Melody decided she wanted to start with her hair first. She made sure that the sides were laying down properly, but the fact that Nyla had just relaxed her hair, made that easy enough. Next, Melody flat-ironed Nyla’s hair and combed it away from her face. She then used hairspray to keep it in place so her beautiful face was unimpeded.

Melody then moved to her makeup.

She created a dark smoldering look for Nyla that accentuated the oval shape of her eyes. Nyla’s eyelashes were long on their own, so she used a heavy mascara just to bring definition to the lashes and a wingtip design, using eyeliner to add definition. Melody finished Nyla’s look with a bit of powder for the shine and to highlight her eyes and cheekbones. The red lipstick just brought everything home.

Once Melody was done with her makeup and hair, she smiled down at Nyla.

“I’m so good!” She patted herself on the back.

Nyla stood and turned to face the mirror above her sink. She took in her reflection and her eyes grew in astonishment. For the little time and product Melody had to work with, the woman worked her magic. Nyla looked amazing. She had to take in her reflection for at least a few minutes before she recognized herself.

“What do you think?” Melody asked her, a bit nervous from Nyla’s silence.

Nyla remained quiet a little while longer. Then a warm smile creased her face. She turned and gave Melody a tight squeeze.

“Girl, this is fabulous. You are a miracle worker. Thank you!” Nyla told her, hugging her tighter.

Melody laughed and hugged her back just as tight. “Oh, girl, please. You are gorgeous. All that makeup did was bring out the beast mode in you, that’s all. Now,” Melody said, pulling back. She slapped Nyla’s ass. “Finish getting dress so we can go.”

Melody disappeared from the bathroom and Nyla studied herself again. She wished Andrew would’ve seen her tonight so he could eat his heart out. But, maybe this was the night where things looked up for her. She felt as if she had already hit rock bottom, the only place to go from here was up.

“Come on, Princess. I got Leonard to drop us off at the club. He’s waiting outside,” Latricia called from the living room.

There was a full-length mirror tacked to the back of Nyla’s bathroom door. Nyla closed the bathroom door, carefully removed her T-shirt and gave herself a final once over. When she looked at the final package, she smiled.

Damn, girl, guys will be eating their hearts out tonight!

Nyla fussed around her bathroom, unplugging her straighter before shutting off the lights and exiting her bathroom. She popped back into her bedroom to grab a red clutch purse before stepping into the living room where Latricia and Melody sat waiting.

Melody saw her first and whistled. “Damn girl, that dress is fire! And that body? Where you been hiding those curves?”

Latricia turned around and was just as surprised as Melody. “Holy shit, woman! I didn’t know you had it in you. You look hot as hell.” Latricia stood and grinned broadly. “Girl, you’ll be beating dudes away with a stick or telling them to take a number.”

Nyla smiled warmly at the compliments from her friends. Their approval was confirmation that she indeed looked good. She felt good too; for the first time in a long time. She was ready to start a new chapter in her life. It was about time.

“Well, thank you, ladies,” she replied, bowing her head slightly. “I don’t know about beating dudes away or even giving out numbers, but it’ll feel good to get that kind of attention. The only type of attention I get these days is from men that want to place their food orders.”

“Well, honey, if you think you’re going to be ignored tonight in that dress, you have another thing coming. Now, let’s go.” Latricia walked around the couch and snapped her fingers. “I put our names on the VIP list, but we still have to wait in line, and these heels have to last me all night.”

Nyla shook her head and smiled. “Okay, I just need to grab my phone.”

The women headed toward her door while Nyla retrieved her cell phone. She swiped the screen and froze; her heart seemed to sink straight to her toes. She had hoped to see a few missed calls waiting for her from Andrew, but there wasn’t any. Then she remembered his threat. Shit! She looked at the time. She wasn’t sure how far away he lived. She assumed it was either in the city or the suburbs to the west of her apartment. Either way, it should take about forty-five minutes to get here. How much time had she wasted getting dressed and putting on makeup? Fuck, she couldn’t remember. Since her door was still intact, that meant Andrew hadn’t arrived yet. But he could be pulling up right now. Her breathing started to pick up.

“Come on, heffa!” yelled Latricia from the doorway of the apartment.

“All right! Dang, I’m coming.”

Nyla unzipped her clutch and dropped her phone into her purse. She grabbed her keys from the kitchen counter and followed her friends out of the apartment; locking the door behind her. The three women then carefully took the stairs, one after the other, holding on to the banister as they stepped. Nyla lived on the third-floor so they had to slowly and carefully tackle six flights of stairs before plummeting into darkness at the bottom landing.

The women lived in a worn-down apartment complex that housed about twenty apartment buildings. The buildings were scattered throughout the complex with parking lots surrounding them. Each building had twelve apartments and a laundry room with a breezeway and outside stairs splitting up the apartments; six on each side and four on each floor. Nyla’s building actually faced the entrance to the complex, which was a good thing. She would see Andrew coming if he wasn’t here already.

“When is the damn super going to replace the lights down here?” Melody observed angrily. “It’s dangerous as hell coming out here at night. Someone could be hiding in the shadows and you wouldn’t see them until it was too late.”

Nyla heard Latricia reply, but she didn’t make out the words. Spooked from Melody’s revelation, she looked around the darkened landing making sure Andrew wasn’t standing in the shadows just waiting to make his move.

“Where the fuck is Leonard?” Latricia asked bitterly as they stepped away from the building. She looked around the parking lot facing their building and scanned the lots surrounding them.

“I don’t know,” Nyla added, looking in the direction of where Leonard lived, which was a few buildings down from where they stood. Leonard was a creature of habit. Anytime you wanted to find him or needed him for something, he was always posted in the same place every day, all day; on the bottom stairway of his apartment building.

“Maybe you should call him,” Melody began, but then immediately saw headlights coming their way. “Oh, never mind. There he is,” Melody added and relief flooded Nyla’s body. However, it only lasted a split second. She actually felt his presence before she heard a familiar deep voice that literally made her heart stop and sent chills down her spine.

“Nyla!”

Nyla closed her eyes as the hard, penetrating voice rocked her to her core. She didn’t move. She couldn’t move. But her friends did.

“Good gotdamn,” whispered Latricia and at the same time Nyla heard Melody mumble, “Holy Shit.”

Nyla didn’t want to turn around. She knew who had called her. His presence was overwhelming. His voice caressed her spine, giving it a hard shake. He said her name again, his voice dropped even deeper in tone and deeper into her soul. Breathing was becoming a chore.

She swallowed hard and took a few deep breaths. Come on girl! He’s just a man.

When she finally turned to face him, her breath caught in her throat.

“Holy Mary, mother of Joseph…”

Andrew…

* * *

The moment after Cedric left his apartment, Andrew had jumped into the shower to wash away the dirt and grime of the forest and to clear his mind. Once out of the shower, he had thrown on a pair of sweatpants and made his way into his living room for a much-needed drink. He clinked a few ice cubes into his glass, poured the 1738, and headed for his couch.

Andrew sunk deep into the soft cushions underneath him and tried to relax. He took a healthy sip of his drink, leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The apartment was silent. The lights were off. He contemplated playing some music, deepening his relaxed state. However, he didn’t want to move. In the silence, his mind trudged up the conversation he’d had with his brother as well as Rinic, who had called him shortly after he emerged from the shower. The conversation with Rinic didn’t go very well, however, he was glad he had spoken to the old man as well as Cedric. With Ced, it was a long time coming and it revealed a lot of unanswered questions that he had hoped Rinic would be able to answer. One of which was the true identity of Nyla Montgomery.

Could Nyla really be like him and not know it? He just wasn’t sure.

Andrew was capable of sensing his own kind, every wolf had that ability. He was also capable of sensing moods and of speaking and connecting through telepathy with the wolves of his pack. However, what Cedric had brought to light and into question, were Andrew’s mindset and his abilities. He knew he was very strong with skills that very few possessed. Any wolf was able to sense emotions from a human as long as they were in their presence. A wolf could tell if a human was frightened or angry based off of the scent their bodies produced. But having the ability to read a human as if he or she was a wolf wasn’t something possible by anyone, which brought him to Nyla. He didn’t sense the genetics of a wolf in her and yet he could not only sense her emotions when he was around her, but he could also read her and feel every part of her with just his mind when she wasn’t. If Nyla wasn’t human and she wasn’t a wolf, then what was she? He needed to get answers and soon. Something about her was pulling him closer and closer to her. He wasn’t going to be able to hold out from claiming her much longer. And keeping his distance wasn’t something he wanted to do, which was the very thing he had been asked to do.

Both Cedric and Rinic wanted him to stay away from Nyla; just for a few days, they had requested. That sounded good, and for all intents and purposes, Andrew had told them that he would keep his distance. Nonetheless, as he had sat there in the darkened quiet space, his eyes closed, his mind had drifted right to her. The reality had been as clear as the night sky outside his balcony door. There was no way he was staying away from his addiction.

He wanted his woman. He missed her. He missed seeing her beautiful face and seeing the sweetness and innocence of her smile. He missed hearing the sultry sound of her voice. Not immersing himself in his vices had given him many restless nights. During those sleepless nights and endless days, she had been the star of his daydreams; since all he had was his imagination to get him through. He loved the way it felt when her hands glided along his heated skin. It seemed to calm his savage beast, which was something that very few had the power to do. He had been able to feel what she never said with her mouth within her touch and her eyes. It humbled him. The expertly placed walls that he built around himself for protection, was being knocked down brick by brick.

Nyla also fed his erotic desires. She was beyond sexy and made him delirious with need. His desires for her ran deep. He was going to claim her; that was inevitable. He yearned to hold her, spend every waking day and night pleasing her. And of course, he couldn’t wait for the moment when he could drown himself in her taste and get lost in her essence once again. The feeling of her pussy walls convulsing around his cock was torture. And yet, hearing her scream his name in ecstasy was the most earth-shattering, steamy, and lascivious sound that he’d ever experienced.

He smiled to himself as a vision of her popped into his mind. She was so beautiful. So amazing and sweet and she was all his. That was the reality of it all, he concluded. She was his and no one was going to take her from him.

“Fuck this shit,” Andrew bellowed out loud and in his mind mainly, for Cedric and Rinic’s sake. He sat up, placed his drink on the coffee table, and reached for his phone. There was just no way he was keeping his distance. He was actually getting worked up just thinking about not seeing her again. That just wasn’t an option he was willing to accept. Sure, he understood Cedric and Rinic’s fears. He had some trepidations of his own, one being the true identity of Nyla. However, that wasn’t going to stop him from seeing her. He’d deal with whatever Rinic found out about her whenever that time came. Until then, he would be with his woman. There was no denying that fact or stopping him. Would he officially claim her for himself? Not right away, but in due time, yes. He would at least give Rinic the time he required to do whatever he needed in order to get Andrew the answers he desired. Except, he would have to do that knowing that whatever he did find out, it wouldn’t change a thing. Nyla was and will forever be his.

Andrew dialed her number and the second he heard her voice, the storm brewing within him suddenly ceased. Her voice was music to his soul, and he had missed her deeply. On the other hand, when he heard and felt the edge in her voice, it had made him pause. After that, shit went downhill from there.

The whole time they were on the phone Andrew felt that storm brewing inside him all over again, but this time, for a different reason. The shit she was saying to him was pissing him off with each fucking syllable that poured out of her mouth. He didn’t have a clue what had happened. Granted, he’d been working like crazy, traveling, and had missed a few of her calls. Still, he didn’t think it a big deal. He had planned, once he had gotten home and was settled, to call her back. He had no clue his actions or lack of actions would result in her insulting his ears with chaotic rhetoric. He needed to get to the bottom of what in the hell had happened and now; not later. He was not about to let Nyla go. No fucking way was that shit going to happen.

Andrew ended the call, cutting her off in mid-sentence, letting her know that he was on his way. He opened his coat closet next to the door, put his bare feet into some work boots, and grabbed a sleeveless jacket. Next, he grabbed his keys off of the table beside his door and left his apartment. He ran for the steps, deciding it would be faster to take them to the bottom floor instead of the elevator. As he stepped outside and headed for the car he had parked outside his building, he hoped that his trip to her apartment would be uneventful. It would be tragic if he had to run someone over because they decided to cross the street when he drove through a major intersection. 

Andrew took up a hasty trot to his Mercedes parked in the visitor’s parking lot in the front of his building. He was actually halfway to his car when he first sensed then actually saw, three figures emerge from the dark shadows surrounding the parking lot. Andrew slowed down; his body growing tense with each step he took. The three men were very familiar to him and Andrew snorted contemptuously as they took up positions in front of his car. Brody, Winston, and Edgar, his brothers, stood in front of him stone-faced and ready for anything.   

I don’t have time for this, Andrew griped silently.  

A reply back echoed through his mind, Make time.