"D-Dante, I—" I stammered, trying to cover myself with my discarded shirt.

He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that sent shivers down my spine. "No need to be shy now, Melanie. You've already seen me naked."

"Wrong room. Sorry," I muttered, turning to leave, but his voice stopped me.

"Wait," he said, his tone softer now, almost tender. "Come here."

I hesitated, my mind racing. The defiant part of me wanted to walk away, but something deeper, something primal, kept me rooted to the spot. Slowly, I turned back towards him.

"Come here," he repeated, extending his hand.

I stepped a little closer, unable to tear my eyes away from him. His body was a work of art, muscles taut and covered in tattoos that told stories I wanted to know. He sat up, the moonlight casting a silvery glow on his skin.

"Look at you," he murmured, his eyes raking over my body. "So beautiful."

"Dante, I really should—"

"You don't need to be afraid of me," he whispered, "I'm not going to hurt you."

He stood up, still butt-naked, and walked towards me. My heart started racing and my stomach did flips. What was he going to do?

Like an idiot, I ran. I flew out the door and into my actual room this time. I could hear Dante laughing his ass off through both doors. I fell onto my bed, pressing my tomato-red face into the pillow. At this point, I needed alcohol.

It would be nice to forget all of this.

Maybe I could find a witch and have her erase our memories.

I lay in bed for a while, scrolling through social media and talking with my virtual friends. I had let them know what had happened with me leaving home and moving somewhere else. I was actually living pretty close to one of them now, and she wanted to meet. I left out that I was a shifter. The world isn't ready to know about us or any other ethereal creatures yet.

It probably never will be, either.

I set my phone down next to me on the bed and pulled the covers over me, closing my eyes and preparing to sleep. I hadn't bothered to turn the light on when I first came in, so it was dark around me.

DING

Huh? I'd already said goodnight to my friends.

I pressed the lock button, and the screen lit up again, making me squint my eyes against the harsh light.

"You have one new friend request"

I clicked on the notification, and it pulled up my social media site.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

You have a friend request from:

Dante Dayholt

I groaned and hit accept. I'm not gonna back down.

I opened my eyes in the morning, this time knowing it was early. The sun was just cresting the horizon outside. I used to love watching it rise with a warm cup of coffee in my hand and a fluffy blanket wrapped around me.

So that's exactly what I did.

I fixed my hair, pulled on some comfy clothes, and made my way downstairs. Rosa sat at the table, doing a crossword puzzle and drinking her coffee. She waved at me as I buzzed through the kitchen looking for coffee cups. I found them and set to work making a cup of coffee. Barney was at my feet, rubbing himself against my legs and jumping up to lick my hand.

"Hey buddy, how are you this morning?" I said, kneeling down. I ran my fingers through his scruffy hair and rubbed his belly when he flopped down and exposed it.

"Can I have a fluffy blanket?" I asked Rosa as I stood up. She turned to face me and pushed her glasses up into her hair.

"They're in the closet," she said, pointing to a small linen closet next to the staircase. I grabbed one and went to the back porch, choosing to sit in a wicker chair to watch the sunrise. I'd been robbed of doing this for three years. I suddenly felt emotional, tears welling in my eyes.

The door opened behind me as Rosa came out with her own blanket and coffee. She moved the chair that sat next to mine closer and then planted her butt in it. She reached over and put her hand on my shoulder. I tried to hold my tears back, trying to wipe them away discreetly.

"You're allowed to cry, honey. You've been through a lot," Rosa said beside me, her voice soft and gentle.

"I don't want to be weak anymore," I admitted. Rosa made me feel comfortable.

She rubbed my arm as she met my gaze, nothing but love in her eyes.

"You aren't weak. If anything, you're the strongest woman I know. You lost your parents, survived years of abuse, were rejected by your mate, and then you were strong enough to leave even though you didn't know where you'd end up. You truly do have more strength than you think you do," Rosa told me, her words genuine. Big, fat tears fell from my eyes as I processed what she'd said.

Rosa reached over and wiped a tear from my cheek.

"As long as I'm alive, you'll always know your worth. The moon goddess knew I wanted a daughter, and I'm thankful she chose to send you my way," she said, beaming a huge smile at me. I was so stunned I couldn't speak, but Rosa didn't seem to mind. She'd gone back to her coffee and was watching the sun slowly rise in front of us.

I felt like I was in a dream. Like I was living someone else's life. Being with family who didn't love me but only used me for their personal gain had messed up my perception of everyone I met. But Rosa and Allen? They were genuine people. These two didn't even know me, and they chose to love me.

Why was it so hard for my blood family to do that? For Arlo to do that?

I tried to push the negative thoughts from my head as I sipped my coffee. I just wanted to enjoy the sunrise. I hadn't even brought my phone with me, choosing to leave the technology behind for a while.

Rosa and I sat together for the rest of the morning. Sometimes we talked, but we mostly just sat and watched nature around us. The backyard of their house faced the woods, and lots of rabbits, deer, and even a few foxes dared to peek their heads out from behind the tree line.

"Well, my dear, I must go cook up some lunch. Is there anything special you'd like?" Rosa asked me, and I thought for a moment. My favorite food was homemade mac and cheese, and I'd only had boxed since I'd moved in with my aunt and uncle. I stayed quiet, not wanting to be a burden.

"Tell me," Rosa ordered, mock anger in her voice, and I laughed.

"How about I cook with you?" I offered, realizing then that I could actually put effort into cooking now. The people here would appreciate whatever I cooked.

Rosa's face lit up like a Christmas tree, and I smiled at her, happy to make her day better.

"I'd love that! What are we making?" she asked, her voice bouncy and light.

"How about some good old homemade mac and cheese?" I replied, and she nodded happily.

I'm sure if I'd asked to deep fry dog shit, she'd still be excited to cook with me. But I'll save something like that for later.

Maybe I'll slip it into Dante's next meal.