3

J A D E

My eyes fluttered open at the sound of the chirping birds. I could feel a migraine coming and I sat up. The events of the previous night, flooding in at once.

I let my eyes adjust to the brightness, taking in the details of the room. It was quite large, with the walls painted in white. A chandelier hanging from the ceiling, its bulbs glowing.

The bed was king sized and soft. The white duvet draped over me to keep warm, was a bit cold at touch. There was a dressing mirror, a wardrobe and a parted white curtain. An emerald green rug on the floor and the scent of fragrance hit my nostrils.

The room not only looked fancy but also smelt like one. It was nothing like back at the pack and I’m glad it wasn’t. Back there, I was made to share a room with six maids and every night, we’d fight for the best spot to sleep on the floor.

I peeled the duvet off me as i wondered where I was. Most importantly, I wondered who changed my dress!

“How did I get here?” I asked myself as I stared down at the black shirt that I had on. It was long till the point that it got to my ankle.

Was I dead?

Was this heaven?

The shirt was black and smelled foreign but good at the same time. There was a lion, drawn on it.

I definitely wouldn’t be putting on a man’s shirt if I was in heaven.

My head spinned and I was confused. Different questions flooded my mind, but only one stood out; How did I escape that deadly beast?

“Where am I?” I asked no one in particular, as I stared around the room. My wounds were all healed and I could no longer feel the pain at my ankle.

I wondered if the monster had brought me here to trap me. Is this what the princess felt, trapped by the beast until they had to fall in love, because there is absolutely no way I’m making out with the beast I saw last night.

My eyes diverted to the door, as I heard the knob creak. My eyes glowing yellow and a low growl escaped my lips, as I stood up from the bed. The door finally opened and to my surprise, there was no beast, but a man.

He walked in, my hands dropping by my side and my eyes, taking their usual brown color. He held a tray at one hand, dressed smartly in a white rolled up sleeve, tucked into a neat straightened pant and polished shoes.

His long jet black hair was combed quite neatly and he had a slight smile on his face. His bulky muscles moved, and I could feel my stomach churn at the sight of him.

“You are awake, I see.” His voice matched his body. Dominating, deep velvet voice that almost made my knees weak.

“Who are you?” I finally managed to speak, after gawking at him for a few good seconds.

“The man you’ve been eager to meet the moment you turned eighteen. Your soulmate.” He said with a smile. He didn’t even need to explain. This man was my mate?

I swallowed my words as soon as he uttered that he was my mate. I was so tensed earlier, that I didn’t notice the ‘pull’ that I was suddenly feeling.

Now it all made sense why I was captivated by him. I didn’t know how to react. Should I walk up to him and give him a slap across the face for not bothering to look for me all these years? Should I cry at having finally found my mate? Should I…

“You are not my mate.” I blurted out, my tone sounding harsher than I intended. I watched him stare at me with pity, before he set the tray on the table.

“You feel the bond, don’t you?” He asked, a frown setting in on his face.

Ugh! I wanted to stay so mad at him but I can’t. If not anything, I felt a bit guilty for sounding so harsh.

“Where is this? Who are you?” I asked instead, changing the subject as I didn’t feel comfortable to continue with it.

“You are at my pack now. You can call me Markov.” He responded but it wasn’t enough. However before I could speak, he continued. “I want to know. Who are you? Where are you from and who are your parents?”

I sat on the bed, wondering if I could trust him enough to tell him everything. Though we were mates, he was someone I just met and I can’t read his thoughts to know what he must be thinking.

“I’m an Orphan and a pack slave at Alpha Damien’s pack.”

“What pack?”

I stared at him suspiciously at how invested he was in knowing details about me. Who really was this man before me? Is he an angel or a devil in disguise as one.

“The blood hound pack...”

“Beyond the forest?”

I raised a brow at him, watching as he gave me a questioning look. My brows furrowed as I nodded my head and replied with a ‘yes’

“What is your bloodline?”

“Why?” I raised a brow as I fired back with a question. “Why are you so desperate to know about me? Who are you?”

He gave a forced smile. “Forgive me if I’ve made you feel uncomfortable. I didn’t mean to sound rude. I was just interested in knowing you and that’s all. Earlier this morning, I found you in the woods and brought you home. I need to know what you are and if you are not a spy and a threat to my pack.”

“I was running away.” I confessed with a sigh and he raised his brows, his interest piqued by what I was about to say.

“You don’t have to say anything, if you don’t feel like it.” He said with a slight smile and I couldn’t help but smile at how thoughtful he was.

I narrated everything to him. Giving him details of how badly I was treated at my previous pack and my arranged marriage with mason. How I escaped and was almost caught before encountering the beast in the forest.

“I’m sorry for everything you had to go through.” He spoke through clenched teeth and his fist tightened.

I didn’t need to read his thoughts to know that he cared deeply about me. He cared more about me than my pack did. I could feel something in my stomach and my heart seemed to skip, as we locked gaze.

Is this what true love feels like?

“You are home now, with me. You can stay as long as you want and live a happy and comfortable life. I promise to love you and treat you right.” He said, walking towards me and taking my hands into his. “You won’t feel rejected by me and I will never leave you.” He swore before he lifted my hands and planted warm kisses on them.

He stared at me, my eyes pooling in tears before he leaned for a kiss. It was short but it felt good and he pulled back, wiping my tears with the back of his palm.

A knock interrupted us and a maid walked in, at his permission. She announced the arrival of his beta, before he stared back at me with a smile on his face.

“I’d like you to give a tour to my Luna. Take her out for shopping and help pick her dress. Get her whatever she wants and spend as much as you can.” He said, pulling a black card from his pocket and handing it to the maid with a look of shock on her face.

“Excuse me, I have a meeting to attend.” He said with a short smile before he gave me a light peck and walked out of the room, leaving me stunned and in short of words.

I was so stunned that the thought that I came out of the forest alive, went to the back of my mind.