CHAPTER 36

Isla’s POV

I pressed my palm over my face, avoiding the sun's rays, shifting slightly on the rough floor of the cabin. I woke up in a daze, rubbing my eyes. I realized I wasn't in my room. I blinked, my heart racing as the memories of last night crashed over me. I blushed, feeling flustered.

"What have I done?" I contemplated in my mind, gulping hard, covering myself with the thin tattered shirt lying next to me.

Adrian’s bite still tingled in my ear. The mate bond had taken over, pulling us together despite everything. I looked around and saw his tall frame leaning against the cabin door, his back to me, rigid and distant. Any warmth that the bond might have brought was quickly snuffed out when I saw his denial and frustration.

The silence was deafening, making me even more nervous. I opened my mouth, but I couldn't quite figure out what to say. But before I could formulate any sentence, his cold, emotionless voice cut through the silence.

“I won’t publicly acknowledge you as my mate.”

My chest ached, a knot twisting inside me, The words hit me like a punch, making me frown as I gaped at his cold back.

“What?” I stuttered in confusion. How could he do that to me after last night?

But he wasn't done. He shifted slightly, now looking at me with a distant, disdainful gaze. Was he ashamed of me... of what happened last night? Then why start it?

"If you dare tell anyone, I will reject you in front of the entire Pack," he said. His words hit me like a slap on my face.

Of course! I was so unwanted.

I felt my heart shatter. I had hoped for a long time that my mate would bring love and hope into my life. Instead, meeting my mate, Adrian, was as if my worst nightmare had come to life. I stood up slowly, my hands gripping the hem of the loose shirt, feeling a desperate need to hide myself from his darkening eyes.

“Adrian…” I began, but my voice faltered. I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t asked for this. I hadn’t asked to be his mate. And yet here I was, being punished for it.

I wasn’t his mate to love, to cherish. I was a stand-in, a substitute for a ghost.

His eyes darkened with lust for a brief second when he saw me. But it was quickly replaced by a cold edge as he averted his eyes from me.

 "You will be Elara's replacement," he continued, his voice harsh, every word dripping with bitterness. "You will do whatever I ask, but don’t think for a second that you can replace Elara in my heart."

His words pierced through me like a dagger. No worse. It felt like a thousand needles prickling me again and again in a loop. I felt my chest tighten, my wolf howling in anguish inside me, her pain mirroring my own.

"We are his mate," she whimpered. "He should love us, protect us."

But he didn’t. He wouldn’t.

"We deserve more..." she whispered.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to gather myself. Everything he said was drowning me in sorrow and anger. The night before, when he had touched me, kissed me, bitten me... the bond had felt real. Maybe it had even ignited some hope. But now, in the light of day, I realized how wrong I had been. He didn’t see me. He only saw Elara.

“Elara…” I whispered, the name tasting bitter on my tongue. “You think I could ever replace her?”

His eyes darkened, and a storm of emotions flashed across his face. For a second, maybe he flinched, taken aback by my question. But that could be my imagination triggered by something deep still existing in my heart that wanted him to see me for who I was truly. But his next choice of words immediately crushed that hope.

“No,” he said, the word flat and cold. “You will never be her. But you will take her place for now.”

He suddenly stepped closer, his eyes looking at me with a dangerous determination as he gripped my hands firmly to remind me who held the power in this twisted situation.

“You might be my mate, Isla,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “But don’t think that gives you any kind of privilege. You will follow my orders. In return, I will make sure you stay here, under my protection. But if you ever step out of line…” He let the threat hang in the air, unfinished but all too clear.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Who needed his protection? All I had ever wanted was love, and he was refusing me to give it. I could feel the sting of tears at the back of my eyes. But I refused to let them fall. I wouldn’t break in front of him. Not like this.

“You are cruel,” I whispered, my voice shaking, anger bubbling inside me. “I never asked for this.”

“Neither did I,” he shot back, his tone sharp. “But here we are.” His voice lowered, filled with venom. “I know how close you are to Lucas. So don't even think about defying me.”

His threat hit me like a punch to the gut. I gasped, shaking my head as the weight of his words settled in. “What…what does Lucas have to do with this?” I demanded, my voice shaking with a mix of fear and anger.

“Don’t play dumb,” Adrian said, his eyes narrowing. “You think I haven’t noticed how you two look at each other? How close you are?”

My chest tightened in panic. “He is my friend. That’s all,” I said quickly, feeling tired of his endless baseless accusations. Even after we spent an intimate night, nothing has changed between us.

“Is that so? Then is it Stefan?” Adrian’s voice was mocking now, full of bitterness.

I took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears. I didn't want him to see my heartbreak for him. How low could he go? “I won’t count last night as anything,” I said, my voice stronger than I felt inside. “And I definitely won’t tell anyone you are my mate.”

His grip tightened, his knuckles white with rage. “As for being your so-called replacement,” I added, pulling my hand free from his, “don’t think for a second I will obey you.”

He hissed, his eyes full of rage and jealousy. “If you care about any of your so-called friends, you will stay in line. I can have them kicked out of the Pack, or worse. One word from me, and they are gone... PUFF...” He smirked, trying to show me that it was a real threat.

The weight of his words settled over me, weighing on me. I felt trapped with someone who didn’t love me and saw me only as a replacement for someone I could never be.

I knew he wasn’t bluffing. Adrian had the power to do it. I knew he would, just to hurt me. How had it come to this? My mate was using my friends as leverage to control me. What kind of life am I even living?

“You are a shameless monster!” I spat, glaring at him, my nails digging into my palms. I tried hard to hold back my urge to punch him.

“But you are mine,” he replied, his eyes glistening with possessiveness. “Don’t push me, Isla,” he growled. “You very well know what I am capable of.”

“I am not scared of you,” I lied, even if my shivering body was giving it away.

He leaned in, smirking playfully, his voice low and dangerous. “You should be.”

I held his gaze, gulping hard, refusing to back down. Every part of me wanted to run. My wolf was stirring inside me restlessly. But I stood glued to the spot. I couldn't run when he had threatened Lucas and Stefan.

“I hate you,” I whispered, feeling helpless, averting my gaze finally.

Adrian’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Hate me all you want, Isla. It won’t change anything.”

Indeed, what choice did I have? If I wanted to protect my friends, I couldn’t openly defy him. Not yet. I had no choice but to obey him for now.