MATE

NOREEN'S POV

Night fell and the only hope of light came from the burning candles in the temple.

It was quite strange, the orchestra, their melodic music and the sound of the crowd cheering from afar as their Alpha and Luna got married were absent in the air. The night was as quiet as a cold winter night here in DarkenVille.

Did Alpha Ryder call off the wedding? Did he recognize our bond at last to not want to wed his blonde bully?

I heaved a sigh. The abrasion didn't work out quite well because I was still bound and in no time, it was going to be midnight and those waiting scavengers were going to prey on me.

They had fooled me into believing they could smuggle me and a few Omega girls out of the territory. They had fooled us into getting this loan that left me in regret.

I had gotten a loan to pay for my freedom from this demeaning pack but things didn't work out as I envisaged. Now I have become prey to the teeth of these loan sharks.

My heart and mind were bent on escaping, I didn't know how but I just had to escape.

I wrestled with the chains some more even though I was hurt but I had to break free before midnight.

The sound at the entrance of the temple caught my attention. I listened closely. Whoever was coming was in their wolf form. It was a higher power.

I could sense their strength emanating from them, I could see the flames from the cracks in the wall.

There were some minutes of silence and suspense when the wolf stopped abruptly by the door and waited there.

My heart thrashed frantically as he knocked off the door coming into the Temple. What was going on?

Its smoldering flames burned so brightly making me squint with my lids shielding my eyes.

Luckily, I was right where they had shackled me to behind the big ark of the fortress, it was hard to spot. I considered myself momentarily safe.

I remained there with my heart in my mouth waiting, praying the big fire wolf would turn around and leave without hurting me.

The fire wolf was a mythical creature but what was it doing here?

My breath hitched in my throat as I watched the big fire wolf stuck his nose to the floor. Tracing a scent. Was it mine?

Sweat broke from my forehead and my heart was almost convulsing at how erratically it was thumping. The closer the wolf got to the ark of the fortress, the harder it grew for me to breathe.

It stopped with his head snapping at the spot where I hid, almost meeting my eyes.

Although the ark shielded me from his smoldering eyes, I believed without a trace of doubt he was aware I hid here. He could sense me.

I had expected my wolf to cower but it was strange how my weak wolf wasn't curling up in despair inside of me. the strange patchouli wafting up my nostrils became consuming, exciting my wolf.

Mate.

My wolf purred in my head. But how?

The ark, my only fortress, was shredded to ashes exposing me to the fire wolf, his  howls were deafening, his stance predatory before me with blazing eyes. The chains around my feet and hands were starting to heat up from the flame and the sweet smell of my hair charring from the heat wafted up my nostrils.

Now the heavy ark which I was anchored to was no more, I scooted away in dismay trying to get away from this fiery wolf.

He howled for the second time as though calling to the wild. My chains grew red from the heat, burning painfully into my wrists and ankles.

I tried to stand on my feet, to break contact, to run away to safety but this wolf cornered me and from the look of things, I caught his fancy. His claws were ready to attack.

He lunged out on me in ways I never expected, sending me across the temple. I landed on my chest first. I must've cracked a rib or two from how hard I fell into the wooden table.

Ouch!

I tried to sit up but couldn't. I lay helplessly on the floor with my eyes wandering around to find what I could defend myself with as the wolf started towards me again.

Another howl in the air suggested he was ready for his last strike.

My eyes settled on the stake detached from the table I had just been slammed into. Even though I was hurting, I became bent on saving my life. I crawled to it picking this stake up in the most subtle movement. He couldn't have noticed me hiding the stake behind me.

My heart thumped erratically as I awaited the moment when I could drive the stake into his heart and end our struggles.

But he was my second chance mate. My wolf refuted.

A second chance mate who was all about killing me. I couldn't let that happen.

He got to me again and before I could launch a defense, he pounced on me knocking me to the floor. Making the chains clank.

Grasping my neck, he yanked me to my feet and pinned me against the wall. I couldn't do anything, not with my arms and legs bound.

His claws dug into my neck as he squeezed my windpipe tight with deadly precision, the skin around my windpipe burning from the contact.

This was the end for me, my body grew too weak for a defense. His manner and stance made it seemed he was exerting the least strength standing casually before me.

I struggled to be freed. I desperately struggled for breath as all the air left my lungs. The sweet smell of my charred skin was heavily in the air. There was no way I was going to survive this.

“Please!" I choked on the one word I was able to say with my eyes fixed on his.

Whoever he was and what exactly he wanted from me was unknown to me.

My gaze started to blur out. My body grew limp as the pain was starting to leave my body. Was this how easy it was to die?

It wasn't midnight yet and I was already dead. I felt myself drop hard to the floor but there was no pain. I could hear his muffled howl but my mind was too dazed to want to dwell in anything but dying.