Chapter Four – He's My Mate!

Lena's POV 

The dull throbbing in my head made me stir. It brought me out of my unconscious state with a jolt. The pain proved that I was alive! I had survived the attack! I had survived my first actual battle! Relief washed over me, and I slowly opened my bleary eyes and looked around the dark room I was in. It looked like a warm bedroom, comfortable and lived in. As if I was in someone else’s home! 

How did I land up here? Wasn’t I left bleeding on the cold, deserted battlefield? 

‘Where are your clothes, Lena?’ prompted Xara. 

I sat up with a jolt; the blanket falling off me to reveal my nudity. 

“When did I shift?” I couldn’t recall a thing after I lost consciousness on the battlefield. Who brought me here? Didn’t we lose the battle? The enemy had overpowered us, hadn’t they? 

‘I don’t know, Lena. There’s a wild, male scent all around this place.’ I knew I could trust Xara’s heightened senses. They have never let me down. I sucked in a deep breath. Yes, she was right! There was an unmistakable scent in the air, all around me. It was something I had encountered before! 

My glance fell upon the clothes laid out beside me. They were huge! How would they fit me? 

I reluctantly picked up the shirt and wore it. 

My eyes instantly widened as I recognized the scent. It was the enemy’s. It belonged to none other than Zephyrus! Was he the one who brought me here? Before I could think further, the door creaked open. 

I was instantly on high alert, but instead of the giant, nightmarish monster I had seen on the battlefield, I now faced a Greek God. As soon as my eyes locked with his, my mind went into overdrive. All of my senses pulsed in unison, making a tremor go down my spine. At that moment, I forgot about my predicament. My mind could only focus on his scent, his eyes, and his body clad in a pair of ripped jeans and a tee shirt. 

‘His heart is beating faster than lightning!’ Xara whispered. 

It was strange that I could feel them too. Could he feel mine as well? 

His eyes were of a pure obsidian color, just like the creature's were. I had encountered it before. His damp, freshly showered, neatly combed hair was of a unique shade of brownish copper. It matched the thin layer of stubble on his chiseled jawline. My mind instantly linked it with the giant brownish copper-shaded wolf I saw. I was sure now this was Zephyrus, indeed!

As he closed the distance between us, I noticed his build was larger and more muscular than an average person’s. He exuded an aura of immense power, and it made my heart constrict with apprehension. 

I had never known fear in my twenty years of life, but at that moment, I felt petrified. Why did he bring me here? What did he want from me? I couldn’t think anymore. 

‘Face him, Lena. Fight him! Don’t be afraid! We aren’t weak!’ Xara urged me on. 

Her words inspired me and I sprang out of the bed, my fists going up in an attacking stance. 

“Stay right where you are! Why have you brought me here?” I demanded angrily. 

He stopped for a fraction of a second. Then his devilish copper eyes darkened as it swept over my body, causing a warm flush to spread all over me. It was odd that I couldn’t control my reaction to this beast! He slowly approached me, making my breath hitch, but I refused to show him my vulnerability. Within the closed confines of the bedroom, he looked impossibly larger, like a force not to be reckoned with. 

A low growl rumbled inside his chest. I knew my question had enraged him. His gaze burned into me, telling me I made a mistake by questioning his intentions. He was the Alpha, whereas I was just an overpowered warrior! 

Xara’s inspiring words crumbled to dust. My instincts prodded me to cower. Yet I didn’t! I stood in front of him, staring at the dangerous beast straight in the eyes. He stopped right in front of me, only to encircle me. He walked all around me until I could feel his presence behind me. 

I couldn’t move a muscle! I felt myself as his prisoner! Was I his war prisoner to torture and torment? That was why he brought me here! My heart sank with disappointment and all my dreams of freedom, or finding my family, crumbled to dust. 

No, I can’t let him imprison me. My entire being revolted, urging me to escape! 

‘You were wrong this time, Xara! He can’t be our mate!’

Xara responded in a low growl. She hated being dominated! I looked all around me. There had to be some way to escape! 

“Who are you?” he asked for the second time since we met. However, my answer would remain the same. He could figure out who I was.

“Your enemy! Why have you brought me here?” I slowly turned around to face him just in time to see the light in his obsidian irises flicker. Maybe he was restraining his wolf from taking over. 

“To save your life, maybe!” I frowned at him, not believing him at all. Why would he want to save my life? There were almost two hundred wolves out on the battlefield who needed saving. They had families waiting for them at home while I had no one. No one to grieve my death! 

“Why?” 

I noted the way his eyes darkened, as if he was fighting his primal instincts around me. It confused me further. He strode away without a word towards the door. 

“You didn’t answer me!” I pushed further. I had to know his motive. 

‘His motive is obvious, girl! He has accepted you as his mate!’ exclaimed an over-excited Xara, changing sides suddenly. 

“You’ll know soon!” He gripped the doorknob so hard that it came off into his hands. I gaped at the beast. 

Now how on earth would I lock my door?

He stormed out, slamming the door aggressively in my face. I gaped at the locked door. Would I have to break it open to escape? 

I could hear him outside my door, pacing the living area. 

“What the fuck, Stav? How could he abduct her? What the hell were all of you doing?” I heard him yell, punching a wall somewhere. A loud, blood-curdling growl followed his words. It echoed around in the still night. 

Who was Stav? Who had been kidnapped now? 

“Felixe? The Gamma? How can he survive the attack? How could he abduct Hera? I’m on my way!”  

In a split second, I heard the front door slam as Zephyrus left in a state of frenzy. I stood dazed at the information. Of course, I knew Felixe. He was Alpha Atticus’s Gamma, but how could he have survived the battle? Who was Hera? Why did he kidnap her? It was too confusing, and I didn’t have so much time to waste. I had to escape this place before Alpha Zephyrus returned. I couldn’t trust him and his motive!

I clawed at the door, but it didn’t budge. I kicked at it! Nothing! 

I turned around to inspect the room I was in. There had to be a way out somewhere. The enormous bay windows seemed to be my only option now. I rushed towards it and looked around for a weapon to break the glass. 

The chair seemed the ideal choice. I picked it up and hurled it against the glass window with all my strength. It worked and the window pane shattered into pieces, leaving a gaping hole for me to slip through. 

I was ashamed of my lack of clothing, but now wasn’t the time for modesty. I had to get away. Slipping through the windows, I jumped on the other side. The soft grass blanketed my fall, and I looked up ahead. The sun would rise in an hour and I had limited time to escape Lucania forever!

“Come to me, Lena,” a soft voice beckoned me from far away. I didn’t know who it was, but I knew I had to go. A new world awaited me. I had to put everything behind me and start afresh. Freedom at last! 

At that moment, I shifted to my true form and let Xara take over from me. 

“Run, Xara! We’re free! We won’t surrender to the enemy!” I urged her. 

‘Free! We’re free!’ chanted Xara as she whizzed past the snow-covered terrain. We ran as fast as our legs could carry us, through the forest at the foothills of the Astral mountains. Having spent all my life here in Lucania, I didn’t know where else to go. Xara was so fast that soon my surroundings seemed to blur all around me. We still were camouflaged in the snow but not for long. We would have to hide when the sun rose, and Zephyrus realized we had escaped his clutches. 

Xara let out a low whine, and I focused on my surroundings. Where was I? This seemed like the leeward side of the Astral mountains.

A strange scent hit my nose, and Xara stopped immediately, letting out a low growl. I knew there was someone she had sensed, but who could it be?