Chapter 3

Anita’s POV

Who was this maniac of a man?

Why had he tried to force me to believe him even after I told him I didn’t know him from Adam?

I hung up the call and let out a deep sigh, shaking my head. If he had been trying to scam me, luck had obviously run against him today.

I hissed in frustration and stood up from the sofa in the cozy living room, where Martha, Zach, and I had been lounging.

“Annie, who was on the call with you?” Martha, my best friend, asked, curiosity in her voice.

I turned to look at her with a faint smile. “My dear, don’t bother about it. It was a scam call. Maybe this one had seen my number somewhere and thought he could reach out, thinking I’d fall for him just because he mentioned I was his mate. It’s just like the way they dupe women all around because of love. Haha. I’m bigger than that, bruh,” I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Martha’s eyes softened with empathy as she reached out to pat my shoulder. “I trust you, Anita. You’re a strong woman, stronger than any scammer’s tricks,” she said.

“Sure, babe.” I winked at her and turned to move away, but Zach’s voice cut through, making me pause in my tracks.

“You just have to be careful, Anita. Yeah, that reminds me, what about your mate? The one you talked about three years back?” he asked, and I raised my eyebrow at him.

It was true, though.

Ever since my so-called mate left me in the hospital after saving me from those men, I hadn’t set my eyes on him at all.

I had waited for him, hoped that he would come back, even just to explain. But as days turned into weeks and weeks into months, I realized that waiting was futile. I had wasted enough time dreaming about a man who clearly had no regard for me. I wasn’t going to let his absence define my worth any longer.

If it hadn’t been for Martha, I wondered how my life would have been by now. I might have even been dead if care had not been taken.

The only thing I was grateful to him for was that he had brought me to stay in his pack, and that’s all that mattered. Here, I found two kind souls, Martha and Zach, who took me as one of them, as family, and made my stay with them these few years blissful.

“That one? I forgot about him a long time ago. If you hadn’t mentioned him right now, I wouldn’t even be thinking about him,” I replied with a sigh.

“You have to care, Anita. I really feel bad for you always meeting the wrong people. He wasn’t a good man at all. How could someone be so nonchalant over his mate? What he did wasn’t reasonable at all,” Zach said with a frown.

“For three good years, after getting married to a woman, he went away for unknown reasons that same day. And up till today, he hasn’t shown up. That’s foolishness,” he added, anger lacing his tone.

“No, my dear,” I said, shaking my head, “don’t bother about these things. For now, I am just focusing on my personal development, and that’s all. I am even grateful to him for saving me from the hands of those men my stepmother had sent to kill me and bringing me to his pack. I don’t care if he’s here or not; all I care about now is my personal improvement.” I cast a final smile at him, then walked away.

Hades’ POV

After Anita hung up on me, rage surged through my veins like a wildfire. My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles turned white, and I threw it onto the seat beside me, my chest heaving with anger. Who was that man with her? The thought of someone else being close to her made my blood boil. I needed to know who he was and what he meant to her.

The Idea of her with another man was a slap to my face, a blow to my pride.

I needed to find her. I needed answers. My instincts told me to follow her scent, but when I tried to reach out with my senses, there was nothing. No trace of her anywhere. It was as if she had vanished from my world.

Frustration clawed at me, and I tried again, straining to pick up even the faintest hint of her presence. But still, there was nothing.

“What the hell is going on?” I muttered under my breath, my anger bubbling up to the surface. My wolf, Haddy, stirred within me, his voice calm but firm.

“It’s because you’re injured,” he said. “You can’t track her scent in your current state.”

I clenched my fists, my body trembling with fury. Injured or not, I couldn’t stand the thought of being unable to find her. The urge to punch something overwhelmed me, and without thinking, I slammed my fist into the car window. The glass shattered instantly, spider webbing under the force of the blow, and shards fell around my hand. I pulled back, feeling the sting of pain but not caring.

Damian, who was sitting beside me, jumped at the sudden violence. “Alpha, please!” he exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock. “You need to calm down. We’ll find her.”

I ignored him, too consumed by my anger and frustration to care. I just wanted to know who that man was and why he was with Anita. The thought of her forgetting me, of moving on without me, was unbearable.

The night passed in a blur of restless pacing and dark thoughts. I barely slept, my mind racing with questions and doubts. By the time dawn broke, I was exhausted, but no less determined. I needed to see her, to talk to her face-to-face. I needed to understand what was happening.

At the break of day, I returned to the packhouse, my mood still dark and stormy. As I walked through the grand halls, I could feel the tension in the air. Everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around me, their eyes darting nervously as I passed. They could sense my anger, my frustration, and they knew better than to get in my way.

When I reached the living room, I saw a woman cleaning, her back to me as she worked, her movements quick and efficient. Her scent filled the room, a sweet, intoxicating fragrance that caught my attention. There was something about it—something faintly familiar—but I couldn’t quite place it. She was just another face among the pack, just another member doing her duties.

I watched her for a moment, confused by the faint stirrings of recognition that I couldn’t fully understand. As I stepped closer, the woman seemed to sense my presence, pausing in her work. She straightened up and turned around, and for a brief seconds, our eyes met.

Her gaze lingered on me, a flicker of surprise flashing in her eyes before she quickly looked away, her face a blank slate of composure. There was nothing remarkable about her to me. I had no idea who she was or why her scent seemed to stir something within me.

I continued to observe her, trying to make sense of the strange feeling in my gut, but I shook it off. There was no time for distractions. I needed to focus on finding Anita, not getting lost in odd sensations or mysterious pack members.

After a moment, Damian stepped forward, noticing my lingering gaze on the woman. He cleared his throat, drawing her attention.

 “You,” he called out, his tone calm but authoritative. “Alpha wants to see you. Come with me.”

The woman looked up, startled, but quickly nodded. She set down the rag she was holding and wiped her hands on her apron, glancing briefly in my direction before looking back at Damian.

“Yes, Beta,” she said softly, her voice steady.