Chapter 4: Wolfless

KATE

"Kate, are you listening to yourself?" Lexi's voice cut through the storm in my mind; she kept giving me that confused look and even though I didn't fully understand myself, I was certain of what I had been telling her repeatedly for about twenty minutes.

“Lexi, I’m sure of what I’m saying” I muttered, though my voice lacked conviction.

“You’re not making sense!” Lexi shot back, crossing her arms. “Alpha Nath? Your mate? Come on, Kate. Don’t be ridiculous.”

I stiffened. “I’m not being ridiculous.” My voice wavered, but I stood my ground. “I know what I felt, Lexi. It was... strong. Like a tether pulling me to him.”

She rolled her eyes, her expression a mix of disbelief and irritation. “Strong?”

“You know what? You seem to have been under too much stress lately. Maybe you mistook an anxiety attack for some mystical mate bond.”

“No,” I snapped, my frustration becoming evident.

I shook my head, “No, I haven’t felt this way before.” “This isn’t stress. This isn’t just in my head, Lexi. I don’t know how to explain it but—“

“Kate, you’re getting it all wrong.” Lexi shook her head, her long auburn hair swaying with the motion.

“Let me spell it out for you in case you’re not aware: Alpha Nath is betrothed. To Princess Amer. That’s Alpha Shawn’s wish.”

“They’re getting married soon, and the union will be a blessing to our pack and their union will only be a blessing to our pack. They’ve been in love for a long time now.”

Although I heard his father persuading him to marry her only a few moments earlier, so I knew her last statement wasn't entirely true, they were never in love but what difference does it make anyways since he's still going to marry her.

My heart sank, the words hitting me like punches to my stomach. Betrothed? Married? Of course, I knew, I had known this but now it felt real. Like a sword stabbing through my chest.

“And don’t get any funny ideas,” Lexi added, her tone biting. “She’s royalty. It’s not like you could compete even if you tried.”

Compete? That wasn’t the point! But how could I explain something I didn’t fully understand myself?

She continued. “Was it possible for your wolf to have made a mistak—”.

My insides twisted with shame as I wrestled with the truth. A wolfless fool claiming a mate bond? I’d be laughed at if anyone should hear my funny tale.

“I don’t know, Lexi,” I said slowly.

“Maybe my wolf made a mistake.”

Her head snapped toward me. “Wait! What? Did you finally find your wolf?”

I froze, my mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. Lying wasn’t my forte, but what choice did I have especially if I wanted Lexi to take me serious? “Yes,” I lied, the word tasting bitter on my tongue. “I found her days ago.”

Her eyes lit up, her disbelief momentarily replaced by curiosity. “Wow! So, when were you planning to tell me? Is she beautiful? What’s her color?” She peppered me with questions with excitement bubbling in her voice.

I forced a smile, trying to keep my panic from showing. “Uh... silver. She’s silver.”

“Of course, she is!” Lexi grinned and slapped my back playfully. “A silver wolf for a silver-tongued girl.”

Her laughter grated on my nerves, but I managed a weak chuckle. “Yeah, something like that.”

“Maybe your wolf is still figuring things out,” Lexi said, her tone turning light and dismissive. “Alpha Nath cannot possibly be your mate. That’s just impossible.”

I didn’t respond. What was the point? Lexi had already made up her mind, and nothing I said would change it. Instead, I let her drag me toward the rose bushes, pretending to admire the blooms while my thoughts churned.

Even though we were in the garden, which is where we usually spend our afternoon on most Sundays, the atmosphere today was anything but calm.

The golden beams coming from the sun didn't do much to warm my chilly chest, although they formed a long shadow on the neatly trimmed hedges which was a beautiful sight to see.

Maybe it was time for me to stop being so... wolfless. If fate wouldn’t give me a wolf, I’d find my own strength.

Because this wasn’t just about Alpha Nath anymore. This was about me.

And I wasn’t going to let anyone—wolf or not—stand in my way.

~~~~~

Although it wasn’t really logical and it didn’t make sense that I don’t have a wolf and yet I can sense my mate, but it now made more sense to me why Lexi was really against me talking about Alpha Nath being my mate.

She already had her eyes on him and well she got him into her pants after putting me here, wasn’t that smart of her?

As her useless mate Slav, who also wanted to take advantage of me minutes ago, was escorting me out of my cell, her words replayed in my mind. I'm still not sure why he stopped, but all thanks to the moon goddess.

"Alpha Nath cannot possibly be your mate."

Was she right? Was it all some cruel trick of my imagination?

The pieces clicked together. Her constant dismissals, her playful jabs, her insistence that I forget about him. It wasn’t just concern for my well being. It was jealousy.

Lexi wanted him. And somehow, she had managed to get him.

“Bloody betrayer,” I muttered under my breath.

“What was that?” Slav glanced up, his green eyes trying to avoid mine..

“Nothing,” I replied, forcing a smile.

I got trembles from the rumble of the metal chains on my hand hitting each other. Slav pulled me forward, his nails cutting into my flesh as his hold tightened on my arm as if he hadn’t just tried to kiss me a while ago.

My knees buckled under me as I staggered, but he didn't slow down. The moist suffocating air of the cell held on to me, but there was also little to no relief on the outside world. I was going to die!

I was momentarily blinded by the intense sunlight that hit my face as we emerged. My tummy wobbled as my eyes adapted to the setting. The palace was surrounded by a huge crowd, whose murmurs sounded like the quiet hum of bees about to sting.

Alpha Nath stood in the middle of them all, commanding the attention of all. He was spotted in a fit of rage, holding a big, gleaming sword that had been taken out from its sheath. I will die today because he will use that sword to chop off my head.

However, when we approached the scene closely and stood in front of him, the situation was reversed. With his piercing purple eyes piercing through the two guys kneeling in front of him as his sharp jawline tightened and his tall body exuded authority.

And due to obvious severe beating and torture, their faces of the two men kneeling in front of him were bruised and bloated, making them unidentifiable.

Alpha Nath’s voice boomed like thunder. "Do you fools understand what you've done? To steal from your pack—your family—is not just betrayal. It’s treason. And treason," he paused, raising a gleaming silver sword high, "is punishable by death."

The crowd gasped, a ripple of fear spreading through them. My knees threatened to collapse as Slav shoved me closer to the gruesome scene. The sword glinted in the sunlight before descending in one fluid motion.

Two other female prisoners like me were also dragged out with me for hearing before Alpha Nath.

“WHAM!” It was a thud sound as the first head hit the ground, rolling slightly before coming to a stop, its opened but lifeless eyes staring into nothingness.

Blood spurted from the decapitated body, painting the floor red while bile formed in my throat and my stomach continued to churn.

The second strike followed, swift and merciless. “GBIMM!” The sound of the second body hitting the ground reverberated in my ears. I covered my mouth with the back of my hand to keep them from screaming.

“Is this really the man I’m destined to call my mate?”

With cold and steady eyes, Alpha Nath turned.

“Slav!”

“Slav!”

“Where is Slav?"

“I’m here Alpha”, Slav growled from where we stood.

“Are you here with those stupid girls?”

“Yes sir!”

“Wait? Stupid girls?” Meaning Lexi and whoever had planned to poison Alpha Shawn had been found guilty and captured too.

Well, that’s good news.

Slav’s hand clamped onto my arm like a vice as he pushed me forward. I stumbled, landing on my knees before the Alpha. Dust clung to my skin, mixing with sweat and fear.

“She is here, Alpha,” Slav announced, his tone devoid of emotion.

My heart twisted painfully as Alpha Nath’s eyes locked onto mine. The mate bond surged through me, an undeniable connection that only made this moment more unbearable.

I felt my heart constricting, it was the mate bond. I felt it again, but what good is it when I'm already going to die? His expression was blank and his lips formed a sneer as his eyes surveyed all we three girls kneeling in front of him but Lexi was not part of us and in fact I couldn't recognize the other two girls.

"So you mean the girl accused of plotting to kill my father is among these three dummies?" His voice was colder than the dungeon’s damp walls, each word slicing through me like a blade.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. The weight of his presence, combined with the accusing stares of the crowd, left me paralyzed.

“Yes, Alpha. She is part of them,” Slav confirmed, his voice steady, almost proud.

That bastard!

Alpha Nath’s jaw tightened as he surveyed me, his eyes narrowing. "Good."

He turned to the guards. “Clean up this mess,” he commanded, pointing toward the lifeless bodies on the ground. Blood still pooled beneath them, a grim reminder of the fate that awaited me.

The guards moved quickly, dragging the headless corpses away. The sight made my stomach lurch, but I forced myself to remain still.

Alpha Nath took a step closer, towering over Slav who was beside me. His scent, a mix of lavender and something darker, filled my senses, making my head spin.

“Bring them into the palace,” he ordered, in finality.

Another omega rushed forward, holding a bowl of water. Alpha Nath dipped his hands into it, washing away the blood that stained them. His movements were deliberate, almost ritualistic. As he dried his hands on a cloth, he turned without another word and strode toward the palace.

I stayed on my knees, my heart pounding against my ribs.

“It would be such a turn on for him to fuck me with a sword in my guts as he kills me. Infact, since it appears that the sight of blood excites him.” I wish I could see a mirror to see my horrified expression as the thought strikes through my heart.

“This is it. Don’t look at me that way. You can’t actually ruin the ruined.”

Slav hauled me to my feet, as other guards did the same to the two other girls dragging me forward once more. My legs felt like a rock, every step heavier than the last as I watched him walking majestically into the palace where I’m also headed to hear him pronounce my death sentence—

—or maybe pronounce me as his mate. “Hahaha.”

I think I just don’t give up easily.

One thing was certain though, my mate is ruthless, and there’s no way I would escape his wrath.