Chapter 3

Freya's POV

It took one second to realize the scent was coming from him.

From Xaden.

Lavender and wildberries only meant one thing and I was too shocked to say it.

It couldn't be.

The Moon Goddess wasn't this cruel.

But the truth was glaring enough. Cruel enough.

The scent grew stronger when I stopped near his body.

It wasn't an illusion.

It was reality.

Xaden was my mate.

He was the one the Goddess chose for me.

I nearly scoffed. She must have been playing some kind of sick joke if this is my reality.

Xaden Andreas, the man I had spent years hating. The man whose father stole my dignity and destroyed whatever I had left. The man who looked me in the eye and told me I was nothing but a sex toy was now my mate. The man who had thrown stones at me and mocked me for being a lowly omega.

No. I refuse to accept this.

I inched towards Xaden till there was no space left between us and I kicked. I kicked him in the shoulder so hard that my good leg was so hard that my body trembled.

“Wake up, bastard.” I said, kicking him softly this time but he didn't stir.

Was he ignoring me?

Or

Was he dead?

I kicked him again and he still didn't move a muscle. Shit. He's dead. But I have to confirm first.

I leaned in slightly, scrutinizing his soft and delicate features. If he was dead, his skin would be bluish and his face would be swollen from being sunken in cold water but it wasn't. Instead, he seemed normal. His dark lashes fell like little angels above his cheekbone, his usually sharp features softened by unconsciousness. He looked handsome when not breathing.

The scent was stronger now with my nose barely inches from his throat.  

‘Mate!” My wolf growled impatiently. “Mine!”

She purred and I almost hurled.

Why was she excited about this? Xaden is a nightmare! A cruel, twisted nightmare but she was happy that he was our mate?

My brain practically screamed in my head and I almost jostled away from him.

But he groaned — A soft sound that made my body grow stiff. He was waking up and I had to move but I couldn't. For some odd reason, I wanted to watch him.

Xaden’s body shifted slightly and then his eyes fluttered open.

Green, sharp and piercing. Piercing through mine.

Common sense kicked in and I jerked back, my breath stuttering.

Xaden's gaze flickered over me, confusion etched in his face. He was probably wondering why the fuck is this girl in my face?

For a moment, I thought he'd move or shove me off him but he was quiet.

Something flickered across his face before it settled to become something else — something darker.

Oh no. Don't tell me he remembers.

His pink lips curled into a smile and he tilted his head. “You look like you've seen a ghost, have you?”

I clenched my jaw. “Well, that's because I'm trying to decide whether I should strangle you or throw up?”

He chuckled. “You've got quite the smart mouth.”

“A lot of people say that.” I smiled.

His brow arched, but his smirk faded. He stared at me for a.moment as though wondering what was going on, then slowly, his body went rigid with shock.

Realization dawned in his eyes. It was slow and devastating like the bad news delivered on Sunday.

“Trust me if I had a choice, you would be the last person I'd ever want to end up with him.” I said.

“Shit.” I watched Xaden push himself up with a wince. He moved like a predator, graceful despite the injuries all over his body.

“You're my mate.” He said.

He didn't say it as a question. Instead he said it as a fact.

“Freya,” he called after me softly this time.

I ignored him, telling myself that this would all go away if I did.

“You feel that, don't you?” he whispered and a lump formed in my throat.

I didn't want to feel it.

I didn't want to acknowledge the warmth unraveling in my chest.

I didn't want to feel the instinct  that made my wolf stir for the first time in years.

I gritted my teeth, telling myself lies but that truth was staring at me square in the face.

Xaden studied me for a moment as though drinking in my features then to my absolute horror, he grinned.

One more quirk on his lips and I would kill him.

“You look pissed.” He smiled.

“That's because I am.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “This is the best thing that's happened to me in a while, you know?”

I gasped at him. “You're insane.”

“I prefer the term ‘realistic’” he replied with a smirk.

That's it!

I am seriously going to throw him off another cliff.

I took another look at him — Xaden Andreas.

This was the man that had thrown stones at me when we were children. The same man that had laughed when his father used me like a piece of trash and had never once treated me as anything but filth.

And now, the Moon Goddess had decided he was my mate.

It was as cruel as it was funny.

I could feel the bond.

It settled over me like a noose, holding me in place.

I felt it in every fiber of my being. It was an unnatural pull that made my stomach twist with something I dare not name. It made my wolf stir for the first time in forever and it made my own damn body betray me but doing things it shouldn't.

My free hand curled into a fist, my nails digging into my palms. I shouldn't be with him. I cannot be with him. Not now. Not ever.

We stared at each other for a moment. His golden eyes were locked on me, giving me a distant look even when we were near. Then suddenly, it clicked.

I took a step back, shaking my head.

So that's why he easily admitted that I was his mate? He wasn't surprised that I was his mate. He was surprised that my wolf had stirred. He was surprised that I knew because he already did.

“You…” it came as a choking sob. “You knew.”

Something flickered in his eyes and he opened his mouth to speak but pursed his lips.

Silence.

The silence was enough.

“How long!” My breath hitch as I asked.

“A while.” He replied softly.

“A while? Define a while, Xaden?” I asked but when he didn't answer, I raged on. “Was it during the Moonlit Festival? The Mating Ceremony? When! You knew and yet you… you treated me like I was nothing.”

My voice cracked with pain and rage with deep hurt clogging my throat.

Something flickered in his gaze. “I never wanted to —”

“Don't!” I cut him off mid-sentence. “Don't say another word.”

I could still hear his laughter in my head, the way his voice had joined the others in calling me weak, pathetic and useless.

I could still feel the stones against my skin, the humiliation of being beaten down again and again while he just stood there and watched and laughed till tears filled his eyes.

And this…

This was supposed to be my mate?”

Not freaking way.

I lifted my chin. “This is going to be over soon.”

“What do you mean?” He questioned.

“I, Freya Denvers…”

“Don't do it, Freya!” Xaden yelled.

“...of the Crescent Moon Pack, reject you, Xaden Andreas,”

“Come on!”

“...as my mate!” I concluded the vow. “It's over now, Xaden. You're free now.”

A deep pain seared my chest and I ignored it. I could not go back on my words. The deed had already been done.

“Accept the rejection if you have any shred of dignity left.” I said, staring down at him, waiting for him to get it over with when suddenly…

He exhaled sharply and ran his hand through his damp hair and said those two, cruel words. “No.”