Chapter 4

AMELIA

His lips felt so soft on mine, the feel of his tongue digging into my mouth and looking for mine. 

I wanted to wrap my arms around, to pull him closer so I could feel. My hands raised up to his side, about to curl up on his neck…

Wait! No! This was wrong!

My eyes snapped open as I placed my hands to his chest, instead shoving him off and standing upright. I bowed my head immediately, kneeling on the floor. 

"Please Sir, I am so sorry Sir, please," I cried out. 

"Hey! It's alright," he said, reaching out to grab me by the arm on my feet. 

"I swear I didn't -"

"Hey! Relax," he smirked. "I won't say a word," he whispered like it was our little secret. He stared at me for a second before letting go of my arm and walking past me, heading towards the dining hall. 

I stared at him, my heart nearly leaping out of my chest as I placed my hand to my lips. I could still feel his lips on mine. He kissed me; he kissed me? Why did he kiss me? 

Who was that man? His look, the feeling I got from his touch, like a burning sensation ignited in me. I bent down quickly, coming back to my senses as I removed a rag from my apron’s pocket to clean the juice on the floor, no it was nothing. 

He probably was drunk. That was why he didn't even mind that I stained his suit.

That's it, he was drunk.

But it was my first kiss. This darn man had taken my first kiss without my permission and it was painful to say, but I enjoyed it.

I enjoyed every second of it.

I stared in the direction he had left, wondering if he was truly going to keep to his word and not tell Alpha Hector. 

I reached for the empty bowl when I was done cleaning the juice off the floor with the rag when a sudden wave of heat surged through my chest, making me pause. The sensation was strange, foreign. I felt my blood boiling and a burning sensation ignited within my veins.

What is happening to me?

 My hands instinctively clutched my chest as I rose from the floor. Weakness gripped my legs, forcing me to stumble down the hallway. Each step felt like an eternity, as if an invisible force tugged at my very essence. 

Was it the kiss? Did that man do something to me?

In my dazed state, I stumbled upon a mirror hanging on the wall. As I caught sight of my reflection, a gasp escaped my lips at what I was looking at.

My eyes color had changed, my parted lips revealing two fangs on my teeth and then it dawned on me...

A white wolf emerged in the mirror as my reflection staring back at me, my eyes a bright, fiery gold. She was beautiful and powerful, and it felt like I knew her all along.

The sensation was unlike anything I had ever felt before, a rush of power and freedom surging through my veins. My heightened senses were in overdrive; I could hear every heartbeat, smell every scent in the air, and see with exceptional clarity.

My wolf was eager to make her presence known. She introduced herself in a voice that resonated within me, strong and wild. 'I am Lycia,' she said, her tone authoritative.

'Lycia,' I muttered her name, my wolf. I finally had my wolf, the moon goddess, finally answered my prayers.

"We have a mate and he is right here in the," she informed me and I could feel the joy in her voice. 

It had to be the golden eyes man. He had kissed me and brought out my wolf. I smiled, remembering how he looked, his chiseled jawline, his plum lips and the mesmerizing golden eyes that seemed to hold a world of emotions. 

'Our mate is -'

'I hope he has a lovely name,' I interrupted Lycia, eager to hear his name.

'Zayn Andino is our mate.'

'What?' my jaw dropped as I chuckled. 'Is that some crazy joke?' 

It had to be a joke. Zayn was not my mate. Never! He couldn't be my mate. 

I suddenly felt a presence behind me as I turned, startled by Zayn standing right there watching me. "I see you finally got your wolf," he smirked.

There was a moment of disorientation as I stood there, staring at him.

My eyes bored deep into his as an aromatic scent suddenly hit my nose and the realization struck me like a bolt of lightning.

He was my mate. Lycia was not joking.

But instead of the joy and acceptance that I had envisioned I would have when I finally found my mate, I felt angered by it. How could he be my mate? Was the moon goddess mocking me?

After all the bad things he had done to me over the years, of all the men in the pack, why did it have to be him? Why did she have to make him my mate?

Zayn looked at me with a smirk and then it faded and turned to a look of disdain, his eyes filled with revulsion and then I saw it. He knew.

 He knew all along that I was his mate.

"You k-knew?" I stuttered. 

"Of course I knew. You really didn't think I was going to make a whore like you, my mate," he scoffed. "A dirty little twat like you to be the next Luna," he chuckled. 

"You think so highly of yourself," I blurted out without thinking as he closed the distance between us, grabbing me by my arm.

"What did you say?" He gritted his teeth.

"I am s-sorry," I cried as his grip on my arm intensified with each word he spoke. 

He stared at me for a second, his grip loosened but he didn't let go completely, "You know what, if you beg me, if you beg me right this minute to take you as my mate, I will."

My anger flared instantly. I couldn't believe the audacity of his words. He had taunted me, made my life miserable over the past three years. He knew I was his mate, but yet he continued to treat me like I was beneath him, like I was a nobody, and now he wanted me to beg him.

Was he out of his mind?

I stared at him, my voice quivering with fury. I didn't know where the courage came from. Maybe it was Lycia pushing me to speak my mind. "You must be crazy," I said to him, my words laced with bitterness.

"How dare you talk to me like that, Amelia? Beg me this minute to be your mate," He said, finally letting go of me and taking a step back. "Get on your knees," he ordered. 

I glared at him. How could he speak this way to his mate? Was I even truly his mate? Was he not listening to himself and hearing how stupid he sounded by what he was saying? 

I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. If I was going to be punished with death, I might as well die knowing that I had completely cut ties with him and this pack.

I knelt slowly before Zayn. I could feel his satisfaction oozing from every pore. He was happy that I was willing to beg him, to plead for his forgiveness, to acknowledge him as my mate. But as I met his cold, arrogant gaze, I found the strength to defy him.

"I, Amelia Wright, REJECT YOU Zayn Andino as my mate," I declared, my voice trembling but firm. My shoulder felt a pang of pain in my chest, and from the look of anguish on his face, I sensed he felt it. 

I said the one word that he didn't expect me to. Placing my hand on my chest, as I felt a burning sensation building up. I was always told rejection was bound to hurt, but I didn't know it would hurt this much despite the hatred I felt towards him.

Zayn's anger flared, and he reached out to grab my arm, pulling me to my feet. His fingers dug into my skin, and I winced in pain.

"Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you say those words to me?" He demanded. "You are nothing but a dirty little low level Omega."

"Do you know how many women in the pack that would die to be mine?"

"I would rather die than be your mate."

"What?" His jaw clenched.

"You heard me."

 He was about to slap those words out of my mouth. His eyes filled with rage when a commanding voice echoed through the room.

"Let go of my mate."

Startled, we both turned to see the golden-eyed man approaching us.