016.

Cassie.

Mate?

The word reverberated through me, filling every inch of my being with a feeling I couldn’t even name. 

My pulse raced as my gaze locked with Axel’s, and the world seemed to shrink, narrowing down to just the two of us. 

No. This had to be a mistake.

I had left him. I had run, stolen his money, and sworn never to see, and forgive him. I had tried so hard to escape everything he’d put me through, the pain, the betrayal—and now, here he was, standing right in front of me… as my mate?

I stumbled back, a cold chill running through me, but Axel’s hand darted out, gripping my arm before I could pull away. 

The familiar, unyielding strength in his grip twisted my stomach. He pulled me closer, and his scent—earthy, woodsy, with a hint of pine—filled my lungs, stirring something buried deep inside me, something I didn’t want to acknowledge.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to look up at him. Axel had changed, and yet he hadn’t. He looked older, somehow sharper, with a thin line of a mustache above his lips, making his face even more intense. The deep grey of his eyes pierced me, as though he was reading every thought I tried to conceal, and his dark hair fell back in loose waves, more refined than I remembered.

Of course, he looked like this—strong, in control. It was fitting for the man who had the Council under his thumb, who orchestrated a law calling for rogues like me to be killed.

The realization of that fact jolted me. I wrenched my arm free from his grasp, heart pounding in panic. His hand fell, and I was hyper-aware of his every movement, every small flicker of expression that crossed his face.

“I take it you’re not happy to see me?” His voice was flat, and calm, as if we were just old acquaintances running into each other.

My mouth opened, but the words stuck in my throat. I forced them out anyway, tasting bitterness with each syllable. 

“Why would I be happy to see you?” I raised my head, as I folded my arms, hoping my voice sounded stronger than I felt.

Axel’s eyes narrowed slightly as he took a step forward, erasing the distance between us again. 

“I’m not sure you’re aware of this,” he murmured, his gaze unwavering, “probably because you’ve always had a weak wolf, but… you’re my mate.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn’t hold back the sharp intake of breath. Cy wasn’t lying. No, she was dead serious. 

The Moon Goddess had paired me with him—of all the wolves in existence, she’d chosen him. My entire being recoiled at the realization. This had to be some kind of punishment.

The betrayal, the heartache—all the things Axel had done to me—came flooding back, and I felt like I could hardly breathe. Why would fate twist the knife like this?

I shook my head, finding some strength in the bitterness that seeped through me. “I’m sure you hate the idea of me being your mate,” I said, my voice hardening, “so I’ll make this easy for both of us. I’ll reject you, and we can both go our separate ways and pretend we never saw each other.”

Axel’s lips curled into a smirk, and there was something darker behind his eyes, a flicker of amusement as though my defiance amused him, “Three years away, and you’ve grown a sharp tongue, Cassie.”

I shrugged, holding my head higher. 

“I have no reason to cower to you. You’re not my alpha anymore.”

The moment the words left my lips, I saw the flicker of anger that crossed his face. I should have been afraid—I was afraid. 

But I was also stubborn, too proud to show it. Every nerve in my body was aware of his presence, the way his gaze settled on me like he was taking his time, examining me, measuring me. 

The pull between us was magnetic, and electric, and no matter how much I wanted to deny it, my body  instinctively reacted to him.

I cleared my throat, pushing through the haze of attraction dancing around us. I looked him in the eye, taking a deep breath. 

“I, Cassie Holt—”

But before I could continue, Axel moved faster than I could process, clamping his hand over my mouth. The feel of his skin on my lips shocked me, and my eyes widened. 

The heat of his hand, the roughness of his palm—it sent a shiver through me, even as I tried to twist away from him. Without thinking, I bit down on his hand, hard, but he didn’t flinch. Instead, he leaned in closer, so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath against my ear.

“Do you really think, Cassie” he murmured, his voice a dark, dangerous whisper, “that after searching for you all this time and failing, I’d let you go that easily after meeting you like this?”

My heart was racing, and I was suddenly filled with an overwhelming need to run, to escape, but his hand didn’t move, and his grip didn’t loosen. I shook my head frantically, but he stayed put, his eyes boring into mine with a look I couldn’t quite read.

Finally, he lowered his hand, releasing me, and I stepped back, my gaze darting away from his, my chest heaving as I tried to steady my breath.

“I don’t want anything to do with you, Alpha Axel,” I spat, my voice barely above a whisper, hating how vulnerable I sounded.

But he just smiled, a infuriating, confident smile that he’d worn only on special occasions. 

“Enough with the running, Cassie. It’s time for you to come back home.”

Home. The word felt like a taunt, a cruel joke. I knew what he meant. 

Red Hollow was never a home to me, not in the way it should have been. But that wasn’t what he cared about. It was his territory, a place he owned, and me—a possession he could retrieve whenever he pleased.

“No,” I said firmly, my voice cracking just slightly, but I steadied myself. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Axel’s eyes flashed, and he tilted his head, studying me, “You don’t get a choice.”

The words hit me like a slap. I could feel my heart sinking, dread pooling in my stomach as his meaning became clear. In his mind, he’d already made up his mind. There was no escape. Not this time.

He reached out, and I instinctively flinched back, but he just took my chin, tilting it up so I had no choice but to look him in the eyes. 

“You can fight me all you want, Cassie. But we both know where you belong.”

I gritted my teeth. How could he say that after everthing he did to me? Everything he did to Cam? 

Tears pooled in my eyes and I parted my lips to speak, every word dripping with loathing, “I don’t belong with you.”

He smiled, releasing my chin, and I felt a wave of relief, though it was short-lived. “Say what you like, but you’re not going to run from me again. You’re coming back with me.”