The Stranger

BRIELLE’S POV

“MATE.”

Brielle's head snapped up in bewilderment and wonder as she heard the heavy words.

She had tried to avoid the looks, or even murmurs, from the leech-looking men in the room ever since she was brought into the dingy crowded room, her head bent down, but then this man, whoever he was, had spoken, and now she was feeling something awakening deep inside her.

“Mate…” The voice said again, and her green orbs blinked slowly as she whipped her head around the large room, looking for the man who had seemed to captivate everyone today.

The murmurs grew louder, and she noticed Blacko Shawn, the apparent owner of this establishment, walking out of the box towards the audience.

Her subconscious urged her to follow his footsteps with her eyes, and as she did, she came face to face with him...

A size-able bulky man, his hands flickering on his lips, and his gaze was fixed on her, unblinking and unmoving.

He was the one with the raspy, husky, deep voice she could hear from where she was... There was no question about it.

Brielle thought to herself as her gaze swept across his sturdy gait, from head to toe, that he was mighty, almost a giant, but he was a handsome one.

He was tall, putting on a white long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and she could see some dark-inked tattoo peeking out from his tanned veiny arms.

Mr. Shawn's dainty frame now obscured him, so she couldn't see him clearly.

He was in front of the man, and the mysterious stranger who had muttered mate was no longer looking at her.

She watched as his gaze dilated and became focused on the mager in front of him as they spoke.

Brielle had no idea what was being said, but as she looked around the room, her mind processing what he had just said, it didn't take her long to realize that this man, like her, was a werewolf.

Brielle shuddered at the thought of this heavy man, whose eyes were as dark as ice, being her mate or whatever he had said.

Surely he wasn't referring to her, and she was just overthinking things, but then she looked at him again, and this time their gazes locked.

She blinked once, twice, and three times to see if his gaze would avert, but it didn't, and her lips parted in a gasp as she watched him come out of his box and stand full height on the steps that led down to the podium where the other red-haired blondes were.

Brielle squirmed in fear as she noticed his gaze leave hers, his jaw knit, and the look on his face change from mysterious to deadly.

Mr. Shawn was by his side, but all Brielle could think about was the large formidable man standing, and even though she knew deep down that he was dangerous, she couldn't deny that she secretly admired him.

She returned her gaze to his shirt and examined him from head to toe.

Brielle had never seen a more handsome man than the stranger standing in front of her, and she swallowed slightly.

From his dark hair slicked back and packed in a low bun to the sharp edges of his jawline, his full pink lips, the stubble on his chin, and the grayish orbs of his eyes; he was utterly stunning.

Brielle studied the only man who had intrigued her in this place, and apart from his pretty face, cold but calculating eyes, and unmoving lips, she couldn't figure out why she was suddenly drawn to him.

Something was stirring within her, and for someone who despised men in all forms, she had no idea why she was drawn to this hulk of a man who screamed danger and power from every angle.

Someone who resembled her tyrant father, Cassius Warren, and at the subtle reminder, Brielle shifted her scrawny gaze away from him and back to her indecent clothing.

“Make way, make way for Mr. Darius…” Blacko Shawn's voice echoed throughout the room, amplifying the murmurs and bringing the clanking of boots closer.

People huddled together as if scared of this mysterious figure, and Brielle could hear murmurs from the girls nearby.

'It's the intimidating Mr. Darius, he's been staring at the new girl.'

'He is quite smitten with her; are you sure he won't take another submissive in addition to her?'

Were they referring to her? Brielle posed a rhetorical question to herself because no one was present to answer her.

‘Shush… they're coming...'

Brielle bowed her head, puzzled by the entire situation, as the endless murmurs continued.

Someone was approaching the box, where the ladies were, where Brielle was, and a shiver ran down her spine as she felt that same icy dark glare burning holes deep in her skin.

She still had her eyes closed, afraid to open them or look up and...

“Mate… How strange..."

Panic gripped her almost instantly, her hands gripping the hem of her flimsy clothing as a warm breath tickled her neck.

Her shoulders stiffened, her chest pounding heavily, as she felt encircled in the dominant space of the stranger from earlier, the one she knew was Mr. Darius, just as Mr. Shawn had announced a few minutes before.

Speaking of Mr. Shawn, she could hear his snide remarks as he mockingly laughed, acquainting them with words that kept tearing a hole in her heart.

"She's the best of the best. Fresh meat from us. She just arrived from a nearby pack village, and no one wants her..."

Because they were in the midst of humans, and not everyone knew their identities as werewolves or the like, the final words were spoken in hushed tones.

The stranger walked around her, his nose nuzzling in her skin, caressing her softly, and Brielle heard him growl and say again, “How interesting. Over a decade, and now here you are, hmmm.”

She was perplexed by his words and still trying to think deeper into what he was saying, perhaps to understand what he meant; he then yelled at her, "Look up!"

His authoritative tone seemed to have captured everyone's attention because everything fell silent, and Brielle could now feel the gaze of everyone in the room on them, on her specifically, and biting her lip; she slowly looked up at him in stark fear.

Brielle felt embarrassed as a blush crept up her cheeks as their eyes met again, his colossal frame blocking her view of the curious crowd, who had their eyes on the scene in front of them.

He was up close this time, staring deep into her eyes intently, as if he was trying to deduce something from them, while she was busy ogling his face as the sight of him had turned her into a non-responsive, quivering being.

Her wolf stirred deep within her, the absolute truth dawning on her that this handsome monster of a man was her mate, or so it seemed, but the human part of her was scared and anxious almost immediately that she was spiritually bonded with this man, and she knew that she was going to leave with this stranger tonight.

He leaned just close to her ears, his eyes a mystery as usual, and then Brielle heard him whisper slowly, “It’s a pleasure that I’ll finally get my hands on you, mate.”

Those words terrified her because they had an underlying dark humorless meaning, and as a gasp escaped her lips, her mouth opened.

Brielle watched as the stranger stood straight, taking a step back from her and back to Mr. Shawn, and the scene that followed was one she would never forget in her life.

"Is the other girl all set?" When the stranger inquired, Mr. Shawn nodded and snapped his fingers twice.

Two men appeared out of nowhere to drag her out of the room, and at the same time, shots rang out in the air.

Blood splattered, chaos ensued, the slave girls attempted to flee the room for their safety, and the last thing Brielle saw before her eyes were covered with a black bag sucking out her life was the stranger staring right back at her, his fangs out as he transformed into a humanoid beast.

He had Lycan blood! A lycan monster! What the fuck was going on?!