Don't run, I'll come after you.

Mirabelle.

Strawberry pink looking thin lips quirked up in an amused smirk, those wild grey eyes scanned my body from the top of my head down to my toes momentarily stopping on my chest where he quirked a brow. I instinctively felt the need to cover my body with my arms.

Those sinfully alluring lips formed a full smile as the unknown but otherworldly handsome stranger began to stalk towards me.

Standing at an intimidating height I was sure was over six feet, with mesmerizing ink black hair ruffled on his head looking as if he'd run his fingers through their strands, the handsome stranger who'd smacked my ass was a full package hunk.

"Feisty little wolf huh?" He was now a few inches of distance from me, stepping back as I inhaled his deep scent that smelled like a mixture of earth and woody pine and a masculine musk. 

"W-who are you?" I managed to stutter after breaking out of the momentary daze of staring at the most good looking guy my eyes had ever seen whose face I had just slapped mercilessly. 

He seemed new here, if he truly was, it meant the girls at Bimmerville have got a new crush to feast on before the mating gala. "If you're here to see the alpha then he's out, leave your name and I'll make sure to let him know you came to see him, and I'll most certainly not forget to add your disrespectful behavior of smacking me in the backside."

Perhaps he was amused or my words sounded funny, but he laughed, a short one, but the sound was deep rumbling with a seductive undertone enough to melt one in the knees.

"Mirabelle Delilah Blackwood." My full name slipped out of his sexy lips, the way my name rolled out of his lips shocked me in place as much as the novelty of him actually knowing my name.

"How do you..." I began asking, my eyes fixated on those grey eyes. Having to tilt my head back to look into those eyes when I stiffened, a crazy guess implanted itself in my mind. 

No way...he couldn't be.

"You've grown up quite well little fawn" He remarked, he was dangerously close now and I forget to step back when my mind was stunned. His eyes scanned my dress and I immediately awakened to my senses stepping back from the scent of him that seemed to intoxicate me.

A past memory lodged in my mind of a young boy whose parents had just died, I was five years old then and he seemed to be a few years older, feeling sympathy for him I had held his hand at the burial, it was these same mesmerizing grey eyes that stared down at me back then as well. However he'd scowled angrily at my comforting gesture back then.

"Roman?" The familiar name slipped out of my lips as realization dawned on me. Roman Blackwood, my cousin.

He smiled, and I could feel my heart melt into a puddle in my chest. He looked sinful, a dangerous guy one should run away from at the same time magnetically irresistible. I couldn't believe that little boy I met when I was five had grown up to be this...heartthrob.

"It's pleasant that you still remember me little fawn."

I frowned, "I'm no longer little." I quickly retorted hating the fact that he still saw me as that little girl from the past for some unknown reason. 

Looking me over once more, he remarked, "We'll see about that won't we?" 

"Roman!" 

I felt a bang of fear in my chest when the voice of grand Luna Savannah called out to Rome, the older looking woman was the alpha's mother, my grandmother. And well, she was the strictest woman the whole pack had ever seen.

"Grandma." 

With a pleasantly rare smile on the grand Luna's face, she happily embraced Roman. 

"Welcome home my dear boy."

Perhaps she was overjoyed at the return of her grandson, but the grand Luna didn't seem to notice me. Well, she never did, unless for the times I'd supposedly done something wrong, another opportunity to scold me and tell me how I needed to work hard to fit in as the daughter of the alpha's family.

I grabbed the rest of my clothes and skillfully slipped back into the house while she was too occupied talking to Roman. When I reached the edge of the stairs, I found myself stopping for some reason when the air blew in that sinfully earthy scent, I turned around, my eyes meeting those wild grey eyes still trained on me, for some reason I felt a tingle inside turning around I raced up the stairs like a prey running from a predator when he smirked and winked at me playfully.

When I got to my room, I slammed the door behind me leaning my back against it.

"What was that?" I asked myself, I could feel my breath coming in heavy as if I'd done something tasking, my heart was like a rattle drum in my chest. 

It had been thirteen years since the last time I saw Roman Blackwood, the son of Grand Luna's second son Nikolai Blackwood and the older brother of the current Alpha. Roman's father had died at the war with the vampires thirteen years ago along with the former alpha, leaving my adopted father Alpha William Blackwood to take over.

According to pack rules, my father's offspring shall be trained as the new alpha, however since his wife had been unable to produce an heir, the role of future alpha would most likely be left to the only younger male member of the Blackwood family, Roman Blackwood.

I remember the last time I saw him he'd been sent out of the country to further his studies, back then the grand Luna had put all her hopes on my mother producing an heir. 

Mom had always known she was incapable of reproduction, hence she pretended to be pregnant for nine months by using a scent mask that made her smell like a pregnant she wolf, then she paid my biological mother who was already pregnant with me, on the day she was supposed to stage her birth, she'd gotten me from my biological mother who had been sent out of the pack along with her entire family, however mom's play was discovered by the grand Luna, the big secret came out in the open, from then on, mom was always labelled a barren wolf, and me...the adopted child.

As I arranged my clothes back into the closet knowing mom wouldn't even remember she threw them out by the time she'd come back to her sense from all the alcohol, a set of grey eyes flashed in my mind, and my heart inexplicably skipped.

"We'll see about that won't we?" I remembered his last words and how he'd winked.

"Asshole." I muttered under my breath recalling how he'd smacked my ass. 

I bet he was nothing but a Casanova.

I saw him again at dinner that evening, at the crowded table, Dad was laughing heartily at something Roman said, being reunited with his nephew and having never had a son, I could only imagine how ecstatic he was. The pride of an alpha was in his mate giving him biological pups, but Dad loved Mom enough to ignore her inability to reproduce.

"You should come with me to the council meeting with the pack elders tomorrow, I'm sure they'll be delighted to meet the future alpha." Dad said enthusiastically.

"I'd love to." He'd replied to Dad but his eyes were on me. I shifted my gaze with a frown looking down at my plate.

Why was he staring at me so intensely?

I'd already taken off the provocative dress mom made me wear, and I was wearing a pale white dress with lace collars, the simple type mom always called nun gowns, yet his gaze was nothing short of how he'd been looking at me earlier, unused to having someone staring at me with such amused interest, my cheeks flushed.

"I remember you had something to tell the alpha about me earlier little fawn." I suddenly heard him address me by that accursed nickname in front of everyone.

Dad's stern eyes turned to me, though he was never harsh with me, he was still strict and unbearably stern.

"What is it? Is there a problem Mira?" Dad queried as I directed an embarrassed glare at Roman.

'...and I'll most certainly not forget to add your disrespectful behavior of smacking me in the backside.' I remembered my own words and my cheeks flushed even more, I was tongue tied unable to even utter a word.

Was he actually daring me to tell the alpha about how he'd smacked my butt earlier when he just returned. 

I heard Mom scoff, I was pretty sure she found me stupid again for how speechless I looked when everyone's eyes were on me waiting for me to speak.

"It's nothing Dad, earlier I assumed him to be a stranger, so I asked him to leave a message." I quickly replied hoping it would be convincing enough.

"Well he is no stranger." Dad remarked after hearing my words, "Apart from being my successor and the future alpha of the Blackwood pack he is also your cousin, so I expect both of you to be close." 

I saw Mom roll her eyes when she heard Dad address Roman as his successor while Grand Luna Savannah nodded in approval. 

"Don't worry uncle, we will be." Holding my gaze with those searing grey eyes Roman replied to my Dad. He directed his next words to me, "Won't we little fawn?"

I gritted my teeth at that form of address, but when I saw Dad's eyes as if questioning me I quickly nodded. 

"Now that you're here, you will be joining the mating gala in a week's time, perhaps you'll find your mate." Dad said to Roman.

Taking a bite from his plate, I felt Roman's gaze on me again, I looked up just in time to catch him lick his spoon clean, my heart stopped again for a faint moment, and I quickly looked away.

Who the hell could make eating look so appealing?

"I have a feeling I will uncle." I heard Roman say, I refrained from looking up at him so as not to meet those striking eyes that seemed to turn my stomach into a fluttering mess against my own will.

"I'm positive I'll be finding my mate." This time his words were an undisputable certainty, almost as if he already knew who his mate was and was just waiting to claim her. 

I didn't think too much of it but curiosity filled me. 

For me I knew deep in my heart that my mate was going to be Antonio Edwards, I had no doubts of that, but I couldn't help but curiously wonder...

Who could be Roman Blackwood's fated mate?

*******

The next morning I padded downstairs hurriedly with my bag strapped on my shoulder, next week was our officially graduation which coincided with the mating gala, so it was going to be a two in one celebration, I was not half as thrilled about the celebration or the graduation as I was about mating with Antonio.

To my relief, Mom was not in sight, otherwise she'd undoubtedly complain about my choice of clothes again. 

I walked out of the house waiting at the porch for the driver to come when I heard a voice that made my heart stop... again.

Why did he have such an effect on me?

"Hello little fawn." 

I gritted my teeth before tilting my head to his direction. Smoke swirled around his handsome face, grey eyes staring over at me with a playful intensity as he took a drag of his cigarette before the blew out the smoke again, it created a beautiful haze around him that made him look like a sinfully attractive hell demon.

"Going somewhere?" He queried with a quirked brow.

"To school, why?" I felt a little uncomfortable at the sudden interest he seemed to be showing in me. 

He gave me a thoughtful glance.

Taking one last drag from his cigarette he flicked it away carelessly before stalking towards me, I felt the urge to avoid him and maybe even run away from his presence, but I tightened my hold on the strap of my bag staring up at him as he stood before me, his earthy scent filled my senses and I unconsciously let out a soothed breath.

Smirking down at me he raised his hand, he parted my hair flicking it away from my face, "What are you...?" I began to step away but he held me in place.

"Stay still." His voice was deep with a smooth undertone that seemed to lull me into a daze, long fingers trailed my scalp making me feel a strange shiver as he bunched up my hair and pulled it back revealing my face.

Using his black wrist band he tied up my hair, flailing it up to a puffy ponytail, I lowered my head feeling a faint tickle in my heart.

No one had ever done my hair like this before, not even Mom.

I felt his eyes rove over my features before he smiled, that heart stopping smile again, "Beautiful."

It was just one word, but my heart skipped then began beating like a rattle drum. For a few seconds I was dazed as I stared into his face but a realization slipped into my heart and I took a step back from him putting some distance between us.

Antonio Edwards was going to be my mate, I shouldn't even look at someone else and think they were attractive, that was disrespectful to my future mate.

"I have to go." I said quickly trying to walk past him but I felt a strong hand wrap around my thin wrist, without much effort he pulled me back and I was standing right in front of him again. "Don't run away from me little fawn, I'll only come after you." He leaned in lowering to my height, I almost squirmed as I felt his warm breath close to my ear, "And I always catch my prey." 

It was an undisguised assurance, one that formed a strange knot in my stomach. Something dark and possessive in his eyes frightened me and I yanked my wrist out of his hold. I felt the urge to run and I didn't stop that urge, pushing past his tall and sturdy frame I ran towards the exit of the alpha's mansion, I felt his gaze on me like a predator watching his prey when I heard his voice call after me.

"One week little fawn." My feet stopped even without me willing them to but I didn't turn around however I could still clearly hear his deep voice declare. "You have just one week to run from me little fawn, after that... you're mine."

Along with his voice I could hear my heart thumping loudly in my chest. 

What did he mean by that? He was supposed to be my cousin. But something in me didn't want to find out the answer, so I continued running without turning back, his words still ringing in my mind.

'You have just one week to run from me little fawn, after that... you're mine.'