three

A luxurious scent hit my nose as I rolled on my other side. I could feel the soft comfortable mattress underneath me. I rolled over my back and after a long while, I finally saw the need to flip my eyes pushing my hair from my face. I was feeling tired and my left arm hurt badly. I began to see clearly and found myself staring into a pair of lovely blue eyes which I had seen countless times in the past, a warm-looking familiar face. " you are awake?" Ezra said in his deep voice and I nodded with my eyes sterilizing the huge room" Where is he?" I murmured out loud without realizing what I was asking for "Who?" he fixed his hard gaze on me and I dropped mine in guilt. How the hell was I thinking of someone in front g me y mate?

For a moment I got lost in my thoughts thinking about him, trying to remember if I really saw my mate last night and I vividly recalled his handsome rock-like face.

Though I didn't know who he was but the evidence of his existence was highly imprinted in my heart. I could feel his warm present somewhere but I couldn't help wondering what if I saw wrong? It could be but what about my wolf? She felt it too, I shook my head in denial. He was real, Aria even identified him" Cooper" I suddenly said what came into my mind without thinking. " let's get you wash up" Without answering my question he pulled the sheet off me exposing the unfamiliar black shirt I was wearing before carrying me to the bathroom where he placed me in the already prepared bathtub and started to take off his shirt. " how about the shower?" I asked feeling a little awkward, I couldn't possibly take a bath with him. I wasn't feeling it right, having him carry me in his arms even felt wrong for a reason unknown. " the shower?" he sounded amused and pulled off his shirt as if he knew what I wanted to say, he walked to the shower like the gentleman he was and shut the door.

I felt a little light-headed and less guilty without his extra care. I took off my clothes but not without noticing the intoxicated smell it had. The smell left my wolf growling and I stared with a trembling heart.

It proved that I met my mate last night, the shirt had his scene imprinted on it.

Extra minutes in the bath didn't help me cool off my head as I continued wondering who he was. I knew I wasn't hallucinating, I met my mate last night and he saved me from those animals.

Throughout my time in the bathtub, all I could think of was him, the unfamiliar man who appeared out of nowhere just to save me even though I knew he did it out of instructions.

I use my hand to wipe the surface of the mirror after stepping out of the tub, water dripping from my hair and my body. Looking at the girl in the mirror felt like a fantasy, I was hoping for the touch of another man who wasn't Ezra. It was shameful but not to me because everything felt right with him.

I signed pushing my hair behind, was I too quick in jumping into Ezra's proposal? I didn't know what to think at that moment.

How could this have happened? Was I being tasted by the moon goddess or something?

After hours in the bath, I wished not to see him again though we both knew how much my body ached for him. I stepped out of my room in a green outfit to the dining and to say thank goodness was an understatement since I didn't have to explain myself to anyone, like his mom, sister, or any relative.

Breakfast was only the two of us, the sound of fork and knife were the only noise in the hall. " am sorry about yesterday, I should have picked you up myself but I assure you, Hector had already taken care of him" I raised my eyes to looked at him for the first time since I stepped in the room. His brown hair was held behind his head exposing his handsome face.

The name of the man mentioned steered something in me though I didn't know who that Hector was. " you don't have to panic, I promise you will be okay here. I won't let anything happen to you " he said sincerely glaring at me with affection . " it's not your fault and besides, am your Luna, and that alone assures me safety" I said and he grinned, his lips curled up and his eyes stuck to my face. Just bearing his last name could lift me to the top of the world.

He took my hand from the table and placed a soft kiss on the back . The incident left me in a trance as the stranger from last night came running into my head, the sparks, and butterflies I felt when we touched left me wishing for more. But with Ezra, there was no sparks or any special feeling. I had no idea what damage this thing could do but I couldn't stop myself from wishing for more" I will see you when I get back," he dropped my hand and just that the door to the room opened and here he comes.

My mate! Aria yelled joyfully that I had to control myself.

I felt my throat dry up at each stride he took toward us, he was damn tempting and I couldn't stop myself nor my wolf from lusting after him. He was dressed in a black shirt like the one I was wearing in the morning. Did it belong to him? I couldn't look away from him, I was like a love-sick puppy at the moment. Those wavy abs were not entirely invisible, he had it all.

His black-shouldered hair was left falling just as I saw last night in the woods. ' he is here, Cath. Now, what?' what did she mean by what now?

I had no idea what now!

He wouldn't even look my way and that hurt. It was more like he was resisting looking at me and I couldn't believe how easy it was for him to ignore me like some trash.

"This is H.." I cleared my throat breaking off my gaze" Excuse me" I pushed the chair back and picked up my pace towards the stairs to my room. I couldn't stand it. ' what if he rejects us because of us?' I knew something like that was bound to happen since I didn't have enough decency to stay in my pack and wait for my fated mate to appear.

To tell the truth, I didn't want Ezra to be my mate at first but when I saw how bad things were for my father, I didn't have a choice but to play okay and be the good girl I was raised to be.

I was born a princess to both my parents and my pack and Princesses seek to save their kingdom from hardships. And that was exactly what I thought I did.

He did his part as an alpha and a concerned leader.

He was my dad but also alpha, every wolf in that pack had their trust buried in him.

Mom did his best as his Luna to talk him out of it when Ezra brought his proposal on board. Dad was an alpha just like any other alpha, he was afraid of what those Lycans could do to our pack if he doesn't agree to his proposal.

Rejecting his proposal could cause my family a lot. I won't say I accepted him out of fear but I had wanted to play cool and give it a shot because I had seen most wolves dates outside the bond and I thought I could do it, give it a try, and if possible live the life he wanted from me, be his Luna and the mother of his four children.

I thought my story won't be any different because my parents were chosen mates. They never met their real mates after they bonded but I hate to say this, I didn't know if I could be like this.

The bond was too strong to resist. I slammed the door shut and ran into the bathroom in tears. I felt as if I was choking. Meeting with my mate in the pack I was supposed to live and rule beside my chosen mate. God! I shut my eyes allowing the tears in my eyes to drain. What the actual fuck!

What did I do wrong?

I yelled in the bathroom staring at myself in the mirror. I picked up the shirt I was wearing in my sleep and clenched it against my chest. I couldn't remember how I ended up in his shirt but I loved his sweet advocating smell.

' he doesn't seem to care, his wolf isn't responding to my call, Cath, and am scared' Aria said but the truth was, I was more scared than her. He might think I chose Ezra over him but it wasn't the whole truth.

I picked Ezra to save my family from his wrath. Saying no to him would be taken as a slap in the face. He was a Lycan king and my kind stood zero chance against him. They were strong and richer, they could even get to our neighboring packs and turn them against us.

What do you think an alpha like Ezra couldn't do to a small pack like mine? I was a nobody compared to him and his kind. He could have taken me against my will if I had said no.

My father told me alphas were mostly mateless due to a lot of things.

So yes, I didn't agree to this bonding because I loved him.

Even getting Aria's consent took me forever for her to accept him and yes, she didn't make it easy for me. Since Aria wanted no male except for her fated mate.

Now I had to deal with it because Aria wanted him and not Ezra. She even went behind me to say ' hi ' to his wolf!