Chapter 5

"I don't believe in rejection."

"There's no other explanation for this," the doctor said looking at an unconscious Astra.

"Laken?"

"I didn't mean to. Her wolf was trying to get to me and I wished we were mateless. I didn't mean t–"

"You rejected her?!" Izan yelled through the mind link.

"Don't yell at me, it's not like you wanted her anyway."

"Well now she's going to die because of your rejection and that's everlasting pain for us. This is just the beginning, you just wait until she dies."

"We have to do something about it."

"You mean me. All you're going to do is remain dormant and try not to make more foolish mistakes."

"Alpha," the doctor called.

Izan looked at him not realizing he had been staring at Astra. "She's asleep," the doctor said and Izan nodded.

"But she might not wake up."

The male's heart leaped out of his chest and he glanced at the iota. Was giving heart attacks part of an iota's job? But this man here was his personal doctor, he has been responsible for his health since the repudiation so he trusted him.

"And if she dies, it won't be long bef–"

"Before I die." Izan completed making the doctor nod.

"So what do I do?"

"Firstly, you and your wolf need to accept her, and then, you have to be with her at all times starting now." Izan nodded and took off his shirt as the doctor packed his things.

"I'll be back tomorrow to check on her, hopefully. Goodnight Alpha," the doctor walked out closing the door gently and Izan got in bed with Astra, pulling the blankets over them. 

He felt dizzy for a moment as he got overwhelmed by her scent. He had never been this close to her. Slowly, he placed one arm on her waist and hooked the other arm under his head.

Her body felt stiff.

Izan put his hand under the duvet and felt her body. Not only was her whole body frigid, but she was also freezing. His eyebrows furrowed as he studied the bruises all over her body. He sighed and pulled her closer to his chest to keep her body warm. Izan placed his nose in her hair and slept off. 

The next day, Astra still wasn't awake. He went to work as he got the maids to clean her up and after a while, his wolf became restless.

"Human, I think we need to go home now, she's slipping away."

Izan shifted into his wolf as he ran all the way home not shifting until he got to his room. He touched her arm and found she was even colder than yesterday. He quickly peeled off his clothes until he was left in his underwear and jumped in bed, pulling her deeper into his chest.

He stroked her curly hair as he buried his nose in her lightly freckled neck, inhaling deeply every few seconds then he listened to her heartbeat. It could barely be heard and he placed his palm on her chest.

That was when he felt something else. Her heartbeat had increased and he moved his palm around trying to feel every part of her heart until he felt a mound close to his palm.

Izan sighed and wrapped a muscled arm under her breasts. He knew Astra's side would be hurting so he slowly turned her around till he was staring straight at her face. 

He looked at her sleeping face carefully taking in her features. She had luscious cherry lips, fiery ginger hair, a Grecian nose, and pretty freckles that were spread all over her cheeks, nose, and neck, but the ones on her face were more obvious looking like dispersed orange-brown sand. 

Too many freckles.

It almost made Izan smile.

My Red, he thought.

It wasn't like he hated her, he didn't and honestly, he didn't feel anything for her. She was just another female to him but then again, he didn't treat other females the way he treated her. Well, one, she was his mate, and two, no female lived around him and it would be suspicious to her and the pack if he told her to live away from him. Him treating her this way was a form of symbiosis, a form of keeping her safe.

Alpha Izan's case was complicated. He couldn't reject his mate nor could she reject him because in his case, that would be instant death for both of them but he couldn't be with her either. So he only had two options, one is to make her hate him and get mated to someone else and two would be to carry out another ritual.

So yeah, hate it is.

He ogled at her. She wasn't just a beauty, she was a tough one, a venomous loveliness.

His Red.

Don't die, Red. Please, wake up. 

Then he slept off, her face being the last thing on his mind.

A few hours later, Astra woke up with a migraine.

Her head pounded as if it was about to split into two. She groaned and tried to move but felt she was trapped. A man's arm was pressing her down by her waist and she frowned opening her eyes.

Astra found herself face to face with Izan's chest. His chest was heaving slowly and his light snores floated through her ears. She looked down and saw she was in his shirt.

Then she screamed.

Izan snapped his eyes open immediately and he pinned Astra down under him. He looked all over her body breathing heavily before he looked at her face.

"What's wrong? what hurts?" He asked worriedly.

Astra's heart melted and her eyes softened. She looked into her mate's eyes and saw he hadn't slept well. She also realized he was half naked and was kneeling between her legs as she was also half naked in her bed.

"You're on top of me," she said hoarsely.

He looked down at her body and his eyes stopped on her breasts. Izan's mouth almost watered at the mounds gazing at him. He swallowed hard then got off her.

Astra cleared her throat and tried to stand up. "Where do you think you're going?" Izan growled.

"I want to go get some water to drink," she replied.

"Stay there." He said then walked out.

Astra almost rolled her eyes at his arrogance and Izan came back soon with a cup of water which she downed at once. "How do you feel?" He asked.

"Okay." She muttered as she handed him the cup. 

"Just okay?" He asked as his eyes slowly raked her body both in worry and lust.

"I'm fine. Uhm who changed me?" Astra asked instead.

"I did, do you have a problem with that?" Izan looked at her face.

Actually, Izan didn't change Astra's clothes, one of the maids had done that but he was curious to know what her answer would be. "Yes, a big one. Did you touch me immorally? And why am I in your shirt?"

Izan rolled his eyes at the brisk tone. "I didn't change you but I did insist on the shirt."

"Why w–?" She began. 

"Let me talk!" Izan growled.

Astra frowned. "Don't yell at me, who do you think you're talking to? That's why your lips looked like used tissues and your eyebrows always look like they're in a fight and also, stop glaring at me."

The male's eyes widened. She just insulted him and it did the trick because when he spoke, his voice was calm. "My wolf was going to reject you and that's why you've been like this. I also know you're still in pain and that's why you need me close. Both my body and my scent. That shirt on you is one of my favorites."

"And if you don't stay close, what will happen?"

"You will die." He said without remorse.

"You hate my guts anyway so why do you care if I die?" Astra looked straight at Izan. No, I don't, he wanted to say.

"Oh don't worry, I understand now. No werewolf ever gets a third chance mate. If your second chance mate dies, you also die." Astra almost scoffed.

"Yes," Izan confirmed.

That broke Astra's heart. She wanted him to say she was wrong, she wanted him to say he truly cared about her.  She held back the tears threatening to flow as she looked away from him and cleared her throat before she spoke. 

"Then I'd rather die than be with you."