Chapter Six: Test

Alina pov:

I sighed in relief as I slipped into the forest, unseen by the pack guards or a wandering wolf. If my father found out, explaining would be a hassle. I could say I was going for a run, but I was heading for the pack borders, it would be difficult to explain

The cold wind bit through my coat, and I instinctively pulled it tighter. Memories of that night flooded back, the horde of vampires, the fight that happened. But now, I carefully looked around, there was no trace. No pile of corpses , no black blood staining the ground. it was completely gone, erased just like my injures, It was as if it had never happened. If not for the mate mark burning on my neck, I might have doubted it myself.,

I masked my scent before coming here. Not that it mattered—there were no vampires in sight. I followed the path where the car had stopped, where those green eyes nearly tore into me. The car was gone, but the fallen tree remained.

I searched, but there was no sign of the green-eyed or silver-eyed vampires. An idea struck me, after wandering around aimlessly, since we were bound by the mate bond, I could use it. my fingertips grazed the spot the mate mark was located, the thought of stabbing into it sent a shiver down my spine, the memory of the pain I felt still vivid,. But it was the quickest way. If he was anywhere nearby, he’d feel it and come straight to me, being assaulted by the same pain. I steadied my breath, closing my eyes as my fingers hovered over the mark. Just as I was about to stab

Something approached me, Fast.

I jerked back, barely avoiding the grip reaching for me.

I plead my eyes open staring into a pair of silver ones, his eyes cold, I felt it instantly, this was my mate, he smelled like earth after a rain pour mixed with spice, it was both soothing and intoxicating, I wanted more of his scent, to hold him, to mark him, 'fuck' I cursed under my breath, staring at him, feeling the pull getting stronger and Kaia wanting to gain control, my heartbeat raised becoming uneven, seeing him, feeling this pull towards him shattered my illusion that maybe all this was a dream, that maybe I was mated to someone else but now there was no denying it, I was fated to a vampire

His inky black hair fluttered with the wind as he stared down at me then to my claws few inches away from the mark, his expression darkening instantly

staring at him, he locked breathtaking, the feeling of being able to smell him was like bliss, but I felt nothing but disgust and anger staring into his empty eyes, he also didn't seem particularly happy to see me

"You imprinted on me," I spat. "Without my consent."

Kaia, my wolf, flinched, but I ignored her. I wouldn’t let her stop me from confronting him.

Valerian POV:

I stared at my mate, the label almost making me laugh, vampires don't usually find their mates, even forgetting the fact that we have one, since we hardly ever find each other, so we settle for someone living out our life

But who would have thought a lycan would be my fated?, the Lycan king sheltered doll, the way she stared at me with disgust only made me want to see what other emotions her eyes could show me

Somehow, I had entered her dream, calling for her without even realizing it. I still didn’t fully understand how this mate bond worked—I’d never thought about finding my mate, never wanted one if they were weak or useless. But she wasn’t as fragile as I’d assumed. I’d seen the carnage she left behind, the lifeless bodies of my kind. She had torn through them without hesitation.

"Rafael" I called out and with seconds he was already by my side, her eyes widened when she saw him, she must have recognized his green eyes

"I'll answer all your questions if you can get the upper hand in a fight with him" she seemed taken aback by my demand

"Why should I do what you say?"

"I'm sure you need answers from me" I signaled Rafael go to approach her, she didn't back away

I watched her closely

She was stronger—stronger than I expected. Not just physically, but in the way she carried herself. Defiant. Proud. A perfect contradiction to the fragile, sheltered princess I assumed she’d be.

"Rafael," I called, my voice steady. "Test her." I needed to know if she would be worthy before sharing any information with her, I've always thought it would be useful having a lycan on the inside that could work for me, but if she wasn't useful i would have to kill her

He didn’t hesitate. In a blink, he moved, going straight for her throat.

She reacted fast, dodging just in time. She didn’t panic, Instead, she countered, swiping at his chest with her claws. Rafael dodged, avoiding most of it, but she still managed to tear his jacket.

Not bad.

Rafael smirked, I noticed how his posture changed. He was taking her seriously now.

She didn’t wait for him to recover. Smart. She lunged low, aiming for his ribs. He blocked, but she adjusted midair, slamming her elbow into his jaw. The sound of the impact echoed through the forest.

That surprised him.

Rafael wiped the blood on his lip. "Not bad, you're stronger than you look" he muttered.

Alina rolled her shoulders. "You talk too much." she shot back even as she heaved for breaths

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. I hadn’t expected this to be so entertaining.

Rafael moved again, faster this time. He feinted left, then swept low, trying to knock her off her feet. Alina barely avoided it, twisting at the last second. But she wasn’t fast enough to dodge his next move—he grabbed her wrist and pulled hard, trying to flip her onto the ground.

Instead of resisting, she used the momentum to launch herself off his chest, kicking him in the process.

Rafael staggered back.Alina landed gracefully, her breathing heavy but steady, both going at each other, Rafael attacked again, faster, forcing her to keep up. She slipped under his strike, landed a kick to his ribs, but he recovered quickly. His counterstrike connected—a sharp hit to her side that sent her skidding back. She caught herself, breathing hard but steady

"That's enough" I say ending the fight, Rafael had the tip of his claws pointing at her neck and she had her claws pointing at his groin, I'm curious to see who would be able to reach the other first but neither of the outcome would be favorable to me