Chapter 3

DAWN

“Dawn or whatever your name is... It will do you well to keep your mouth shut about this package and stay silent throughout the questioning, is that clear!” Tobias, the

clearly unstable Beta yells into my face, swinging a sharp blade before my eyes.

I dart a quick but shocked look at him before bowing back in fright to nod my head in agreement. He had just sneaked into the room where I was locked in; the Alpha wanted to question me by himself, against Alpha Tobias' protest.

“If you value your life, keep your mouth shut and leave as soon as you can... You are not his mate! He already has one!” He raved at me again, reaching into my trouser pocket to take the package I came to deliver.

Eyeing me with severe hatred and the package now in his pocket, he looked around the room carefully before fleeing out of the door. I scoffed loudly immediately after he left.

My hatred and suspicion for him are growing more. What kind of Beta acts so cynical and crazy like this, I wondered to myself. But I couldn’t ponder on it for long. My mate sauntered in, looking so handsome and tempting, his blue eyes drawing me in.

But he wasn’t smiling. He was frowning at me. He dragged a chair to sit very close to me, opposite me, and started his questioning at once.

“What’s your name and why did you come here? I know you just felt the bond because we all saw how it affected you... but why did you come here?” He asked me, his voice not so cold this time.

“I came to make a delivery... that’s... that is what I do, my job... I showed you my identity card and you can call my boss now to confirm... Please don’t kill me!” I added, rubbing my trembling hands to plead with him.

He chuckled at me and reached for my hair. I wasn’t expecting that, but to my surprise, I didn’t flee or flinch from him. He took my soft, lengthy hair in his hand and caressed it softly.

Something in my heart moved, and I know he felt it too because he lowered my hair abruptly and stood up from his chair, moving away from me as his eye color became deeper.

“My... my name is Dawn... you asked for my name earlier,” I informed him, trying to break into the now tense and frigid atmosphere.

“I have a mate already... you know about her, I’m sure, and it’s all so strange and confusing... but Dawn... this... this... bond between us is real, I know it. I will need to keep you here for some time!” He notified me. I know he wasn’t asking me for a favor; he was commanding me, and I had no choice but to cooperate.

“There’s something I want to tell you, Alpha... I think your beta is up to something. He came here to threaten me just now and he warned me with a sharp knife not to confess about why I came here... he also took the package from me. I don’t know what’s in it... but I...

I shut my mouth at once at his gesticulation for me to stop. He moved angrily toward me and grabbed my neck at once, his eyes spitting fire. “Don’t talk about any of my workers or people that way. Tobias is my most trusted warrior, and he is very protective of me.

“He will threaten anybody to keep me and my family safe. You should obey him if you want to keep your head in this place!” He barked at me. I nodded quickly in agreement, cursing myself a million times for conversing about my suspicious feelings about Beta Tobias to the Alpha.

The beta is a snake... I should have known, but I will scrutinize him well and know his secret. I don’t know why I felt the intense urge to protect my stubborn and domineering mate, but I can feel it strong and deep in my bones. He’s in danger, and I need to protect him.

**ALPHA AXEL’s POV**

My new mate's arrival had instantly awoken something primal and possessive within me. I wasn’t even like this with Lyra. I could control my feelings, and it didn't cloud my judgment like now.

But with Dawn, it was entirely different. Our relationship had gotten to its peak in two weeks since her arrival, and I had moved her into her own apartment, very close to mine. She had asked to be allowed to go back home on several occasions.

I tried to do that as well, but my wolf couldn’t approve of that. We couldn’t deal with the fact that she would be outside the Royal gates where I won’t be able to see her.

Closing my heart and mind to her presence, I decided to live and stay away from her, but that didn’t work as well. My best friend and his wife seemed to like her a lot. In fact, Vanessa, my best friend's wife, had been visiting my pack continually now because of her, and they seemed to get along so well.

My sick mother's mood always blew over the roof whenever my mate was with her. They would laugh and make jokes together. Everything was falling in place, and I was beginning to be so possessive about her.

One day my beta yelled at her, and I almost choked him. I had to use my internal reflex power to keep myself controlled. Instead, I ordered him to apologize to her.

“You haven’t touched your meal, Axel...” my best friend's voice filtered into my ears, his wife's giggles catching up with me too. I threw my spoon at them.

They burst into a loud mocking laughter just as I had suspected. They had been watching me without my knowledge, and I was in deep thought all along.

“Have never seen you so much in love like this... you should just allow the bond to do its thing, it’s a beautiful feeling... I do tell you, but you didn't believe it,” Vanessa murmured, extending another spoon to me.

“You can say that again... it’s different this time, and even as I sit here in your house, all my attention is fully in my palace. I want to go back home and just see her face and smile...” I agreed with Vanessa, taking the spoon, using it to put some food into my mouth.

I had intentionally visited them today with my private jet, just to get away from Dawn and her beautiful smile and aura, my self-control depleting drastically every day. I felt like I wanted to marry her at once.

“I don’t feel like this with Lyra... right now I want to mark Dawn and make her my Luna! We even had sex last night and two nights before that... it was insane...” I confessed to my friends, needing to pour out my feelings before I go crazy.

Damien was by my side at once, he looked so happy, grabbing my right shoulder playfully. “Welcome to the club, brother... you are officially in love. I don’t know what you had with Lyra, but this Dawn is different... in a very good way,” he quickly added.

“I like her too, Axel, you know me to be a good judge of character... just allow yourself to be happy again... you deserve it!” Vanessa added, pulling my favorite chillied wine toward me. I didn’t miss the glint of mischief and satisfaction in her eyes.

I know they were both pretending not to hear the intimate part, but they will surely tease me about it later. “Two brats!... the only two people I could share things like this with,” I thought to myself as I grinned at them.