Chapter 3

NOAH.

The scent of jasmine mixed with tuberose was so potent in the air. The rich sweetness of it seduced me to snap my eyes open. My head was hung lower, now raised in alert as the aroma kept assassinating my sense like a wave of flash food. 

My eyes wandered around the dark and empty area, searching for who or what might be the source of the smell that woke me up from my long slumber. 

Out of instinct, I took a giant step forward, but my movement was restrained by a chain that glowed on my neck. And before I knew it, I was pulled back with robust force until I could feel the piercing stone marring my bare torso.

"Fucking hell!" I hissed. 

I touched the chain and noticed how long my hair and beard had grown. Gone was my shoulder-length hair as now it cascaded to the ground. "Shit, how long have I been here?" I rubbed my face and bellowed in frustration.

I don't remember why I was caged here. The last thing I could recall was how I cried for my late father, then my wolf suddenly lost its strength, then soon after, I was in the cave. That time, my step-brother, Nash, stared at me with intense hatred. There was someone else with Nash, but I couldn't remember well. 

If my memory didn't fail me, Nash was with a woman, and she was the one who put the cursed chain on my neck. After that, I lost my sense and fell into a long slumber. 

As the situation finally sunk in, I realized that Nash had put me here after our father's death. And I knew all too well why Nash did that. It was for the throne of the Lycan King.

I was the strongest Lycan and should be the king, and everyone knew the fact that Noah Wolfson should be their new king, but Nash—the firstborn, wanted the throne for himself. So it wasn't even a surprise to me that he pulled a trick to put me caged in this cave. 

I balled my fist and hit the cave. I still couldn't believe I let myself fall for Nash's trick. I had been dealing with Nash all my life, but I was careless because I was grieving for our father. My heart beat so hard out of rage. I wanted to tear Nash's flesh and chew it. 

"Who's there?"

That soft and alluring voice calmed me, toning down the raging fire that threatened to erupt. The voice belonged to a woman; I was sure of it. And I found myself completely charmed, So I shifted my attention from my problem with Nash and focused on this moment.

"Come here." 

I kept calling on her to come closer, and as the scent got stronger and stronger, I could feel my body heat increase. Then when I finally sensed another presence with me, I only wanted to break free from the chain, lunge in her direction, inhale, and get drunk in her delicious scent. 

Then, the woman's body hit me, and I embraced her in my arms, and my wolf growled in satisfaction. Knowing that it had found its mate. 

After living for so long, I finally could understand the strong pull each Lycan who had mated talked about at every chance they got. I never expected it to be far more powerful than I had imagined. It tugged me softly and hard at the same time, making me want to bite the chain to let me free, and I would mark her right here and right then. 

My weak wolf suddenly grew strength and fought to come to the surface, but with the chain on my neck, it could only growl in rage. 

My grip on her slender waist tightened as I dipped my nose at the crock of her neck, sniffing her sweet scent like a mad dog. 

"Mine, mine, mine," I whispered and circled her body with both arms tighter as if wanting our bodies to flush together. 

She trembled in my arms, and I could sense she was in a state of panic, but I was too lost in delight to care about her feeling. 

"Get away from me!" She screamed. But, I turned deaf to her plea. I kept chanting mine to her as if I was in a trance. 

She hit every part of my body, but it didn't hurt. On the contrary, it felt like she was stroking me, making me burn for her. 

"Get away, you pervert!" She bellowed again. 

And I never cared. 

My hands traveled to her body, feeling her curves and imagining her on my bed while I pounded on her and marked her. 

Her body turned even more rigid, and she kept struggling by hitting me more. I froze when she touched the chain on my neck. 

I could feel the burn on the shackle subside, so I grabbed her hand, forcing her to touch it again. And like magic, I began feeling as if cold and soothing water was poured over my body. Once again, I was too lost in the pleasure that I paid no attention to her attempt to break free.

My eyes dilated as the soothing sensation washed the leftover heat on my body. I knew that my wolf had started to regain the full power it had lost for so long. 

She let out a low whimpering sound, but I didn't let go of her. We kept being in that position for how long, I don't know. 

The ground suddenly shook, and both of us stumbled. And suddenly, I noticed that the chain melted into a thick black potion and flowed to my bare chest. My eyes lifted to see her face and saw that color drained from her face; then she fell limp into my arm. 

"Hey," I yelled and moved to her. 

My heart thumped loudly, and my wolf growled crazily and blamed me for making her faint. "Stop growling, or I won't let you out to meet her," I warned my wolf. 

I scooped her into my arms and walked for more than five steps. I was elated beyond words, but the worries in my heart overshadowed my joy. 

I moved fast and tried to leave the cave, but there was a barrier that forced me to back away. I looked down at her and whispered. "How the fuck did you get in here?" Then placed her on the hard ground and sat with her, waiting until she gained consciousness.

Our position was near the mouth of the cave, so the dim light from the moon could infiltrate the cave. I didn't have a problem seeing her in the dark, but now I could get her features perfectly with the bit of light. Her long blonde hair was unkempt; the strands were all over her face; her lips were full and would fit perfectly on mine, and her body….she was simply too perfect. 

'Claim her!' My wolf urged.

"Shut up!" I spit back, but my wolf keeps growling. 

My fingers trailed to touch her face, from her brows to her eyes, nose, and lips. I lingered on her lips far longer, which made my adam-apple bobble multiple times. I hadn't been this close with the opposite sex for so long that it made me crazy. Not to add, this woman was my mate. It only worsened my situation. 

"Fuck." I cursed and groaned. 

I know I should retreat my fingers, but I can't. No, I won't.

The woman was luring me to her. It was so hard to resist. So against my better judgment, I forced my finger between her lips, feeling the small sensation as I imagined her mouth wrapped around my cock. That would be perfect. 

I wanted her more than I imagined. But this wasn't the right time, and a cave wasn't the ideal type in my mind, either. 

Ultimately, I averted my attention from her before my hunger for her grew even wilder. I lay down and looked at the outside view. 

I remained silent for a quarter of an hour before something clicked in my brain. Then turned to face her. My pupils enlarged as I sniffed her carefully. "She doesn't have a wolf and is not from this land," I muttered. 

I sat straight with cross-legged. My eyes bore into her as a storm brewed in my mind. "Fuck me. She is not a Lycan! She won't be able to feel the pull." 

This was bad for me. First, she was an intruder in this land, and if she were to be found by the others, they would kill her. Second and most important, if she couldn't feel the mate pull, I had no choice but to force her.

Letting her go wasn't an option. I wouldn't let her go, not when I knew just how good the feeling was when  I discovered I had a mate. 

"I'm sorry, little one," I said. No matter how she responded, I would take her with me. I wouldn't give her any other choice. If she resisted, I wouldn't hesitate to be the bad wolf to her.

A few hours later, she moved slightly in my arms, and I noticed how her heart accelerated. I could guess that she was scared to wake up in my embrace. 

"Don't move."

"Please let go of me. This is inappropriate."

“What is inapropriate? Me hugging you like this?" My eyes finally met her violet orbs, and I hugged her more firmly. "You'd die if I didn't hug you all night."

"I feel perfectly fine now, so please let go. I have somewhere to go."

I set her free, but my look changed to one that I always use to intimidate other Lycans. "You won't go anywhere. You are to follow me to Lordslane."

"What? No! And where is Lordslane? I am here temporarily, not to stay." She began to gather her things and stood up to widen their gap. 

I sneered and took a few giant steps toward her until she was cornered. "You have no choice here. I know you are not one of us and are not lowly human either." The shock on her face was a confirmation of my doubt. There was something about her scent; it was peculiar, but I still didn't know what it was. "Do you know what happened to an intruder?"

She gulped and voiced out her mind. "W..what?"

"They got eaten," I replied. I felt her fear. It was too much. But I had to do it if I wanted her to stay.

Her face paled, and I knew she must be imagining things already, yet she still tried to mask her expression. 

"You can't force me. I will not go with you." She said sternly. Then she touched my forearm. 

"What are you doing right now?" I asked as my gaze lowered to her hands. "You are a witch," I noticed the green dot on her hands. 

She also looked at her hands, and I could hear her heart spike. She pulled her hand and hid it behind her back. "I am not. You are mistaken."

"I may never see a witch once, but I know their features very well, and I can bet with everything I have that you are a witch." A smirk spread across my face, and I knew for sure it was scary. "Let me tell you, witch's fate on this land is far worse than you could imagine. I can let all the Lycans in this area know that a witch is here, and they would gladly take you away. They won't just eat you. They will give you the best torture you could ever imagine. Your death won't be quick. It will be long and painful."

Her body shook, but I ignored it and continued my words. "If you follow me to Lordslane, I can protect you while you stay in this land." I offered.

She scoffed. "Aren't you one of them? I know you'd kill me when we reach your destination." 

Smart. If she jumped straight to accept my offer, I'd have to knock some sense into her head. 

She then touched her back, searching for the dagger that I had taken when she was unconscious. 

 "I took your tiny knife to cut my hair and beard." Her shoulder slumped after hearing me. "I will protect you, I promise." After seeing the hesitation in her eyes, I added, "we can make an oath if you want. I know witches have something to bind two people together." At this point, I was desperate. If she rejected me again, I would solve the problem using my old way. 

She remained silent for a long time, and I waited patiently for her to decide. I knew she was aware that she had no chance to escape me. I am far stronger than her, so if she were smart as I thought, she'd take my hand. 

"If I follow you, one day, will it be possible for you to let me go?" She asked carefully. 

'Yes, but only when I die.'

"Yes," I said, leaving out the second part of my sentence. 

"When?" She asked again.

"After I reached my purpose."

"And what is your purpose? Is it possible to gain? What is the percentage of you getting it successfully?"

To take my rightful throne. It's possible, and I am one hundred percent sure of it.

"You'll find out after we reach Lordslane," I replied. If she were to know my plan beforehand, I believe she'd reject me. "I don't have much time. So, to die or to live. Your choice." 

She stayed mute for a few moments before sighing and finally gave me her answer. 

"Give me back my dagger and your hand," She instructed, to which I immediately complied. "There is something called blood oath. Witches used to do it when making a deal, just like our situation. The process is simple. We only need to hold each other's bleeding hand, and I'll read the spell. If you broke the deal, the consequence isn't as severe as death, but you'd feel a constant pain unleass you correct your mistake. Do you have any questions regarding the process?"

"No. You can continue." 

"Okay, your name." 

"Noah Wolfson."

She nodded, then, without hesitation, she ran the dagger on my palms until the fresh blood flowed, and she did the same to herself. After that, she placed my palm on top of hers.

"Here, Noah Wolfson and Violette Daley offering our blood to bind ourselves in the name of promise making by Noah Wolfson to protect Violette Daley in the land of lycan and the promise to let her go when he reached his purpose," She said with a serious tone. Her eyes were closed as she began murmuring something I couldn't understand.

"Violette," I murmured softly under my breath. What a perfect name my mate had. 

When Violette finished, the red light gleamed around our hands before it completely faded.

"We are done," Violette told me, then hurriedly took her hand away. "Please take care of me, Noah."