Chapter 3: Mine

Kendrick arrived at Lunaria hours later. It was still dark outside. He didn't want to draw attention to himself and his mate by going through the front doors.

Instead, he used the window. He held Astrid tight against him and leaped. Landing easily on the terrace, he quietly stepped into his room.

She was still unconscious, and this worried him. He laid her gently on the bed and brushed her hair away from her face.

She was so pale, so still.

He left her for a moment and entered the bathroom. Seconds later, he returned holding a small bowl of water and a washcloth.

He lay beside her, resting his weight on his elbow and dipped the cloth into the water. Gently, he wiped off the dirt on her face, neck and cheeks.

His nose wrinkled in distaste when he took in the state of her dress. It was an ugly grey sac, and the hard material had bruised her skin in several places.

He wondered the kind of life she must have had. Why did Kael send those men after her? Did she try to escape from him?

Kendrick frowned as he thought about it. If she did try to escape, it only meant she was being mistreated or abused. The faded scars on her arms were enough proof.

He shut his eyes as his wolf howled angrily in his head. Kael had abused his mate. He would deal with the bastard when the time came.

He set the bowl aside and lay beside her. One hand curled around her waist and pulled her closer. He couldn't help but stare at her. She was perfection, perfect for him in every way.

Her lashes fluttered and his heart leapt, thinking she was about to awaken. But she just mumbled incoherently and went still again.

"I can't believe I found you." He whispered, gently stroking her cheek. "I'm never letting you go."

Too many years had gone by without her. Now that he found her, he was ready to do anything to keep her beside him.

He nuzzled her neck, breathing in her sweet scent. She smelled like honey and wild flowers, a rich combination which stirred him up. Her scent was enough to make him drunk, and he moved closer, wrapping his arm around her.

"Mine." He whispered softly, and fell asleep beside her.

...

Alpha Kael paced impatiently in his room, occasionally turning to glare at the window.

Hours had gone by since he sent his lycans to go after Astrid and bring her back. If she managed to escape them, it would pose a very great risk.

Astrid was dangerous, and if he had realized it sooner, he would have killed her.

The mark she had on her palm when he found her as a baby, the mark of the crescent moon, wasn't ordinary.

Initially, he thought it was a common birth mark. Until the previous night when he came across some hidden scrolls in the library. When he found the source of the mark, fear seized him, and he immediately discussed it with his advisors.

The only thing to do was to kill her, before the news would spread about the mark.

He walked towards the window and stared out, scanning the shadows in the forest for any movement. More hours went by, still his lycans didn't return with Astrid.

He was beginning to contemplate going after them himself when a shifter raced into his room, breathing hard.

"Alpha Kael." The young boy exclaimed. "You presence is needed immediately."

"Are the lycans back?" Kael asked hopefully as he hurried out, but the boy didn't reply.

When Kael got to the entrance of the pack, he found just one of the lycan warriors, sprawled on the ground, bleeding and breathing faintly.

He crouched before the wounded man and asked, "Kane, what happened? Where are the others?"

The warrior named Kane shook his head and tried to speak. His eyes were bloodshot and he kept clutching his chest and wincing in pain.

"Alpha..." He choked, struggling to speak.

"What happened?" Kael snapped impatiently.

"The... Blackthorn brothers..." Kane finally managed to push the words out. "One of them... killed everyone else... he t–took the girl. She is his... mate..."

Kael felt his blood run cold. His face turned ashen and he straightened to his feet.

"Which of the Blackthorn brothers?" He asked in a strange voice.

Kane's eyes went glassy, his pupils vanishing as his eyeballs rolled back. He was on the verge of passing out.

Kael grew impatient and yelled in his face. "Which of the Blackthorn brothers attacked you?"

Kane shook his head frantically. "I don't know Alpha... he never said his name... he just s–sent a warning."

"What warning?"

"He said... you hurt his mate... and he'll kill you..."

Kael felt like disappearing. Not only had Astrid escaped, now he was a target to be killed.

He turned away, his eyes wide with fright, his breathing heavy. He turned to his advisors. They had the same look of fear in their eyes.

"Take him away." He ordered and began to walk away.

But Kane's sharp cry stopped him. He turned around, watching as the wounded man writhed with pain. He clutched at his chest, howling in pain.

His eyes which were bloodshot a moment ago turned completely red as blood began to ooze out. Suddenly he went still and his eyes glazed over.

He was dead.

Kael stared into Kane's lifeless eyes. His death wasn't a surprise. Everyone knew how ruthless the Blackthorn brothers were. They never spared their enemies.

"Take his body away and bury it." He said to no one in particular and walked away.

His advisors, a group of three men, hurried after him and began to speak agitatedly.

"Alpha Kael, what are we going to do?"

"The Blackthorn brothers are not to be messed with. We must leave the pack before they come."

"Alpha Kael, we can't fight against the Blackthorn brothers. We need a plan."

Kael stopped and glared at them. "Go to your homes and let me think." He growled.

Without waiting for a response, he continued towards his house and shut himself inside.

On his way to his room, he saw his son Gerald, in the sitting room.

"Father I've been searching for you." Gerald said, getting to his feet. "I found out today that I was paired with that omega, Astrid. I rejected her though, because I know that's what you would have wanted me to do."

Kael stared at his son with mixed feelings. What was he supposed to say? Everything had fallen apart.

There was only one thing to do. And that was to send Gerald away, for his own safety.

Because he knew the Blackthorn brothers would come for him, to kill him.

...

Astrid slowly gained consciousness and she opened her eyes.

Her vision was blurry for a moment, so she blinked until it cleared. The first thing she noticed was the large white ceiling above her, designed with glittering jewels.

She frowned. Where was she?

She tried to get up, but there was something holding her down. Her eyes widened when she saw the muscular arm wrapped around her waist.

She slowly turned to her left and her breath caught. Beside her was the most attractive man she had ever seen. He was asleep, his lashes curling wildly over his eyelids. His hair lay tousled, falling over his forehead and his lips were slightly parted.

He was shirtless.

Astrid who had never been this close to a shirtless, utterly attractive man lay frozen, unsure of what to do. Had she died and transcended into another realm? Who was this man? Some kind of god?

It was at that moment her memories returned. She remembered everything. From running running through the forest to being captured.

Her eyes widened in terror and she let out a horrified scream.