Light gusts of wind caused the curtains to sway, allowing the sun's rays to infiltrate the room. A small shaft of sunlight glinted off the scarlet cheek of the woman asleep on the bed. It was just enough to enhance her beauty. The sunlight flashed in her eyes, causing her to awaken from her beauty sleep.
"Ah," Adira moved slightly, inadvertently lifting her injured arm to shield her eyes and whimpered in pain. "Oh!" She sat up in bed immediately, clutching her arm closely and examined it. The discomfort was tolerable. Hm? Who had wrapped her arm up with bandages? It was smeared with dried blood and ointment, yet the wound did not seem as deep or as severe as it had the day before during the incident. But,she couldn’t help but wonder who bandaged her? She had also been dressed in a rather provocative outfit.
When she finally looked around, she found herself in a strange environment and bedroom. She was definitely not in the Ardara Moon Pack. It was a large room with big windows decorated with expensive vases and paintings. She'd been sitting on the comfy king-sized bed. The dim lighting and small amount of sunlight enhanced the beauty of the room. Was she in a royal chamber?
"Where am I? Who brought me here?" Her recollections of the prior days’ events had begun to loop in her head as she questioned herself, which scared her to death. Noah had dispatched his wolves to capture her. Kiara had suddenly arrived, leaving both sisters in a difficult situation where they were assaulted, and then... someone appeared in front of her eyes. Someone she had never expected to meet in this lifetime.
When Adira smelled that familiar orangey fragrance she had sensed in the train station, she swallowed her saliva hard. She looked around the room, finding a large picture of a man on the right side of the wall. Her blue eyes widened in astonishment. The man in the photo had appeared at the train station, he had protected her from the wolves. Then, as her eyes met those of the emerald-eyed Alpha, her stupid wolf had screamed 'mate'.
Her mother had recently told her that Alpha Xavier had a twin brother. Adira had finally realized that the man she had spoken with that day on the phone had been Alpha Zander. That's why she had a sleepless night following that conversation. Not to mention that she had caught his orangey scent off Xavier's clothing when he attacked the Ardara Moon Pack. His scent had disoriented her wolf at the time, and her wolf had now confirmed it.
In a panic, Adira placed both of her hands over her mouth. It had to be a dream. A nightmare. There was no way that she had found her mate. She sprang out of bed, still unable to believe that she was in the Sirius Bright Pack. She was certain this was her mate's bedroom since the air was thick with his enticing aroma. But what exactly was she doing here? Had he brought her with him to his pack? Why?
The luggage she had packed before escaping the Ardara Moon pack was next to the bedside table. Had he brought it from the train station? She began to move closer to her suitcase, but she came to a halt when she heard noises coming from one of the doors in the room. Her heart almost stopped when she realized someone else was in the room. She took small steps without making a sound, then tried to listen through the closed door. Was it a closet?
That's when the door burst open, startling the young lady. She took a step back, raised her head to gaze up at the 6.3-foot-tall Alpha towering over her. How long had he been in there? His well-groomed hair, broad nose, and razor-sharp jawline stopped her heart. Despite the fact that he was identical to Xavier, this was the first time Adira recognized how stunning a man could be. His beautiful green eyes matched his handsome face well, those sharp gazes were exclusively locked on her blue ones.Now that he was finally in front of her, she could tell that his scent was a mixture of orange and juniper.
"Mate!" Isha, Adira's wolf, screamed in her mind once more, just like the day before. When they were face to face, Zander noticed that his mate's lovely face was growing pale as her blue eyes, which she had inherited from her mother, grew wider. He took a step closer to her, eventually catching her gaze. Evan desperately showed up in his human's eyes to eye-fuck his 5.7 tall mate who was dressed in a deep cut top and short skirt, allowing his dirty mind to wonder. What a dream it would be for her to be nude, under him, moaning his name all night. Only his imagination was a source of amusement at the moment.
Her red lips twitched slightly, drawing all of his attention to them. Last night, their rosy softness had been all his, and now he could have them whenever he pleased. Her exquisite honey-like flavor had shot an electric jolt through Zander's entire body, severely assaulting his cock. He clenched his palm, feeling his monster harden in his pants. Adira took a few steps back equally eye fucking him. This created an awkward scenario for the Zander, who had been trying to control his lust, desire, and heart to keep himself from fucking his mate.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, putting his nasty thoughts aside for a while. He took another step forward, observing her take two steps back. Why was she trying to get away from him?
"Why did you bring me here?" Adira inquired, sensing his arousal, which she knew was perilous for her. Isha, her wolf, was slowly getting turned on. Zander came to a halt with a frown.
“You know who I am to you, right?” He asked, scanning her up and down. He was aware that she had her wolf. She was Kiara's older sister, which meant she was beyond the age of eighteen. He was certain she was young, perhaps around 20 years old. Her wolf must have told her that they were soulmates like Evan had told his human.
“I don't know,” she lied, turning her eyes away from him. But she flinched when the Alpha took another step closer to her. He was acting like a predator. She searched the room for a way out, but all she could see was a few inches of wall behind her.
“You don't know?” Zander inquired, lifting his brows as her back hit the cool wall. Adira felt herself being trapped between his arms and the wall. There was no way out.
"No, I'm not familiar with you. Perhaps you're my kidnapper," she remarked, staring at his chest to avoid his gaze, but his finger stroked her chin, raising her face up.
“Kidnapper?” Zander's gaze bore deep into Adira's, enough to frighten anybody but her.
“Yes,” she answered, without blinking.
"Does your heart beat fast for your kidnapper in such a wonderful way? Don't tell me you're loving being kidnapped or that you've fallen in love with your kidnapper," Adira's blue eyes widened at his words.
"I despise kidnappers! It's simply that you're much too handsome and are standing too close to me, so my foolish heart reacts. That's all," she tried to clear things up before he got the wrong idea. Shit! Her body was betraying her. Zander's lips curled into a small smile. She hadn't realized that she had called him handsome.
"So you have no idea who I am?" He inquired once again, his face furrowed.
“Yes,” she replied confidently.
"Then do you have any soreness between your thighs? Due to the unexpected tightness and heat, I swear my cock is still on fire. Virgins were never my thing, but I adored every minute of last night."
"What do you mean?" Adira's face turned white. His words had misled her. Had something happened between them last night? She had been alone with him the entire night. She had woken up in his bed, while he came out dressed in new clean clothing. She tried to sense any discomfort in her in her private part without touching herself.
"Do you feel anything?" He asked, taking note of her scared blue eyes.
"I'm not sure. Why?” she clutched her skirt tightly when Zander gave her a gorgeous, heart-stealing smile and didn't say anything, What was the mean of his smile? Had they... Had they done it? Adira's cheeks flushed with rage and shame. “How dare you take advantage of me when I was unconscious?” She yelled, raising her hand to smack the shameless man who dared to smile after committing such a heinous act. Her hand was caught and pinned above her head before it could reach his face.
"I can do anything I wish to my mate," Zander remarked, infuriating her even further.
"Just because I'm your mate doesn't mean you can touch me without my consent!" Adira screamed, squirming in his grip.
“Hmm… So my mate is a virgin. I had assumed I was just your kidnapper," Zander continued. Adira blinked a few times before realizing she had fallen into his trap. He had her admit it in a roundabout way so that she knew they were mates. In bewilderment, her mouth hung wide open. How cunning might this Alpha be? She wasn't even aware that she'd admitted that they were mates.
“Let me go!” She demanded. Instead of letting go of her hand, Zander tightened his grip on it, while his other hand slipped around her waist, pulling her closer to his chest.
"Not until you explain why you lied? You knew we were mates, but you won't admit it. Why are you playing this game if you know you're going to lose?" Zander inquired. The mate bond was something they couldn't ignore, but she tried nevertheless. Her eyes told him that she had been hiding something from him, but what? What was holding her back?
Adira could feel his fingers moving around her waist. She tried desperately to stop herself by breathing heavily, but it was impossible. The spark she had been experiencing had spread throughout her body, making her legs go limp when faced with the mate bond.
"Who would want to be with a man who has a mistress in his life?" She snapped.
“Did I not already clear this up between us that I don't have a mistress?" Zander scowled. "She was just someone who misunderstood a friendship and attempted to act like a bitch. She is no longer in my pack. I banished her a long time ago for disrespecting you," he continued without blinking. Adira read the desperation and despair in his eyes as he sought to prove himself to her. He had banished her because she had offended him? He was worried that she wouldn't believe him. "I don't have any other woman in my life but you, Adira," he said. Adira's heartbeat quickened as she heard her name come from his mouth. It sounded so sweet and soft. “I love you, Adira,” he confessed. Adira's heart dropped into her stomach when she heard him. In fear, she clenched her fist hard. His statements were terrifying. He claimed to love her only because of the mate bond that he sensed between them?
“ I am sorry, but we can't be together,” she stepped back, moving away from him. He didn't appear to have heard the stories about her that were circulating among the werewolf community. It was excellent news. She had the option of walking away with or without rejection.
“What did you say?” He took her hand in his, pulling her back to the same wall. Evan had gone insane because he knew she didn't want to be with them.
"You heard what I said. We can't be together, so please let me go. I don't want to be a part of your pack or life,"
“Why?” Zander demanded, slamming both his hands into the wall at her sides, caging her small figure once more between his body and the wall. Adira choose to remain silent, but Zander decided to force her to talk.
"Do you have a boyfriend or lover?" He demanded, intending to murder the shithead who tried to steal her from him.
“No,” she answered, right away.
"Are you afraid of your father or the pack?" He flung another inquiry, this time with a fatal aura. He was going to slaughter anyone who had frightened her. Adira became terrified when she saw his bloodthirsty eyes, which would easily finish her pack for no apparent reason.
"I am not afraid of anyone," she declared.
"Then I don't see why I should let you go," Zander remarked, staring deep into her unhappy eyes. Adira continued to gaze for a few seconds at his furious eyes. He was not going to let her go if she did not answer him.
"If you want a reason, pay attention to what I'm saying. I don't need a mate or a man. I have no desire for one. I also hate you for kidnapping me. I've decided to live alone in this life, so let me leave your life and pack," she answered, staring deep into his eyes.
“Lie!” He growled. His wolf was well aware that she was deceiving him. Maybe she didn't love him, but she didn't despise him either.
“It’s true,” Adira snapped, her true feelings suppressed. His sorrowful expression and shattered heart were too much for her to bear. But this was not the time to give up. She needed to break their bond before she wounded him any further. “Let’s reject each other,” she offered, holding back her tears. Zander took a step back in shock when he heard the word rejection. The woman he had always sought wanted to be rejected.
"I will not reject you until you give me the genuine reason for your demand for rejection," he asserted. There was dead quiet between them, yet neither of them broke their eye contact.
“I was…” Adira began to speak, but her voice became clogged in her throat. She knew this day would come, but she had no idea it would be full of humiliation.“I was raped by my teacher when I was sixteen,” Zander’s eyes widened in shock when he heard her confession. "Those two days that I was locked in his basement were a living hell for me. I had to witness the worst aspect of a man because of what he did to me. I was hungry, thirty, abused, and little more than a sex toy for him. He intended to imprison me indefinitely. It was also enough to make me afraid of men. I was so terrified that my father's touch reminded me of that monster. Dad had arrived to save me, but it was too late. I'd already escaped from that basement. That monster continued to follow me, then I was involved in an accident that resulted in a significant loss. The doctor verified that I will have complications with any pregnancy in the future. There is only a 25% possibility that I will be able to give birth, but they were sure that I would never even be able to get pregnant. My Father and Mother cried for me, but it was in vain. The damage had already been done," she revealed as her tears rolled down to her cheeks. Zander's body grew cold as he sensed her anguish that she had always kept hidden deep within her heart. She had parents, but she couldn't show them how she felt. She pretended to be alright because she was terrified of hurting them any more. She was alone, he had not been with her at that time. Zander began to approach Adira again, but stopped when she continued.
"By pairing us together, the Moon Goddess made a mistake. She has given an Alpha, a damaged woman who couldn't provide him with an heir that he will desire. Noah was always correct. I would be rejected as soon as my mate discovered that I was just a fuck toy, not a baby-making machine. But he had no idea that I didn't want to be a fuck toy. I don't want a mate if my existence is only based on giving birth to a pup. I want to be rejected.I want to live without a man," Adira spilled all of her dark secrets, enduring the humiliations as she wiped away her tears. “Now I’ve told you everything. I’ve been raped and can’t provide you an heir,” she asserted, taking steps closer to him until she stood firmly in front of him. “Reject me,” she requested, her gaze drawn to his emerald eyes, which revealed an unknown emotion that she had never witnessed before.
He could easily persuade another she-wolf to marry him. A woman who could offer him all the happiness he deserved, therefore the pain of rejection would not last long. Adira waited for her rejection only to watch him raise his hand to touch her cheek. What was he doing? Zander's other arm was wrapped around her waist as he drew her closer to him.
"Is that all? Is this your reason? If that's the case, it's not enough for me to reject you," Zander whispered, cupping her face as he leaned in close.
“What?” Adira's tearful eyes widened in astonishment as her heart raced due to her close proximity to him. Their lips were barely a few inches apart, causing Adira to lick her own in anxiety. He must have gone insane to speak such things. Had he heard her clearly or not?
“ You are not going to leave me or my pack. We're not rejecting each other either. If you ever speak the word "rejection" to me again, I swear I'll lose my mind right now. I'm fairly bad at taking these kinds of jokes," Zander told her, brushing his lips against hers causing her to close her eyes as his touch made her knees weak. What was he saying?
"Don't touch me. I told you before that I don't like men touching me," Adira said hesitantly, taking a deep and heavy breath. What was going on with her? She was usually repelled by the touch of other men, but Zander's touch seemed to make her need more.
"Then I'll continue to touch you until you become used to me, Adira. I'll keep waiting for you. I don't need a child as long as I can have your love," Zander promised. Aidra opened her eyes in astonishment when she heard him.
“You are crazy…” She whispered in disbelief.
“Yes, I know,” Zander chuckled and drew Adira in for a passionate kiss. Adira's eyes were wide open as her tears streamed down her face.
What was this man saying? Her alpha mate was insane!