“I AM NOT YOURS”
892 Words
“Come with me.”
Draven’s voice was steady, but behind it, something sharp made Aurelia’s skin crawl.
She stared, speechless. The whole hall still had their eyes glued to them.
A minute ago, she was just the pack’s outcast — the girl nobody wanted, the one without a wolf. Now? The most powerful Lycan in the world stood in front of her, claiming her as his mate.
She shook her head. “No.”
A ripple of shock buzzed through the crowd.
Draven’s eyes narrowed. “No?”
“I said no.”
She didn’t know where she found the nerve. Maybe it was the sting of being humiliated in front of everyone. Maybe it was plain fury. Or maybe, she’d just hit her limit — one more man telling her what to do, and she’d snap.
Elias rejected her. Now Draven wanted to haul her away. No one bothered to ask what she wanted.
Draven took a step closer, looming.
“You can’t stay here.”
“This is my home.”
“It isn’t safe.”
She let out a short, bitter laugh. “Safe? Seriously? The man I was supposed to marry just tossed me aside in front of the whole pack. My day’s already wrecked — I don’t need a stranger ordering me around, too.”
Draven’s jaw clenched. “You’re coming with me.”
“No,” she repeated.
His eyes went darker. “Aurelia.”
The way he said her name… It was so familiar, like he’d said it for years. She hated that it made her heartbeat kick up.
“You don’t own me,” she said.
He moved even closer. “I know.”
That stopped her for a second. She hadn’t expected him to admit it.
“Then stop telling me what to do.”
Their eyes locked. Draven didn’t look away. “Someone’s trying to kill you.”
Her anger wavered. “What?”
“You heard the assassin.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to drag me away.”
“I’m not dragging you anywhere.”
“Then stop barking orders.”
They both fell silent.
He looked at her with an expression she couldn’t pin down — anger, but not at her, and something else. Was he worried? For her?
“You think I’m controlling you,” Draven said quietly.
“You are.”
“I’m trying to keep you alive.”
“I can take care of myself.”
He glanced at her trembling hands, then back to her eyes.
“Can you?”
The question hit like a slap. Aurelia’s face burned.
“I don’t need your pity.”
“That’s not pity. It’s concern.”
She was about to snap back when something cut through the air — whoosh!
A blur flew through the window. Before Aurelia could even flinch, Draven’s arm wrapped around her, pulling her close to his chest.
An arrow smashed into the wall. It would’ve landed right in her head.
She froze, heart pounding in her ears. Draven held her tight with one arm, the other going straight for his sword.
For a heartbeat, everything stopped.
Then Draven whispered in her ear, soft but commanding. “Stay behind me.”
This time, she didn’t argue.
A dark shadow flicked past the window.
Draven let her go. “Don’t move,” he snapped, then slipped through the doorway.
Aurelia just stood there, frozen. Shouts broke out down the hall. A crash. Someone snarled. Someone else screamed.
She knew she should stay, but standing still never was her strong suit.
She followed.
In the corridor, Draven fought a figure dressed in black. The assassin moved fast — quick as a snake — but Draven was faster. He caught the man’s wrist, twisted hard. The assassin screamed.
Draven smashed him against the wall. “Who sent you?”
The man spat blood, defiant.
Draven’s face went ice cold. “I won’t ask twice.”
The assassin laughed, bitter. “You think you’re protecting her?”
Draven’s hand tightened on the man’s throat. “Who sent you?”
The man’s eyes slid past Draven, fixing on Aurelia. For a second, he looked terrified. Not of Draven — of her.
“The sleeping girl…” He was panicked now.
Aurelia felt chilled straight through.
The assassin’s breath came fast and ragged. “…has awakened.”
Then he slumped in Draven’s grip, dead. Draven caught him before he hit the floor, checked the pulse.
Nothing.
Aurelia stared, heart thudding.
“What did he mean?” she asked.
Draven stayed silent.
She pressed, “Draven.”
He looked at her. The icy mask was gone — he looked almost… haunted.
He walked toward her. Aurelia shrank back.
“Whoever sent him knows what you are.”
Her stomach twisted. “What am I?”
Draven stopped. Several seconds passed while he studied her face, searching for something. Then, hardly above a whisper—
“You really don’t remember.”
She couldn’t breathe for a second. “Remember what?”
His face closed off. He glanced at the body. Looked back at her.
Said nothing.
Aurelia’s heart dropped. Suddenly, it wasn’t the assassin she was afraid of anymore.
She was afraid of Draven — and whatever secret about her he carried, something so big it scared even him.
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