CHAPTER THREE
1390 Words
CHAPTER THREE
ELOWYNNE
“No.”
The words slipped past my lips before I could even realize I said them.
This couldn’t be my mate. He couldn’t be my mate.
This stranger. This…
"Well, I’m relieved you hate this as much as I do.”
A scoff leaves my lips as I stare at him.
How arrogant!
How handsome!
I shake my head as everything I'd ever been told about the mate bond rushed through my mind in a chaotic flood. The stories Elena and I had whispered about late at night, the romanticized tales the elder women shared during gatherings, and the warnings my father had given me about waiting for the right time, the right place.
This was neither of all those.
The man took another step forward, and I instinctively took one back. My foot caught on an exposed root, and I stumbled. It was too late for me to save myself. I was already bracing for the pain of falling to the ground when I felt a pair of strong arms around my waist.
A puff of breath left my lips as he easily caught me and, with the same one hand, pulled me up flush against him.
The contact made heat rush through me. If my wolf wasn’t active before, she was alive now. Several sensations rushed through my skin, the most potent one being pleasure. I liked the feeling of his skin against mine.
And I hated that I liked it.
Coming back to my senses, I pushed myself away from him.
“This is ridiculous,” I muttered more to myself than him.
When I glanced up, there was a hint of a smirk on his lips. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, his face going back to its cold state.
“Who are you and what are you doing here all by yourself by this time?"
"I should be asking you the same thing,” I shot back. “Who are you and what are you doing here in my space?"
"Your space?" he scoffed. "This place is in the middle of nowhere, and you call it yours? Possessive much?”
“I come here every night,” I returned, even though I knew he was right. I couldn’t lay claim to a piece of land that wasn’t mine. But I couldn’t share it with him either. “You have to leave."
The harsh wind blew past us, carrying whispers of the bond, which only seemed to be tightening between us. I angrily rubbed my arms again, scowling at his calm demeanor.
Did he feel what I was feeling? Did it feel like his skin was burning from the inside out the same way mine did?
I waited for his response, but I got nothing. Instead, he walked back to where he was standing initially, picked up a torch from the ground, and lit it with the match he was carrying.
Close to where he stood was a big rock. He settled the torch on one end of the rock and settled down on the other end, leaning against the rock and closing his eyes.
I stared at him sheepishly for the next few seconds while he acted like I wasn’t there. Fury burned hot inside me. I can’t practice or train with this… this annoying hunk of a man here!
“Didn’t you hear me?” I snapped. “Find another spot. This one is taken.”
"This place belongs to nobody. I’m not leaving,” he drawled, his eyes still shut.
Seeing that it was useless to keep arguing with him and wasting my time, I went back to my spot in the clearing. I planned to practice with weapons today, but suddenly, the thought of wielding a sword in the presence of this man who looked like he could be a warrior himself left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I sat quietly on the ground in a meditating position with my back to him. I could train other combat skills, like my hearing senses. They were sharp enough, but they could be sharper, enough to hear a threat coming from a distance away.
As I closed my eyes and strained my ears, all I could hear was the low thrum of the invisible bound between us and the loud thumping of my own heart. The longer we sat in silence, the tighter the pull towards him felt.
I shook my head in frustration and tried to refocus. After several failed attempts, a grunt left my lips.
"C'mon…"
"What are you doing?"
His deep voice floated in the air between us, reaching my skin in a soft caress.
There was nothing soft about his voice, yet it felt like a warm cocoon, and I wanted to keep hearing him speak.
The f*****g mate bond!
“Trying to practice,” I snapped. “And you’re distracting me.”
“Practice what?”
I let out a huff, then turned to glare at him.
“Can you mind your business, Mister—”
“Shawn,” he offered with that annoying smirk on his lips.
His hands were crossed above his head, and he looked relaxed like he was leaning against a soft mattress instead of a rock.
“I didn’t ask.”
“Well, I’m asking for yours.”
My brain blanked for a second. He wanted to know my name? Why did he want to know my name?
Seeming to read my thoughts, he spoke. “It’s only fair to know the name of my mate—”
“Don’t…” I started, then trailed off. I wished I could completely ignore the fact, but I couldn’t.
His face told me he was still waiting for an answer, so I sighed.
“I’m Audrey.” The lie slipped out so easily, but at the slight quirk of his brows, I wondered if he knew I was lying. The mate bond can do that, no?
“And what are you training for, Audrey?”
Giving up on the thought of him leaving me alone, I turned to face him. “Answer the question first. What are you doing here?”
“I came for the silence,” he said with a shrug.
His words were simple, but I felt the weight behind them. My eyes zoned in on his sharp jawline and the light dusting of hair on his chin. His hair was a satisfying sight to behold, jet-black and long, framing his face and highlighting his sharp facial features. I wondered what it would feel like to run my fingers through it.
"Audrey?”
I blinked. “Yes?”
“I said it was your turn to answer my question.”
I didn’t even hear him ask the question.
Embarrassment crept up my neck, but I cleared my throat and replied. "I come here to train.”
"Train? What are you training for? Was that what you were doing earlier?”
Something about his tone made my spine stiffen. Was he…mocking me?
I huffed. “I was trying to sharpen my hearing senses until you distracted me.”
I turned back, intending to completely ignore him, until he spoke again.
“Hmm. Then what are you doing with a bag of weapons?”
That was when I glanced to my side and saw that my satchel was wide open, and he could see the contents inside.
My embarrassment worsened, especially from being caught in my lie.
“Don’t try to lie or hide because I’m here—”
I huffed. “You’re so arrogant—”
“Or maybe you can’t fight,” he continued, cutting me off. “If that’s the issue, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about, darling. I can teach you.”
I didn't need anyone's help, especially not from a stranger who made my heart race and my wolf stir restlessly beneath my skin. But Shawn was already moving without even waiting for my answer.
He pushed off from the rock with fluid grace, his powerful frame unfolding as he stood to his full height. Even from across the clearing, I could see the way his muscles shifted beneath his shirt, the controlled strength in every movement. He walked toward me with purposeful strides, and I found myself unable to look away.
- Writer
