Chapter 3
1581 Words
Her heart skipped a beat.
Her wolf stirred restlessly inside her, a warmth spreading through her chest that she had never felt before. She had heard stories about Theo—stories of his strength, his leadership, the respect he commanded among his people. But she had never met him in person, never had the chance. She had begun to believe that he didn’t want her, that he had rejected the bond they were supposed to share.
“You’re… my mate?” Anaya whispered in shock.
Theo nodded, his face blank. “Yes.”
Anaya’s throat swelled with panic. She barely spoke to him while her parents were alive—she was always sent to room whenever he would visit them. She would hide near the door, hoping to catch sight of him or hear his voice. But she never did.
“I thought…” She hesitated, looking away for a moment. “I thought you didn’t want me. You never visited me—not even once.”
Theo’s gaze softened slightly, but he didn’t break his calm exterior. “I was watching you from a distance,” he said. “Just not in the way you expected.”
Anaya felt a mixture of things—relief, confusion, and something else she couldn’t put her finger on. The mate bond was solidifying between them so fast, his presence was beginning to distract her.
She pulled herself together with a shaky breath.
“I… I don’t know what to say.” Her voice came out weak. “But… thank you. If you hadn’t shown up just now, I would’ve…”
Theo held up a hand, halting her there. “I didn’t come to save you,” he said emotionlessly. “I came to talk about us.”
Anaya blinked at him as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her gaze shifted down at the dead body on the ground beside her as it quickly became apparent that she had been seconds from dying herself, however, Theo didn’t look alarmed by any of that.
“Are you not going to say something about that?” she said, her voice raising a little. “I was just attacked by my own pack!”
Theo’s face hardened. “I know,” he said. “That’s why I’m here.”
Anaya’s stomach tightened. “What do you mean?”
Theo folded his arms around his chest and took a step closer, seeming to grow in size. “I’ve been watching you ever since your parents died. I knew they wouldn’t rest until they had you dethroned. Your pack has been after you for quite some time now, Anaya.”
She shivered. “But… why? I’ve worked so hard to guide them, to hold the pack as one.”
Theo’s lips pulled tight together. “They think you’re not strong enough,” he said flatly. “You were an omega pup and to be honest, no matter how much you prove yourself, they will not bow to an omega as their alpha.”
Anaya flinched at his words, hating that they were true. She had sensed it every day—the stares, the whispers, the feeling of being watched and constantly judged.
“The fact is—” Theo pressed on, his voice steady. “—that you’re not safe here, Anaya. Not on your own.”
Anaya swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “Then what am I supposed to do?”
Theo’s dark eyes bore into hers. “Come with me to Mooncrest,” he said. “You’ll be safer there.”
Anaya’s breath hitched. Leave her pack? The pack her parents had given their lives for? The only place she’d ever called home?
“I…” she faltered, shaking her head. “I can’t leave. This is my home.”
Theo’s gaze didn’t waver. “Your home is trying to kill you.”
“You want me to just run away?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Theo looked almost kind when he finally answered. “It’s not running,” he told her. “It’s survival.”
She looked down at her trembling hands, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on her. Could she do it? Was this even possible? Her wolf nudged her softly in the back of their mind. ‘He’s our mate; we are supposed to be with him.’
Breathing in, Anaya slowly looked up to meet his gaze. “And if I decide to go with you… where would we even go?”
Theo took a step forward, his hand coming up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. It sent a shiver down her spine, the tug of the mate bond feeling like an invisible string guiding them together.
“Like I said you’ll come to my pack. You’ll train there,” he said. “You’ll learn to fight, and I’ll make you so great that nothing will ever defeat you again.”
“You would really do that for me?”
Theo’s face softened. “You’re my mate so yes, I would do it for you. But I would be doing it for the pack too,” he said. “Your mom and dad were good leaders. They deserve their memory to be honored.”
Anaya felt a pain in her chest at the mention of her parents. She remembered how proud they had always been of her, how much they had always believed in her—even when she hadn’t done anything worth applauding for.
Finally after a long pause she nodded. “Okay, but I’ll need to think about it.”
Theo stared into her eyes for a moment before he nodded back. “That’s fair.”
Anaya took a deep, unsteady breath and cast a long look over her shoulder at the dead man sprawled on the ground behind them. “What… what should we do with him?”
Theo didn’t look back. “He’s a traitor,” he said flatly, not even bothering to lower his voice. “Leave him there, get yourself together if you can. He’s not important.”
Anaya swallowed hard as her fear mixed with relief.
He turned to her. His voice was soft. “You should leave before more of them come. Go to the packhouse for your safety. I’ll take you there.”
Anaya hesitated, but only for a moment, before taking a step forward. “Okay.”
Theo didn’t respond verbally. Instead he turned around and walked off into the shadows of the forest. Anaya followed, looking back just once to sigh before following the man away.
This was the first time in a long time that she didn’t feel alone.
***
Theo walked with Anaya in silence until they reached the grand packhouse of the Silverblood Pack. The building was massive, and it looked even more so as it grew closer; moonlight reflected off the stone walls. When they were a few steps from the door, two guards came to meet them and saw Theo as they bowed to him. He nodded slightly to them without speaking, and they moved forward to flank Anaya into the building.
She hesitated leaving before she turned to go, however she turned back to Theo, looking into his face with uncertainty in her eyes. “If I… if I decide to give you my answer,” she said to him, “how will I let you know?”
“I’ll come back tomorrow,” he said. There was no expression on his face at all. “I’ll get my answer then.”
Anaya nodded, biting her lip nervously. “Alright,” she said, stepping toward the entrance.
Theo watched as she disappeared inside the packhouse, the heavy doors closing behind her. He stood there for a moment, his face void of emotion before he heard a rustle behind him.
It made him turn around, and he found himself face-to-face with his most trusted guard, Nathan. The tall, broad-shouldered man gave him a questioning look, his sharp eyes scanning his face.
“Did she agree to come?” Nathan asked quietly.
Theo smirked but he had a cold look in his eyes. “She will come,” he assured him. “She just needs to know she can't say no. That was why I saved her.”
Nathan studied his face for a long moment. “And if she does say no even after all you’ve done?”
Theo’s smirk slipped into a cold, assessing look. “She won’t,” he said. “Anaya is pathetic. She’s weak, and she knows it. When she realizes she can’t handle this place, she’ll find me.”
Nathan nodded slowly, his face blank. “And then what?”
Theo’s gaze flicked to the packhouse before he gave a slow, self-satisfied smile. “Then everything will be perfect once I have her. Once I finally claim her as my mate, I’ll have control over both MoonCrest and SilverBlood Pack. There won’t be anyone who has enough strength to go against us.”
Nathan didn’t say a word as he continued to watch Theo. “You really think that she wouldn’t notice what we’re doing?”
Theo chuckled lightly. “She thinks I’m her savior, and that’s all she needs to know.” With that said, he turned away from the packhouse and disappeared into the night with a firm plan in mind. His plan was already in progress.
- Writer
