Alpha's Fated Mate

Chapter 5

"Why are you pulling away from me?" Sorin's voice cracked as he took a step forward, his body burning with need. The bond pulled him, urged him forward, but it was the human who held him back. His wolf growled at him to claim what rightfully was his.

The female's lips parted, but no words came out. Her gaze flickered to the side, avoiding Sorin's desperate stare. She clenched her fists at sides, visibly shaking. Her body was rigid, frozen in fear, and the distance between them felt as vast as an ocean.

"I... I can't..." Her voice was barely a whisper, a tremor running through words. "You don't understand. I'm not... what you think I am."

Sorin's heart slammed in his chest. The words were a blow, something that felt like a crack in the bond that had once been unbreakable. His mate was pulling away from him. Why? Why now? Why after everything? His chest ached, the space between them growing impossible to bear.

"What do you mean?" Sorin's voice was thick with desperation, his hand trembling as he reached out, closing the space between them, only for the female to take another step back, further away. "You're mine. You're my mate. I've been searching for you for so long. I've felt you. I need you. Don't push me away. Please."

The girl shook her head, her face contorting with inner turmoil. "I'm not ready," she repeated, her voice barely audible as her body seemed to fold in on itself, arms crossing protectively over her chest. "I'm broken. I can't be what you need. I can't....."

"No!!" Sorin growled, his body trembling with the force of his emotions. "You're not broken. I'm not asking for perfect. You don't have to fix anything. I just need you. We can fix this together."

The words felt wrong, like a lie, as they left his lips. Because the reality was that he couldn't imagine living without her. He couldn't bear the thought of never feeling his mate close, of never being able to claim her. He couldn't stand the ache of being so close, yet so far.

But the female's expression faltered. "You don't get it..." Her voice cracked, and eyes flickered with raw emotion, pain mixed with something darker. "I can't be with you. I'm not safe for you."

Sorin's heart stuttered, the pain of those words more excruciating than any physical wound. He stepped forward again, ignoring the words that had cut him. "You are safe with me. You're mine, and I will protect you. Whatever is holding you back, whatever darkness you think is in you, I'll fight it. I'll fight it for us." His voice was firm, desperate, every word vibrating with the sheer force of his love, of his need.

"I'm not ready," the female repeated, stepping further away, her back now pressed against the wet rocks of the waterfall, the distance between them growing farther with every word. "I'm scared. I'm so scared."

The words hit Sorin like a physical blow. Fear. His mate, the one person he had searched for his entire life, was terrified of him. Terrified of the bond. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to fix it.

"Please don't run. I can't live without you, anymore." Sorin's voice was low, a growl of pain slipping through his words. His hands shook as he reached out, the bond surging with power, demanding him to pull his mate close. "Let me protect you. I'll make it better. I swear. You're not alone anymore."

The female's chest hitched, her body trembling violently. She looked as though she was fighting with herself. For a long moment, there was nothing but the sound of the waterfall crashing in the background, the pulse of the bond between them, and the unbearable distance.

Then, almost in a whisper, the female spoke again. "There's something else..... which won't let me go. Which won't let me have this."

The mention of someone or something else sent a jolt of ice through Sorin. Who were they? What did they have to do with this? His mind raced, but his heart remained focused on one thing .... his mate.

So now what? The very person he's hurting for, longing for, yearning for, for years but for what? To get rejected?

Sorin's breath was shallow, his heart pounding erratically in his chest, a heavy weight pressing down on him with every beat. His body was on fire, a storm raging inside him, the bond to his mate pulling, demanding, aching in ways that were both unbearable and undeniable.

He had waited for this moment, searched for years, and now, standing just inches from the one he had dreamed of, the one he was meant to be with... he was being rejected.

The thought of it, of his mate pulling away, made his stomach twist in agony. No. This couldn't happen. He couldn't let it happen.

His chest tightened at the thought of losing his other half, the person he had vowed to protect, to love, for eternity. It was suffocating, the very idea of this person who meant everything to him slipping away, running from him, as though the connection between them didn't matter, as though the bond they shared was meaningless.

No, Sorin thought again, his body trembling with the intensity of it. I won't lose him.

The very thought of his mate leaving him....of that bond snapping, unraveling, disappearing...struck him like a blow to the chest. His heart lurched in pain, and a fierce fire of protectiveness rose inside him, hot and primal.

He could feel the bond between them, a tug at the very core of his being, and with every moment his mate remained distant, it felt as though that bond was being torn apart. He couldn't let go. Not now. Not when he was so close to finally having her.