~Chapter 4: Mate~
1102 Words
~ANNABETH'S POV~
As the SUV door shut, a cool mountain wind whipped around the clearing, sending a fresh wave of shivers up my arms. It was so much more colder here than in the valley of Red moon park, the air felt thinner, sharper, smelling of fresh pine and something ancient.
The Enforcer stood beside me for a long moment, simply allowing me to take notice of his territory. I looked up at him, and he smirked down at me. Even though I wasn't short, he made me feel small. I was lanky and taller than most human girls, but Lycans were a different breed even fiercer than normal werewolves. They looked denser, broader, scarier and were monsters wrapped in expensive suits.
He walked forward toward the front doors of his mansion. I stayed back, my feet frozen to the ground, watching the way he moved with a grace that felt predatory.
He turned back, casting a sharp, warning look over his shoulder. I didn't wait longer for a verbal command, I stumbled towards him, my heart beating fast.
A man opened the door for us, bowing his head and We walked in slowly.
The Enforcer took a quick scan of his home, making eye contact with the men stationed inside. Only when he seemed satisfied that everything was in order did his shoulders finally drop an inch.
He took off his suit jacket and tossed it onto a nearby grey couch, a move so casual it felt like a trap. He walked deeper into the living area, grabbing arms with two other men who sat at a large glass table in the center of the room. They laughed, their voices booming off the high ceilings, looking happy for the first time since I’d met them. I stood by the side, my fingers twisting in the fabric of my dress, not knowing what to do with myself. I was a human in a house of powerful Lycans, there was no protocol for someone like me.
"Annabeth," He called, extending his hand to me.
I skitterd forward, flattening my dress as I stood next to him with my head down. He smiled down at me and ran a hand over my head, not a blow, but a stroke. It was almost affectionate, and that terrified me more than his anger.
"This is the human girl. Annabeth... as they called her," he introduced me.
The men, two of them looked me up and down. Their gazes were heavy and clinical, like they were measuring me for a coffin.
"She looks like she’s going to blow away with the wind, Kael," one of the men said, his voice booming. He grabbed his stomach in amusement when I staggered backward from the sheer volume of his voice.
"Now, now, Chad. Be nice to my girl," The Enforcer warned. He placed a warm hand in the small of my back, the heat of it seeping through my clothes like a brand. 'My girl', The words felt like a collar around my neck. Something my parents were afraid for me.
"She won't last a day with you," the other teased. They thought they were being light hearted, probably trying to break the tension, but to me, it felt like they were discussing how long it would take for a glass vase to shatter. Tears formed in the corners of my eyes. I willed them to stay put, but one hot drop escaped.
Chad seemed to notice my face and his laughter died instantly. He looked down pitifully. The room went quiet, the silence suddenly heavy. The Enforcer's hands moved to my arms, wanting to turn me toward him, but I struggled, keeping my gaze locked on the perfectly amber floor.
"Hey, little one," he said, his voice dropping into a softer register. My lips wavered. He sighed, his hand returning to my back as he started leading me toward a set of floating wooden staircase. I looked back as I took the first step, begging someone, anyone to save me, but the wolves downstairs just looked away.
When we reached the top of the stairs, we went down a long hallway and turned right. He opened a set of glass doors covered with privacy frost. The room was dark, save for a far wall made entirely of glass that allowed the pale moonlight to spill across the floor. A massive bed sat in the center, white and covered in grey pillows.
The Enforcer stood near the door, watching me. I turned to him, my head bowed.
"Annabeth," he said lightly, stepping forward. I took a sharp step back, hitting the edge of the bed. He stopped for a second before stalking toward me again. "Why are you afraid of me?"
I looked at him, my fear morphing into a sharp, spark of anger. "You tore me away from my family!" I spat.
"Those people weren't your family. Your parents were killed," he countered.
"They were the second closest thing I had! Some of them cared for me."
"I will care for you from now on, little one," he said, his voice softening as he placed a hand on my shoulder. I jerked my shoulder back, but his grip remained firm.
"I don't want you to care for me in that way," I growled, trying to free myself from his hold.
"In what way?" He asked, his eyes searching mine.
"You bring me up to your bedroom within minutes of being in your house!" I gestured wildly at the bed. "I know how this ends!"
"I wanted privacy," he explained, his voice calm. "You seemed intimidated by my friends. I thought you’d feel safer up here."
"Safer?" I chuckled nastily. "You said you wondered how long it would take to make me scream!" I wailed, the panic finally boiling over.
He shook his head, his fingers moving to untuck his shirt. "Annabeth," he whispered.
"Don't say my name!"
"I wanted your Alpha to think I was going to kill you," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed to undo the buttons around his wrists.
"You... you aren't?"
"No, Annabeth."
"Then why say all those things? Why be so cruel to me?"
"Because," he said, standing up and rolling his sleeves to his elbows, his eyes glowing with a faint blueish silver light. "If the world around us knew I had just found my mate, they would use you against me. They would hurt you just to see me fall. I couldn't allow that."
The word hit me like a physical blow. Did he just say.... Mate?
~~~
- Writer
