Mate of the Lost Alpha King (UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 3

Seraphina stood frozen as the reality of the situation hit her. She was no longer alone in the mansion. The man standing before her wasn’t a figment of her imagination, nor a ghost of the past. He was real.

Tall, rugged, and unnervingly intense, the man didn’t seem surprised by her presence—if anything, he appeared mildly annoyed. His rough, handsome face, marked with stubble, seemed to carry the weight of years, his eyes sharp and amber, piercing through the dim light of the room. His thick, dark hair fell messily over his forehead, and his broad shoulders and muscular frame exuded an intimidating aura. He was a man out of place in this abandoned mansion, but there was no doubt about it—he was very much here, and very much alive.

Seraphina swallowed hard, trying to steady her breathing. She had never expected to find someone here, let alone someone like him. This mansion had been abandoned for as long as she could remember, a place whispered about but never truly seen. And yet here he was, as real and present as the storm raging outside.

Her eyes flicked around the room, half-expecting the walls to close in on her, to trap her in this strange, eerie moment. But the man’s cold stare snapped her attention back to him. He hadn’t moved an inch since she stepped into the room, still watching her with a dispassionate, almost bored expression.

She took a cautious step forward. “I’m sorry,” she began, her voice shaking slightly. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I thought this place was abandoned. I didn’t know anyone lived here.”

The man didn’t reply right away, his gaze flickering briefly as though considering her words, before his lips curled into a slight, almost mocking smile.

“You should have known better than to wander in here,” he said, his voice low and rough, as if speaking wasn’t something he often did. “This place isn’t a guesthouse. It’s not a place for anyone but me.” His words were cold, biting, and there was no softness in them.

Seraphina’s eyes widened, caught off guard by his harshness. She hadn’t expected such a response, especially not from someone living in a seemingly forgotten mansion. Her pulse quickened, a mix of fear and curiosity bubbling inside her.

“I-I just needed to stay dry. The storm—” she stammered, but he interrupted her with a dismissive gesture, his eyes narrowing as if irritated by her attempt at an explanation.

“I don’t care about your storm,” he cut in. His voice was colder than the air between them. “If you didn’t want to get wet, you should have stayed home.”

His words stung, but Seraphina bit her lip, trying to maintain her composure. The last thing she wanted was to provoke him further. Yet, something about him drew her in. He was so different from the life she knew, so detached from the world she came from. There was an undeniable, raw power about him.

Despite the tension that thickened the air between them, she couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming curiosity. Who was he? Why was he living here, in this desolate mansion?

Before she could voice another question, he stood up abruptly, his movements deliberate and controlled. The sound of his boots thudding against the wooden floor echoed in the quiet room.

“Look,” he said, his tone flat. “If you’re going to stand there and stare at me, I suggest you do it somewhere else.” His cold amber eyes locked onto hers, and for a moment, it felt like he was daring her to argue with him. His imposing stature only made his words feel even more final.

Seraphina hesitated. She had been so caught up in the shock of his sudden appearance that she hadn’t stopped to consider the implications of what he said. This was his home. This mansion, hidden away in the woods, was his sanctuary—and she had wandered into it uninvited.

“I… I don’t want to cause trouble,” she said quietly, her voice a little steadier now. “I’ll leave if you want me to.” But even as the words left her lips, she realized she didn’t want to leave. There was something about this place, about him, that held her there against her better judgment. Something she couldn’t explain.

The man didn’t answer immediately. He seemed to study her for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a shrug that seemed to dismiss her entirely, he turned and walked toward the back of the room, disappearing into the shadows that filled the far corners of the mansion.

“Stay if you want,” he called over his shoulder without turning around. “But don’t think for a second you’re welcome here. I don’t entertain visitors.”

The door to the next room creaked as he pushed it open, his form disappearing behind it. Seraphina stood there for a long moment, processing what had just happened.

She hadn’t expected the stranger to be so hostile, so cold. His presence in the mansion—her mansion, or at least the one she had always imagined to be abandoned—felt unsettling, yet strangely magnetic. There was an air of mystery surrounding him, something that made her question the truth of what she thought she knew.

Seraphina had always been curious, and though the man’s words were harsh, they only fueled that curiosity. She didn’t know who he was or why he chose to live in this forgotten place, but something about him—something about the mansion—begged for her to learn more.

As the rain poured harder against the windows, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever leave this place without knowing the full story behind the man who lived here alone, with only the shadows for company.