Exiled By My Mate

The Red-Eyed Stranger

CHAPTER 6

BELLA'S POV

"You both are hereby exiled from the Claws pack." The words echoed in my head like a cruel mantra. This was all Kaden’s fault. If he had only heard me out, if he had taken his anger out on me instead of Seth, then no one would have died.

I pictured his face, the man destined to be my mate. What a cruel joke. What had I done to earn the moon goddess’s punishment? If only my mate had been Seth instead. Or anyone else. Anyone but Kayden.

But he wasn’t the only one to blame. Glade and Fiona were just as guilty. Glade was the reason I was punished, forcing Seth to help me. And Fiona... I still couldn't believe that she had betrayed us. For what?

My tears dried up leaving only the ache in my chest, the emptiness that now resounded in my soul. How was I supposed to survive exile without Seth?

The hair on my neck stood on end, muscles tensing. I knelt over Seth's corpse as a sense of danger surged through me. Spinning around, my body instinctively shielded his.

Glowing red eyes locked onto mine. A figure stood just a few feet away, his gaze so intense it made me want to shrink.

How had I not heard him approach? Was it the buyer? One of his goons? No. The aura of power radiating from him told me otherwise, this person was different. More dangerous.

The raging thoughts in my head searched for a way to escape, but they were instantly silent when I noticed the figure take a step forward. He continued to move in slow strides, knees slightly crouched like he was ready to pounce.

What was I supposed to do, and who was this man who had appeared before me? It was getting dark.

If I ran now, would he chase me or see me as insignificant? I was too weak to fight. But what about Seth? I couldn't just leave them lying here. He deserves a grave at the very least.

My instincts kicked in, and I jumped to my feet and made to run in the other direction, but in a blink of an eye, I felt a hand clasp around my neck, holding me in place.

I froze, how did he move so fast?

My eyes landed on the stranger in front of me, and my breath caught. I had expected a rugged, cruel-looking brute, but he was the opposite.

His chiseled jaw looked like it had been carved by the gods themselves. Pitch-black hair fell down his broad, bare shoulder, framing a face that looked threatening yet so breathtakingly handsome.

Recognition hit me. He was the Alpha, the one who had stopped, looked at me, and then left like I was nothing. Was he here to kill me?

His blood-red eyes burned into me, like he was peeling back my skin and reading the thoughts buried beneath.

His voice, deep and resounding, cut my thoughts and brought me back to reality.

"Who are you?" he said.

I stared at him dumbstruck. There was something beneath his tone, pure aggression. Not only that, but I was already scared of this man. He reminded me of Kaden. I couldn't sense it outright, but his aura felt more powerful, more wicked.

His hand transformed, and a claw poked at my throat, his eyes blank and serious as he spoke again.

"You have five seconds to tell me who you are, or I will kill you." His voice was cold and emotionless.

"Bella," I blurted out.

My name was all I could think of. After all, that was all I had left. My name and the clothes on my back.

His brows furrowed, finally displaying the first sign of emotion on his face, as a look of annoyance appeared.

"What are you doing in my territory?" he asked.

His territory? I had no idea where we were, the warriors had led us blindly until they came across the buyer.

"I..." I opened my mouth to speak, when a strange feeling started to rise in me.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't tear my eyes off his. And as frightening as they looked, yet something else in them seemed to pull me in, like a moth to a flame.

My face must have betrayed what was going through my head, because for a split second, his expression faltered. A tiny hint of softness flashed through before the coldness returned, and his grip on my neck tightened yet again.

"We were sold... I didn't know this was your..." I tried to hurriedly explain as I felt air slipping out of my lungs.

"We?" he asked.

I froze, I had forgotten Seth was dead. A fresh wave of grief and pain washed over me, and I instantly felt my vision blur.

His grip lessened, maybe out of pity, or maybe he had decided I wasn't a threat. When he let go, I practically collapsed to my knees. My legs had given out, and it felt nearly impossible to stand.

I looked up at him. If he wanted to, he could kill me in an instant. I had no strength to fight, and frankly, I had no will to go on. There was nothing left for me.

His eyes looked down at me, unwavering and unreadable. Strangely, they filled me with a sense of comfort. I felt… safe.

'Have you lost your mind?' I thought to myself. I was supposed to be terrified of him, yet I almost felt at ease.

A gust of wind blew past us, aggressively flooding my nostrils with his scent, a mixture of sweat, blood, and something strange.

I fought the urge to reach out, and touch him. Just one touch. Just run my finger down his dangerous, perfectly shaped face.

The pull I had felt before intensified, but before I had time to think more deeply, my heavy eyelids fluttered shut, and everything went black.