Alpha's Vow :Mine

The Mate I Never Wanted

(Seraphina’s POV)

I couldn’t breathe.

The word mate echoed in my head, over and over, pounding like a curse I could never outrun.

Kael.

Of all the wolves in this damned world—him.

The moment our eyes locked and his scent tangled with mine, the bond snapped into place like shackles. My wolf howled in recognition, clawing at me to surrender, to run into his arms. But my heart? My heart was a storm of dread.

I staggered back against the wall, my fingers trembling as if I’d been burned. Maybe I had. Because Kael wasn’t safety. He wasn’t warmth. He was danger wrapped in iron and shadows.

And now fate had bound me to him.

“Seraphina?” Adrian’s voice broke through my haze. His hand hovered near my arm, hesitant. “You’ve gone pale.”

I forced air into my lungs, but it rattled, shaky. “I’m fine.”

Lie. A flimsy, paper-thin lie.

Dorian’s sharp gaze caught mine. He didn’t press, but his silence was heavier than any words. He knew. He always did.

Lucien, on the other hand, wasn’t subtle. “Fine? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” His smirk faltered when I didn’t answer. His voice dropped. “Or a wolf.”

I flinched.

Too close to the truth.

I curled my arms around myself, nails digging crescents into my skin. My wolf whimpered inside me, confused—why wasn’t I running to him? Why wasn’t I giving in? Because my human heart knew better. Kael wasn’t the kind of mate who would heal me. He was the kind who could ruin me.

The worst part? Even now, I could still feel him.

It was like a tether had sunk deep into my chest, pulling, tugging, demanding. Every breath carried the faintest trace of his scent, lingering on my skin, sinking into my veins. My body betrayed me—wanting him, even as my mind screamed to run.

“What happened?” Adrian pressed, softer this time. Concern shadowed his features.

I bit the inside of my cheek, swallowing the truth. If I told them—if I admitted Kael was my mate—it would become real. And I wasn’t ready for real. Not when fear wrapped around me like a noose.

But I couldn’t hide forever. They would see it. Feel it.

“Seraphina.” Dorian finally spoke, low and steady. “It’s him, isn’t it?”

My breath hitched.

Silence stretched.

And then I whispered the words that tasted like ash.

“Yes.”

Adrian’s face darkened. Lucien swore under his breath. Dorian only closed his eyes, as though he had expected nothing less.

“I don’t want this,” I blurted, my voice cracking. The confession spilled out like blood from a wound. “I don’t want him.”

Adrian stepped closer, lowering his tone. “Then we’ll protect you. No matter what the bond says.”

But his promise felt fragile against the weight of destiny. Because I knew Kael. I had seen the hunger in his eyes, the claim already burning there. He wouldn’t let me go. Not now. Not ever.

And deep down, a part of me feared the truth more than anything else:

That I wouldn’t want him to.

Dorian finally broke the silence. “Running from a bond isn’t simple, Sera. You know that. The pull won’t fade. It’ll only get stronger.” His words were careful, measured, but they hit like knives.

Lucien scowled, his arms crossing over his chest. “So what? She’s supposed to just accept it? Roll over and let the Alpha take her because the moon says so? Bullshit.”

His anger sparked mine, enough to drown my fear for a heartbeat. “I won’t,” I snapped. “I won’t be his. Not because fate decided it. Not because he’s Alpha.”

Adrian’s gaze softened. “Then we’ll find a way. We always do.”

The bond tugged at me again, sharper this time, as though Kael could hear my defiance from across the distance. My wolf stirred restlessly, torn between loyalty to me and loyalty to him.

I pressed my hands over my chest as if I could rip the connection out. “He’ll come for me,” I whispered, the words tasting like doom. “You know he will.”

“And we’ll be ready,” Adrian swore.

Dorian nodded, though his eyes stayed stormy. “He won’t give up, Seraphina. Alphas never do. Especially not Kael.”

His name alone made my stomach twist.

Lucien leaned forward, eyes blazing. “Then let him try. I’ll put a blade through his throat if he touches you.”

The bond thrummed in response, almost angry, as if the very thought of harming Kael was blasphemy. My wolf snarled inside me, torn between instincts and hatred.

I shivered.

The world was already shifting, tilting. Every breath, every heartbeat felt different now, as though Kael’s presence existed even in my shadows. I hated it. I feared it.

But beneath all of that, a single, treacherous truth whispered at the back of my mind—

I wanted it, too.

That night, sleep did not come.

I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, feeling the bond’s constant pull like an invisible chain wrapped around my throat. Each tug reminded me that Kael was out there, waiting, burning, inevitable.

And no matter how many times I told myself I’d fight it, the thought gnawed at me until my chest ached:

What if I didn’t want to fight forever?