THE ALPHA'S DEFIANT MATE

Disbelief

Did my wolf just speak to me? Did I just hear her voice? It had been so long that I could barely remember what her voice looked like. I couldn’t believe my ears until she continued.

“Do you really want to die? You want to end it all that badly?” Lyra continued in a firm tone.

I had to take my seat at the table to listen to her. She hadn’t spoken for years, and the very first thing she did was lash at me.

“Can you not just stay here? It’s safer for you here than in the outside world.

I already knew what she was driving at. She wanted me to be in the pack for some reason I do not quite understand. That was why she was extremely quiet and didn’t move even when I did outrageous things to make her talk by force.

“So, are you saying that I should stay with my oppressor? Someone who didn’t care about my opinion and just dragged me down here after killing off my parents and sibling? I do not care about what happens to me in the outside world!”

I didn’t even use my inner thoughts to respond to her. I was pissed beyond my control. All these things kept happening to me because he came to disrupt my peace where I was hiding, and Lyra had the gut to say it was for my good.

Oh please! If she’s going to continue spewing nonsense, then she should crawl back to the hole she had been hiding in.

***

For several days, I refused to step out or see anyone. Niamh announced that Damien was at my door, but I refused to move. I didn’t talk to anyone and barely ate whatever was brought to me as food.

“I’ll just starve to death. I will never be his mate,”

My resolution was hardened. Everything made me boil so much that I couldn’t sleep. The nightmares came back in full force. I couldn’t close my eyes without seeing myself getting chased by the yellow-eyed wolf.

That particular night, the nightmare was way worse. My body froze in place; I couldn’t move my hands or legs. I struggled hard to break free, but my body was hardened as if someone was pressing me down on the bed.

After about ten minutes of intense struggle, I finally rolled off the bed with a loud cough. My throat was choked to the point I couldn’t talk. All the maids had been chased away by me because I didn’t want to see them, so there was no one to tend to me on the verge of my death.

Without hesitation, I got on all fours and crawled to the door to open it. The door and windows had been locked, so there was little to no ventilation. I thought dying would be very easy, but it turned out that nothing good or evil comes easily.

The cold air that flushed my face as I rolled out of the room sent me back to life. My body calmed down to a certain extent, so I decided to sit by the corner and enjoy the air for a while.

Tears streamed down my face as my breath slowly came back to normal. My tightened chest was slowly releasing the pain it held onto desperately. The pain of losing my family washed over me afresh.

“It would have been so good to die with them that very day,”

The guilt of being the sole survivor washed over me. I felt like it was my punishment for surviving alone. Nothing was working for me, and I kept running from trouble to trouble. There was no peace for me whatsoever anywhere I went.

I had spent over six years roaming about without a place to call home. All those thoughts bit at my chest mercilessly. How I was almost r***d by a rogue but escaped miraculously. Days I almost starved in the forest until I stumbled upon food and fruits in unexpected places.

Although it felt like my family was watching over me, I couldn’t deny the unbearable pain. It only got better when I strolled into the human world. That was the only place I could hide for four years before Damien came to drag me out against my wish.

The tears flowed endlessly as those memories flooded my head. I placed my hand over my mouth to cry without attracting unnecessary attention.

After crying to my heart's content, I decided to take a stroll in the garden for more fresh air. I was slightly afraid of going back to the room. What if I have another bad dream? What if I truly die this time around?

Wandering in the garden till morning was my best option, so I didn’t hesitate before I acted on the thought. The garden was dimly lit with lanterns hanging in the walkway, and some soldiers were parading at some distance, but I made sure to crawl quietly to avoid their attention.

I was able to make it to the chair at the far end and was enjoying the air when something snapped behind me. I flew up in fear, but no one was there. My heart started beating fast at the strange occurrence.

“I think I just jumped from the frying pan to the fire,” my chest almost flew out of my chest.

I settled down on the bench once again, trying to hide my fear. At least I was safe in his residence, which is well-guarded.

The next minute proved me wrong. The lantern casting its light on the pond in front of me gave out the intruder. Someone was behind me with a long knife, aiming for my neck. With a swift roll, I was on the floor in no time.

His knife dug sharply into the wood, sticking out at the other side. My eyes bulged in terror. If I had hesitated for a second, that would have been me!

“Who are you?” my throat released a scream.

Before I could make sense of the situation, two others stepped out from the side and charged at me. The little defense I learned from my parents before their deaths kicked into action.

My left hand grabbed the branch lying beside me, and I aimed for the shoulder of the one on my left and sank the stick into his flesh. A muffled growl filled the air, but I ignored him and threw the sand in my hand at the eyes of the other one.

I used that to pick up the race, but they kept snarling behind me, trying to catch up. Just then, I bumped into a sturdy frame that almost sent me flying, but his hand reached for my waist and held me back to himself.

There he was, the yellow eyes!