Marked by the Moon—Rejected by my Alpha mate

CHAPTER 11: The Lycan Agent

{ Nicholas POV}

I didn't know if it was instinct, Kyle, or just me, but I ran here as soon as I could to catch her from hitting her delicate skin against the hard tile.

“I got you.” weře the words that left my lips the moment I gripped her waist with my hands. She was so frightened, she held my neck like her life depended on it, her eyes closed tight, chest heaving. That bastard had flung her with such force that shouldn't be used on a woman.

Not just any woman—my mate.

My anger was blazing hot. Kyle was going wild inside me. I had to force him to stay calm; going feral won't help right now.

The crowd stood in awe, their brains probably trying to process how to react to the situation in front of them.

Slowly her breathing became steady, her beautiful eyes fluttered open—meeting her gaze calmed Kyle instantly. Her expression was quite unreadable—shock mixed with something that looked like relief, like she was glad I came to save her.

“Nicholas,” she muttered, slowly losing her grip on my neck, trying to get on her feet, but I tightened my grip on her waist, eyes still locked on hers like nothing else mattered but her.

“Hey,” she whispered, voice still trembling, “let me down.”

“You sure?”

She nodded, and I let her down slowly, my eyes not leaving hers for a second.

“Enough of this ill drama.” A deep voice thundered across the hall. I turned my gaze to face him—Lucan Woods, the man who broke my mate for her best friend, made her family a topic of the town's gossip. My wolf twisted with anger, but I kept my expression cool.

He moved towards Elena and me, steps deliberate and calculated. “I don't like people stepping into my territory uninvited and touching what's mine.”

“What's yours?” I sneered, moving closer to him, “That's no way to treat what belongs to you, and she's not yours!” I exclaimed, my voice raised.

“How dare he call our mate his. How dare he. She's ours.” Kyle roared inside me.

“Keep it cool, man.” I nudged him, “Do not blow up our cover.”

Lucan inched forward until he was right in front of me, looking straight into my eyes. “You don't get to tell me how I treat what's mine, Mr. Stranger, and how the hell did you even get in?!”

A sly smirk played across my lips. The feeling of getting on his nerves was unmatched. I reached for my jacket pocket and flashed my card in front of him.

“Lycan agent?” he questioned, his brows furrowing.

“Didn't the council inform you?”

Lucan eyed me suspiciously, then turned, “Elder Lyod?”

“I got a call from the Lycan chief minister this morning; it was impromptu.” Elder Lyod explained, but Lucan didn't seem convinced.

“But he's a werewolf.”

“I guess they chose to send one of our kind this time around.” Elder Lyod reasoned.

“But they never do that,” Lucan objected. Elder Lyod could only sigh.

Lucan was right. The Lycans never sent a werewolf agent to relegate his species.

It was all Dorian’s game.

Lucan turned back to face me, his gaze narrowed slightly. “I'm watching you.” It was supposed to be a threat, but I smiled back at him. “Sure.”

He turned back and signaled the MC to continue the party. The crowd dispersed, slow music hummed in the background, wine glasses clicked, sounds of murmuring filled the air, and everything went back to normal like nothing had happened.

A hand landed on my shoulder. I turned to find an older man, broad-shouldered, eyes like Elena's—same shape, same quiet fire. “Thank you for catching my daughter.” His voice was even. Controlled. Like a man swallowing humiliation in real time and refusing to show it.

“Don't mention it.” I replied.

He let out a slow breath and then turned towards where Elder Lyod was discussing with some other Alphas. The woman beside him, who I assumed was his Luna because Elena's got her face, hair color, and curves, grabbed his arm, “Not here, not tonight. It's better we leave.”

With that, they left for the exit.

I scanned through the crowd searching for that particular someone who made me feel like I was alive again after years of feeling nothing. I didn't know when she left my side.

What was supposed to be a high-level luxurious wedding reception party was turning into something else as the night thinned out and the elders retired for their beds—drunken wolves twisting their bodies on the dance floor, couples kissing and slouching here and there, unmated wolves trying to find their other halves or flings for tonight.

I had no business being on that dance floor, but she was somewhere in that mess, and I needed to get to her.

I moved through the crowd, shoulders cutting through the bodies. A drunk male stumbled into my path, sloshing his drink down my jacket. I caught him by the collar before he hit the floor, set him upright, and kept moving. Someone's mate grabbed my arm with a flirty smile; I peeled her fingers off without making eye contact. Kyle was too focused to be distracted.

Then I caught it, the familiar shape of a head swaying fast. I kept my eyes fixed on the back of her head across the room. She was moving fast, weaving through the crowd like she knew exactly where she was going. I matched her pace.

Initially, my plan was to mingle with these wolves, now that half of their senses had been wiped clean by the strong wine, especially the ones from Blackstone pack and try to squeeze out some info from the gullible ones not chasing after my mate. But I guess plans have changed. Kyle made sure of that.

She was moving really fast, but nothing I couldn't catch up with. Soon we left the rowdiness of the crowd and entered a quiet corridor. She kept walking; the corridor gave way into a garden. Her steps slowed as she entered inside; the garden smelled of fresh flowers, her slender fingers fiddling with them like they held memories not to be told.

I leaned against the garden's entrance, taking the opportunity to take a good look at her—the purple dress clung perfectly to her body, highlighting those curves she got from Mama; the high slit revealed a considerable chunk of her tanned, slender legs; and the low neckline of the dress did no good in covering her perfectly shaped boobs. She was perfect. A sight to behold indeed, even though her hair was slightly disheveled from all the chaos.

Lucan was a fool for rejecting her.

Her fingers clenched around the rose she was holding, squeezing the life out of it. Then she fell on her knees, breaking into sobs. I quickly rushed to her side, stopping right in front of her, I went down on my knees as well to meet her gaze.

Her expression this time wasn't shock or surprise, just blank. Unreadable. “Why do you keep following me?” It didn't seem like a question, just something she already knew the answer to.

“It's not like I know either.”

She shifted her gaze to the bunch of red roses and then faced down. “You know, he once put a rose in my hair and said I looked beautiful.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“f**k him. He doesn't deserve your tears.”

I grabbed her chin gently, turning her to face me, slowly brushing away the tears on her cheeks. “You deserve better.”

For a moment, none of us spoke. She just kept staring into my eyes and mine into hers.

“Elena, where the hell have you—” someone's voice snapped mid-sentence.