HIS MATE, MY DOOM

Chapter 5: You took my mate, now I take everything!!”

The rich aroma of roasted meats, honey-glazed roots, and wild herbs hung in the air like a heavy perfume, saturating all the walls of the room. Every breath I took carried the sweetness of luxury I never imagined I’d taste, but my stomach churned instead of growling. The golden platters, the glistening wine, the finely carved fruits—none of it could distract me from the storm raging inside me.

I wasn’t serving tonight. I was seated—like one of them.

If someone had told me a week ago I’d be dressed in Alyssa’s silks, with her pearls around my neck and powder covering every bruised inch of my face, I would’ve laughed in disbelief.

But here I was, staring at my reflection in the tall, crystal mirror of her chamber, and I didn’t recognize the girl looking back.

My lips were no longer cracked and bleeding, painted instead in a soft rose hue. My hair was pinned up in delicate spirals, just like Alyssa wore hers. The layers of makeup hid my swollen eye, my split brow, and all the hurt they had buried under the surface. I looked… like her. Almost.

My eyes. Golden eyes. That was the only thing left of me. The only thing Alyssa could never steal. Her dull blue irises might win approval, but mine? Mine held the truth. Fire. Pain. And tonight—fear.

A sharp memory pierced my mind—yesterday evening, the grand staircase, Alyssa waiting at the top like a porcelain queen. I’d tried to slip past her, keeping my eyes low, hoping to avoid another confrontation.

But she stopped me with a smile too wide, too eager. Her voice was soft and sweet, but the words she spoke chilled me.

“You will take my place tomorrow.”

I blinked at her, stunned. “No, I—no, I can’t.”

But I understood. She wasn’t giving up her spotlight for me. She was afraid. Of Atlas.

I had refused, of course. I wasn’t stupid.

At that same moment, Alyssa suddenly cried out and tumbled down the stairs like a fallen angel. Her scream was sharp, but not nearly as sharp as the glint in her eye when she landed. Everyone came running. The pack gasped, fawned over her, and cast furious eyes my way. Accusations flew like daggers.

They called me cruel. Unfeeling. Unworthy. And suddenly, I was the villain. The selfish, cruel cousin who tried to kill sweet, innocent Alyssa.

Only I didn’t get punished this time.

No. I was dressed up like a doll and dragged into a masquerade I didn’t ask for.

A lie, packaged in silk.

“Hold still, please,” the makeup servant scolded gently, trying to glue on another ridiculous fake lash. I jerked away.

“No,” I said, voice firm. “No more pretending.”

She blinked, confused. But she didn’t argue. She stepped back.

A knock echoed. The door creaked open. I didn’t have to look—I could feel their eyes.

“Bring her out,” came Beta Damien’s voice, too smooth, too eager.

Two guards flanked me. I followed, my bare feet silent on the marble floors.

The corridor was silent except for the rustle of expensive fabric. The packed house was always too quiet before the disaster.

I could feel their stares like needles in my skin. The silence was heavy. The tension, thicker than blood.

And through it all, a shadow haunted me.

That man—no, that creature from the river. I never saw his face fully, but I remembered the towering silhouette carved against the moonlight, his voice like velvet laced with poison. “I am death,” he had said. “You were spared tonight. But next time, I won’t be so merciful.”

His words echoed in my mind now, louder than the cheers that erupted when the double doors to the mating arena creaked open.

We entered the arena, the night sky stretched above us like a velvet shroud, stars hidden by the rising moon.

Alpha Marcus stepped out first, face carved in stone, followed by Damien, ever the shadow in his wake. Lucien walked beside me. Cold. Silent. His jaw clenched so tightly it looked ready to shatter.

I didn’t dare speak to him. Not after what he said in the jungle.

The elders followed. Alyssa, despite her injuries, trailed behind—perfect, glowing, pitiful. A performance.

We descended the steps. The pack waited below, gathered in a circle around the lavishly decorated arena. Cheers erupted. Fake smiles bloomed.

I wanted to scream.

Marcus raised a hand and the crowd quieted. He stood to speak. His voice was strong, but his eyes flickered—nervous, calculating. I stole a glance at Damien, his beta, whose forced smile barely masked the dread lurking underneath.

Only a few of us knew. Only we knew that Atlas was coming.

My eyes were locked on Lucien.

He didn’t look at me. Not once. I was invisible. Or maybe a ghost—one that reminded him of his shame.

The pack had no idea. They were laughing, dancing, and celebrating beneath the silver gleam of the full moon.

The music began. Alyssa took the floor. She moved like a siren, her body swaying in ways I never could. The crowd watched, captivated. My stomach rolled.

I looked around, eyes darting. Marcus. Damien. Their faces were too still. Too tight. Only four of us knew.

He’s coming.

I clutched the edge of my dress. Something was wrong. The air felt heavier. The moon hadn’t even reached its peak, yet my skin was already crawling.

Then—the full moon bloomed in the sky.

The mating ceremony began.

Pairs started walking toward each other, instinct leading soul to soul. Alyssa walked gracefully to the center, her eyes on Lucien. The music faded. Everyone held their breath.

Lucien stood.

My heart shattered all over again.

I couldn’t watch this.

I squeezed my eyes shut just as—

And then—chaos.

“They’re dead! All of them! Dead—he’s coming!”

A shout cracked through the silence like thunder. I opened my eyes.

A soldier, mangled and blood-soaked, burst into the arena screaming. His voice cracked with terror.

“He’s here! Alpha Atlas… he’s slaughtered them all—he’s inside the borders!”

A scream tore through the crowd. Panic erupted like wildfire.

“Protect the princess!” someone shouted.

Alpha Marcus roared for calm, but it was already too late.

A massive black wolf leaped from the shadows, landing with a deafening thud that shook the earth beneath our feet. Its eyes glowed crimson. From behind its massive form, a man stepped forward.

The crowd gasped. Even without seeing his face, we knew.

Atlas.

The very air trembled around him. He walked out from behind the beast like a god from the old tales. Tall. Unforgiving. Shadows clung to his figure, but I saw the flash of his forest-green eyes.

My lungs froze.

My blood turned to ice. The memory slammed into me—his voice at the river, his hands stained with blood, those forest-green eyes searing into my soul.

He tossed something onto the arena floor. A severed head.

Torren.

Gasps turned to shrieks. Even the warriors stepped back.

“You took my mate,” Atlas snarled, his voice a thunderous growl. “Now I will take everything from you. Tonight every one of you dies.”

Lucien surged forward, drawing his blade. Alyssa screamed, collapsing to the floor, trembling in fear.

Everything unraveled in a heartbeat.

Atlas moved like lightning. Lucien's blade never touched him. He struck Lucien with devastating force, claws raking through flesh. Lucien fell, blood gushing from his chest.

“No!” I screamed.

My feet moved on their own. I ran to him, my body shaking, my heart exploding. Atlas was over him, claws raised, ready to end it.

I didn’t think. I grabbed a fallen sword and drove it into his side.

Atlas roared in fury. He turned, eyes wild, and seized me by the throat, lifting me into the air like I weighed nothing.

Then—

A scent. That same scent from the river. Smoke, wood, Pines, and Storms.

It filled me.

A pulse.

A spark igniting deep within my bones.

Mate!

The voice wasn’t mine. It was Lia. My wolf—silent all these years—howling in my mind.

And I knew. I knew the moment his eyes widened with shock. So did he.

Alpha Atlas was my mate. He is death

And he was about to kill me.