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1269 Words
KADE
Mate.
The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. I didn’t say it first, my wolf did, pushing the word through my lips like a low growl, deep and certain.
I froze.
My chest felt tight, my breathing rasped. I was stuck between shock and denial.
Mate? No. No, that wasn’t possible.
This human girl was my mate? She was human, small, weak and fragile. I mean, look at her practically shaking from heartbreak. Yes, her scent was sweet, soft and completely different from any human I had ever smelled but that didn’t change the fact that she was a mere human and couldn’t be my mate.
My mate was supposed to be a she-wolf. A strong woman, fierce and trained to fight by my side. Someone who could survive in my world, not break.
As for my wolf, he didn’t care about any of that. He recognised her as his and was ready to claim her.
What made it worse was that I felt it too. The bond, the pull, everything. The pull was so strong that it almost hurt.
I tried to step away from her, create some form a distance between us and pretend like I didn’t feel the hard beating in my chest. But the more I tried to move away, the more I got closer to her.
Her cheating ex-boyfriend stepped toward her, calling her name. The same pathetic human who had broken her heart by letting another woman touch her like she didn’t matter.
My jaw tightened. She didn’t deserve a loser like him. She deserved the world, not this fool.
“Come on, Isla,” he said, grabbing her by her hand. “Let’s talk somewhere else. You’re acting crazy.”
She winced and the sight of him touching her made my blood boil.
I reached her and took her hand gently, pulling her away from him. Her eyes widened as she looked up at me. I could see the confusion in her eyes but she didn’t pull away. For a moment, I felt the heat of her skin against mine.
Her boyfriend shoved my shoulder in anger.
“Hey, freak! Get your hand off my woman!”
My woman. I scoffed. He said that so proudly like he owned her. So stupid of him to think that he still stood a chance.
Then he did something even more foolish. He punched me in the face.
The punch was hard, I could tell, but I barely felt it. His knuckles cracked a little, not y jaw. I didn’t flinch, didn’t blink.
He, on the other hand, stepped back with pain across his face.
My wolf was already in full rage mode. My fangs slid down before I could control myself.
I grabbed him by his throat and lifted him off the ground like he weighed nothing. His feet dangled in the air, kicking weakly. His eyes widened as I growled, filling the cold night air.
Isla gasped.
“S….Stop! Please stop!” she begged, her voice shaking. “Please! Let him go!”
Her voice hit me. Not her words but the fear I sensed.
She wasn’t afraid of him getting hurt. She was afraid of me.
I turned to her slowly. Her eyes were wide, tears filling the. Her body trembled in the snow. She was scared to death but she was also begging me. Trusting that I would listen to her and show him mercy.
My grip loosened.
I dropped the boy. His body hit the ground hard with s choked cough, he scrambled to his feet and fled the scene as fast as his tiny legs could carry him, leaving I and Isla alone.
Good. Let him run. I thought.
Isla staggered backwards, putting enough distance between us, her breathing now fast. Her cheeks were wet from crying.
“What do you want from me?” she whispered, her lips trembling.
I wanted to move close to her but the fear on her face told me not to. My wolf pushed me to go closer, wanting to comfort her, to pull her close, but she wasn’t ready for that. She didn’t even know what I was.
I stayed still.
“My name is Kade,” I said quietly. “And you’re….you’re my mate.”
“Your what?” she breathed, afraid and confused.
I didn’t want to explain everything to her yet, at least not here. Not when she was still shaken and hurt. But I didn’t have a choice, she deserved to know the truth.
“You’re my mate,” I repeated slowly. “The one meant for me.”
“I don’t understand,” she muttered, her brows pulled together. “What does that mean?”
I meant we were fated. It meant she was mine to protect. It meant our souls were intertwined. It meant I would kill for her. It meant everything.
But humans didn’t understand anything about bonds or my world. They didn’t know anything about the Moon Goddess or the instincts that ruled us. I couldn’t explain all these to her, she had to see it herself. SO I kept it simple.
“It means you’re important to me. More than you know.”
She looked at me like I had just said gibberish.
I sighed. “Isla, what are you thinking right now?”
“I think you’re crazy,” she said in a tiny voice.
I nodded. “That’s fair enough.”
“And I’m scared.”
That hurt me deeply. But I didn’t move or take a step closer toward her.
“You don’t have to be afraid, Isla,” I said softly. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
Tears began to roll down her cheeks again. Her hands shook at her sides.
“What are you?” she asked in a low whisper.
“Exactly what you think I am,” I said. “A werewolf.”
Her lips parted in shock. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m serious.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No, this isn’t real. This is a dream. It must be a nightmare. I’m upset, it’s snowing, and I’m freezing my ass off here. I must be imagining things.”
She touched her forehead like she was trying to steady herself. “This isn’t happening,” she whispered. “Werewolves don’t exist. They aren’t real.”
“Werewolves are real,” I said. My voice was low and steady. “You’re looking at one.”
She looked at me like she didn’t know whether to run, scream or cry. Then her panic took over.
“I can’t…..I can’t do this!” she cried, turning suddenly.
She ran.
Her boots slipped in the snow, but she didn’t stop. She ran like she had just seen the Grim Reaper.
I didn’t go after her even though I wanted to.
The bond screamed at me to chase after her, to bring her back but I couldn’t. Not now. She needed space to process all of this. And forcing her would only scare her more.
I stood there watching her small figure disappear into the night. My wolf was furious at me for letting her go, but I remained calm.
She was terrified of me and that fear was the last thing I ever wanted her to feel.
The cold wind blew past me, carrying her fading scent with it.
I had found my mate and she had run from me.
But this bond, this forbidden human bond, was not done yet.
Not even close.
- Writer
