Hated By The Alpha, Forced To Be His Mate

CHAPTER 4

HAZEL BLACKVALE

“Grandma.” I try to help her inside the house, but I am caught by surprise when I see she manages to stand on her own.

She looks fine.

My grandma couldn’t make it to my wedding because she was always too sick or too weak to leave the house.

“Are you feeling better?”

She turns to me with a calm, almost serene smile.

“I’m much better, my dear.”

I frown. It doesn’t make sense.

Last time, she could barely speak because of her cough. Now, her cheeks are rosy, and her movements are steady. But I decide not to ask right away.

“This is… amazing,” I say, forcing a smile as I take off my coat and sit on the sofa. “What happened? Some new treatment?”

She just shrugs.

“Maybe I just needed a little time and peace.”

My gaze continues to examine every detail. She doesn’t just look healthy… she looks rejuvenated.

My grandmother sits across from me and takes my hands.

“Tell me… how was it marrying Luke?”

I let out a dry laugh, unable to hide my irritation.

“He’s not exactly what anyone would call friendly.”

Her eyes shift subtly. The smile remains, but there’s something colder in it now.

“So, my dear… maybe you should run from him.”

I freeze for a second.

“Run? Grandma, you always wanted me to fulfill the moon’s curse. You always told me my destiny was tied to him.”

She seems hesitant… or maybe confused.

“Did I say that?” she asks, as if she really doesn’t remember.

My heart beats faster.

Something is wrong. But I keep the suspicion to myself, forcing a neutral expression.

“Yes. Many times.” I try to start another conversation, but my mind is already on alert.

She gets up and goes to the kitchen.

The smell of hot tea soon fills the room, and she returns with two steaming cups.

“I made your favorite,” she says, handing me one.

I hold the cup, feeling the warmth spread through my hands. I take a sip and close my eyes for a second.

“I miss my dad,” I murmur, letting slip something I had been holding in.

“I know, my dear.”

We continue talking, but in the middle of a sentence, I feel something strange. My stomach starts hurting, my vision begins to blur. I blink several times, trying to clear my mind.

“Grandma… what’s in this tea?” I ask, bringing the cup to my nose.

“Just herbal tea… nothing you don’t know.”

Her smile doesn’t change.

I put the cup on the table and clutch my neck, gasping.

“There’s… something wrong…” I manage to say between coughs.

She approaches, placing a hand on my back, pretending to be concerned.

“Oh, dear, you don’t look well… sit down.”

I try to get up, but my legs fail me.

My lungs burn as if I inhaled smoke.

The room spins.

“Luke…” I call, my voice faltering.

I take a step and fall to the floor, coughing harder. D*mn. What is happening to me?

I lift my head and fix my eyes on her.

“Grandma… what’s happening?”

The smile changes. It’s no longer sweet, no longer familiar.

It’s cruel.

“Your grandma is far away now… and no one can help you, Hazel.”

My heart races.

“What?” My voice barely comes out.

In front of me, my grandmother’s figure begins to disappear.

Her hair changes, turning blonde. Her skin seems to lose years, and her eyes become cold and sharp.

Now, in front of me, there is a woman who smiles predatory.

On her shoulder, I see an unmistakable tattoo: the symbol of a pack I’ve seen somewhere before.

“You… are not her.” My voice is a hoarse whisper.

“Very perceptive.” She crouches, staring at me closely.

“I used a little spell to take the place of your dear grandma. I needed you vulnerable… and it worked perfectly.”

My body shakes, partly from the poisoning, partly from fear.

“Why?”

She smiles more, almost savoring the answer.

“Because your marriage to Luke is a threat. And I always eliminate threats.”

I cough more, unable to breathe. I feel tears in my eyes trying to drag me across the wooden floor, but my body is too weak now.

“Who are you?”

“I am someone who needs you dead, Hazel.”

From inside her coat, she pulls out a silver-bladed dagger.

“I’m finally going to get you out of my way.”

My nails scrape the floor as I try to back away, but dizziness overtakes me.

“Luke…” I whisper, lying on the floor and seeing everything spin around me.

“Yes. Keep calling for him, but it won’t help.”

I try to prop myself on my elbow to move back, but it doesn’t work.

“Look at me, Hazel. Don’t you recognize me?”

I shake my head, and then she approaches, gripping the dagger tightly.

“You took my place. You stole everything from me.”

I try to get up once more, but she kicks my shoulder, forcing me to stay on the floor.

“I don’t know who you are.”

The air leaves my lungs with a thud. She looks at me as if I were a helpless animal about to be slaughtered.

“You look so small now.”

Before I can react, she kicks my ribs.

I feel the pain radiate through my entire body. A hoarse moan escapes my lips. I try to roll to the side, but my legs won’t obey me.

She kneels over me, raising the dagger to kill me.

“It’ll be quick,” she whispers, leaning in to aim directly at my heart.

My hand rises instinctively, grabbing her wrist.

Our strength doesn’t compare — hers is steady and cold, mine trembles and fails.

I try to push, but my vision begins to blur.

“So much effort for nothing…” she murmurs, forcing the blade closer to my chest.

I try to resist, but a violent cough tears through me, and my strength escapes with the air.

The metallic taste of blood fills my mouth. The blade descends a few more centimeters.

And then, before she can kill me, the door is opened forcefully.

“LUKE!” I scream, or try to scream.

The woman turns her head toward the sound, and in seconds, her weight disappears from on top of me.

I hear a dull impact, as if two bodies collided violently.

I open my eyes and see Luke, kneeling beside me, his face marked with raw concern.

He holds my shoulders carefully, his eyes scanning every inch of my body.

“Hazel, what’s happening? What did they do to you?”

I try to answer, but my throat is burning too much.

I just raise my hand and point to my neck, desperate.

Panic overtakes his features.

“Sh*t… you can’t breathe.”

He holds my face with both hands, leaning in so I can see every word of his.

“Look at me. Stay awake, Hazel. Don’t close your eyes.”

Before I can react, a sound behind him makes my eyes widen. The woman stands, dagger still in hand, trying to strike him.

“LUKE!” I try to warn, but I can only cough.

He spins instantly, intercepting the attack.

He grabs both of her arms firmly and, in one sharp move, twists them behind her. The metal of the dagger falls to the floor with a clink.

She tries to react, but he pushes her with such force that her body slides across the floor until hitting the wall.

Before he can finish what he started, the woman recovers and runs for the door, disappearing out of the cabin.

Luke immediately turns to me, his wild gaze softening back to something that shatters me: fear.

He scoops me up as if I were too light for the weight I feel in my body.

“What happened? What did she give you?”

With effort, the words tear through my throat.

“Poison… in the tea.”

Another violent cough shakes me, and he holds me tighter, as if he could keep me whole just with the strength of his arms.

“Stay with me, Hazel. Stay alive,” he orders.

The taste of blood in my mouth grows stronger. I touch my neck trying to breathe, but nothing happens.

I roll my eyes, sobbing.

“Breathe, please…” he murmurs, and I realize his fear is almost palpable.

I lift my eyes to him, trying to focus on the face I’ve known since childhood.

For a moment, I don’t see the man he’s become — I see the boy who brought me water when I fell and hurt my knee, who sat by my side until the pain passed.

“Stay with me, please,” he insists, as if repeating it could keep me here.

I try to hold his hand, but my fingers slip.

“Stay awake, Hazel. Don’t you dare leave me like this. Don’t you dare die now.”

And then everything goes dark.