My Forbidden Mate

Chapter 2

“What are you doing here Alpha?” I asked spitefully as I stared down at his curly head that was bowed.

I’m not going to lie, his presence in my room affected me a lot, my heart beating frantically against my ribs. My wolf was anxious too, or was it just the alcohol?

He stood up carefully, still avoiding my eyes.

“What now? You come into my room unannounced and you’re still avoiding eye contact?” At this point, I just wanted him out, mostly to escape the suffocating pull of how I felt.

He looked more mature now, with faint traces of stubble starting to appear along his jawline. His blue eyes were glassy, which could only mean one thing…

“Have you been dri—” I stopped mid-sentence as he finally locked his eyes onto mine.

“MATE!” My wolf screamed inside my head. Wait, what?!

I stumbled back, but he reached out instantly, catching me before I could fall. The moment his hands wrapped around my waist, every thought vanished from my head. I couldn't move away from him if I tried.

“You look so beautiful, Princess,” his voice dropped to a husky whisper, his eyes darkening to a deep, stormy blue.

I physically shivered, my knees turning completely wobbly as I leaned into his warmth. As I stared into his soul, everything felt different. The agonizing distance of the past few years melted away, replaced by an overwhelming wave of relief washing over his expression.

Subconsciously, I raised a hand to cup his cheek, feeling the smooth skin beneath my palm. The invisible magnetic pull between us was deafening.

“f**k it,” he murmured, pulling me in for a kiss that completely stole the air from my lungs.

It wasn't anything like the innocent things from the past. His lips parted mine with a fierce, desperate hunger, tasting faintly of tequila and pure lightning. Every defense I had built up against him crumbled instantly. I tangled my fingers into his hair, pulling him closer as a soft moan escaped my lips, and he groaned in response against my mouth.

The world outside my bedroom ceased to exist. When his hands trailed up my spine and his lips shifted to the sensitive skin of my neck, a jolt of liquid fire raced through my veins.

“Mine,” his wolf growled through him, teeth grazing my skin just before he bit down gently, sealing our fate in the dark.

A breathless sigh of pure, overwhelming pleasure shuddered through me as the invisible chains of our bond welded us together. In that quiet room, wrapped tightly in his arms, the lines of who we were to each other blurred into nothingness. We were no longer just siblings; we were two halves of a storm finally colliding.

Hours later, the heavy quiet of the room settled around us. I lay curled against his bare chest, listening to the steady, heavy thud of his heart while inhaling the intoxicating scent of cedar and rain that was uniquely his.

“When did you find out?” I whispered into the silence, breaking the comfortable haze.

“On my eighteenth birthday,” he murmured, his lips pressing a soft, lingering kiss to the crown of my head, pulling me even closer if that was even possible.

“Oh… is that why you distanced yourself?” I shifted slightly, looking up at him in sudden realization as all the pieces finally clicked into place.

“Yeah,” he let out a low, rueful breath, a faint, tired smile touching his lips. “I was losing my mind trying to control myself around you.”

“I missed you,” I admitted softly, the honesty slipping past my defenses.

“I missed you too, Dyl,” he whispered, his eyes filled with a raw, aching devotion. “More than you’ll ever know.”

We lay there in the quiet dark for a moment longer, trying to savor a peace we hadn't earned yet, before reality crashed back down.

Knock. Knock.

A sharp sound at the bedroom door sent a violent chill straight down my spine. In a blur of panic, we scrambled apart, scrambling to adjust our clothes as the heavy atmosphere shattered.

The knocking persisted for a moment before stopping. Then, a distinct, sweet scent drifted through the gap under the door—strawberries. My wolf stiffened instantly. I heard soft, hurried footsteps retreating down the hallway.

Wait. That strawberry scent belonged to someone specific. Who could possibly be outside our rooms this late at night?

Confused and uneasy, I looked over at Dylan. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, completely lost in thought, his expression morphing from warmth into a mask of rigid panic. The vulnerability from moments ago vanished, replaced by an invisible wall he was rapidly rebuilding between us.

“Dyl? Are you okay?” I asked, stepping closer with a knot forming in my throat.

The second my fingers brushed his shoulder, he flinched and stood up abruptly, as if waking up from a nightmare.

“I need to go,” he muttered, his voice cold and detached.

Before I could say a word, he walked out of my room without sparing me a single glance, closing the door quietly behind him.

Just like that, we were back at point zero. What a cruel life.

The place where he had marked me burned like a brand against my skin. Rejection would have felt kinder than this sudden, freezing abandonment. I swallowed hard against the hot sting of tears, turning away from the empty space on the bed as the heavy weight of our forbidden reality settled over me.