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I COULD SENSE HIM in the darkness, hearing the light shuffling of sheets. His presence was just too hard to ignore because of the power his body was holding. My back was pressed against his chest, engulfed in his heat. My eyes were closed, trying hard not to open them, and hoping he wouldn't sense that I was awake.

I wasn't ready to face him.

I missed my home. I missed my pack.

No matter how many times he told me he did not wipe out my pack, I still couldn't find truth in anything he had to say. There was just that strange feeling of doubt and distrust.

Apollo. That name alone could send me spiralling to the depths of my despair. He was named after the sun, when werewolves should only glory with the kindness of the moon- our heavenly mother.

I stopped thinking as his hand roamed from my waist, inching up to my front while resting for a few seconds on the bare navel under my shirt. Fire burst from every pore of my skin and I almost winced at the heat of his touch.

I discerned that this was how mates affected each other. I should be happy. I'd been waiting for him to arrive for so long. But somehow, this felt more off beam than right.

We were not supposed to be moving this fast... Hell, we shouldn't even move anywhere further... We're not compatible. I was very sure of that.

He moved his body closer, his breath was beginning to fan my neck in a steam of pleasure. I wriggled at his touch, moving upward to the undersides of my breasts. Not an inch of my skin was left in the cold because of him.

"Wake up," he whispered, his breath fanned my neck, making me flinch and open my eyes in involuntary pleasure and shock.

My vision was blurry but my sense of smell and touch were stronger than they had ever been before. I felt disgusted with my scent- the smell of arousal- of hunger for my mate's body.

I was sure he could smell it as well that he could almost taste it. However, he must know that my mind was not in full agreement with my body. I ignored the forwarded feelings and rallied with my wolf who kept on pushing me to only give in.

I can't.

You should. She was completely lost in it.

He's not worth it. I don't want him. He attacked our pack and forced us to come with him. I can never be comfortable with my abductor. I argued, remembering the last few hours before I fell asleep.

He collared us with bronze. We can't be undone. I added, convincing her to fight the bond.

I find it strange that he did that. But the moon... Its pull is too strong. I want to believe you, Freya. I will try to resist succumbing to his coaxing. My wolf understood. She was an alpha and I respected her.

My neck felt cold- painfully cold but it was healing. He must've removed the bronze collar while I was asleep. All I could feel was the tip of his nose grazing the hollows of my neck.

Freya. My wolf was struggling, she backed away but the bond was pulling her to the edge.

It took me a huge amount of self-control to help her stop the bond. This is us. This is me and my body. I don't want him. I thought of those things to arrest my fragility.

He harmed my pack and as the Alpha, I couldn't tolerate such vile behaviour. His nature was to kill, not to care.

He was Mortifera- the wolf assassin, the bearer of death, the revered king of bloodlust. He was named according to the battles he won. He attacked without words or hints. He killed without reason. He was a greedy conqueror.

I could feel his lips descending on the soft spot of my neck, grazing the skin where he thought his mark should be. I felt desire due to the unwanted pull, but my eyes turned glassy. This was counted as form of abuse.

"Please stop," I softly uttered. My voice almost croaked in the end. I don't want this. I don't want you.

He did not listen. He just continued to submerge me with him in this pool of forbidden pleasure. His thumb threatened to circle on the nub of my breasts, he wasn't kissing me but he burned my skin with desire and heated neck. I gasped as his body hovered over mine.

He stared me down and I held onto my resolve. My gaze was hard and I tensed. I looked at him firmly and his darkened eyes only revealed globes of lust. A drop of suppressed tear fell from the corner of my eye, sliding down to my cheek like a raindrop in the desert. His eyes reverted back to its blue hue. He easily shifted back to the blood-curdling person he was.

"You hate me, don't you?" He asked deeply, huskily. His voice hummed in my ear, goading me to answer him with honesty.

"Yes." I breathlessly admitted.

"They say you can't hate your mate forever." He retorted, staring at my parted lips. I felt torn between the warm sensation he was giving and the pestering reluctance and fear in me.

"Well then, that's a lie. I don't want you. I will never want you," I daringly barked back even when my voice was a mere whisper.

A frown marred his face that I was sure no amount of coaxing could remove. I didn't regret saying it but my wolf was compelled by the bond to soothe our mate.

My hands ached to rub his chest, to make him feel better. Damn this bond. Stay away from me. Frustration soared higher, taking me to its pointed peak- regret. But I tried to resist, no matter how painful it was becoming.

My wolf managed to get the barrier of our minds out. I feel hopeless, Freya. We cannot hurt him.

But he hurt us first. I was quick to bite back.

He deserved it. He prompted me to say it. I hate how egocentric he is. I badgered, smelling the thinning scent of my mate's arousal. His aura splayed a color of hatred and revulsion.

The fire Apollo ignited suddenly disappeared. He moved his body away, rising from the bed, wearing loose clothing. I pulled myself up as well, tugging the hem of my shirt down as I studied his face full of agitation.

He almost lost to the bond. I huffed internally. He was also fighting it.

I clearly went overboard with my words and it confused me that the great Mortifera was easily plundered of his mood just because I said I hated him.

Ah. I get it.

His wolf must have been too proud. The alpha in him had finally met its match. My wolf disliked the comparison forming in my head, and so, I pushed it back.

Apollo was a strong being and he captured me even if it meant that I was the one he referred to as his curse. It didn't matter if I said I despised him. He still had me trapped. He would definitely use me. I was sure of it.

"Prepare yourself. The warriors are waiting for you. I will see you downstairs. This time, do not ignore my order or I'll collar you again," he uttered, a shiver went down my spine. It was chilling to hear him back in his alpha state.

There were threats in his words and a punishment seemed to be lying around the bend. He had shown me two sides of him as an alpha and as an unwelcome mate.

He had the authority over me, and the ego of my alpha was being stabbed repeatedly just by the idea of it.

This was the reason why I didn't want to be with him in any way. I couldn't be with him because our personalities would clash. I was an Alpha as well and I could feel even the slightest bond with my pack. It was ever present and would never go away.

I had to hold onto my title and return to my pack. I wasn't going to force myself to stay here. I was determined to find my way out no matter how impossible it seemed to escape.

For now, I must be obedient.

My wolf was confused but she trusted my judgment.

I would follow his rules and use him to my advantage. Maybe he thought of using me for his own gain. A pack with two strong alphas would likely be revered as formidable combination after all. But one of us would have to step down. And that alone irked me.

Vile and hatred consumed me at the thought. I might be alpha but I was not aiming for such impudent ideas. The lust for power was not part of my desires, and not even in my wildest dreams had I ever pictured myself as the victor of lands- ruler of all wolves.

Fate must have been so drunk when he matched me with the Alpha of death. The moon must really hate me for sending us a mate whose attitude was bitter and sour than anyone else's.

At this thought, my decision of being obedient to my mate was final. Indeed. I'll show him obedience... For now. I would be playing this game. I'd be participating in this dance, and then I'd do the opposite and fail him.

Nobody could force me to do just what they wanted me to.

He should hate me as much as I was growing to hate him. Once he despises me, I will never have to be found by him again.

Freya, this is dangerous. I could tell you, I'm not stronger than the beast inside of him. My wolf resurfaced. Like a broken mirror, she admitted her diminishing resolve.

Trust me on this. I'll get us out of here. I simply replied.

I would never succumb to his will. This forceful, intense, and unwanted pull of the moon would never haunt me again.

My eyes turned blank with a serious and unreadable expression. I shuffled the dark blue silk sheets of the bed as my toes met the wooden floor of the bedroom. Fuck it. It was a prison cell.

Without a second thought, I decided not to fix and clean myself. Leaving my neck with bruises and gashes tainted with blood, I stepped towards the door and twisted the knob in silence.

In my tattered and ragged clothes, I walked out of the hall fully lit with yellow sconce lights. My legs were shaky for a moment because I had long been in lying. Brushing away the pain, I ignored the vulnerable Freya and submitted to numbness. He said I had to be downstairs to meet his pack.

In this, what would they think of him?

Someone who tortured his luna. I smirked to myself.

I was desperate to leave.

So be it.

Quite a short chapter but I'll leave you with this. I will upload the next chapter on Friday. :))) It's gonna be... okay won't spoil.

Please don't forget to vote and comment :D

xoxo,

marienggles