Chapter 3 Darren

Darren

When I first arrived at the Stone Heart Pack, I was furious that the alpha had escaped. They told me his luna had stayed behind to take responsibility for him. What kind of a luna would defend a man like that? I was so angry. But then as I walked down the path and looked at the pack members, I smelled an intoxicating butterscotch scent. It was heaven. I became anxious as I tried to find the source of the scent, and then my eyes landed on the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. She had caramel colored hair that matched her butterscotch scent to perfection. I then noticed the chain around her neck and lost it.

I yelled at my Beta Lyle and my Gamma Tim and demanded to know who put the control collar on her. How dare they put that collar on my mate! But they argued with me that it was for safety. We didn’t know anything about her, and her pupils were dilated. She could have a potion in her, making me feel the mate bond.

I roared in agitation, knowing they could be right. But with the growl, I got another scent, one that made my cock harden instantly. It was the scent of her arousal. Fuck, I wanted her.

Then, the smallest of voices cried out on her behalf. On behalf of their luna. My heart sank, realizing exactly who this woman was. She was the luna of this pack. The luna to the alpha I was here to apprehend.

Lyle began to talk to her, and I held my breath as I heard the sweetest voice in the world. But when I heard she had been stabbed, I was ready to eviscerate the world. I’m going to find her step-sister and her EX-MATE and I’ll eviscerate them.

When she said she was taking the blame for her pack, I was over it. I wanted that damn chain off her neck. They told me they had to test her blood first, to make sure it was legit. That we couldn’t trust my senses right now. But my primal instincts took over, and without a second thought, I tore through the chain that bound her. The sound of metal links snapping echoed my own snap. A protective rage took over, and I needed to touch her. Gods, I had barely touched her skin, and electric shocks ripped up my arm, BEGGING me to hold her.

She cautioned me to be careful, her voice laced with worry and concern. But I paid it no mind, for I was immune to most poisons anyway. And even if I wasn't, the mere thought of holding her in my arms, if only for a fleeting moment, was worth any potential danger. The hue of her skin was like honeyed silk, and the way she looked up at me with her doe-like eyes made my heart swell. Her scent was intoxicating my senses, and in that moment I would risk anything just to hold her damn hand!

But then she collapsed, and she was in my arms, but for the wrong reasons. I rushed her into their pack house and laid her down on the couch. I turned her to her side, lifting up her shirt to see the wound. I could hear Lyle and Tim protesting, but I ignored them. All I could feel was panic.

The healer couldn’t work fast enough, and I paced impatiently on the other side of the couch. It felt like an eternity before they identified the poison. It was lestra poisoning, a type of poison that causes immediate paralysis. They also identified willow weed, which is a general treatment but was only temporary. It didn’t cure her, it just allowed her to stand. Meanwhile, the poison was aggressively attacking her insides. It had to be extremely painful, but she showed no signs of it.

The healers treated her and said she was resting. And now, I was waiting impatiently for her to wake up. I needed to see she was okay for myself.

“Darren, now what?” Lyle sighed as he pulled up a seat next to me. I was sitting on the ground in front of the couch, holding her hand.

“What do you mean?” Now what? Wasn’t it obvious? She wasn’t tricking me. This woman was my mate. And by some twist of fate, she had been abandoned by her alpha and was now on the market, just waiting for someone to claim her. She was mine, and I would do everything in my power to take care of her.

“Darren, she was just betrayed by her mate. She isn’t ready for what you are. You don’t know anything about her. You need to reel your emotions in.” Lyle sighed as I turned my head slightly to look at him.

“Don’t tell me that. After all these years of searching and waiting, I have finally found her. She might not be ready, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t mine. What now? What do you mean ‘what now’? She is mine. She is coming back with me.”

“She might still be in love with—” Tim stood up from his chair and I immediately cut him off.

“HE ABANDONED HER! He cheated on her! And I would never do that.” Love. What did her pathetic mate know about love? Nothing. I would show her what real love was and what it meant to be cherished. But they did have a point. What she went through right now was traumatic. Emotionally, she might need time, but I would be there for her. And I would wait for her, as long as I needed to.

A fated mate was more than just a romantic notion. It was a gift from the universe. They were the one meant to be your perfect partner. They filled in your gaps and were the missing pieces of your life. They were a cosmic promise that you didn’t have to go through the journey of life alone.

Tim walked up behind the couch and reached his hand down to feel her forehead. I immediately growled at him. She wasn’t his to touch!

“Easy, Darren, I’m just checking if she has a fever.” Tim chuckled at my reaction, which I didn’t think was funny.

“I’ll check it!” I snarled, placing my hand on her forehead.

“Do you even know how to check?” Lyle snickered from beside me, making me roll my eyes.

“You two don’t need to be here,” I growled, my eyes softening as I listened to her breathing. Gods, I wanted to kiss her so badly. I wanted to feel her sweet lips against mine. I wanted to hear her voice again. “Go and finish things up with the pack. Find out who will be taking over as the new alpha, and let them know that she is not their luna anymore ... she is mine.” I listened as their footsteps quietly led them out of the room. Finally, I was alone with her.

This beautiful woman with the heart of a true luna was my mate. I brushed my fingers through her caramel locks of hair, tucking the strands behind her ear. Allissa, I’m going to take care of you from now on.

With my hand still against her cheek, I watched as she began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open, looking confused, before her blue sapphires finally landed on me. Gods, this must be what heaven was like.