Chapter Four

There was a collective gasp of surprise from the crowd, but l noted their reactions with a tiny portion of my brain. Every cell of my body was doubly aware of the stranger who stood before me. He looked like he had stepped right out of the pages of a glossy magazine. Well turned out for the event, he was dressed in a simple cotton shirt and trousers. Simple though his outfit was, each article of clothing hinted at designer origins. All he had on, I noticed later. For a long heart stopping minute, my eyes were riveted on his perfect face. 

Those intense brown eyes of his looked me over several times, seeming to absorb every detail of my appearance. He looked to be in his early or mid twenties. His strong jaw line hinted at a forceful personality. He looked like someone who had a lot of authority and who was used to getting his way with everything. 

I stood there for several seconds or minutes- I could not tell for how long. The mate bond between us was pulling me in so many different directions, urging- no compelling- me to submit to this stranger and accept him as my mate. My wolf purred at the thought. I had an almost overwhelming urge to close the distance between us and feel those muscular arms around me.

 Damn! How could I feel this way about a stranger? As a werewolf, I had heard about the bond between mates. I had listened in barely concealed boredom to my mother describe the sensations that one would feel when they finally discovered their mate, but nothing I had heard had prepared me for the pull I felt towards him.

I took a step forward and forced myself to stop. Briefly, I closed my eyes, opened them again and glanced at the crowd I could see over his shoulder in an attempt to distract myself. I immediately spotted Lucas. He looked comically surprised, his mouth agape. The glass of wine he held in his hand was canted at a horizon angle  and it's contents were pouring on the floor, making a pool around his shoes. The scene would have struck me as funny at other times were it not for the handsome stranger whose scent still assailed my nostrils. My cheeks burned in embarrassment. I had come to the mating ceremony, desperate not to call attention to myself. Instead I had successfully drawn the attention of everyone here.

Focusing on other people in the room helped clear my head a little. I was no able to face him. I took two steps back trying to put some distance between us. He was so tall that even though I was two paces away from him, I still had to crane my neck to look up at him. His height was intimidating and it put me at a disadvantage. 

"Mate," he muttered again, so softly that I felt sure only both of us heard it. The first time he had spoken, it was in a growl. This time, I noticed that his voice was a rich deep baritone, the kind of voice I expected to go with that kind of body.

I shook my head firmly. "Hey Mister, you are mistaken. I am not your mate."

His eyes narrowed dangerously at that and he looked so threatening I  backed away another step. 

"Uhm, excuse me. I was just about to leave." I laughed nervously and held up my phone. He stared at me impassively.  "Have a very important call I need to make. So.  . ."

With a nervous little smile which was almost a grimace, I turned away praying to the goddess that this man would not push it. I took a step way from him,then two. The crowd that had clustered together opened to create a space for me to pass through. I breathed a sigh of relief. This was it. I was going to run and get the hell out of here, out of this town and back to my life abroad where everything was predictable and normal. My muscles tensed as I prepared to run for it. 

"Stop!" he ordered, his voice compelling me to obey. 

As if on cue the path in front of me closed, the crowd around leaned forward prepared to see another act in the slowly unfolding drama which I unfortunately was a part of. 

Reluctantly, I turned back to face him. He raised one questioning eyebrow.

"And where did you think you were going. Did I give you permission to leave?"

I glared at him now. Shock and embarrassment were giving place to anger. His tone was commanding to say the least. We had barely known each other for less than 5 minutes and he was already giving me orders? Hell no!

I crossed my arms across my chest, matching his angry stare. I decided not to let him see how terrified I had begun to feel. 

"Who the hell are you tell me when to leave?" I spat out. 

A collective 'ooo' of shock ran through the crowd. They too were getting on my nerves. Who was he anyway that they seemed to hang on his every word? Behind the stranger, my brother shook his head slowly.

"No," he mouthed, shooting me a warning look. "Emma, no." 

"Who am I?" he repeated, a mocking tilt to his lips. 

With his hands, he made a quick gesture. Almost like magic, guards assembled in the hall slowly came towards me. My eyes darted around the room for a means of escape, but there was none. Almost before I knew what was happening, I was surrounded by guards. 

The stranger looked me over insolently. "Take her and lock her up," he ordered in a lazy drawl. 

Two guards approached me, gripping either sides of my arms. My mouth opened in shock.

"Hey!" I screamed at the stranger's retreating back as I struggled. 

He did not turn once. Lucas looked at me, shoulders slumped and a resigned look on his face. I knew then that I was on my own.The guards literally dragged me out of the hall like a rag doll. I felt tears of shame and humiliation sting my eyes and I rapidly blinked them back. The crowd parted to allow us pass as I screamed at them to let me go. I was past caring at that spectacle I made of myself. All I wanted was to get out of this ridiculous situation. 

The guards took me to the back of the house, up a flight of stairs and into a room. They marched me in and retreated, shutting the door behind me. I heard the key turn in the lock. I ran towards the door, banging on it till my knuckles turned red. I screamed till me throat felt sore, demanding to be let out but no one took any notice. The tears I tried to hold in fell hard and fast, smudging my mascara. I sat on the floor, ignoring the sofa in the room, my hands clutched in my hair. 

Time here seemed to pass really slowly. The ticking of the clock in the silence of the room seemed too loud. I felt impotent rage and anger against my supposed mate. To keep me here, locked up like a wild animal was the height of it. Hours passed and still no one came. 

I was almost dozing when I heard the sound of footsteps outside the door. It opened and my mate came in. I scrambled to my feet and rounded on him. He came in and stared at me, unconcerned.

"What do you think you are doing?" I screamed, poking me in the chest. "I demand you let me go right now."