CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2 – Fated Collision

Cia’s POV

Sweat trickled down my back, soaking into the fabric of my dress as I pressed my palms hard against my ears, desperate to block out the deafening sound of the bass. The club was suffocating, a chaotic mix of flashing lights, dancing bodies, sweat and intoxicating scents.

I pushed through the thick crowd, panicking beneath my skin. Where the hell is Gabrielle?

“Gabby!” I called out, but my voice drowned under the loud music.

To my left, a girl spun on a silver pole, her movements slow, calculated, and very seductive. Her bra landed on a sprawling gambling table, her wicked grin cut across her face as she peeled off her panties and tossed them into the crowd of men hypnotised by her, their eyes glazed, drunk on lust and power.

The stench of sweat, alcohol, and raw desire choked me. My stomach twisted and I almost puked. I needed to get out immediately. 

I went back to my seat and my trembling fingers scrambled for my phone. A message blinked across the screen. It was from Gabrielle. 

Gabrielle:

Wait for me. I’ll be back soon. Have fun!

Fun? I almost screamed aloud.

My pulse raced fast with fear, blood rushing in my ears. This isn’t for me. This isn’t my world.

I quickly reached for my bag, my fingers clumsily searching through my purse, searching for my keys, absentmindedly.

Then I raised my head and saw them.

A pack of rogue wolves. Rough, feral, predatory looking and they were moving toward me. Forming some sort of barricade, shielding me from other people. The leader of the group, a short, broad shouldered, dirty looking man with a sneer that promised nothing but trouble, stopped just inches from me, his eyes gleaming with dangerous amusement.

"Hey, mami. Alone? We can fix that." His voice was dripping with threat.

My heartbeat thundered. My wolf stirred uneasily beneath my skin, urging me to move, run, do something…anything.

“I’m fine, thank you,” I said, forcing the words through my clenched throat.

But he wasn’t listening. None of them were. Another man leaned in close, his breath reeking of liquor and stale cigarettes. “Don’t be like that, sweetheart. Let’s have a little fun, huh?”

“Move, Cia. Stand, walk, run.” My wolf snarled. 

I shot to my feet, but it was too late. A hand roughly shoved me crashing back onto the leather seat. Laughter erupted around me, their bodies closing in like a hunting circle, cutting me off from the rest of the club.

My wolf snapped inside me, restless, furious, but helpless. I wasn’t strong enough. I wasn’t like them.

“I will rip your throats out if you don’t get your filthy hands off my woman.”

A voice thundered. 

A deep, growl, laced with anger. 

The pack froze. My breath caught as I sighed gratefully. Lifting my head toward the sound, to see who it was.

And there he was. A very handsome yet lethal looking man, though he looked like a man in his early 40's. He was clearly the most beautiful person I had ever seen. 

His presence dominated the room, like an Alpha. A blend of power, precision, and unwavering confidence. His tailored black suit clung to him like a second skin. His exposed chest revealing a hint of a claw marked scar, proudly displayed. His dark hair brushed against his brow, framing a face too sharp, too perfect to be human.

And his eyes…, his eyes glowed faintly gold. A wolf’s eyes.

The leader of the pack scoffed, trying to mask his fear. “And you are?”

He smirked, but it wasn’t amusement. It was a warning. "I am her mate. Her husband. And the nightmare that will haunt your last breath if you don’t walk away. Now."

His voice thundered with authority, the kind that made lesser wolves drop to their knees. The air thickened with raw Alpha power. 

The leader’s confidence crumbled. He clenched his fists, his wolf pacing within, but he knew. He knew he was no match for the beast before him.

“Let’s go,” he snarled to his pack, and they scattered like frightened pups.

The moment they vanished, the man turned to me.

"Are you hurt?" His voice softened, but the danger still laced beneath it.

My throat bobbed. "No… thanks to you."

I rose too quickly. The alcohol swirled inside me, and the ground spun. My knees buckled and I fell. But before I could hit the ground, strong, warm, steady arms caught me and carried me. 

He caught me, pulling me against his chest like I weighed nothing. His scent, a mixture of wild pine, leather, and something uniquely him, like chocolates, wrapped around me, igniting something ancient, something that responded deep within my bones.

Mate bond?

No… it’s not possible. Is it?

I blinked up at him, mesmerised. His eyes gleamed again, the faintest flicker of gold in their green depths.

I suddenly felt heat rush through me, and I couldn’t tell if it was desire, shock, or something else. I was confused, but at the same time, I couldn’t deny the strong, almost uncontrollable pull drawing me to him.

He carried me out of the suffocating club like I was something precious. His car door clicked open, and he sat me down inside gently. 

When he leaned in to fasten my seatbelt, his hand grazed my breast, barely a touch, but it set my entire body ablaze.

Our eyes locked. The air felt so suffocating and the tension roared between us like a storm without warning.

I don’t know what possessed me, but I surged forward, crashing my lips against his.

It felt like sparks exploded between us. He gripped my waist tighter, his body trembling. I could feel his wolf pushing to the surface, eager to make me his. For a second, he kissed me back. Just a second.

Then he pulled away, his breath ragged, his wolf howling in frustration.

“No.” His voice was hoarse, cracking with restraint. “You’re drunk and clearly too young for me. I won’t… I can’t.”

I felt so embarrassed and the heat of shame burned through my body. I tore away from him, unfastening my belt with clumsy hands.

“What have I done?” I said in tears.

I shoved the door open and ran, stumbling into the night, the cool air slicing against my burning cheeks.

I didn’t look back. I couldn’t.

But as I vanished into the shadows, my heart screamed one question:

Will I ever see him again?

Ale’s POV

The club was a mistake. The chaos grated on my nerves. The stench of humans, and their meaningless noise.

But then I heard them. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but a group of dirty looking rogue wolves, planning to attack a young girl sitting alone in a hidden VIP section. 

“She’s alone. She’ll be easy.”

“She won’t even fight back.”

The growl that rumbled in my chest wasn’t a choice. It was instinct.

I turned, my wolf already pacing behind my ribs, snarling, Mine.

She’s not ours, I told him. We don’t even know her.

But the sight of them circling her, those vermin thinking they could touch what was never theirs, unleashed something I hadn’t felt in years.

Rage.

I stepped forward, my voice cutting through the music like a silver blade.

"I will skin every last one of you if you don’t get your filthy hands off my woman."

The words slipped out, and yet… they felt right. Mine.

They hesitated. Their leader postured, but I saw the fear flicker behind his brave demeanor .

“I am her mate,” I said, pressing power into every syllable. “Walk away or I will make you regret ever being born.”

My wolf roared his approval as they fled.

When she looked at me, the connection was immediate. Electrifying. My wolf lunged forward, desperate to claim, to bite, to mark her skin.

Stop. She’s young. She’s drunk. She doesn’t know what this is.

But when she kissed me? Gods. I almost shattered.

Pulling away was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

She bolted before I could explain.

I didn’t chase her. I didn’t trust myself not to grab her and complete the bond right there.

Instead, I ran my hand through my hair, cursing the pull, cursing the moon for her timing.

Then I saw it.

A small, worn diary sitting on the seat. I flipped it open.

Cia’s Diary.

Her name. Her dorm address. Her phone number. Her secrets.

Fate was a cruel, relentless thing.

And I had no intention of letting her go.

But am I ready to let go of the pains in the past just to love again?