The matebond

Strong hands instantly grabbed me once more. Without giving me a chance to resist, the warriors dragged me away and threw me back into the cell.

 I just slumped against the cold stone wall, wrapping my arms around myself.

Pain, anger, and hopelessness crashed over me all at once. I had spent three years running as a rogue, surviving without a pack, without anyone controlling my fate. But now, the Moon Goddess had tied me to the one person I hated most.

This mate bond was a curse I never asked for, a chain I could never break.

I wanted to tear apart the walls and claw my way out of this fate, but my body refused to move. I just sat there, alone, surrounded by cold stone and colder silence.

Minutes passed. Or hours. I couldn’t tell anymore and I don’t know when sleep finally took me but the sound of footsteps and voices woke me up later.

Elders of the pack.  

As soon as my eyes fell on them, I immediately closed them and pretended to be asleep.

“…it’s an abomination,” one of them hissed. “The Goddess must’ve made a mistake. There’s no way in the world, a male is fated to Alpha Asher. It defies every law, every tradition, every sacred bond we have held for centuries.”

 “Mistake? This is no mistake. This is a curse.  The Moon Goddess is testing our Alpha, testing our pack because we all know a male cannot produce an heir, a luna has to be a shewolf”, Another elder murmured.

I stayed perfectly still, eyes shut tight, pretending to be asleep as I listened to their words. The words cut deep, especially the disgust in their voices.

“The Alpha has already ordered his execution. He must die for the sake of our pack.”

The moment I heard those words, I stopped breathing.

The elders’ voices grew louder with agreement.

“Kill him quickly and quietly,” Another urged. “Before the bond takes root any deeper. Before the pack finds out their Alpha is cursed with a male mate.”

“A worthless rogue,” another added with clear disgust. “The Goddess has clearly erred. We must correct it.”

I bit down hard on my lip to keep from making a sound. Disbelief and pain twisted inside my chest. I had spent years running, surviving as a rogue, only to be dragged here and told that the one person the Moon Goddess chose for me wanted me dead.

A cold rage burned through my chest, but I forced myself to stay still. I lowered my head.

The elders exchanged a few words in hushed voices. A moment later, I heard someone give an order.“Enter his cell and kill him.”

The order was given casually, as if my life meant nothing.

The cell door creaked open.I kept my eyes shut, forcing myself to remain still as footsteps echoed through the darkness, slowly approaching me.

The warrior thought I was unconscious. He was wrong.

The moment he stepped within reach, my eyes snapped open.I used every last bit of strength left in my body and drove my foot into his chest.

I didn’t waste a second.Using the chains still wrapped around my wrists, I rushed toward the nearest elder. I threw the chain around his neck and pulled him against me.

The entire room froze.

“What—?”Gasps erupted around me.

No one expected a weakened rogue, a prisoner with his hands bound, to suddenly turn the situation around.

I tightened the chain around the elder’s throat, my breathing heavy.

“Open the door,” I growled. “Or I’ll kill him.”

The warriors immediately raised their weapons.

“Don’t move!”

“Take another step, and your elder dies.”

The room fell silent.I could feel their hatred burning into me.

Someone whispered from the crowd.“That rogue…”

The disgust in his voice cut deeper than any blade. But I ignored it. Because I knew. If I stayed here today, I would die.

The elders exchanged tense looks. Finally, the elder trapped in my arms coughed out weakly.

“Let him leave… Open the door.”

The guards hesitated, but they had no choice.The heavy iron door slowly opened.Keeping the elder in front of me as a shield, I moved toward the exit step by step.

For the first time since being captured, I saw a chance to escape.I was almost free.

Then—

A shadow suddenly appeared from the corner.Before I could react, a powerful force slammed into me.

I was thrown to the ground.

The elder escaped from my grip immediately as the wolf pinned me down.

“You really are a rogue,” he snarled.His eyes were filled with disgust.“Shameless. You actually dared to use our elder as a hostage?”

I coughed, struggling beneath his weight.

“You wanted to kill me,” I spat. “Did you really expect me to just sit there and stretch out my neck for you?”

The wolf’s expression darkened.“Still running your mouth?”

His foot slammed into my body.

Pain exploded through me, and I gasped, unable to breathe for a moment.

He grabbed the sword from the ground and raised it above my throat.

“Today,” he growled, his voice filled with hatred, “you die here.”