2. Mate? It can't be

Delilah's POV

The armed men clear a path in their middle, and the war general emerges from their midst. At his appearance, the banquet hall becomes pin-drop silent. His jet black hair falls down his shoulders in loose curly strands. His well-toned muscles press against the material of his black clothes.

"General Kane, we agreed you won't near Silver Crest territory. Why are you here?" Enzo confronts the general.

Tension hangs in the air as the war general makes his way through the crowd, completely ignoring the Alpha. Everyone clears from his path and his men follow behind him.

His green eyes hold a stern expression, like one searching for something. He stops and points at a pack member standing at the back of the crowd.

"There."

Immediately, the man tries to run away, causing an uproar from the crowd. Two of the armed men follow him up and quickly catch him.

"Stop this at once! You can't come in here and harass my pack," Enzo defends as they bring the man in front of General Kane and pull up his sleeves.

One of his arms is in wolf form. Murmur immediately arises from the crowd.

"A rogue, right under your nose," General Kane says with a hint of accusation in his tone.

"Sir, he's turning," one of the armed men points out. The rogue has started to shake vigorously.

"Discard him," General Kane orders, scaring the rogue and everyone who heard it.

The rogue begins to fight with all his might until he breaks free from their grip. He jumps at General Kane.

In one swing of his hand, General Kane sends him flying to the adjacent wall which cracks due to the impact. A shout escapes from the rogue and he goes limp on the floor.

Enzo stares helplessly as the armed men take the rogue away.

My heart beat skyrockets from watching the scene. I close my eyes and place my hand on my chest, trying to calm my heavy breathing. I need to leave this place immediately.

Opening my eyes, I search among the crowd for a way of escape. With everyone distracted, I quietly slip through one of the back doors of the banquet hall.

My heart races as I get out into the open street in front of the banquet hall. Reaching underneath my wedding dress, I retrieve a small dagger I keep clapsed to my thigh. Ripping sounds arise from the dress as I tear it off my body, leaving me in my vest and shorts.

Quickly, I stash the dress away and dash down the street, taking to the path in between the houses, using them to conceal myself. On getting to a large field leading to the woods bordering the Silver Crest pack, I make a run for it.

My heart drums wildly in my chest. Just a few more meters and I'm in the woods, finding my way out of this wicked place.

I throw my legs in front of me, one after the other, until I'm under the canopy of the heavy forestation. Running among the trees, I move as fast as my legs can carry me. Thankfully I hadn't been wearing heels for the wedding, but boots which now aid my escape.

"Ah!" I shout, tripping over a stick and falling to the ground. A cracking sound meets my ears and I desperately hope it's not my bone. Sitting up, I examine my ankle and find it dislocated.

"No," I cry out, sobbing. My breath comes out heavy and ragged as I try to move my injured leg.

Steady footsteps approach me and I snap my head up to see General Kane standing right in front of me. A chill runs down my spine.

His green eyes seem to pierce into my soul as he looks down at me. His gaze softens.

"No, it can't be," he says in low tone. "You can't be my mate."

Mate? My body trembles nervously. I want to run from him, but one of my leg's been damaged.

My heart skips as he lifts me off the ground. He carries me to a car parked in a lonely area and puts me at the back seat. A strange gas fills the car and I black out.

I wake up in a room where there's a middle aged man and a young lady.

"Where am I?" I ask, sitting up agitated.

The lady comes to me and tries to calm me down. She's gentle and nice but I don't feel safe.

I watch them fearfully. The lady tends to my needs and the man seems to be a doctor.

He takes out a syringe and comes close to me. "This would only prick you a little. We need just a small amount of your blood okay?"

"No! Don't come close!" I shout, but he doesn't listen. I begin fighting against his hold.

"Nora, please hold her down," the doctor says and Nora approaches me on the bed. She uses her two hands and pins me down to the bed so the doctor can insert the syringe. I try to push out of her grip, and the needle injures me.

"Ahh!" I groan in pain. Blood leaks out of the small cut. The doctor gives me cotton wool to hold it off.

He pours the blood into a vase containing a crystal clear liquid and the blood starts to bubble.

His expression hardens and he turns sharply to me. "She's concentrated. We need to infuse her now."

"What do you mean? I'm fine. Stop making things up. Let me go, you're the ones making me sick!" I cry out, not wanting to relive my experience from six months ago.

The doctor opens his bag and brings out a sack containing a red liquid.

"This is cure blood, it will reduce the effect of the Silver in your system, Delilah. You need to allow us to do this now, if not, you might faint and not wake up for a long time."

"Silver doesn't affect me. I've dipped myself a lot in Silver Lake. It doesn't harm me. Just let me go, please."

Nora steps forward, her figure imposing. "So what? Even if you're not sick, do you really want to return to Silver Crest? To Alpha Enzo?"

"Never! But I don't want to be here either. The general takes only rogues and criminals, what business does he have with me?"

Nora scoffs. "You don't know how endangered you are outside the walls of this place, do you? Why do you think Alpha Enzo did not discard you from Silver Crest pack but wanted to marry you off instead? People are looking for you Delilah, people worse than..."

"Enough!"

The room shakes as General Kane bangs the door open and steps in. He shoots Nora a glare so she bows her head and walks away from me.

His presence alone gives an air of discomfort in the room. I shift in my bed as he walks up to me.

He examines the cut on my elbow as a crease forms on his forehead. He looks into my face so his gaze burns into mine. My breath almost catches in my throat and I swallow uncomfortably.

"Now you will calm down and accept treatment. After that, you will fall asleep and..."

"No..." Despite my heart drumming in my chest and the knot forming in my stomach, I muster the courage to say my mind. "I will not calm down. I want to leave this place. Let me go, General Kane, please," I beg him.

His gaze immediately softens with surprise.

"What did you just say?"

"I want to leave," I repeat, not minding if he strangles me for my boldness.

He turns to the other two in the room and speaks in a tone dripping with anger. "Nora, doctor Rogers, no other ear should hear of what just happened now or you two would pay dearly for it. Look into this and find me reasonable answers before midnight."

It's after he leaves I realize the reason for his anger. His Alpha command is supposed to make me cower before him. But it doesn't work. And for a war general that's a major weakness. I'm his weakness.