Forced Mating Ceremony

Xevia's POV 

The young man and I returned to the room I had been staying in. Our steps halted at the end of the stairs.

"Oh yeah, I haven't introduced myself to you. I am Archer."  He smiled warmly.

"Xevia." I returned his handshake.

"Oh yeah, can I ask you something?" I asked Archer in a hesitant tone.

"Go ahead."

"What's the name of your pack? Sorry, I'm just an omega. I cannot know what kind of wolves you are," I explained.

Archer smiled slightly. He touched both my shoulders. His face lowered to my level.

"We are the rogues. We have no pack, and they call us the villains."

As soon as those words entered my ears, I felt the temperature of the air around us drop drastically, and Archer stepped back slightly. He chuckled awkwardly and scratched his neck. 

"Sorry if it's frightened you."

The awkwardness slowly disappeared as if it had never existed between us. 

"No," I smiled. I didn't want him to see my suspicion.

"Take it easy," Archer interjected.

"We won't bite you if that's what you're worried about." I could hear his grin even without seeing him.

"So, where exactly does this pack live?" I asked, still not sure why I wanted to know about this. They seemed to have no problem killing anyone who got in their way, including their friends.

"The only group members who live in the big city is my family. It's me, my younger sister, and Xander, my blind older brother. The rest of the members are scattered throughout the Aminour forest."

"Where are they all hiding? Is it just in that dark forest?" I asked, hoping he didn't realize how much I sounded like I was interrogating him. I tried my best to say casually so as not to show any signs of distrust towards him. My voice wasn't too loud, and he couldn't hear anything inside my head. 

"Only if you don't mind answering," I continued.

"The members who wish to remain here will live in the caves of the mountains, which are located on the northern side of the Vereilleas mountain range. There are a few of them who have built houses, especially for them naturally, but most camp out in their natural habitat."

He started walking back towards the stairs.

"Would you like to get familiarized with our members? I'm sure they would love to have another member join them. They are quite friendly." 

On second thought, I guess there's no harm in joining their party, especially after getting to know Archer who treated me well.

"Why not?" 

I nodded and followed Archer to the courtyard, where the party was held.

It was nothing like what I had envisioned before. What I had heard from them was that the rogues were cruel and heartless wolf creatures. They love to steal, kill and slaughter their fellows, but that wasn't entirely true.

"Hey, is she the one rescued by young master Xander?" asked one of the slightly-built women with reddish hair. She greeted me, then hugged me warmly.

"How many months has it been?" she asked again while stroking my stomach.

"Seven months," I answered briefly.

The woman sniffed my belly, "he's going to be a dashing alpha male," she murmured.

"H-how do you know that he's an alpha male?" I asked her.

"I'm a wolf with mixed blood, half-blood alpha. My father was a rogue, and my mother an alpha. But my mother's family rejected me and threw me into my father's pack," she explained with far-off eyes. I gasped at her narration.

"Sorry to hear that." I stammered.

"Soon, you'll be one of us." She smiled mysteriously.

"Don't forget one thing, we are the outcast wolves, the unrecognized, and the unwelcome, but together we are stronger." A small smile appeared on the corners of her lips. Her eyes twinkled mischievously. 

"Your future mate will be here very soon. We'll introduce you to everyone after the party." I was about to asking her, but she walked off with another girl, and left me.

I still couldn't understand to what she was saying. A mate? I didn't need a mate. I can survive on my own. I don't need a man or mate after Alarick's betrayal. The thought left a sour taste in my mouth. I clenched my fist, trying to keep it from trembling. My knuckles turned white.

"You know, you should relax more. Please don't listen to her. She was kidding. After all, you've just arrived." Archer said. He suddenly appeared. I didn't notice when he arrived.

I didn't know why, but I was deliberately not given any response to him. Instead, I saw Xander, the blind man come out of his room, no smile on his face. He was so stiff, so different from Archer. And that's when I knew I had made a horrible mistake as Xander walked through the courtyard. I was too focused on him. It made me lose my balance and fall to the ground.

"What the hell are you doing, lying down on the ground?" Unexpectedly, he could catch my body and help me on time. Xander is very agile, despite his blind eyes.

He managed to put me safely down on the grassy ground. 

"Can't you take care of yourself? If not for yourself, at least think of the baby you carried. Don't trouble me anymore! Just for something trivial like this!"

"Xander...." I started nervously.

Before I could finish my sentence, Archer cut me off. 

"Xander has been acting weird since yesterday. He seems stressed and angry," he stated. 

"If something happens to you, I swear to the moon goddess. You'd better die alone and suffering!" Xander added, still with his high-tempered anger.

"Calm down, calm down," Archer pleaded. 

Archer looked me straight in the eyes. Then he sighed. "I'm sorry, he didn't mean to yell at you." 

"I meant it, Arch!" Xander shouted. He ran his fingers through his blond hair and walked away angrily, ignoring Archer's calls for him.

"Can you get up?" asked Archer, about to help me, but he was stopped when one of them walked over and whispered something in his ear. I don't know what the girl was talking about, but Archer's expression changed instantly after the girl left. I saw the anger , in his eyes.

"Xevia, you'd better get ready," Archer said with a sigh. I furrowed my brow.

"Get ready? For what?" Archer had yet to answer my question when a voice interrupted our conversation.

"Welcome, everyone. I hope you enjoy the party." I turned my head in the direction of the voice. I looked at a wrinkled older man with dark skin and greying hair all over, dressed like an alpha pack leader. He was wearing a black robe.

The old man smiled at me, "Today we have a special guest; soon, she will become one of us."

I nodded politely at him. I was sure I was the one he was referring to.

"Come here, girl," he waved me over. Archer immediately took my hand and led me toward the older man. At almost the same time, I saw Xander walking toward the older man.

"Welcome home," the man hugged me warmly.

"Today, you and Xander will go through a mating ceremony."

I was shocked when I heard what he said.

"Yes, the mating ritual.

"So, since the day Xander saved your life. He is your mate."

"W-wait a minute, why didn't anyone explain this to me?"

"It's a rule of our pack."

I still couldn't believe what I was hearing. I felt my chest tighten, and I couldn't breathe properly.

"Yes, you and Xander are mates. You can refuse, but I'm sorry. If you refuse, then you'll have to sacrifice your baby in return."

I gasped for air. This reality choked me.

I thought they were good, but I was wrong.

However, they are scoundrels who won't help without asking for something in return.

Still, they were rogues who wouldn't help without something in return. 

I was sure my baby and I would be fine, but suddenly, the older man in the robe told me about the mating ceremony. 

Once my mother said mating means giving up your life and soul for someone else. Mate is the one who shares life with you. It is your bond with another living being. Something that keeps you together and binds you. It means spending the rest of your life with him forever.

But I questioned myself. Would I bear the consequences of being mate with him?

Xander stared with an icy cold expression.

"Please let me go," I whispered shakily. I begged. Once again, begging him to save me from this situation.

"You won't get another chance." the man interrupted me.

I shook my head frantically.

"Please don't force me to do this." The words came out as choked sobs. 

I tried to control myself, but I couldn't hold back the tears. Xander suddenly wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I cried into his shoulder. 

"Please don't force me." I pleaded again.

 Xander hugged me tighter. 

"They'll kill you if you refuse to mate with me." Xander whispered, I choked out between tears.

My body started shaking with every shuddering breath.

"Just say yes, and the rest will be fine, I promise." Xander's husky voice spoke softly to me. 

I wanted to run away, but I couldn't move because deep inside, I knew I had no choice. And if I refused, then I would probably die right now. 

That's when I made a decision.

I forced myself to nod, "I am willing to."

"So you agreed, didn't you?" asked the older man.

I nodded forcefully.

"Kiss your mate, Xander. She is right in front of you." The older man laughed happily.

Xander passionately kissed me hard on the lips. I pulled back and quickly wiped away my tears before he knew it. After our kiss was over, Xander stared at me, but I knew he couldn't see me. All he could be was only feel me. 

He groped my face and brushed away some strands of hair falling over my face. My heart skipped several beats at how tenderly he treated me and how close we stood together.  

"You can mark your mate now, Xander," said the older man half commandingly. The man's voice broke my long reverie. 

Xander nodded.

Within seconds, Xander's body transformed into a half-wolf form. It was just his arms and legs. His hairy hand with sharp, pointed claws approached me. We were so close, and 

For some reason, this time, it seemed to me that he could see me.

His sapphire blue eyes gazed into my hazel irises as deep as the ocean. He grabbed me and kissed my neck. He gently scratched my arms and neck. I didn't feel any pain when he did it. 

He did it with great gentleness. After he finished 'marking' me, Xander instantly turned back into a human form.

My body still tingled from his touch. Xander was so gentle. He was like an angel in disguise, but the demon king himself couldn’t have been more different. Xander had such an evil aura of violence around him, like a dark cloud hovering above his head. It wasn’t something that I noticed until Xander was so close to me. 

I didn't feel anything when he kissed me, and it was only then that I thought about it. It was something indescribable.