TRAVIS' POV
I knew she was there the minute a sweet Lavender scent began to swirl in the air, mingling with the smell of the colourful spread of ivy flowers in a vase across from me, the scent thick like smoke from a hidden opium den.My mate, I had finally found her.Our meeting was meant to be one of the most important moments of our lives when love met with passion and lust but in my case, the love was non-existent.She was brought in by the scout that had reported the presence of an invader to me earlier and a first glimpse at her was enough to drive my wolf insane."Mate!" I let out a guttural groan at what seemed to be a jolt of electricity passing through my organs and Jay faced me swiftly in surprise.He was my Beta and had been right beside me when I received the report.With long strides, I crossed the distance between us and stood before her, close enough for me to hear the erratic beating of her heartbeat.My heart hammered against my chest in panic. 'The Grim wolf,' his demeanour matched the ominous undertones his name suggested, which was utterly frightening just like the rumours I had heard about him.The tension in the air was thick and suffocating as he gripped his Beta's neck in a steely grip.A man was going to die and it was all my fault, the thought made me nauseous and before I knew it, I was retching."Get out," Alpha Travis glowered at Beta Jay who returned his intense gaze before quietly passing me. As he made his way past me, he cast a meaningful glance my way. However, I was bent over from the dizzy spell that hit me and its significance eluded me."What's wrong with you?" Alpha Travis snapped and then walked over to me, watching me with a scrutinising gaze.At that moment, I desperately wished there was some hole underground that I could run into, far away from this dangerously aggressive man who had turned out to be my mate
Tentatively, I returned to perch myself on the edge of the bed, with no idea what to do next.Alpha Travis had departed without a word, leaving me alone with no explanation or directions on what comes next.The feeling of uncertainty about what was to come next left me unsettled but simultaneously, his scent mingling with the natural air was oddly comforting."We will be safe here, with our mate," The female voice from earlier rang again and I frowned visibly, had I not locked her out?"We're one entity, you can't ignore me forever," She replied as if she had read my mind.It was no news to me that apart from shifting, we werewolves had a wolf spirit that we were connected to and that enabled us to have silent conversations, as well as share each other's emotions.She was right, I could not ignore her forever. Overlooking the fact that she had just saved my life, I needed her close to me to brave the uncertainties the future held
I followed him curiously as he led me out of the enormous building. For some reason, everywhere seemed deserted, a contrast to the flurry of activities that was ongoing when I arrived.We crossed a street and made our way down to another building with huge doors and two men manning it.They hastily pulled it open for him, bowing in subservience as he made his way up the stairs."Is everyone present?" Alpha Travis stopped to ask one of the men, lacing my already confused self with further confusion."Yes, they are all waiting for you inside," The guard dipped his head even lower as he spoke.Alpha Travis nodded then stepped through the threshold, throwing a glance behind at me, "Come on."His voice was frigidly cold with an air of authority, his face an icy mien and I hurriedly made my way up the stairs to catch up to him.He did not wait for me and was already walking forward.I finally realized why everywhere s
"Stairs, stairs," I mumbled to myself as I trudged through the dark hallways, trying to find any signs of the stairs Alpha Travis had mentioned.Who turned off these lights? I knew they were turned off because I could see extravagant light bulbs hanging off the high ceilings with not a speck of light in them.My gaze was still fixated on one when I missed a step that made my feet clack together before I came tumbling down the exact flight of stairs I was looking for.'This is bad,' I could not help thinking to myself when I lifted my head and my eyes met with Alpha Travis'.How I wish I could turn myself into a speck of dust and be blown away with the wind and not have to lay on the ground sprawled out embarrassingly before my mate."What are you doing?" His face creased as he looked down at me, looking like he could not understand why I was lying on the ground.Had he not seen me fall off the steps? I wished
Everyone began to leave one after the other right after Alpha Travis stood up.I was the only one still seated without a clue what to do. Dinner had barely just started and I had not even gotten a single bite because I was nervous yet it was already over."Sorry I ruined your first meeting with the family," Adriana reached to grab my hands over the table apologetically."It's fine," I replied with a simple nod of my head.What else could I say? A meal was not going to give me a sense of belonging or anything but what I was really worried about was Alpha Travis' silence before he left.Did he mind or did he not? Would he suddenly order for his sister to be killed or tear her to bits himself?I shook my head at the ridiculous thoughts I was having then stared at the plate of bone-in rib steak adorned with truffle butter with seasonal vegetables on the side that I was hesitant to leave."Let's go," I hea
I was still enshrouded in the haziness of the demanding kiss that had taken my breath away when Alpha Travis stepped away from me as abruptly as he had kissed me."Don't ever try to avoid me, you belong to me now," I swallowed nervously at the dangerous look in his eyes, yet I was unable to look away.It held me in place with tingles running all over my body.Still, my mind pondered what he meant when he said I belonged to him.My neck turned swiftly to the empty bed and my eyes widened in realisation.Would he force me to have sex with him and mark me?No, I was not ready, I did not want to.With that thought in mind, I shrank my body even further away from him, plastering my back against the wall in fear."You're scared of me." It was not a question but a statement.He was my mate and even without us standing in such proximity, I knew he could feel my emotions."Why, do you think I'm going to
"Miss, watch out!" Ann yelled, reflexively pulling me aside before a wolf running mindlessly through the streets could crash into me."What is he doing?" She huffed, her face reflecting her annoyance."Um, running?" I said with uncertainty, wondering why she was angry.She noticed the look I gave her and smiled awkwardly, "I don't like when others turn in the streets, they never consider the accidents they could cause."Well, she did have a point. There was a mix of wolves with furs of different shades and those in their human forms alike mingled together in the street we were passing through and the huge and looming form of those wolves made it a little challenging to navigate through the streets.Earlier, I had to jump backwards so I would not be squashed under their heavy paws."If everyone decides to morph now and then, no one would be able to do business, it's already rowdy enough," She went on complaining."I guess
"Don't just roam around however you wish, I will not be responsible for your safety," Beta Jay warned sternly then stepped past me to speak to the rest of the men behind me who I presumed were his subordinates."Ann," I called out and ran over to wake her. She groaned out loud before stirring then jumped to her feet anxiously, still in shock."It's okay, we are fine." I grabbed her shoulders, pulling her to a stop.She stilled in disbelief then turned her gaze to the right in time to see Beta Jay's men taking the body of the hybrid away."Wh...what happened?" She stuttered."Beta Jay saved us, we are fine," I answered, reaching out to pull her into my arms and patting her back comfortingly.From her reaction, it was easy to tell that she had never gone through such a frightening experience.If it had not been for the recent happenings that had taken place in my life as well, I would have had the same reaction.A