chapter three

Chapter Three

Gabriella’s POV

“Mate?”

That wasn’t possible. I am human. A human can't be mates to a werewolf, talk more of an Alpha.

Can he? My mind rejected it immediately.

Get a hold of yourself, Ella.

I pressed my hand to my chest, trying to steady my breathing, but it only made everything worse. My thoughts were too loud, too scattered.

My fingers went to my neck. My breathing paused. My neck was empty 

My necklace…it was gone.

“No…” I whispered, turning sharply, eyes scanning the hallway like I could will it back into place.

“Looking for this?”

I turned quickly and found Killian standing there like he had always been there, calm, unbothered and too sure of himself, and in his hand.. oh my god…was my necklace.

My stomach twisted instantly. “how do you have that?.”

His fingers tightened slightly around it.

“Better question,” he said quietly, stepping closer, “Any idea why it was in the same bedroom I had made love to my mate in last night.”

The words hit wrong, hard.

My breath caught. “No… that’s not—”

But he wasn’t done.

His gaze stayed locked on me, steady, unreadable.

No, think. He didn’t see my face. The lodge had been dark, the storm loud, shadows everywhere. There was no way he could prove anything.

“You’re mistaken,” I said quickly, forcing my voice steady even as my pulse raced. “Can I have my necklace back? I’m sure they’re already looking for me.”

I stepped closer and reached for the chain, but Killian didn’t move. He simply watched me, his gaze steady and unnervingly patient, as if he had all the time in the world and I was the only thing worth observing.

“Aren’t you at least curious,” he asked quietly, tilting his head a fraction, “how I know she’s my mate?”

“I don’t care,” I replied, sharper than I intended, though my fingers hesitated midair. “That’s not my business.”

A faint, almost amused breath left him.

“Well… it becomes your business the moment you start lying to yourself.”

Before I could respond, he pushed off the wall and began to circle me slowly. Each step was deliberate, controlled, closing in without ever touching me, yet somehow crowding my space all the same. 

My shoulders tensed as he moved behind me, his presence pressing at my back, at my thoughts, at everything I was trying to keep contained.

“She had a soft voice,” he said, almost thoughtfully, as though recalling a memory he intended for me to hear. “A wonderful grip. Warm… responsive.” His tone lowered, quieter now, more intimate. “And most importantly… I marked her.”

My breath faltered. I went completely still.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head even before my mind caught up. “No, you didn’t—”

His fingers brushed my neck, and I flinched as if burned. He didn’t stop. His hand slid gently through my hair, lifting it away from my shoulder, exposing the side of my neck with slow, deliberate care.

“And it looked exactly like this,” he murmured.

The world tilted.

I jerked away from him, panic surging hard and fast as my hand flew to my neck. A mirror stood just ahead, and I stumbled toward it without thinking, my breath uneven, my chest tight. My eyes lifted.. and stopped.

A mark, a bright red, clear and so impossible to ignore.

My fingers trembled as they hovered over it, heat pulsing beneath my skin as if something alive had settled there.

“What… have you done?” I asked, my voice unsteady, barely above a whisper.

“Marked my territory,” Killian replied without hesitation.

I turned on him, anger crashing through the fear.

“Are you out of your mind? Last night was a mistake. How could you mark me…a stranger?”

“Last night,” he said calmly, his expression unreadable, “you weren’t a stranger.”

My stomach twisted. The word mate echoed in my head again, louder this time, heavier.

“This can’t happen,” I said, shaking my head, my voice rising despite myself. “What does this even mean? What does it do to me?”

Killian’s gaze sharpened slightly, as if he had been waiting for that question.

“It binds you,” he said simply. “The longer you fight it, the worse it gets.”

' heaven this cant be happening'

“No,” I said quickly, stepping back, refusing it. “No! For goodness sakes do you here yourself… mate? That's the craziest thing I have ever heard… a human mated to an alpha… this is nothing but a sick attempt of a joke.”

He watched me for a long second, then shook his head once, almost disappointed.

“Believe it or not, but you don't have a choice but to accept what it is.”

My chest tightened as heat flared unexpectedly through me, sharp and sudden, betraying me. I clenched my hands at my sides, fighting it, refusing to react, but he saw it.

“There it is,” he murmured, voice softer now, almost satisfied. “You feel it too.”

“Stop,” I snapped, but it came out breathless. “Just stop. I am your friends wife, legally married wife and last night was a mistake, a big one, at least think of your friendship when altering such nonsense… i will never belong to you, I love Jacob and only Jacob.”

“If you reject it,” he continued, ignoring my protest entirely, “things won’t go well for you.”

Fear flickered through me before I could stop it.

“Do you even understand what this looks like?” I demanded, my voice tightening. “Mated to your step sister? My father won’t take this likely.”

“Relax,” Killian said quietly, stepping closer again, his presence pressing down on me like a weight I couldn’t shake. “As you would clearly seen, I don't fucking care about your father… in fact, I do not support this charade of a marriage between those two. 

The moment I got to the house, I smelt you, I sensed you.. and the only reason why I haven't announced you as my mate to the whole fucking world het.. is because of Jacob; my friend…. Your husband. So see love I do have a heart,but a time will come when you will have to face the music till then, I will be making the beat..”

The words settled deep, heavy, undeniable.

“You’re using this,” I said, staring at him, my chest tight. “You’re using me.”

“I’m observing,” he corrected calmly. “And you’re trying to play smart, telling yourself I didn’t see your face, that the darkness protected you.” His eyes held mine, unblinking. “It didn’t.”

My throat tightened.

How did he know that?

“This is a problem,” I whispered, more to myself than him.

“Yes,” he said. “It is.”

My mind raced, panic building fast.

“Jacob will kill me,” I blurted, the thought slipping out before I could stop it.

Killian stilled, then a low, quiet chuckle left him.

“What?” I asked, confusion and dread twisting together.

“One of the perks of being marked by an Alpha,” he said, his voice dropping, “is that I can hear your thoughts.”

My blood ran cold.

“What?”

“Welll at least for the first two months,” he continued, almost casually, “it’s quite clear.”

“You’re lying,” I said, but my voice shook now, my mind racing, trying to block everything.

“You’re thinking that again,” he replied immediately.

My breath caught.

“That it’s not possible,” he added.

I took a step back, then another.

“Stay out of my head.”

“You should try staying out of it yourself first.”

“You don’t get to control me,” I snapped, but it sounded weaker than I wanted.

“Not control,” he said, his gaze dropping briefly to the mark on my neck before lifting again. “Connection.”

“I don’t want it.”

His eyes held mine, steady, certain.

“You don’t get to walk away from this, Gabriella. You’re already in it.”

My chest tightened painfully as the truth of that settled somewhere deep I didn’t want to acknowledge.

“Whats going on?”

My father's voice cut through the hallway, sharp and dangerous.

I turned and found him standing at the far end, his expression dark, his gaze locked on us, and Jacob stepped in right behind him, his eyes already narrowing as he took in the distance between us, or the lack of it.

Oh God… just end me.

“Is everything ok?” Jerold asked, his voice low, controlled, but carrying something far more threatening beneath it.

Killian didn’t hesitate.

“I was just informing my stepsister here,” he said smoothly, lifting the necklace slightly between his fingers, “that I found my mate last night. I thought she might have advice on how women loved being wooed, since I’m not particularly experienced in that area.”

“Careful what you think next,” he murmured softly.

My breath caught.

“I’m listening.”