Chapter 2

Claire's POV

"What?" My voice was barely above a whisper

He let out a dark chuckle and I watched my mother cower in fear. I felt the same way but I couldn't let him see that. It would ruin everything I set out to do.

"You really thought you could run away from our bond? From me?" He eyed Jayden who remained speechless. I seemed to be the only one calm enough to be articulate.

"I wasn't running from you." I held my head up high as I told the obvious lie. "I didn't even know you existed."

He let out another chuckle. He seemed to love doing that, to rile people up, get under their skin, and probably scare them. Whichever one it was, it was working as my heart dropped to my stomach, and my palms turned warm and sweaty.

"That would be believable if you didn't know about the prophecy." He took a step forward and I instinctively took one back.

"What are you talking about?" I feigned ignorance

He rolled his eyes, pointing at something behind me. "It's right there."

I looked in the direction he was pointing and my eyes widened. We forgot to take it down. The wedding venue being the pack's training field, I took it upon myself to write on the wall to recall what was at stake. It was my everyday motto in case I forgot or felt like giving up.

"One pure, one tainted, and together the world has ended…."

I looked over at him as the words left his lips in his husky, silky voice.

The room fell silent as no one knew what to say. What he wanted remained a mystery to me. He must want peace like the rest of us. Right?

"State your business, what exactly do you want?" Father stepped up like the alpha he was. "We have a wedding to return to."

He took short strides till he got up in Father's face, tsking and being sinister. He really earned his title as The Hideous Beast of the West judging from the multiple scars on his chin. I wasn't too sure about the hideous part but he was definitely a ruthless monster.

"You see…" He trailed off, his gaze averting to me. "That's not going to happen. I'm here to take my mate with me." A gasp filled the dead-silent room. It was from my mom, this conversation wasn't helping her poor heart, she was already frail.

Father's anger was rising, "you can't be serious. You know the prophecy. You need to remain as far as possible from each other!" Father tried to make him see reason but he seemed to have made up his mind.

I watched as my mate walked over to me, sticking his hand over my shoulder. Mother was practically on her dead bed now as she started wailing.

"I don't know what you are talking about. She's my mate and I want her." He smiled, turning my chin to face him. I couldn't help but stare into his dark orbs. They were like nothing I've ever seen, sad? Happy? With a shimmer of…. hope?

Father bellowed with anger, "He's insane! Everyone will die if you try to stay together. That's why we are all here. To sever your bond."

I looked away from him as soon as Father said those words.

His hot lips touched my ear. "And you said you weren't trying to run away from me."

My insides tingled but I didn't let it cloud my better judgment as I looked him dead in the eyes, fear far away from me. "I'm doing everything I have to do to save everyone."

He glanced at Jayden who looked uncomfortable with my mate's arm still on my shoulder. I tried to ignore the rush and spark shooting to the rest of my body.

"And what about you? Don't you want to be with your mate? Your true mate?"

I took a deep breath, taking a step back and his arm dropped from my shoulder. "This is what I want. I want to help people."

He took another step closer. "Even if it means being unhappy?"

"Doing this, being with him," I gave Jayden a reassuring smile. "All this makes me happy," I said it all with as much courage as I could. I hoped he believed me because I couldn't even convince myself.

He leaned back, taking a long look at me before responding, "I guess I have to kill him then."

In the flash of an eye, he was in front of Jayden. Everyone gasped while I gulped. As a wolf, I had super speed, everyone did but we were not that fast. It finally sunk in, he truly was tainted, an abomination and he was here for me!

His large arm wrapped up around Jayden's neck. He was suffocating him!

I rushed over to his side. "What are you doing? Let him go!" I attempted prying his arm away but it was no use.

"You are killing him!"

He responded in the calmest voice, cocking his head a little, "That's the plan, Princess."

I started to sob, "Don't do this, please. He's my best friend, he was only trying to help."

He sneered, his darkened gaze staying on his prey" he tried taking my mate from me. I don't see how that helps."

I rushed out as Jayden was starting to lose color. "That's because I asked him to. He was only doing as I told him."

Jayden had stopped fighting, accepting his fate but I couldn't let that happen. I could never live with myself if he got hurt because of me. I got him into this and I need to get him out. I could only hope he wouldn't hate me after all this.

"Let him go, please. I'll do whatever you want…. Just stop hurting him already, he's dying." My sobs were louder and ran through my body. My body hit the floor as Jayden had gone numb, he looked lifeless.

"You'll do whatever I want either way. You have no choice."

With those words, he snapped Jayden's neckand he dropped beside me, his neck oozing with blood. His eyes turned lifeless.

I couldn't move.