Chapter 4

“Well, well” She sneered, standing a few feet away. “The little rogue playing warrior now?”

I said nothing, keeping my gaze focused on the ground, my hands trembling.

“No matter the trailing you'd take omega, you don’t stand a chance against me” She hissed. “You’re nothing. Nothing but a worthless rogue. But don’t worry—I’ll put you in your place.”

Before I could react, she lunged at me, her fist connecting with my lip, sending a sharp burst of pain through my body. I staggered backward, tasting blood.

Shit! She's crazy!

Before I could react, she lunged at me, her fist connecting with my lip, sending a sharp burst of pain through my body. I staggered backward, tasting blood.

Just as I braced for the final blow, a familiar voice thundered across the training grounds.

"Enough!"

Oliver's eyes burned with fury as he stormed toward us, his presence sending a wave of unease across the warriors nearby. They all stilled, watching him approach with fear.

Hailey froze in place, her hand still raised as if preparing to strike me again. She quickly dropped it, her face paling as she realized Oliver had seen everything.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Oliver growled, his gaze locked on her.

Hailey’s lips trembled as she stammered for an excuse. “I-I thought she was trying to…’” She stuttered trying to place in some words. “I was just…”

“You think I’m blind?” Oliver cut her off, his voice dangerously low. He stepped closer, his towering form casting a shadow over her. “You know how much I hate being lied to, Hailey.”

Hailey’s eyes widened, and she quickly dropped her gaze to the ground. “I’m sorry, Alpha” She whispered. “I didn’t mean…”

“Get out of my sight” He groaned, cutting her off coldly.

Without another word, Hailey scurried off, her face flushed with embarrassment. 

I could feel the other warriors’ eyes on me, their disdain heavy in the air, but none of them dared to approach. Oliver remained in front of me, his expression hard, unreadable.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice softer now, though I could still feel that commanding edge.

I nodded slightly. “I’ll be fine” I muttered, though the pain was still fresh.

He stared at me for a moment longer, then sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. “This isn’t going to be easy for you” He said, his tone almost resigned. “But if you want to stay, you’ll have to learn to defend yourself. I won’t always be there to stop them.”

I swallowed hard, my throat tight. “I didn’t ask for any of this” I whispered.

He glanced at me. “You didn’t,” he agreed quietly. “But you’re here now. And that means you’ll have to play by our rules.”

I wasn’t sure if that was supposed to comfort me or make me more afraid.

His hands slowly moved to my lips, sending me jolting out of my thought and then he cleaned off the blood, drawling down my lip with his thumb.

I swallowed hard, staring at his actions. He locked his gaze on me and slowly licked the blood off his thumb, with his tongue. I swallowed hard staring at how sexy he looked doing that.

All of a suddenly, I felt a rush of wind, my heart racing faster than necessary, my legs weakling, as if I'd wobble and fall to the floor anytime.

Oliver's face suddenly crippled into a frown, his eyes darkening as he stepped backwards, away from me.

Just then I felt a silver lining shoot up in the sky. His lips parted open and the words that left his lips left me frozen. “Mate" 

My lips parted to say something but nothing came out. Oliver suddenly spun, turning his back to me, then said “Go clean yourself up immediately” I nodded even though I couldn't see him and walked off. 

I wandered toward my room, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts. Everything felt surreal. Could this really be happening? A second chance mate? I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or terrified.

Once inside, I made my way to the bathroom and quickly turned on the shower, hoping the hot water would calm my racing heart. It didn’t. No matter how long I stood there, letting the warmth cascade over me, I couldn’t shake the dread that clung to me. The water only washed over the surface—it couldn't reach the storm brewing inside.

I wrapped myself in a towel and sat on the edge of the bed, my mind swirling with everything that had been revealed. A second chance mate—something I never thought I’d have. It felt like the universe was offering me an opportunity to rewrite the painful chapters of my life. But Oliver… Oliver was…

 I let out a deep sigh. Would he reject me like Liam had? That thought sent a shiver down my spine, fear creeping into my chest. I tried to push it away, unwilling to let the pain of the past consume me again.

Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps approaching snapped me out of my thoughts. Before I could fully register it, the door swung open with a sharp bang. Oliver stood in the doorway, his eyes stormy, his presence overwhelming. The air in the room shifted, heavy with tension.

His gaze fell on me, and I instinctively tightened my grip on the towel, feeling a sudden vulnerability under his intense stare. His aura—so commanding, so intimidating—made my heart race for reasons I didn’t fully understand.

"Do you have a family?" His voice was sharp, cutting through the silence.

I blinked, caught off guard by the question. It wasn’t what I expected. "No," I said softly, my voice barely a whisper. "I don’t remember."

“Parents, relatives, uncles, auntd, guardians?" He listed, panting. My eyes shifted to his shirtless chest and i swallowed hard, he was making it hard to concentrate.

“I don't have any" I slowly took my gaze to the floor.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, his face twisted with something cold, almost disdainful. He growled loudly and banged his hand hard against the desk, just next to my bed "You don’t remember?" He scoffed, the scorn in his tone unmistakable. "What do you even have to offer? A rogue with no pack, no family, no lineage worth mentioning."

His words hit me hard, each syllable driving deeper into my chest. The way he looked at me, like I was nothing—worthless—made my stomach churn. I bit down hard on my lip, fighting to keep the tears at bay. I wouldn’t let him see how much his words hurt. Not again.

"I should reject you." His voice was cold, distant and I felt my heart shatter. He took a step closer, his eyes burning with clear fury. "You’re nothing but trouble. A burden I don’t need."

Another rejection. The thought of it sent waves of pain through me, but I braced myself for it, preparing for the inevitable. Just like before. But then, something flickered in his eyes. But as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. His expression hardened, the brief moment of softness replaced with cold resolve.

 He stepped closer again, his presence consuming every inch of space between us. His scent filled my senses—a mix of pine and musk that made it impossible to think straight.

"Stay away from me." His voice was low, dangerous. Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and stormed out, the door slamming shut behind him.

For a moment, I stood there, frozen, his scent still lingering in the air. But then the weight of it all crashed down on me, and my legs gave way. I sank to the floor, my chest heaving as silent tears finally spilled over. I pressed my palms to my face, trying to stifle the sobs that threatened to break free, but it

was no use. The pain, the rejection—it was all too much. 

What was I supposed to do now?