Chapter 3: Mate

Numb… Cold… Fear...

Many things were running through Aurelia’s mind as she fell into the water.

Her body started to sink even though she tried her best to paddle with her hands and feet, but the water current was too strong.

‘Maybe jumping down was not a great idea after all, but it is too late for me to regret,’ she thought to herself as she opened her eyes and looked at the surface of the water.

With each second that passed, she sank further, and she could not think of anything except the possibility that this might be her last breath. Cold and unseen. That was how her body would end up after she died.

But just as she was about to stop paddling and fighting for her own life, she caught a glimpse of a man swimming down toward her. He used his arm to grab her by her head and armpit until they both resurfaced in the water. The moment she lay down on the ground, felt the mud on her bare back, and experienced the drops of rain on her face as she coughed, she couldn't help but feel happy that she had survived.

A smile spread on her lips as she looked up at the cliff and knew she had successfully run away—that was until she heard the loud, domineering voice coming from behind her.

As soon as what he had said registered in her mind, her eyes widened in shock, and almost instantly, she raised her knees to cover her exposed femininity and crossed her arms to cover her chest.

To prevent any further exposure, she had jumped in her human form and hadn't bothered to wear clothes, leaving her nude in front of four wolfmen.

Wolves from below…

Aurelia’s heart started to pound in fear as the warnings and stories of the elders about the wolves below flashed into her mind.

She was about to crawl and back away from them when her eyes met those gorgeous emerald eyes.

Her heart pounded very fast and loud as her wolf became uneasy. The scent of mint and wood reached her nostrils as Lara, her wolf, howled in happiness inside her mind before saying, “Mate.”

Aurelia could not believe what she heard from Lara.

This man in front of her was her mate, but his face remained blank as he kept staring at her like she was a complete stranger.

She had always imagined the scene after she encountered her mate.

It would be like unicorns and roses as she and her mate kissed and embraced each other, but what was happening right now was the complete opposite. She could not see any reaction in his eyes or on his face.

“I…” She didn't know what she should say, but she felt like she needed to say something. Before she could come up with words, a large brown coat fell over her body, covering her nakedness.

“Bring her to the dungeon.” Her eyes widened upon hearing what he had said. She looked at the three men, and they nodded without complaint, and that was when she realised it—he was the alpha of the kingdom below.

The man who saved her kept his back to her as he spoke, “Put on those clothes and come with us. Do not force us to use violence.” A smile formed on her lips as she observed and analysed them all.

She watched her mate transform into a silver wolf and run alongside the grey wolf, leaving her with those two men who still had their backs turned.

As soon as she put on the coat, which looked like a dress on her, she stood up, pulled the vines they had used earlier, cut them, and tied them neatly to make a belt. Aurelia then hooked her backpack properly onto her back and told them she was decent before they turned around to face her.

All of them were gentlemen enough to preserve her purity, but still, she knew she should not let her guard down.

The paths were steep, and the wind was strong, but the two wolves were kind enough to help her until they arrived at what Aurelia presumed to be the palace of the kingdom below, which was very different from what she had imagined.

There were many werewolves around the two-story house carrying tree trunks and man-made baskets.

Aurelia looked around, surprised by what she saw.

Everyone was working, and the way they acted was very different from what she was used to.

Their clothes all looked normal... some men didn't even wear shirts, making their muscular bodies visible to every she-wolf present. All of them moved in sync and worked together. No one shouted or barked orders, yet a strong sense of unity was visible.

“Move it,” the man on her left said as he nudged her forward slightly with the flat of the sword he was holding.

“Easy, Robert,” the other man said, and Aurelia silently nodded, realising she had learned one of their names.

Robert then looked back and spoke, “We cannot let Alpha Claudius wait, especially with a storm like this. We need to help, Ramses.”

Claudius… The name lingered in her mind as she walked where they were motioning her.

She could not forget the name, which somehow seemed so fitting the more she thought about it.

At the side of the house was a metal door she presumed led to the basement.

She was about to step inside when she heard the voice of her mate commanding the pack. “The storm is getting heavier. Get back inside and close the gate!”

She turned her head to see everyone follow his command, moving quickly as the rest of the she-wolves went back inside and the wolfmen lined up wood trunks in front of the house. Others moved to secure the gate.

Just as she was about to be pushed inside, she saw something that made her blood boil with anger.

Getting thrown into the dungeon was something she could still tolerate, but what she had witnessed made her angrier than she had ever been in her life.

‘They were right... maybe they are indeed monsters.’ With that thought in mind, she stepped inside the dark dungeon and descended the stairs.