Chapter Three

Kyler's Pov

“Going somewhere, little wolf?” My voice cut through the silence,  making her freeze.

For a moment, she didn’t move. Then, slowly, she turned to face me, her breath unsteady, her dark eyes locking onto mine.

She didn’t look afraid. If anything, she looked defiant.

“Does it matter to you?" she asked, her voice steady.

I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I just smiled, because, for the first time, I couldn't deny the fact that Lena was ethereal.

The way her dark hair spilled over her shoulders, wild and unkempt, and her lips were slightly parted as if she was daring me to stop her made my wolf restless.

I shook my head, regaining defiance.

I was an Alpha, and I shouldn't be moved by beauty.

If it was about beauty,  then she wouldn't stand a chance with Alison or other she-wolves in the pack.

She was here on a duty and that was to bear me pups owing to the prophecy.

And as for the mate bond, that was just a cruel joke.

She definitely can't be my mate, a divorced Luna?

Hell, No!

My gaze dropped lower, and something in me went deadly still.

The mark on the back of her neck, the mark from our mate bond. It sat on her skin like a scar, a faded reminder of our mate bond.

My hands raced over the mark on her skin and with a force so fast, she shoved them away, her eyes burning with fury.

“Make sure you don't lay those filthy hands on me again” she roared, her voice so loud, shattering my confidence.

“I am sure you should know me by now, no one talks to me in such a manner, little kitten” I growled, my eyes widened.

She let out a cruel smirk.

“From where I am coming from, no one touches me with their sinful hands, the hands that cheated on their mates” she reiterated, breaking every iota of defense I had left.

I left out a sarcastic laugh in response.

“Cheated on my mate?” 

“Tell me more of how delusional you think?” I glared at her with a hateful sneer.

“If we are to talk of cheats, you are the real cheat here, you cheated on your mate a few days before his coronation ceremony, doesn't that tell you how shameless you are” My words dropped like an octave.

As though struck with a hard truth, she quietly struggled to keep her mouth closed.

I loved the way my words put her in her rightful place. She was acting so stubborn to my liking. No one had ever dared me how she did 

“You seem so stubborn but I think I like your type, they bend at the end” I muttered slowly, gripping her arms in low tones,  impossible for her to break free

She struggled with my grip but my hands overpowered her.

“And listen to me, little puppet, let me make this clear”

“You are not my mate, I own you and you would do as I choose, you add give me pups and that's your role”

“Am I clear?” My words were interrupted by a sudden knock on the door, one of the pack guards followed in shortly.

“The Council of Elders are in the meeting already, they are waiting for you” he informed as he bowed down his head and walked away.

I let go of Lena, stealing the last glance at her before walking away.

The Pack Elders were already gathered when I arrived.

 Their expressions were as rigid as stone, eyes sharp and expectant, following his every movement. The air crackled with tension as I walked in.

I  knew why they were here.

They had come for one purpose — to remind me of the prophecy. To urge me, yet again, to accept the mate bond.

I  clenched my jaw, striding toward the head of the long table without acknowledging their murmured greetings. My wolf stirred restlessly beneath me but I  pushed the agitation down, gripping the back of the chair with white-knuckled hands.

Elder Marcus, the eldest of the council, cleared his throat. 

"The Alpha of Shadowfang shall rise with unmatched strength, yet his fate is bound to the she-wolf of Bloodthorn. Only she shall bear his heir, the key to his legacy. Should their bond be broken, a curse shall awaken—his power shall wane, his wolf shall wither, and Shadowfang shall fall into ruin." He quoted the prophecy to everyone’s hearing and I could feel his intense gaze on me, waiting for my reaction.

"Alpha Kyler, the signs are undeniable. The omega you purchased is not just a slave,  she is your fated mate."

“You should accept the mate bond, she is from the Bloodthorn pack and the one fated to bear your pups”

My lips curled, a bitter laugh scraping from my throat.

 "Fate doesn’t control me." 

“The prophecy is just a mere historical myth used to frighten pups”

“I am an Alpha with a strong bloodline, I have ruled this pack since I was seventeen without a mate and I can still rule the pack”

“My fate is not tied to an omega, a divorced Luna at that” I protested.

“And however how am I sure she is my true mate, I am sure the Moon Goddess wouldn't be so cruel to mate me with a weak wolf, a divorced Luna”

“She is treacherous, doesn't that drive my point home?”

My patience was already wearing thin and I just wanted to leave their presence.

"You cannot outrun destiny," Elder Elijah interjected.

“The prophecy foretold an omega who would either break your curse or bring ruin to the pack. Rejecting her risks everything."

“Lena bears the mark, the crescent moon at the back of her neck, that alone is a testament of the prophecy, what other proof do you need?

His words hit me hard. I  slammed my hand against the table, the sound echoing like a gunshot.

“I have a lover already, I don't think I need a mate and my choice is valid” 

Elder Elijah let out a low chuckle as he remained unfazed.

“You can continue with whatever affairs you have with Alison but that doesn't disrupt the fact that Lena is taking over as Luna”

“The mating ceremony would be on a full moon and remember the next full moon is sooner than you think, just a month away” he warned, like a threat coiled in the air.

"I didn’t ask for a mate, and I'm sure as well I  don’t need a fragile omega to save me." My chest heaved, the memory of Lena flashing through my mind. 

"She’s weak. She wouldn’t survive me."

 One of the elders leaned forward, fingers interlocking. 

"Or maybe you fear she will."

My heart thundered, the words hitting too close to the truth. I  turned away, stalking toward the window as the rain raged outside, mirroring the chaos within him.

Because deep down, a part of me knew the elders were right.

And that terrified me more than anything.

“But I am going to make her reject the mate bond, this way I won't be pressured to make her my Luna,” I promised myself.