Chapter 6

Haydn's Pov

The moment I laid eyes on Bella, I knew there was something special between us. I couldn't tear my gaze away from her.

Her black hair looked incredibly soft, and her rosy cheeks had a touch of sweetness that made me want to reach out and touch them. Instead of the usual billowing dresses that most she-wolves wore, she had opted for trousers, giving her a sleek, confident appearance.

In the grand hall, I watched as her mischievous eyes darted around, smiling at those she liked and becoming sombre in the presence of those she disliked. For thirty years, I'd never been so captivated by a girl's every move.

Even though Bella didn't wear a magical necklace, I just knew she was the mate I had been waiting for. My wolf, Aidan, was going wild in my head, trying to take control to meet Bella. But I couldn't allow him to do that; Aidan was too impulsive and might frighten our mate.

On the following night at the banquet, I took great care to dress up and wear the magical necklace. I thought Bella would appreciate it, and I planned to find the matching necklace to present to her personally.

As night fell and the banquet hall lit up, I searched for Bella's presence. I saw Alpha Logan, his wife, and their son, but Bella was nowhere to be found. Where had she gone?

I navigated through the crowd, trying to locate Bella. In a corner on the balcony, I spotted a familiar figure. I was about to approach when I noticed she wasn't alone. Beta Gray Norman from the Maple Pack was standing with her, and that annoying Gray seemed to be trying to charm my mate. He even leaned in close to whisper something in her ear.

I felt a surge of anger and jealousy. I clenched my fists, itching to confront him. In fact, I was about to do just that when I saw Bella kick Gray. It was an unexpected twist, and it seemed that my mate could defend herself.

I let out a laugh and followed Bella into the corridor and witnessed two other girls bullying her, attempting to summon soldiers to capture her. I couldn't allow that to happen; they NEEDED to face consequences.

"Your Majesty, this woman maliciously harmed my comrade. Please order the soldier to apprehend her," Olivia said, mistakenly thinking that I was accusing Bella of wrongdoing.

On the other hand, Clara, upon seeing the tall and handsome king, became smitten and gazed at me with adoration, hesitating to speak.

"You're lying," Bella said, her fists clenched in anger.

These two malicious women were trying to distort the truth. I couldn't let them succeed.

"Soldier, take these two individuals who falsely accused others and throw them into the dungeons."

Everyone in the hallway was shocked.

"Why us? You should punish this wretch!" Clara's sharp voice echoed in the corridor. She couldn't believe the king's words; hadn't he seen her injured?

"I witnessed both of you attacking Bella first, and she was merely defending herself," I said coldly, looking at these two individuals who didn't know their place. My soldiers weren't meant to be used like that.

"Your Majesty, I believe this is all a misunderstanding. We are friends with Bella, and we were just joking with her," Olivia stammered, she didn’t expect that the king had witnessed everything.

I remained silent and turned to Bella.

Bella frowned, "A joke? I've never heard that making fun of someone would land them in jail. Olivia, Clara, I'm not your friend."

"You wretch, how dare you treat us this way," Clara said, preparing to slap Bella.

"Take them to the dungeons," I immediately ordered, ensuring these two annoying troublemakers were removed from my sight.

"Your Majesty, please don't do this to us."

"Your Majesty, you can't do this to us. We are Alphas’ daughters."

I ignored their pleas and turned my gaze to Bella.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine. Thank you for coming to my rescue and setting the record straight," Bella sincerely thanked King Haydn.

"Not worth mentioning," I couldn't help but move closer to Bella. There was a certain fragrance about her, and I wanted to be closer to her, to smell her neck.

My gaze travelled from her bright, dark eyes to her petite nose and her inviting lips. She looked stunning today in her moonlight-colored dress, appearing graceful and delicate, as if she were the earthly representative of the moon goddess.

Suddenly, my eyes fixed on the silver-white necklace around her slender neck. Oh, goddess, it was the Magic Necklace.

"Mate," Aidan came out of my mind and took control of my body.

The word startled Bella.

Aidan swooped closer to Bella, grabbed her shoulders, and sniffed at her neck. He stretched out his tongue to lick Bella's ear, moved down inch by inch, and kissed Bella's neck.

Bella was surprised by Aidan's sudden words and behavior. She was held by Aidan's shoulders and felt the man's kisses and touches on her ears and neck, feeling extremely shy. Her legs were weak and she couldn't stand. A strong arm was placed around her waist to lift her up. Bella's whole body was leaning against Aidan's body. Aidan's body is bursting with muscles, hard and powerful, which is in contrast to Bella's soft body. Bella can feel the heat radiating from Aidan's body and the masculinity rushing towards her face due to his passion, and her heartbeat is fast. , this feeling is so amazing, she has never felt like this before.

"Stop, let me go." Bella struggled and protested.

Aidan, stop, you scared her.

No, she is my mate. She is mine.

She's afraid.

SHE IS MINE.

Aidan refused to relinquish control of my body, and I couldn't let him continue like this. I focused my concentration and strengthened my meditation. "No," Aidan roared in frustration, but I gained control back and returned to my body.

"Sorry, I lost control of my wolf," I wanted to release Bella, but she was unable to stand on her own and almost stumbled. In my haste, I held her close to me again.

"I heard 'Mate,'" Bella said, looking straight at me.

"Right, Bella, you are my mate."

"I find this impossible," Bella said, surprised, her eyes wide. "I've already lost two mates; how could I have a third chance mate?"

I took Bella's hand and placed it on my necklace. "The bond was created by the necklace."

Bella then noticed that the King was wearing a necklace similar to hers, with only a slight difference in the pendant design. Hers had a rose and a crown, while the King's had a sword and a crown.

"You have a necklace like mine!" Bella exclaimed, taking off her necklace and placing it next to the King's necklace. The two necklaces looked like a perfect match.

"They are paired," I said, and as the two necklaces touched, they suddenly radiated with a brilliant light.

"It's magic."

"Bella, did you feel anything?"

Bella still couldn't believe what was happening; she had just been given a third chance at a mate. It all felt like a dream, and she feared that she might wake up any moment. She was afraid that Haydn would be like Gray and Barnett, giving her hope only to let her down. She was afraid of falling into another trap. Could she trust the man before her?