A Mate in Chains ( MINE!)

 

Maverick’s Pov

Deep down, I had no desire to make friends with this man. I didn't need an ally,least of all this kind of man. Still, my wolf manages to gain the upper hand and pushes me forward. My steps head toward the open door, and before entering I look at the people in front of me. One of them particularly catches my attention. His physique is not the most impressive,probably an average soldier, at least by my pack’s standards. He barely reaches my shoulders; his face could be on the cover of fashion magazines, and yet his eyes are cold, almost sadistic. I know how to recognize a predator like me when I come across one. This man is more dangerous than he seems. But what strikes me most is the smell of blood that emanates from him, and,oddly,a hint of... vanilla. That didn't fit at all with this guy.

My wolf growls and howls its rage in my mind. He's trying to tell me something I don't want to understand. The faint vanilla scent makes my head spin. What is happening to me? This aroma must belong to his partner,there's no reason for me to be attracted to her. Yet I feel a pang of jealousy coming from my wolf; he does not appreciate that this man is close to that delicious, barely perceptible scent. I shake my head quickly and then enter the house, closely followed by my two betas, after Ethan turns off the engine of our 4x4.

Once in the living room, I sit at the table, forgetting all forms of politeness. After all, I am not here to be pleasant but to issue a warning. Alpha Liam stands in front of me, and my betas stand behind me, scanning the surroundings for the slightest threat. There are three of us against a whole pack, yet I have the impression that it would be enough if they attacked us.

“We have prepared a welcome dinner for you for our first official meeting. It's not every day that one of the biggest Alphas in the region invites himself into our humble abode.”

Compliments? If he thinks this is going to work, he is wrong. My ego is already big enough; I know who I am and what I am worth.

The other high-ranking members of this pack sit down at the table, leaving the two seats next to me empty for my betas, although neither makes the slightest movement to sit. The man from earlier isn't far away, and while the alpha begins to rant about the origins and politics of his pack, I focus on the scent coming from that man. My body relaxes against the seat, my hands resting on the edge of the table. I am searching for an anchor point because I feel I am about to let the beast out; I can no longer contain it. Before that happens, I send a message to my betas through our pack bond to warn them of the possible catastrophe that is about to unfold.

“If I'm going to cause carnage, hold me back. I can no longer contain my wolf,he will come out in a few seconds.” My two guards then step forward to try to stop the inevitable. My wolf takes command, and an angry cry escapes me. Suddenly I realize what he is trying to make me aware of: soulmate. She is here. I can smell her vanilla scent.

My body starts moving on its own. The room falls silent. My aura is at full strength because it is not only the scent that attracts me but also the smell of blood mixed with it. The men around me tense in pain as I pass, some even falling from their seats under the force of my aura. I move slowly, like a predator on the hunt, toward the door where the smell seems strongest. I try the doorknob,it's stuck. Not for long, because I break it in a second and quicken my pace as I step inside. My red eyes, darkened by the wolf's hatred, scan the dark cellar, and I see on the ground the most beautiful of creatures... in blood, on the verge of death.

The beast can no longer be held back. It jumps over the railing to quickly approach its soulmate. The animal in me has completely taken control; I am nothing but a spectator of the scene, and deep down that suits me very well. I want the beast unleashed so it can make the people responsible pay at my feet. A torrent of emotions runs through me: hatred, anger, sadness, revenge. I no longer know what to do or what to feel. So I let my instinct take over.

Squatting down beside her, I allow myself to touch her skin delicately with my fingertips; it is icy. Her heartbeat slows visibly. Glancing around the dilapidated room, I can hardly imagine the abuse she must have suffered. Blood leaks from various wounds; her dress is torn lengthwise, revealing an emaciated body. You could count her ribs; her bones would break with every unfortunate movement. The smell of vanilla is accompanied by the odors of the room: blood, sweat, and urine. Who could have locked her in such a place? A presence behind me makes me surge forward, protecting what is mine. I put myself on top of her body,no one will approach her; she is mine!

My wolf hardly recognizes the voice of one of my betas, who concentrates on protecting the woman on the ground: “Alpha, pull yourself together. We have to leave here.” The animal's growls grow louder, becoming terrifying. My aura explodes again, bringing my two subordinates to their knees. No one will take what is rightfully mine. My wolf lets out all his hatred toward the world with a single word:

“MINE!”

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Pov Betas

Our Alpha is no longer in control. What could have put him in such a state? In recent years the beast in him has been losing control more quickly. Incidents,especially property damage,have started to worry the other members of the pack. Their leader no longer controls his wild side, and people are already saying he will soon be unable to protect the weakest, or that someone will one day get hurt because of one of these tantrums.

Yet Maverick, our Alpha, had never failed in his duty,except two years ago when his big sister died in excruciating torment. Basically, he couldn't have done anything, because she had been the companion of another powerful alpha who had mistreated her without our knowledge. Months passed before we took our revenge,the death of the enemy beta. Still, none of us will be satisfied as long as the alpha of that pack breathes the same air on this planet. We couldn't attack him head-on; our packs would destroy each other and too many innocents would die. But a day will come when his luck changes. On that day we will be at the forefront, and we will fight alongside our Alpha to avenge the death of one of our own. Since that disastrous day, the beast in Maverick has been eating away at him slowly,nothing will stop it, except perhaps what is destined for him.

Looking closer, we see a woman lying on the ground, behind the wild beast. This can't be true. Could this really be our salvation,the one we were all waiting for to calm the pack? Given the way the beast protects her, we can only hope so.

At the moment we are in a critical situation. Our alpha's aura pins us, preventing us from moving an inch. We try as best we can to speak to him through our link, but nothing works; the wolf has completely taken control of the man. On our knees, we search for a solution. We have to leave here as quickly as possible, before carnage is committed. As it stands, the beast will destroy every member of this pack,guilty or innocent; it will make no distinction if the woman on the ground is indeed his soulmate. We cannot afford such a massacre; it would lead to a general war. Moreover, there are three of us against more than two hundred people,we would never last until the end.

Hearing the growl in front of us and seeing those terribly frightening eyes, I think that finally he might kill them all single-handedly. How can I defuse this situation? A moment of reflection later, we come up with an idea that could work. One of us says, “Alpha, look here,she needs urgent medical attention, otherwise she won't survive.” The other adds, “Wolf, don't let her die like this!”

These sentences reach the beast, and in those eyes we see a small piece of human life come back. Thank God. Our alpha bends down to hug the woman, first putting his t-shirt on her, and for the first time we can see her clearly.

That's not true... Her body is covered in torture marks; blood leaks from several wounds on her cheek and thigh. Her condition is even more serious than we thought. If she doesn't survive... No,out of the question. She has to live; it must be this way. The alpha carries her across the room like a delicate, wilting flower.

“They will all pay for what we did to her. This time I won't hold back....”

The warning has its effect; we push ourselves out of his path. Those wolves are going to regret being born. The beast is going to spill blood,just hoping it isn't on innocent people.