6- Ignoring the 'Mate' factor

Anna jerked and sat upright. Looking around the bright room and panting hard. Her eyes scanned the white room and after a while, she managed to calm down only a little. The beeping sound by her side was a monitor that read her heart and her condition in general.

This wasn’t heaven. Given all the bad things she had done in her life, she knew very well that she didn't qualify for heaven.

She was in the hospital. But how? The last thing she remembered was that she was going to die and that assassin aimed a gun at her then the scent and-

Sai, her wolf was suddenly getting all excited and all Anna had to do was pat her head and she felt her wolf ears were out. She squeezed the sheets under her fist as her scent filled the room without her permission.

Sai was only reacting this way because of him.

That man with the silver hair.

Ignoring how handsome and well built he was, Anna lowered her head to think. How was it possible that she felt the mate connection to him?

Yes, she had heard of second chance mates but she never thought it was possible in her case. At least, not this soon. Levi just rejected her two weeks ago and his rejection was still fresh in her soul.

Why would the moon goddess seek to punish her again? Wasn't the first heartbreak enough? Levi had used her body and her mind, deceiving her that she was the centre of his world yet when it was time to defend her, he not only stood aside but he threw the first stone.

What was the meaning of this second mate?

Anna was certain that it was nothing but a mistake. She wasn't the naïve virgin woman she used to be. She was smarter now and she had tasted the wickedness of the very one who was supposed to be her mate.

She would rather die than have anything slow her down in her mission.

The stranger's face flashed in her mind and her heart made a thud.

Those eyes had stared at her in shock as if he too couldn’t believe it. Such a handsome face. How could he be real? That height, that body, Anna who usually dominated a room had never felt so small and dominated in her whole life.

This was a bit different than Levi. This new mate's scent was so dominant, it stared her in the face and when she looked at him, Anna furrowed her brows for a while. There had been something else there… like another presence.

Was it his wolf? Why didn't she feel that way with Levi? She had felt like she was being stared at by two people and their eyes were solely on her like she was the center of-

No.

She turned her face away, biting hard on her jaw and she pulled out the IV in her hand. She winced and got out of bed. She was wearing a blue hospital gown and her left shoulder was all wrapped up with a dull pain throbbing from inside.

Once upon a time, she had thought the same thing. That she was the only one he saw, look how it ended.

"I gotta get out of here."

****

He ran a hand through his silver hair, arranging his bangs and making sure the wind didn't get in his hair. He squeezed the bouquet of red roses in his right arm and brought it to his nose. Taking a deep big whiff of it, his lips turned down in a frown.

Her scent smelt better than this.

Her pheromones had been the lightest shade of red and they reminded him of blood. How could it be that his mate's scent could be likened with blood? His lips pulled back in a smirk and he slowly made his way to the private room.

He brought his hands up and stared at it so intently. He could see flashes of her blood staining his hand from last night. He placed the hand over his face, briefly closing his eyes and shaking the image off.

He had never reacted that way to blood before. Seeing her blood had caused a strange feeling in his heart. It was fear.

Why? For a woman he knew nothing about-n no, he knew her. He felt it deeply that he did. Especially when he stayed with her during the night, watching over her like a hawk and standing by the dark corner of the room afraid to go any closer and stir up her scent.

Her red hair was like wildfire and her thick frame would fit perfectly by his side. He couldn't wait to meet her again. He had already been informed that she would be awake today. Hopefully, he wasn't too early.

He could already smell her pheromones and judging from how light they were, she had been up for a while now.

He pushed the door open, "Excuse me," and he lifted his gaze to where she was supposed to lay. He froze and so did she when their eyes met.

Quickly, he stepped out and slammed the door shut.

His heart was beating ferociously and he rubbed the spot, his eyes still wide from what he had walked in on. He should've knocked. Damn! Her fair unblemished thighs and the curve of her ass as she tried to fit into those jeans would never leave his head.

He counted to ten and raised his hand to knock again. He waited for a reply but when none came, he pushed the door open once more, "Excuse me-"

He tilted his head to the side and a vase flew past him, shattering against the wall.

Hmm? Since when did vase start to fly.

"I was going to put flowers in them," he said to himself and walked in, closing the door behind him before he lifted his eyes to her with a smile on his lips as he put the flowers in front of his chest, "Hello-"

"Get out!"

The smile didn't falter nor did it drop, he simply stared at her, completely mesmerised by the cautious look she threw at him while she stood very- no, too close to the open window. That stance she took was misleading; he didn't know if she was going to attack him or take two steps out the window and jump.

It had better not be the latter.

But he wasn't the only one checking her out, she too paid close attention to him. Her eyes sized him up and he saw her gulp. He had never felt so conscious in his life like he was put on a trial or something.

"Are you feeling okay?" he broke the silence and looked around the room. "For you," he stretched the flower to her but her brows only twitched and she withdrew closer to herself. "It's sixteen feet all the way down," he chuckled. "I wouldn't risk it if I were you-"

"Who do you work for?" she asked instead. "The werewolf government?"

So that was what she was concerned about. Of course, how could he forget who she was?

"No. You're safe here-"

"Where is 'here'?"

He could hardly finish his sentences, "Blackcrown Pack."

Her eyes darted around for remembrance and he saw she blinked a while. He glanced at her knees and he saw how they shook slightly. She had pulled off the IV without thinking of the consequences-

"Alpha Derrick Adams?" she guessed and eyed him all over again. "Then you must be his son."

That wasn't a question so he saw no need to answer. He walked towards the bed and he saw how she drew closer to the window. He placed the bouquet on the bed and he looked in her direction.

"You can relax. No one knows you’re here-"

"Bullshit!" she spat. "Why did you save me? You know I'm a rogue. A very wanted one too. My poster is all over the city." Why was she also skipping the fact that she was his mate? Did she want to pretend she didn't feel it? Would that make her feel a little… hostile towards him?

"My father has mentioned you a lot," he explained. "As you know, he was on very good terms with your late Alpha-"

"That doesn't explain anything," she interrupted, sounding very impatient.

The way she clenched her fist and how her eyes darted around as she could barely keep her focus told him that she was in pain. She had her guard up and it was pissing him off.

"My father believes in your claim of innocence. You may find that hard to believe but he's actually looking forward to meeting you. He hopes you can honour his invitation-"

Alpha Derrick was a distant friend of Weston. He was one of the people she considered to be good friends with him and Weston only ever spoke good about him. But all these seemed too good to be true. Ever since she escaped from Levi's reach, every Pack had been against her.

"Taking me in is like waging war against the government and every other Pack who follows the government blindly," she pointed out. "Why would your father do that to himself?" even better, "Why would you let him?"

So she thought he had a hand in it? Well, she thought right. First of all, he had never 'saved' anyone to begin with. So when he showed up with a dying woman in his arms, his father couldn't refuse to treat her. It was just an added bonus that she was Anastasia Robbie.

The woman that every pack was after.

They all thought they could put their hands on his beautiful rose petal. Watching her stand so far away that she would even consider jumping out of the window an option was making his blood boil but he wore a smile instead.

The sudden lift of his face and the spread of his lips made her flinch.

She was caught off-guard by his sudden smile. Even though it made her heart race, it also creeped her out. What could he be thinking about that made him react that way? Shit! Was he a psychopath?

"You killed a Creed. What were you doing there that night? Do you work for them?" If he was part of a Creed then why would she feel any safe here?

Alpha Derrick must have ulterior motive to keep her here. Everyone else did. When things went south in her life, she realized how quick and easy it was for people to turn against her.

Why was he taking too long to answer? He-

Anna sucked in a breath when she lifted her head.

He was suddenly in front of her, staring down at her with a little pout on his lips.

She didn't even hear him move.

She staggered back out of shock but instead, she felt his hand on her back and under over her legs.

She was suddenly swept up in his arms. She was too stunned to react or move a muscle.

How did he move so fast? It all happened in the twinkle of an eye.

"That's enough questions for now. You should get back in bed," he said, walking gently to place her on the soft mattress.

Her wolf was dumbstruck and didn't know how to process his sudden touch. His body felt so rigid and warm beside her, especially when her head was next to his chin. She was too scared to even breathe.

He dropped her in bed and she froze, unable to even look at him. She could only shiver and ask herself how she ended up in his arms.

"Let me worry about that. Your arm needs to heal. Don't stress it too much," she heard the light humour in his tone and from the corner of her eyes, she saw him smile.

Her heart skipped and she took in short and small breaths. He turned and started to head outside. Only when he closed the door behind him, did she breathe properly.

There was something to that man. Something strange and dark. Only when he was beside her did she realize it even more. It was too dark, too intimidating.

The silence in the room gave her time to think. She really didn't want to stay long enough to know what was going on with him.

Her instincts were going haywire. She had felt it again this time; the feeling of being stared at by two different people.

This was all too much for her. She had to leave.