Chapter 3: Unmasking The Masked Alpha

Brave's POV

I expected pain, the cruelest and vilest form of it. Something that would match the vicious reputation of the masked Alpha.

Maybe my organs would start melting until I vaporized. I didn't know what could be worse than that. I couldn't prepare myself for anything when it came to the elaborate description of the monster that frequently topped the board on the pack's hot gossips.

Several seconds passed, and I felt nothing. There was no claw tearing through my chest or an invisible force twisting my organs.

Instead, a warm sensation wrapped firmly around my waist. I jerked violently at the touch. Before I reached the ground, a gentle hand caught me.

The thick scent of chocolate rushed into my nostrils as Alpha Callum kissed me back.

His intoxicating breath brushed against my skin, confirming that I wasn't dead yet. Although, I was about to.

The edge of his mask grazed my swollen face. It sent a sharp sting through my body, but I was too locked in to break away despite the pain. Even when I knew that this was wrong, my body betrayed me.

His hands loosened for a moment like he had noticed my injury, and he was glaring hard. I couldn't tell because of the mask on his face.

Alpha Callum didn't pull away; there wasn't a trace of malice in the way that he held me closely. Instead, he drew me closer to himself until there was barely any space between us.

The warmth of his tongue flooded into mine. It drowned away every lingering pain of Alpha Dan's rejection. For the first time in my life, I didn't think about what anyone wanted from me or what consequence would follow my actions.

I felt genuinely safe in his arms.

How ironic that the safest I had felt was while kissing the man that was going to end my life.

At least, it was worth it.

"Mate!" I heard him growl between the pleasures.

I stiffened.

My eyes snapped open. The expression on his face was shielded by the mask, but I could tell that he was just as confused as I was.

A startled gasp swept through the conference hall. Somewhere behind me, a glass slipped from someone's hands and shattered against the floor, but Alpha Callum didn't blink.

"Mate?" I repeated the words. It tasted bitter on my lips.

Okay… That had to be a joke. A bad one.

This was just a dare to kiss Alpha Callum. A dare that was supposed to be the end of my life. And he was suddenly my second chance mate?

Most people didn't get to have second chance mates, especially not omegas.

And even worse, I couldn't have the cruel Alpha as my mate. There were things far worse than death and that was one of them.

It had to be a mistake. I tried to force this logical explanation to the fore.

Only that the way my body reacted to his touch said otherwise.

My wolf was crawling to come to the surface, to take over and claim him. And worse, the pull wasn't even this strong when I found out that Dan was my mate. Even though I liked him already, the bond just was on the surface.

Quickly, I pushed the thoughts away from my mind. This was a big misunderstanding which the moon goddess was going to correct in no time. Besides, my wolf hadn't confirmed that he was my mate.

Then the words came from my guts before I could stop them.

"Mate!" I stiffened at the sound of my own voice and my head spinned.

Alpha Callum pulled back enough to look at me and the warmth in his breath brushed my skin again.

The narrow opening of the mask hid his eyes perfectly well, but I could feel his gaze traveling through my body.

His attention dropped to my swollen cheeks. The blood that was already drying up and the bruises Helen had left on my wrist.

An unfamiliar emotion crashed through the bond. It was so violent that I doubled over.

He was furious.

My stomach dropped. If Dan had been disgusted at the thoughts of having me as his mate, then someone as cruel as Alpha Callum would want me dead.

The hall had gone so silent I could hear his pulse. Even Genea had stopped struggling against Helen's lapdogs.

He should have attacked me already. The Alpha I heard about was supposedly controlled by his rage. Instead, one of his hands was still wrapped around my waist. It contradicted everything that I believed about him.

The mate bond must have gotten into my head and I was beginning to imagine things.

I turned to leave before the moon goddess would make things worse.

Before I could, Callum caught my wrist and pulled me around. His grip was firm without hurting me, but the frown beneath his mask appeared deeper than it had before.

"How did this happen?" he demanded frostily.

'How did this happen?'

I almost scoffed. He said the words like I had initiated the bond or I was the moon goddess that did the chosen.

Alpha Dan was a d**k, but at least, he was brave enough to say the rejection out loud. I wanted to spit on his face so much.

Unfortunately, the entire argument was trapped in my head. For a man that was rumored to have several methods for killing people, I wouldn't dare to give him a reason to use me to demonstrate one of them.

"Yeah, the rejection." I chuckled through the pain. My attempts to sound polite sounded like I was nuts.

That should be what he wanted. I wasn't opposed to it; in fact, I wanted it.

The only problem was, I was just rejected a few minutes ago and another painful experience could cost me my wolf. For a she-wolf, that was ten times worse than dying.

"I can accept your rejection… but… I…"

"Don't you dare," he warned. His dangerously low tone sent chills running down my spine.

When he stepped closer towards me, I felt the mate bond flare even harder. And all the rumors about him seemed so distant. This little omega wanted him.

I studied his mask, searching for an indication of what he intended to do.

That was when I noticed the crack.

A thin fracture had appeared beside the openings where my lips had touched his. It stretched upwards across the black material, almost too hard to notice.

Shit. I must have kissed him so hard I had caused a dent on it. Damn mate bond. Hopefully, the crack didn't go further than that.

The crack seemed to read my thoughts and decided to be a bitch. It started stretching upwards.

"No… no… no." I had gotten into enough troubles for one day.

I rushed towards him and tried to pull it together. However, the tear moved faster than my hands did.

The mask tore in half, lying on the floor, and my hands were on his face instead. He scrutinized me from under his brows, and I was lost in that familiar set of green eyes.

"Green eyes? F**k?" The realization hit me hard and I stumbled backwards from the shock.