Chapter 14 - You Are My Mate

Lyra

As the scorpion attacked Lyra, the door burst open. In a single breath, Alpha Veyron had annihilated the creature.

Lyra’s chest tightened, relief mixing with fear. Was he a man or a monster? Whatever he was, he exuded a raw power that sent a shiver down her spine. 

Her heart pounded as he turned to her, his piercing gaze locking onto hers. She wanted to thank him, to say something, but the words caught in her throat. And, she shrank back instinctively. He stepped closer, and she sidestepped to move away.

“Wh- what was that?” she managed to stammer.

Her eyes stayed on the shattered remains of the scorpion, not daring to look directly at him. Its sticky black fluids spilled all over the floor.

“A Nightspike Scorpion,” he answered, his voice so deep it rumbled, the sound spreading warmth through her core. “Its venom causes nightmares, hallucinations. Prolonged exposure severs our connection to our wolf. It would’ve killed you.”

She should have been grateful. She was grateful but she felt exposed under his gaze. His scarred face, framed by the unforgiving cut of his jawline, carried a brutal appeal she couldn’t tear her eyes from, even if she could only watch from the corner of her eye.

A dangerous current thrummed in her chest, shortening her breaths to painful gasps. Was this the mate bond she had heard so much about? But I’m not worthy. Theron didn’t want me. Why would this Alpha?

As if he could hear her thoughts, his voice dropped into a low, possessive growl. “You are my mate.”

The declaration struck her like lightning. Gasping, Lyra backed away again, colliding with the dresser. She was trapped.

Veyron stepped closer. His gaze bore into her. 

Those eyes again… I know them. But from where

“It... can’t be,” she forced out, her voice trembling.

He leaned in until she felt his hot breath on her face, planting his hands against the wall on either side of her head. His earthy, masculine scent was overwhelming.

He growled angrily. “How dare you deny it?” His amber eyes flared, the wolf pushing to the surface.

Lyra swallowed hard, her throat dry, but the words escaped her lips before she could stop them. “I’m a reject,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “The man who was supposed to be my mate chose my sister instead.”

His palms slammed the wall beside her head as his roar blew the hair out of her face. Lyra flinched, recoiling.

His growl deepened, reverberating through the room. “Whoever rejected you is irrelevant,” he snarled, his voice dripping with finality. “You. Belong. To me.”

Her fear warred with the connection between them. But she couldn’t trust him. What he did to her village, to her aunt…

“You’ve destroyed before,” Her voice shook from the terror building in her stomach.  “Will you destroy me too?”

Jaw tightening, his features darkened with the storm of his emotions. Veyron’s breath slowed, trembling with the effort to contain the wolf raging within.

But his voice softened slightly as he responded, “Sometimes destruction is the only way.”

His hands closed around her, pulling her firmly into his chest. His sheer strength made her feel fragile. Her heart raced against him, their breaths tangling as one.

“You fight it,” he murmured, “but you feel it too.”

“Do you always expect everything to bend to your will?” She whispered.

Lyra trembled in his hold, feeling his body’s heat. His scarred palms clutched her back. A feminine vulnerability she had never felt before awakened deep inside her, warmth gushing between her legs.

“If I give in,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, “what’ll be left of me?”

He tilted her chin up, calloused fingers rough against her soft skin. His lips descended on hers. The kiss consumed her, a firestorm sending a shockwave through her body. 

Lyra’s knees gave out, her body melting against him as though it had been waiting for this her entire life. She gasped and he took advantage, invading her mouth. She instinctively reached for him, clutching his shoulders to keep from collapsing beneath him. 

The hard muscle beneath her palms an anchor in the storm he unleashed within her. A futile anchor as his devastation was inescapable. But it was natural. Right.

She whimpered softly against him when he pulled her closer. As if any distance between them was too much. The tingling sensation spread from her lips like wildfire, surrendering her to the fortress of his body.

Fear and desire tangled together, bringing her alive. His teeth grazed her lower lip, a possessive growl vibrating through his chest and into her. 

She pulled away; breath tumultuous as she tried to steady herself. But he didn’t let her go far, his forehead resting against hers.

Her voice came out in a shaky whisper. “I don’t… I don’t know if I can survive this.”

His amber eyes burned into hers. “You don’t have a choice,” he growled. “You’re mine. And nothing will ever change that.”