Atlas’s POVI watched her face fall as she processed my words.“Oh,” was all she said, but I could hear the hurt in her voice. She turned and left my study without saying anything else.The moment she left, Auburn, my wolf, grew restless. He began pacing around, his fur bristled. I became restless too. Her scent hung in the air for a few more minutes. Auburn inhaled it deeply, but the moment her scent dissipated, I was consumed by an intense craving, an unbearable, unquenchable thirst. It made me shake with hunger.I didn’t want to admit it, but I desperately longed for Aura’s touch. I craved her lips, her skin, the heat of her body. I craved it with so much voracity, it almost made my knees buckle.I hated the mate bond. I hated everything about it. I never asked for it, never wanted it. I despised being bound by something so uncontrollable, something I was so powerless against.Of course, it all stemmed from my curse.“Fuck!” I said out loud, slamming my fist onto my desk. “This fuck
Aura’s POV I stared at Atlas in a daze.He was the Alpha King, the most supreme, powerful werewolves in existence. And yet? He had just offered me the choice of marriage. Me! I didn’t understand. I was just a nobody.It was all just so…surreal.“Seriously, Aura?” Sorren blurted out. From the look on his face it was clear that he couldn’t hold back his anger any longer. He was like a volcano on the verge of erupting. “Why are you hesitating? Tell him no. You’re MY fiancé! How can you even consider marrying someone else?” I glanced from Sorren to Atlas. Atlas’s face was calm, steady. Sorren’s face was red with anger.‘Sorren was a colossal jerk to you,’ I thought to myself. “He never cared about you. Not truly. Atlas is your mate. You have the mark to show it. True mates are so rare. Why shouldn’t you consider marrying Atlas?”I locked my eyes with Atlas’s.“Okay,” I told him, my voice firm. “You have a deal.”Sorren quivered with rage. He was about to reply when Atlas whipp
Aura’s POVThe moment the words left Atlas’ mouth, everyone stared in shock. The air fell dead silent. “Mate?” Jackson said. My brother was the first to speak, breaking the thick silence. “Our pack hasn’t had a true mate in nearly a hundred years,” Jackson blurted out. “Are you sure?”“Do I look like a fool?” Atlas asked coldly.“No, of course not,” Jackson said, swallowing hard.“Of course I’m sure. She is my mate. I would never make a mistake like that.”I couldn’t believe that Atlas had revealed our bond to everyone like this, so bluntly and directly. I glanced over at Sorren. Sure enough, his expression twisted into a look of displeasure.I knew he wasn’t happy about this. It probably infuriated him. Not only had I broken off our engagement, but now the soon-to-be Alpha King was asking to take me away because I was his mate. I could see the anger twisting inside of Sorren like a knife.He couldn’t let out his anger though. Not in front of Altas. He had to hold back his temper.H
Aura’s POVI stood there, with Atlas blocking me, so nervous I thought I was going to throw up. I prayed to the Moon Goddess, ‘please don’t let Sorren find out that Atlas is my mate.’Sorren had Atlas on the pack’s cameras, stealing from the pack house. If he found out this…man…this…thief in his eyes…was my mate? Sorren would come unglued!‘Please, just don’t say anything,’ I prayed silently, hoping that somehow Atlas would hear me. The Moon Goddess must have been listening because, to my relief, Atlas said nothing about us being mates. Instead, he just looked at Sorren, a calm and steady expression on his face.“I didn’t come here to cause any trouble,” he said, his voice low. Sorren narrowed his eyes.“Then step aside! This woman is under arrest, by authority of me, the Alpha!”Atlas ignored Sorren. He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out something. He held it out on his palm for Sorren to see.It was a crest of some sort, with swirling blues and vibrant reds. But I didn’t
Atlas’s POVI stood on the front steps, shielding Aura, my mate from the arrogant Alpha in front of us. The events that brought me there flooded through my mind.Only a few days ago, I’d been back at the Royal Palace, engaged in a conversation with my Beta and close friend.“If I were you, I’d just walk right up to this pack Alpha, this…what’s his name again? Oh yeah, Sorren, and tell him who you are.” My Beta, Seson, said with a teasing grin. “Just tell him you want your family’s crest back. It’s not your fault it ended up in their pack’s museum.”I shot him a sharp look from across my desk. As my close friend, he knew it wasn’t that simple. It was quite a predicament. “Why don’t you go fetch then, if it’s that easy?”He knew as well as I did that the whole situation was a bit embarrassing. The family crest was a highly important artifact and I’d lost it. I didn’t really want anyone to know. I just wanted to get it back before anyone found out it was gone. The only person that knew th
Aura’s POV I blinked in disbelief. Was that really Atlas?Atlas was the thief?Sorren and Angelo were in a deep discussion about the photo and how to find the perpetrator. So I took the opportunity to silently creep away.Thankfully, I was unable to get away sight unseen. My heart hammered in my chest as I rushed towards my parents’ old house.Maybe I hadn’t seen the picture correctly. I mean, it was entirely possible that I was someone who just LOOKED like Atlas. I opened the front door, expecting to see Atlas lounging on the couch.But the living room was empty.“Hello? Atlas?” I called out. To my dismay though, no one answered.My heart sank. Where was he? What if he’d been caught? He was my mate. He’d marked me. Would I ever see him again? What would Sorren do to him? What had stolen? My mind spun as I sunk down on the couch, his scent still thick in the air.“Aura?” I heard a voice from outside. It was Jackson. He wheeled himself into the living room. “I thought you might be here