chapter 4

:ESCAPE

My chest rose and fell in frantic, shallow gasps. If I breathed in too deeply, I felt like I would drown in him.

“Mate? What the hell does he mean by that?”

"Kitten, tell me to stop," he whispered again. His lips ghosted over my jawline, tormenting me by never quite making contact.

He hovered there, close enough to burn. I should tell him to stop. God, I should shove him back. I should slap him.

But my hands refused to cooperate.

“Come on, Amelia, push him away,” I scolded myself.

Instead, my fingers remained tightly fisted in the fabric of his shirt. My pulse hammered wildly against his mouth, practically begging him to finish what he started. "Stop playing with me," I whispered, my voice cracking under the weight of the tension.

His laugh was low, dark, and utterly victorious. "I’m not playing." And then, he stopped waiting. His mouth captured mine. It wasn't a gentle kiss, nor was he asking for permission. He was claiming me. It was hot, demanding, and wrong in every way that made my chest ache.

I went rigid for a split second, my survival instincts screaming at me to fight. But the moment his hand slid to the back of my neck, anchoring me in place, my resistance melted into something incredibly dangerous.

I kissed him back like I’d been starving for it. Like he was the exact sin I’d spent my whole life denying myself.

When he finally pulled back, it was just enough to breathe against my lips. His eyes burned a fierce, molten red in the shadows. "Told you," he murmured against my mouth. "You’re mine."

My forehead dropped heavily against his shoulder, my breath shuddering out of me. "I hate you," I whispered in shaky breaths.

His arms tightened around my waist, holding me so fiercely it felt like he was afraid I might vanish if he loosened his grip for a single second. "Really?" he asked, his voice rough with absolute satisfaction. "Is that how you really feel, kitten?"

The room fell dead silent, save for the ragged sound of our breathing. He tilted my head up to meet his gaze, gave my lips one last, lingering press, and then slowly stepped away from me.

"Iris!" he called out.

The heavy bedroom door opened immediately. A young woman stepped inside, her head bowed respectfully.

"Yes, Alpha?"

"Get her ready. We’re heading out."

"Yes, Alpha."

He turned on his heel and strode out of the room without another word, leaving me stranded with my own chaotic thoughts. I crossed over to the massive bed and threw myself face-down onto the mattress.

"Ugh no! This can’t be happening” I kicked my legs out in pure frustration, instant regret washing over me. Heat flooded my cheeks.

“What on earth was I thinking?” I punched the mattress, buried my face deep into the pillow, and let out a long, muffled scream.

"Are you alright, Luna?"

I bolted upright, my eyes scanning the room. The space was entirely empty except for me and Iris. "Are you talking to me?" I asked, my brows furrowing into a deep frown.

Iris nodded, looking mildly confused by my reaction.

"No, you’ve got it wrong," I said, shaking my head defensively. "My name’s Amelia. Not Luna."

"But you’re the Alpha’s mate, aren’t you?" Iris tilted her head, genuinely puzzled.

I blinked, momentarily speechless. Leonhart had muttered something about me being his mate just minutes ago. But what did that even mean? And why did she keep calling him 'Alpha'? Wasn’t his name Leonhart?

"I’m sorry, but I don’t know what a 'Luna' is, and why do you keep referring to Mr. Leonhart as 'Alpha'?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of my panic.

Iris shifted uncomfortably on her feet, clearly hesitant to answer. "A mate bond," she began carefully, "is sacred. Once it’s recognized, it can’t be broken. Not by you, not by him, not by anyone."

I frowned, the ambiguity infuriating me. "Recognized? Wait, by who?"

Iris’s eyes flicked nervously toward the closed door, then back to me, her voice dropping to a whisper. "By fate. By blood. By him."

That wasn’t an answer. That was terrifying.

I sat up straighter, pulling the heavy blanket around my shoulders like a shield. "And what if I don’t want it?"

For the first time, a look of genuine pity crossed Iris's face. "It doesn’t matter if you want it, Luna. Your body already knows. Your scent changed the exact moment he claimed you.”

My stomach dropped into a cold abyss. "Claimed?" The word tasted vile in my mouth. "He didn’t…"

"He didn’t need to bite you," Iris interrupted softly. "The bond is already active. You just haven’t accepted it yet."

"Bite... like a dog ?" I demanded but Iris remained entirely silent.

My heart was beating so hard it felt like it was outside my chest. “What is going on here? Is she losing her mind? Because what she’s saying sounds like absolute bullshit.”

I forced a stiff, fake smile onto my face. "Ohh... I get it now," I lied.

Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy. Outside the door, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed down the hallway, drawing closer. Iris straightened her spine instantly, slipping back into her flawless servant persona. "Come. I’ll help you get ready," she said quickly. "The Alpha doesn’t like to be kept waiting."

I stared at her, my pulse racing. I didn’t know what scared me more, the absurd idea of being bound to a stranger forever, or the traitorous, buried part of me that didn’t completely hate it.

“I need to escape. I cannot stay here,” I thought, my mind racing as I forced myself through the motions of the day.

By afternoon, Leonhart had taken me out to see the surrounding property. He called it "the pack." We clearly weren't in any normal town. The surrounding wilderness was breathtakingly beautiful, but the people living here were bizarre. They openly stared at me, then tilted their heads and sniffed the air like literal hounds. As the hours passed, the village only grew stranger.

Now, I was back inside my room, pacing frantically back and forth across the hardwood floor. I didn’t even know where I was on a map. How was I supposed to find my way home?

I walked over to the window, staring down at the lively village below. A faint, involuntary smile touched my lips as I watched them. For a brief, terrifying second, I actually pictured myself staying here. Almost immediately the smile vanished. I shook my head hard to clear the fog. “No. I need to get the hell out of here. Tonight.”

Waiting until nightfall, I crept toward the heavy bedroom door and cracked it open. I scanned the hallway to the left, then the right. When the coast was clear, I bolted. The corridors were completely deserted. I had overheard earlier that Leonhart was holding a ‘pack meeting’ Whatever the hell that meant, which means everyone was occupied.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my torso. I crouched down low against the wall, clutching my chest. My heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to rip through my ribs.

Sweat blurred my vision. What is happening to me?

“A mate bond is sacred. No one can break it..." Iris’s voice echoed in my mind.

I shook my head violently, forcing myself back onto my feet. "Mate bond, my ass," I muttered, pushing through the back exit of the estate.

The night air was freezing. I took one look around the dark perimeter and ran straight toward the tree line of the dense forest. Suddenly, a chorus of deafening howls echoed from the direction of the village. Panic surged through my veins.

I ran as fast as my legs could physically carry me, weaving blindly through the dark until the terrifying sounds finally faded into the distance. Gasping for air, I gripped the rough bark of a massive pine tree just to keep myself from collapsing. My lungs were burning, and a strange, agonizing ache was radiating from the center of my chest.

"What is this?" I choked out into the empty darkness, tears of pain stinging my eyes. "What's wrong with me? I was fine just a few minutes ago…”