Chapter 1 #2
Power's taste.
Diana screamed.
Mate.
Submit. Accept. MATE!
Diana! I should push him away, I should... Fuck logic!
Desire drowned my sense; I grabbed his collar, not to shove, to pull closer. Kayden groaned low, hands slipping under my cloak. Cool fingers hit my hot waist; I shuddered.
"Tell me to stop," he whispered hoarsely in my ear, barely human. "Layla, tell me—"
I couldn't. The bond burned, alive like vines wrapping my ribs, squeezing my heart, tying us. I just gasped broken sounds, like drowning.
Kayden hiked up my skirt.
Moonlight witnessed it all. Lake water mirrored tangled shadows. Oak canopy hid our secret, shielding it from prying eyes.
"Layla." He chanted my name like a prayer, like a spell.
The bond hummed between us.
His hands roamed higher, rough and insistent, tearing at the thin fabric of my underthings with a growl that vibrated through his chest into mine.
I gasped, my body arching instinctively against the tree, bark digging into my skin but only heightening the raw thrill.
This was it—him, my fated mate, the one I'd ached for in silence for a decade.
Joy exploded in me like fireworks, wild and unhinged, making me laugh through the tears even as his mouth claimed mine again, bruising and desperate.
I was a mess of clumsy eagerness, my fingers fumbling at his shirt buttons, popping them open with trembling hands that didn't know what they were doing.
I'd never done this, never even come close, but the bond drove me, made me bold in my inexperience.
I yanked at his belt, hearing the buckle clink as it gave way, my touches awkward but frantic, like I couldn't get enough of him fast enough.
"Kayden," I whimpered into his kiss, tasting the salt of my own tears mixed with his flavor, my hips bucking up to meet his exploring fingers.
He groaned, deep and animalistic, as if my name on my lips was unraveling him.
He was losing it—Mr. Perfect, the calm Alpha heir, cracking wide open.
I'd heard the rumors, how he'd been ordered never to seek his fated mate.
But here he was, defying it all, drawn by my scent like a moth to flame.
His control shattered; those silver eyes, usually so composed, burned with feral hunger.
"Fuck the rules," he muttered against my throat, voice gravelly and broken, his teeth grazing my skin hard enough to mark but not break.
It was like the madness had always lurked in him, buried under that polished facade, and my presence—my hybrid blood, my everything—ignited it.
He shoved my cloak aside, exposing me to the cool night air, his hands gripping my thighs with bruising force as he lifted me, pinning me harder against the rough trunk.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, clumsy at first, my ankles slipping before locking tight.
The joy was insane, intoxicating—I was finally with him, my secret crush, my fated one.
Every touch sent sparks through the bond, amplifying everything, making my skin hum with electric need.
I clawed at his back, nails digging into his shirt, pulling him closer as if I could merge us into one.
"More," I begged, voice breathy and shattered, my inexperience showing in how I hesitated before grinding against him, tentative but driven by pure instinct.
Diana howled inside, ecstatic, urging me on as the mate bond pulsed like a heartbeat shared between us.
Kayden's response was rough, no holding back.
He thrust forward, entering me in one swift, claiming motion that tore a cry from my throat—pain sharp and fleeting, swallowed by overwhelming pleasure.
"Mine," he snarled, the word a possessive rumble that made my core clench around him.
He didn't ease in; his hips snapped with urgent, almost violent rhythm, like he'd been starving for this his whole life.
The tree shook with our movements, leaves rustling above as his hands roamed, one tangling in my hair to yank my head back, exposing my neck for his lips and teeth.
He bit down, not breaking skin but hard enough to bruise, sucking marks that would linger as proof of this madness.
I met him thrust for thrust, awkward at first, my body learning on the fly, hips rolling with sloppy enthusiasm that only fueled his frenzy.
Joy flooded me, crazy and all-consuming; this was real, he was here, inside me, our souls linked in a way no one could sever.
Tears streamed down my face, not from pain but from the sheer ecstasy of it—finally claimed, finally his.
"Kayden, yes," I moaned, my voice breaking as I clutched at his shoulders, fingers slipping on sweat-slicked skin.
The forest air was thick with our scents mingling, cedar and rain blending with my own wild essence, driving us both deeper into the haze.
He growled again, flipping us so my back hit the soft mossy ground, the impact jarring but thrilling.
Pinned beneath him, I felt his weight, his power, as he drove into me harder, one hand bracing on the earth beside my head, the other sliding between us to tease that sensitive spot that made stars burst behind my eyes.
"Can't... stop," he panted, silver eyes wild with gold flecks, his usual cool mask obliterated.
This was him raw, the hidden crazy breaking free because of me—his forbidden mate.
His thrusts grew erratic, rough edges softened only by the bond's pull, making every collision of our bodies feel like destiny exploding.
I arched up, meeting him with desperate, unpracticed moves, my hands exploring his chest, tracing the hard lines of muscle I'd fantasized about.
Pleasure built like a storm, coiling tight in my belly, and I cried out, legs trembling as I wrapped them higher around his back, pulling him deeper.
The joy was manic; I laughed again, breathless and delirious, sinking into the sensation of being utterly his.
He captured my mouth in another bruising kiss, tongues tangling as his pace quickened, bodies slick and slamming together in the moonlight-dappled clearing.
The world narrowed to us—his grunts mixing with my whimpers, the slap of skin on skin echoing off the trees, the lake's gentle lap a distant soundtrack.
He buried his face in my neck, inhaling my scent like a drug, his control gone as he chased release.
"Layla... fuck, you're everything," he rasped, the admission slipping out in his haze, revealing the depth of his craving.
I clung to him, my clumsy responses turning fervent, hips bucking up to match his roughness, the bond amplifying every sensation until it was too much, overwhelming.
Climax hit me first, shattering through me like lightning, my body convulsing around him as I screamed his name into the night.
Waves of pleasure crashed, joy and madness blending into pure bliss—I was lost in him, fated and found.
He followed seconds later, a guttural roar escaping as he spilled into me, his hips jerking with the force of it, his grip on my waist tight enough to leave marks.
We rode it out together, trembling, the bond singing in our veins like a victorious howl.
Panting, entangled on the forest floor, leaves sticking to our sweat-damp skin, I floated in the afterglow, my heart swelling with delirious happiness.
This was us—fated, wild, unbreakable. Even in my inexperience, I'd given myself fully, and he'd taken it with a hunger that matched my own secret longing.
But as breaths slowed, reality crept back, the moon watching silently as we lay there, spent and connected.
I lost my virginity.
When it ended, I slumped against the tree, legs too weak to stand.
Kayden still held me. His breath warmed my neck, hot, steadying. The bond lingered like aftershocks, rippling through my nerves, proving it wasn't a dream.
I lifted my head, trembling. In the moonlight, his face was inches away. Those silver eyes watched me, something new in them.
Tenderness. Real, unguarded.
He raised a hand, thumb brushing my tear-streaked cheek, gentle as handling glass. For a second, I thought I'd found home, that the man I loved actually—
Kayden's move halted like something horrific struck. His hand on my face went rigid.
Then he shoved me away.
Unprepared, I hit the ground. Leaves and dirt smeared my skirt, but I didn't care—I stared, stunned.
Kayden turned his back, shoulders tense, fingers snapping shirt buttons shut. Moonlight outlined his silhouette, suddenly alien, distant, worlds away.
"Kayden?" My voice tiny, disbelieving.
"Leave me be." His voice shook, still husky from lust, raw.
I pushed up on my hands, trying to stand.
"Tonight was a mistake," he said.
"What?"
I must've misheard. Had to.
Kayden faced me. Those eyes, warm moments ago, were now iced over like a frozen lake.
"Forget it." Each word chiseled stone. "Like it never happened."
"But we..." My voice quivered, tears rising. "We're fated mates..."
Fated mate. Goddess's blessing, soul echo, the world's holiest thing.
"Fated mate's just a curse."
Something flashed in his eyes—pain, struggle, stuff I couldn't read. Gone in a blink, leaving frost.
"You—" Words stuck in my throat.
He looked at me like an error. Then he walked off into the woods, no hesitation.
"Kayden!" I wanted to chase, demand answers. Why a curse? Why ditch me? Why— My legs wobbled; I dropped to my knees.
I watched his shadow fade in the moonlight, into oak gloom.
Out of my world.
The next week, I barely survived.
I worked in the kitchen, prepped food, and took Sophia's jabs. I scrubbed bath floors, heard pack whispers. Back to the shack, stared at the ceiling cracks.
Every day was the same. But different.
Kayden avoided me.
I felt it. The bond let me sense him. My heart raced when he neared the square. Skin burned in the hall.
But he never looked. Even on the same street, scent-close, he'd veer away.
Like I was plague, flood, a real... mistake.
It tore my heart in two. Diana fretted without her mate, paws scraping restlessly, whines pitiful, head-butting invisible walls for the one who ignored our pleas.
But Kayden sent stuff.
The first day, a servant came with a crate of rare herbs. Mugwort, marigold, purple petals I'd never seen in the woods.
"Mr. Kayden's orders," the servant said.
I sent it back.
The second day came clothes. Deep blue dress, soft as clouds.
"Mr. Kayden said the size should fit."
I shut the door.
The next day, gold coins. The fourth day, a moonstone necklace. The fifth day, hand-stitched boots.
Each time, refused. Each time, the servant eyed me confused, like, who rejects an Alpha heir's gifts?
But I didn't want them.
Not herbs, clothes, coins, necklace, anything.
Just one look from him. Even cold, disgusted—it'd confirm that night wasn't my hallucination.
He didn't give it. He'd bribe with fancy junk, like a sleazy deal. Denied any feeling between us, stingy with an explanation, a glance, like I'd soil his sight.
By the seventh evening, I'd almost convinced myself.
Forget it, Layla. Call that night a dream. Short, beautiful, brutal. You shouldn't have hoped. Stay in your shack, be the hybrid orphan, never touch what's not yours.
I sat on the bed, tears dried up, Diana quiet, like accepting it.
I stared at the old chest in the corner. For ten years, it'd filled my voids, given hope against Sophia's torments.
But this time, different. This time, he was the one who tormented me.
Maybe burn the coat. Then I'd drop the decade-long crush, the night's warmth, all impossible fantasies. We weren't in the same world; even if I love him for another ten or twenty years... Kayden Blackwood wouldn't love me for a second.
The truth hit hard; I shook, breath forgotten. I forced my hand to the chest. Open it, Layla. Destroy it, like nothing ever happened...
Knock at the door.
Not Sophia's. Not a servant's. Steady, rhythmic, with undeniable authority.
I yanked my hand back, wiped tears messily, and opened up.
Elder Drake stood there. Moonlight silvered his white hair. Formal robes, pack elder staff in hand. He'd never come to my shack; in twenty-five years, Drake never glanced my way.
But now, he smiled.
"Miss Gray," he said, with respect I'd never heard. "Congratulations."
"One month from now, on the full moon night, you'll be engaged to Mr. Blackwood."