Chapter 12: Acknowledging The Mate Bond

Zephyrus’ POV:

I turned towards Lena when her breathing normalized. I knew she had fallen asleep from the trauma she went through. It was my fault totally, and I felt guilty. I didn’t want to force her into submission, but every time she tried to escape, something snapped inside me. I couldn’t control the anger spiraling within me. Why couldn’t she just acknowledge the mate bond and surrender to me? Wasn’t that how this mate thing worked? Then how was it so different for me?

And I thought I was a blessed wolf!

The more I watched her, the wish to mark her, and claim her, drove me crazy. It took all my power to restrain my urges around her. She was the most beautiful female I had ever laid eyes on, yet she was unaware of the power she wielded over me. It was strange since I was immune to seduction. Only extreme physical needs drove me to seek no-strings-attached pleasures. But that was years ago, much before the battle had started in Aromania. Ever since I have been busy saving my kingdom like a true heir to give my needs a thought. I didn’t have the time to. I had always expected to die a warrior’s death on the battlefield. Although Hera always waited for her mate, I never expected to meet one in this life. The thought of Hera made me feel guilty.

Stavros and I had sent our spies after them, yet there has been no update about her whereabouts! It had been almost five days since the bastard Felixe had abducted her! We were at our wit’s end wondering where he could have taken her. Our pack members who went in search of her hadn’t contacted us to update us. It was a dire situation that needed to be sorted out immediately. I didn’t know how he was treating Hera. What if he killed her already?

I sighed, knowing there was only one way to get Hera back. I had to use my powers and seek her out. It was strange that I couldn’t connect with her through our strong mind link. This was the first time I couldn’t establish a mind link with her and I was at my wit’s end. It seemed as if she didn’t want me to find her, but why would she want such a thing? Maybe when Lena healed a little, I could go in search of Hera! I wouldn’t leave her here. I couldn’t afford to have her escape again.

My gaze fell on Lena’s sleeping form, from the top of her head, dropping to her seductive lips. It was true I had tasted them briefly just to prove my point, but it had the opposite effect on me. It made me perpetually aroused while she slept peacefully, without a worry in the world. I wanted to devour those lips right now, but I wasn’t a monster like she thought me to be. The fear spiking in her beautiful blue eyes angered me. Why couldn’t she just settle down here with me instead of considering escaping me? What was u doing wrong? Why was she fighting me?

I knew the answer, of course. She was just twenty and had lived a sheltered life away from the pack. Maybe I had scared her when I sent her to prison. I had to be patient with her, although it wasn’t one of my virtues. She hated me for the pain I inflicted upon her, and I needed to apologize to her first. It was important if I wanted her to stay with me forever.

Forever? Seriously? It was true I started harboring strange feelings for her, but wasn’t it too early to think of a forever kind of relationship with her? Deep in my heart, I knew the answer. A fated mate bond was forever! But was this the forever type? The type of bond my parents shared? Only time could answer that. I dozed off to sleep, dreaming of the type of relationship my parents shared. It was something I could die for! Strangely, even in my dreams, I only saw Lena as my mate!

I woke up confused and frustrated. What was that dream all about? If Lena was my mate, why was she trying to escape me?

I heaved a sigh of relief to see her still sleeping next to me and I freshened up quickly.

Later, going into the kitchen, I started making breakfast absent-mindedly, the memory of Lena’s lips driving me crazy. Why couldn’t I get her out of my mind?

‘Kiss her then. I’ll kiss Xara if you don’t!’ exclaimed a whipped Zeus.

‘You’ll crush Xara if you don’t suppress your aura, Zeus!’ I scolded him.

‘Oh, alright! I’ll calm down. Happy now? As if you aren’t crushing Lena with your growls!’ he grumbled. I frowned at his statement. Was I doing that? I didn’t mean to, but she always rubbed me in the wrong places to make me erupt.

‘She’s up. She’s coming this way!’ whispered Zeus excitedly.

I tried to keep my eyes trained on the counter while my heart thumped wildly inside my ribcage. Was I overreacting to her? Maybe, but I had no control over myself. My cck twitched to life just at the mention of her name, and I wished I could make it invisible. Wouldn’t I look weird making breakfast with a scowl and an erection?

The bedroom door opened, and she walked out wearing my shirt. My heart skipped a beat, seeing how good she looked in it. Her creamy, never-ending legs were milky white, resembling her wolf’s fur. I could see she had regained her strength and could walk around normally.

“Good morning, mate!” I purposely rubbed the word in her face to remind her of where we stood. It was also to remind her we had unfinished business to take care of as fated mates.

She turned towards the kitchen and froze, seeing me here. What the heck! Was she contemplating another escape just like she had done before? Didn’t she tire of escaping? What was the use? I wouldn’t let her go. I’d bring her back every time. Anger swirled inside me and all my good moods instantly vanished.

“Not mate! I’m the enemy, remember?” She rolled her eyes and scowled at me warily.

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am, and I know I’m not welcome here. I don’t want to stay in Lucania, Zephyrus. Please let me go.” I controlled the mad fury coursing through me again. It surprised me she didn’t feel the strong mate bond between us. How could I be the only one feeling it? At that moment, all I wanted was to fck her senseless, to imprison her in my bedroom for days until she was too sore to even get up.

“Lucania is yours as much as it is mine. You can stay.” It was all I could say as I quickly made breakfast. It was evident she didn’t trust me. Why would she trust me after everything she faced because of me?

“I want my freedom. I can’t live here like a prisoner.” She picked up an apple and walked away to munch. Her words made me see red. Here I was talking of a relationship with her while all she could think of was her freedom.

“You aren’t a prisoner here. Settle down, acknowledge our mate bond, and everything will be fine.”

“No, nothing will be fine. You don’t understand it at all.” My nostrils flared as I lost my composure. I grabbed her arm and pulled her into my body, clamping her against my chest.

“Stop fighting me, Lena. Don’t force me to punish you.” She glared at me for a second, only to place her hands over my chest to push me away.

“You have punished me, haven’t you? Torture me, kill me then.”

“As you wish. I will torture you differently. It will be more pleasurable than painful.” I leaned down to graze my lips across her neck, the very spot I would mark in the future. It looked so inviting that I couldn’t help myself from licking the spot. A tremor went down her body and I smiled against her skin. She wasn’t as immune to me as she portrayed.

Unable to control my painfully hard erection, I grabbed her hips and molded them to my rock-hard cck, straining against my sweatpants.

A gasp escaped her mouth, and she closed her eyes, only to open them abruptly.

“What happened?” I whispered, gazing at her confused face.

“I can hear voices calling out to me.” I frowned at her admission. Was she hallucinating? To my surprise, the crescent mark on her neck glowed strangely, and I released her in confusion. What was going on?

“You have a mark on your neck, just like your mother had! It’s glowing now!” I explained to her.