Chapter 5 CHAPTER 005
Stone POV:
She entered minutes later, barefoot and cautious, her small frame dwarfed by the guards who escorted her in.
She looked like she'd been through war and hunger strike. Her eyes wide and wary, cheek smeared with dirt, lips chapped. Her raven-black hair was wild around her face, but it didn’t hide the beauty underneath.
She wasn’t shaking either when she should’ve been. She looked me straight in the eye. Other girls would have cowered under my gaze.
"Leave us," I ordered.
The guards obeyed without question. The moment the door shut, I felt like there was a lot to be talked about.
"The guards told me what you did. You touched me," I said, voice low.
She didn’t deny it. "I didn’t mean to."
"Did you know what would happen?"
She frowned. "No."
I stepped closer, watching her body tense as I approached. "You calmed a fully transformed Lycan. That shouldn’t be possible. Not for a rogue or for anyone."
"I...I’m not a rogue," she murmured.
"No?" My tone sharpened. "Then what are you?"
She hesitated. "Nothing."
I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "That’s a dangerous thing to throw around in my territory. Lies."
She crossed her arms and I couldn't tell if it was to shield herself or to appear unfrightened. "It’s the truth."
"No," I snapped. "It’s a lie. No one can just walk into my pack and be able to calm my fucking wolf. That's too much of a coincidence."
Her eyes flickered. I saw the fear before she buried it but I wanted to watch it burn for a while longer.
I stalked closer until I was standing toe to toe with her. She didn’t move, didn’t breathe. The girl was either brave… or stupid.
"Tell me how you stopped my wolf," I said again.
"I told you. I don’t know."
"Try harder!" I snapped, banging my fist against the wall behind her. She jumped, the fear returning to her eyes now.
"I don’t know!" she snapped. "I thought I was going to die. I didn’t do anything except hold up my hands and beg not to be torn apart."
I stared at her. Her pulse fluttered in her neck like a trapped bird. I reached for her without thinking. Just a touch. My wolf couldn't resist it. Fuck, I couldn't either. So I trailed my nails down her arm, loving the way she shut her eyes and her body quivered.
The moment my fingers brushed hers, a red thread shot out between our wrists. Glowing. Pulsing. Connecting.
My breath caught. Her eyes widened.
And in that instant, my wolf stilled completely inside me. Just one word echoing through my bones: Mate.
I stumbled back, the weight of that word slamming into me like a tidal wave.
"No," I scoffed. "Now, this is interesting."
She looked just as shaken. "What… what is that?"
"You didn’t feel it?" I demanded. "When I touched you?"
"I don't know. It's not possible. I swear, I don't know you and I had no intention of coming here. I never did."
I looked down at the thread still connecting us, glowing a deep crimson. The sacred color of true mates. Not bonds formed by rituals or spells. This one was pure. I’d never had one before.
In all my years as Alpha, all my years as a Lycan, I’d never found a mate. I wasn’t even sure I believed in them anymore. But here she was.
A girl who came from nowhere. Who tamed a beast. Who didn’t cower. Who claimed to be nothing… and still connected to me in a way that couldn’t be undone.
"I don’t want this," I said aloud, as much to myself as to her.
"I didn’t ask for it," she shot back.
The thread flickered.
I narrowed my eyes. "What’s your name again?"
"Ari."
"Ari what?"
"I told you before."
"No one’s just anything," I said, folding my arms.
She looked away. "I used to be part of a pack. They threw me out."
"Why?"
"Because I didn’t have a wolf."
I blinked. "That doesn’t even make sense. It doesn't explain why mine bowed to you."
"Then maybe your wolf's just broken," she said quietly.
I stifled a smirk. Fiery. I’d give her that.
Still, the implications churned inside me. If this was real—if she truly was my mate—then the bond couldn’t be rejected without consequence. Lycans weren’t like regular wolves. We didn’t get second chances. We didn’t survive rejection. The bond rooted itself into our essence. To deny her would destroy me.
But to accept her?
She was fragile. Broken. A castaway. The kind of girl who got eaten alive in a place like Ricko.
And yet, she looked me in the eye and didn’t flinch.
I turned away, raking a hand through my hair. My body still buzzed from the connection, my skin crawling with the energy that now pulsed in time with hers.
I could feel her heartbeat. I could feel her soul. And I hated it. Because it meant I wasn’t in control anymore. I could feel her pain, happiness and everything she felt.
"Mate," I growled under my breath, then spun on my heel and stormed out, leaving her standing there. I needed to sever this bond in any way I can.
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Ari POV:
I couldn't believe what just happened. I was snatched from the street by a man I had never seen in my life only to find out he was my mate. How could that be possible?
"Ms. Ari?" A soft spoken voice called from the entrance. I looked up to see a short and robust woman with a pair of glasses standing across the room with a smile. "Can I come in?"
I didn't respond. Not only was her broad smile looking fake, it was creepy as well and I just couldn't wait to leave this place.
The woman approached me after a while, sensing I wasn't going to respond. That's when I could study her features. Greying hair worn into a bun, soft brown eyes I knew was just for show in a lycan pack, wrinkles dotting around her eyes and a uniform I didn't know what it was for.
"I'm going to be your caretaker from today. The Alpha informed me you were, uh," she shifted on the edge of the bed. "Suicidal."
I looked away, staring at the windows. "Yes."
"Do you want to talk about why?"
"What are you? A therapist?"
She nodded with that same beaming smile as if everything was okay, and that made my stomach coil with anger.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Not talking about it or giving us information about who you are can cause the people of Ricko pack to regard you as a threat to us." I shot my gaze at her, heart thumping hard against my ribcage as I saw the smile on her face wipe off. "And the Alpha is being kind enough to be patient with you for some reason I don't know. If I were you, I'd count myself lucky and do whatever he asks."