Chapter 3 Chapter 3

"No! This can't be possible!" I yelled, shaking my head as panic set in. "You're wrong. You have the wrong person! It’s not me. I don't have a mate, and I never plan to have one!"

He didn't flinch. He just raised a single dark eyebrow, his eyes glowing softly in the moonlight. "Then why did you call for me? You cried out in your heart for someone to save you from danger, and that's why I came."

"Fine! You saved me, now you can go!" I snapped, struggling to keep my balance as I pressed back against the cold tree bark. "I don't need your help anymore!"

He took a step toward me, his intense gaze dropping down my bloodied body. "You are deeply wounded, mate. You're bleeding out. If you keep standing there, you're going to collapse."

"Stay away from me!" I held the heavy sword out with both shaking hands, pointing the blade right at his bare chest. "If you take another step closer, I swear I'll drive this steel straight through your heart!"

He didn't look scared at all. Instead, a slight, amused smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "If I turn around and leave you right now, you'll be dead before the sun comes up."

"I'm not afraid of dying!" I spat, my vision blurring slightly from the pain. "I'm only afraid of some naked stranger creeping up on me in the woods!"

He took another slow, calm step forward, ignoring the blade just inches from his ribs. His red eyes locked onto mine, piercing right through me. "You can feel the bond, can't you? No matter how hard you try to hide it, your heart is beating fast. You know I'm telling the truth."

Before I could answer, the castle bells rang out again, louder and faster than before. Screams and heavy boot steps echoed from the top of the mountain. They were sending more soldiers down the slope.

"They're coming for you," he whispered, his jaw tightening as he looked up toward the torchlights flashing through the trees.

"Just leave me alone!" I growled, trying to pull away.

He didn't listen to a single word. In one fast, effortless motion, he stepped inside my guard, snatched the sword from my weak fingers, and tossed it into the brush. Before I could even scream, he scooped me off the ground and tossed me over his broad shoulder.

"Put me down!" I shrieked, hammering my fists against his muscular back. "Put me down, you bastard! Leave me alone!"

He ignored my blows like they were tiny bug bites. As he ran forward, his human skin shifted back into thick black fur mid-stride. In less than a second, I was sitting on the back of a giant black wolf.

He moved with terrifying speed—faster than any creature I had ever seen in my life. The trees turned into a blurry green smudge around us. The wind whipped past my ears, stinging my eyes. Within less than a minute, we were completely outside our pack's territory. He kept sprinting without slowing down, diving deeper and deeper into the dark, uncharted forest.

Finally, he came to a stop in a small clearing surrounded by towering ancient trees.

He shifted back into his human form, letting me slide gently off his shoulders down to the damp grass. I collapsed on my side, gasping for air.

He dropped to his knees beside me and pressed his warm palms firmly over the open wounds on my belly. When he pulled his hands back, they were completely covered in bright red blood.

His dark eyebrows pulled together into a deep frown. "The bleeding isn't stopping... A werewolf's natural healing should have kicked in by now. You should be patching up."

He leaned down, his nose skimming close to the torn fabric around my chest, sniffing the blood. His face went pale. "Wolfsbane... The arrows were dripping with pure wolfsbane poison. It's completely shutting down your wolf."

"That's my business," I choked out, pushing his hands away with what little strength I had left. "You can go now. You've kidnapped me long enough!"

"At this rate, you're going to die," he said, his deep voice dead serious. "If I walk away and leave you sitting here, you will bleed to death in less than an hour."

"Just stop saying that!" I yelled, tears of frustration burning my eyes. "Stop telling me I'm dying! I'll find a way to fix it myself!"

"I think there might be a way to save you," he said softly, looking down at me.

I narrowed my eyes at him, full of suspicion. "Does this 'way' involve you?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation.

"Hell no!" I snapped instantly. "Then I'm not interested!"

"Well, I am!" His eyes flashed with red fire as his voice echoed through the quiet forest. "I am not going to sit here and watch my own mate die in front of me!"

"Stop calling me your mate!" I screamed back.

He reached out, ignoring my angry glaring, and gently placed both of his large, warm hands over my wounded stomach once more.

A sudden wave of warmth washed over my body. The burning, razor-sharp pain from the wolfsbane poison instantly dulled down to a soft ache. My breath caught in my throat as a strange, soothing tingling spread through my veins.

"You can feel it, can't you?" he whispered, leaning closer, his warm breath fanning across my cheek. "When your mate touches you, the pain goes away. Stop fighting it. Stop denying the bond and just let me help you."

My heart hammered in my chest, but anger instantly boiled over the relief. "Why does it always have to be a man?!" I yelled, tears spilling over my eyelashes. "Why does a male always have to step in so he can look down on me and call me weak?! You think just because you're a male, you're automatically stronger? You think you can just march in here, play the hero, and save the poor, helpless girl?!"

I glared up at him with pure hatred. "Why does a woman always have to be the one getting saved?!"

He stared at me for a long moment. Then, his shoulders started to shake, and he burst into a low, rumbling laugh.

"So that's what this is about," he chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "You don't want a mate simply because you hate men."

His smile vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp look. "It's your foolish pride. Your massive ego is what got you into this mess in the first place."

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" I spat, my voice shaking with rage. "You don't know anything about me! My life and my choices are my own personal business!"

He let out a heavy sigh, his intense red eyes softening as he looked down at my bleeding body. "Then just let me keep you alive... Please."

I bit my lower lip, looking away from his dark gaze. The pain in my stomach was starting to creep back as his hands slipped slightly. I knew I was running out of time.

"Fine," I grumbled, staring up at the dark sky above us. "What's the plan?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, a awkward smirk returning to his handsome face. "Well... it only works if you're not into girls."

I blinked, staring at him in complete shock. "What in the actual fuck..."

I glared at his muscular, completely unclothed body. "I am not having sex with a naked guy I just met five minutes ago!"

"For the millionth time, this naked guy is your mate!" he shouted back, raising his hands in frustration.

"Then I reject you!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

He froze. A look of deep pain flashed through his dark eyes before he quickly covered it up with a blank expression. He let out a long, quiet breath and looked down at the grass.

"Fine," he said quietly, his voice dropping low. "I don't know why you hate me so much, and I won't force you into anything you don't want. But mating with your bond—having sex with your mate—is the absolute fastest way to purge wolfsbane poison from your blood. It triggers an instant healing shift. The wounds on your body would close up completely within seconds."

He looked back up at me, his gaze fierce and sincere. "If we do this, your body will heal. Afterward, if you still want to reject me and walk away, you can. You will never have to see my face again. But I can't just walk away right now and live with myself knowing I let my mate bleed to death in the dirt."

I lay there, staring at him as the cold air bit into my skin. My vision was starting to go dark around the edges. I could feel my life slipping away second by second.

I can't die here, I thought, my fists tightening in the dirt. Not like this. Not before I make Alpha Ragnar pay for what he did to Mother.

"Well," I whispered, my voice raspy and weak, "it's not like I have much of a choice. I still have a father to kill."

His eyes widened in complete shock, his jaw dropping open. "What?! Don't tell me your father is..."

Before he could finish his sentence, I reached up with my weak, trembling hand and pressed two fingers directly against his warm lips.

"Shhhh..."

I looked straight into his dark, burning eyes, letting out a soft, raspy breath.

"Just shut up, you naked, big

-dicked, handsome mate..."

My fingers slid down to his jaw as I pulled him down toward me.

"...and fuck me."