Chapter 5 Her second chance mate

The journey to their territory felt endless. The guards moved swiftly through the forest, their strides silent and sure, while I stumbled behind them, my wrists bound in coarse rope. Every tug sent pain lancing up my spine, but I refused to make a sound. Alpha Xavier had stolen enough from me; I would not give these strangers my tears too.

The moon followed us like an unblinking eye. Branches clawed at my arms and face, but I barely felt it. My mind was somewhere else caught between fear and disbelief. I had escaped only to be captured again.

When the trees finally thinned, I saw it, an enormous fortress rising from the mist. It wasn’t like the Crescent Pack’s settlement of scattered wooden cabins. No, this was power. The air thrummed with dominance.

The guards led me through tall iron gates and into a courtyard paved with smooth black stone. Wolves in human form stood alert along the perimeter, their eyes following me, their expressions a mix of curiosity and disdain. I kept my head low. Rogues rarely left such places alive.

“Bring her inside,” one of my captors ordered.

The double doors groaned open to reveal a grand hall bathed in flickering golden light. The scent hit me first, cedarwood, smoke, and something darker beneath it which I ignored.

Then I saw him.

He stood at the far end of the hall, beside a tall window where moonlight spilled across him.

His presence filled the room before his voice ever could. He didn’t have to move, didn’t have to speak, power radiated off him in waves, cold and absolute.

The stories hadn’t lied.

Alpha Kael of the Bloodmoon Pack.

Ruthless. Strategic. The kind of man who could command an army with a glance and tear out a throat without flinching. I had heard whispers of him all my life, how even Alphas including Alpha Xavier feared his wrath, how rogues who crossed his borders vanished without a trace.

And now I stood before him.

He was taller than I imagined, broad-shouldered, his every movement sharp and measured. His dark hair fell in tousled waves around his face, framing features too perfectly sculpted to belong to someone known for cruelty. His jaw was cut from stone, his mouth unsmiling but not cruel.

When his gaze met mine, the world stopped moving.

Something slammed through me, hot and wild. My knees nearly gave out. The rope around my wrists loosened as one of the guards released me, but I barely noticed. My heart thundered against my ribs, a deafening, frantic rhythm.

No.

No, this couldn’t be.

That feeling… that pull… that scent that suddenly made the air too thick to breathe.

The bond.

I knew it. Deep in my bones, I knew it.

He was my mate.

My second chance mate.

“How is that possible?” I whispered before I could stop myself, the words barely more than a breath. “How—?”

His gaze flickered, the faintest hint of recognition, of confusion, crossing his otherwise impassive features. For a moment, I thought he had felt it too, the invisible thread snapping taut between us.

But before either of us could speak, the doors behind him opened softly.

A woman glided in.

She was beautiful, devastatingly so. Her presence was effortless, her long silken gown flowing like liquid moonlight. Her hair, pale as gold, fell in loose curls down her back.

Without a word, she crossed the room and leaned close to Kael, whispering something in his ear. He tilted his head slightly, listening, his expression unreadable.

I stood frozen, every nerve in my body straining to catch even a fragment of what she said.Then her hand brushed his arm, something that made my stomach twist immediately.

Who is she?

The question tore through me before I could bury it. Was she his advisor? His consort? His lover?

Kael’s gaze shifted to me again, colder now, distant as if that brief spark, that silent recognition between us, had been nothing more than a cruel trick of fate.

“Alpha,” one of the guards said, bowing low, “we found her crossing the western border. She claims to be a runaway from Crescent Pack.”

Silence covered the room for a moment then the woman’s brown eyes drifted over me. Her lips curled in faint amusement. “A rogue,” she murmured first, voice smooth and low. “Crescent sends such… pitiful offerings these days.”

I flinched but held my ground. “I wasn’t sent,” I said, forcing my voice steady. “I ran.”

Her brows arched, as though my words were unworthy of attention. She turned back to Kael. “Shall I have her executed?” she asked softly,

Something in me broke. I took a desperate step forward, ignoring the growl that rumbled from the guards. “Please. I don’t mean harm. I just need....”

Kael raised a hand, and the room fell silent again. The guards stepped back instantly. The woman stiffened but said nothing.

His voice, when he finally spoke, was deep and hoarse, each word slow but cold. “What is your name?”

“Amara,” I whispered immediately.

His gaze lingered on me for what felt like an eternity.

“Amara,” Its the woman who repeated, savoring the name as if it were something worthless.

“Poor thing,” she cooed, leaning closer. “You should’ve known better than to come here begging. You don’t bargain with Alphas. You....” Her words cut off as I saw the amusement in her eyes.

"Alpha kill this slut...", The moment she said slut, I lost it instantly.

Faster than the speed of light I caught the bitch's neck in my hand and I raised her delicate looking body in the air. The power and energy coursing through my blood was a delight as it proved that my wolf and I had the same idea. Just like it did to Carter when he called me a slut.

"Put her down", The moment Alpha Kael growled, I threw her body on the ground, but made sure that I didn't use my full strength. I was angry, but I was also ashamed that I used my power on a girl who was so weak. Her resistance had been half-hearted and futile, which made my human mind tingle in curiosity. How had an Alpha chosen someone so pitiful to be his partner?

The hall fell into chaos.

Gasps echoed through the room as the woman coughed and wheezed on the marble floor, her hands clutching at her throat. The guards tensed, ready to strike, but none dared move without Kael’s command.

And then he looked at me.

That look alone could have stripped the breath from my lungs. His amber eyes blazed—not just with rage, but something else. Something far more dangerous.

Power.

Authority.

And confusion.

"Take her away from my sight right now", He ordered coldly.