Page 46 of Fated to the Rogue

The wolf lying on the floor between the two sentinels had short, thick spiky fur. His coat was entirely black, darker than a starless night; the glow of the moon shining on it almost made it look blue. His wide, piercing eyes were a bluish-lilac color; it reminded me of the sky moments before the night took over. His facial features were sharp, his ears were very long and pointy.

And most importantly, he reminded me ofme. He lookedexactlylike me.

Drawn to the wolf, my feet moved towards him without my command. Staring at him was like staring into a mirror. Neither of us broke eye contact as I approached him.

“Careful, Alpha. We don’t know when he might snap,” one of the sentinels warned me, but in my trance, I completely ignored him.

And as I stood only inches away from the beast, I ordered, “Shift.” He didn’t hesitate to do as I said.

To my shock, once the transformation was over, there wasn’t a man kneeling before me, but a woman.

17 | Mate

Time seemed to stop the second our eyes locked.

The young woman right in front of me was probably the same age as me. She had flawless porcelain skin, brighter than the moon, and it angered me to see it covered in dirt. Her shiny, wavy caramel blonde hair with golden tips flowed like a waterfall of the sweetest honey, falling over her shoulders and covering her exposed, perfectly-round breasts. Although she was kneeling on the ground, I could tell she was probably two or three inches taller than me, judging by her willowy figure. She had delicate face features, with a straight nose and thin eyebrows. Her hazel eyes glowed golden when struck by the moonlight, drawing me in.

She was a work of art; easily the most dazzlingly beautiful female I had ever laid my eyes on. Hell, she was drop-dead gorgeous. And for some reason, she looked mesmerizingly familiar, as if I had known her my whole life. That, however, was definitely not the only intriguing detail about her.

My body moved without command; I was lured in by the goddess in front of me as if she had me under a spell. When our faces were inches away, I closed my eyes to take a deep breath of her exquisite scent. It was intoxicating, and it instantly set my insides on fire. The best way to describe it was as the first breeze of spring, so fresh and green, carrying the sugary scent of theblooming flowers. It was warm like the sun, yet revitalizing like the wind. It had a hopeful, inviting overtone.

At first, it was hard for me to identify why she made my heart beat faster. I thought maybe her breathtaking beauty was the reason why it was suddenly hard for my lungs to find air. When I touched her face with the back of my fingers though, causing sparks of electricity to run through my body, there was no denying it.

“Unchain her,” I ordered calmly, never taking my eyes off the mysterious rogue girl.

I could feel the confusion in the air before one of the sentinels decided to break the silence. “Alpha, we don’t know how dangerous she could be. You’ve seen her wolf. It would be safer to-”

“She’s my mate, and your future Luna!” I announced with a fierce growl as I stood back up, glaring at the men. “Unchain her, now!”

The revelation, combined with my reaction, petrified them. It only took them a minute to process my words though. After exchanging glances, they proceeded to do exactly as I said. I watched my mate wince as her cuffs were removed. Once freed she immediately used her arms to cover her naked frame. That’s when I realized my fated partner, the one who was supposed to be mine, was exposed to the gazes of the three men around me.

Without thinking twice, I quickly took off my shirt, offering it to her. She hurriedly put it on, and just as my rage started subsiding, I noticed the burn marks on her wrists caused by the silver. It drove me mad to think my men had hurt her. A fearful gasp brought me back to reality, leading me to realize my aura had probably scared her. Shit, I had to keep my emotions at bay; the situation was probably scary enough for her, and I didn’t want to make it worse.

As I offered her my hand, I whispered to her, “You’re safe. No one will harm you.” She hesitated for a moment before allowing me to lift her up. “I’ll take you to one of the guest rooms in the pack house, where you can shower and put on some clean clothes. Would you like that?” All she did was nod, still too shocked to speak. As I led her to my car, I turned to my friend and the two sentinels, who were staring at us with wide eyes. “The situation must not be discussed until further orders. You’re dismissed.”

Opening the door of my Ferrari for my mate, whose name I didn’t even know yet, I gestured for her to hop in. As I climbed into the driver’s seat, I was struck by a wave of emotions. I was obviously happy to have found my other half, yet the bizarreness of the circumstances under which we had met prevented me from truly enjoying the moment. Moreover, I couldn’t shake the confusion as I tried to understand why her male wolf felt so much like me. I had a feeling Dawn would have some answers to my questions, but she had been completely silent since we arrived here.

It seemed like the puzzle pieces of my life were finally starting to come together.

???

“How are you feeling?” I asked my recently-found mate, offering her a hot cup of tea.

After taking her to a guest room, I asked Alex to lend her some clothes, and called the pack doctor to check on her. Although she had no visible bruises, being alone in the wild for Goddess knows how long could be dangerous, which is why I needed to make sure she was unharmed. In the meantime, I tried to reach out to my she-wolf, but she remained quiet, simplypacing around in my head. Once my fated partner was clean, fed, and feeling more comfortable in my home, I asked Alex to show her the way to my office so we could get to know each other in private.

As she sat in the chair in front of my desk, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was in a deplorable state when I found her, but now, she looked even more stunning. Every fiber of my being urged me to touch her, to taste her, to claim her. Not willing to scare her off, it took all of my strength to hold onto my control. Judging by the way her hazel eyes constantly scanned her surroundings, it was easy to see she was still a little wary. For that reason, I decided to take my place behind my desk to give her some space.

“Better, Alpha Zephyr. Thank you.” She looked down, taking a sip of her drink as the most hypnotizing voice I had ever heard invaded my ears. It was shy and gentle, yet I didn’t miss the hint of an inner assertiveness begging to come forth.

“Just Zephyr will do,” I insisted, trying to keep my voice as low and serene as possible. “There’s no need for formalities between us.”

Still holding the cup with both hands, she peeked up at me. Our gazes met for a brief moment; long enough to ignite the flame burning inside of me. I had to clench my fists over the table to fight back the growing desire to reach for her. Fuck, this was hard. Double fuck because now, so wasI. Thankfully, she couldn’t see the bulge in my pants beneath the desk.

“I’m sorry. You look so familiar.” Her words pulled me back from my thoughts. Blinking a few times, I noticed she was now staring at me with a mix of confusion and curiosity. “Have we met before?”

“Maybe in your dreams.” I smiled playfully, hoping to lighten the mood. The dimples that appeared on her face inresponse let me know it had worked. “May I have your name, mate?”

“Valentina Quill,” she obliged without hesitation.

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