03

CHAPTERS 03

I hear the girls’ voices somehow. Why are they whispering ? And why is everyone in the room spinning ?

On the other side of the room, across from me, Darius is frowning, piercing me with his eyes. My stomach turns and tingles run down my spine, making me feel completely naked.

Then he starts walking towards me determinedly, even though it looks like he’s struggling to move.

I see people touching him, asking something, concerned, but he ignores them completely. I hear people saying my name through the muffled sounds of my heartbeat banging in my ears. Then suddenly everyone in the room disappears and there are no voices. The only sound is that of his footsteps and the only scent is the most beautiful, sensual, masculine smell I have ever felt.

Darius approaches me slowly at two feet away, but doesn’t stop. As everything seems slow-motioned, I try to step back to avoid collision, but my feet won’t listen. Instead, I take a step forward and we meet at only an inch apart.

He is not frowning anymore.

He looks at me so intensely, so passionately, that I feel devoured.

Then he speaks in a low rugged voice.

« Hello, mate. »

Even though I don’t see anyone but Darius Carter, I feel all eyes are on us.

As I stare at him in shock, I slowly realize what’s going on here.

Muffled sounds from the crowd echo in my ears.

« Oh my God ! »

« That can’t be… »

« Lila is Darius’ mate. »

« Is that Patrick’s daughter ? The one who left to live with humans ? »

« She’s the one who always made trouble as a kid. »

« Dione’s friend ? »

« Yes. People say it was her who got him killed. »

« Is that why she left ? »

« Must be. »

Shut up everyone ! I have got to think. I have got to… do something. Anything !

But my body doesn’t listen – it’s like I don’t want to move away from him. I’m hypnotized by his magnificent scent – my lungs yearn for it.

Oh, shit. This is without a doubt my mate.

I have a mate.

As the realization hits me, my knees totter and I feel like vomiting.

He swiftly grabs me by my elbows as if he thought I was going to fall. So dramatic, Darius ! I’m only… what am I ? Mesmerized ? The skin to skin touch is too much for me to bear. I shiver with pleasure. Darius smirks satisfactory, enjoying the effect he has on me.

« I will handle it, » I hear Ian’s voice and feel his arms wrap around me.

« No, » Darius breaks our eye contact to look at Ian. « You won’t. »

I look at my fiancé and suddenly, like a lightning, my brain becomes painfully aware of the situation. I’m engaged to be married ! To Ian. But Darius is my mate. There’s no doubt about it – Dad told me when you meet him, you know. Now I see what he meant.

« It’s okay, » I finally find some words for this man that’s got me dazed, still holding me in his strong arms. « He’s my fiancé. »

I have never witnessed a crowd go so silent so quickly. You could hear a pin drop at this moment.

Darius’ full attention is on me now. His face expression changed from enchanted to murderous in a second. I can actually feel the air between our gazes.

He doesn’t speak immediately, and I swallow hard as I realize the heaviness of my words.

« I don’t think so, » he says painfully plainly, not raising his voice for a decibel. Instead, his voice is deep and enraged, demanding authority, making me feel smaller than a grain of sand.

Ian chooses to speak in the worst moment possible. « Let her go immediately. I said I would-«

I feel Darius’ grip loosen and predict his attack on Ian before it happens. It is a weird feeling, as if I am able to read his mind in slow motion. I know there is only one way I can save my fiancé from this beast’s attack.

If I become a beast myself.

Darius pulls Ian hands off me in one swift movement and then throws a fist at his arcade bone.

I shift into my wolf in crazy speed, and knock down a lot of furniture in the process. But I succeed in my intention : Darius’ is so surprised by my shift, that he forgot all about Ian.

The crowd is now too loud for comprehension. Some people scream and make place for my big white wolf, while others run to help Ian and Darius. I have just made an open attack on a pack’s Alpha and, normally, such offenders don’t end up to well afterwards.

I see Ian knocked down on the floor and it infuriates me to realize this « meet-the-family » project has ended even worse than the worst scenario I imagined.

« Patrick King’s daughter ? Wasn’t she the leader of the Havoc Clan ? »

« She sure was… » he crowd disapproves.

I see they still resent my childhood dismeanors. Well, to hell with it. I deserve all of it.

I might as well defend my rebel status.

Now my green wolf eyes meet with Darius’ and I growl at him menacingly, ready to attack.

« Alpha, shift ! » I hear Derek warn him.

But Darius isn’t afraid at all. He stands still, looking at me with some sort of amusement and… satisfaction.

What is wrong with him ?

« Alpha, what do you want us do ? » his men ask.

Darius just lifts his hand to silence them, still smirking at me in all his masculine glory.

« If that’s how you want it to go down, little wolfie, » he approaches me and pets my muzzle, unaffected by my snarling, « I’m all in. » And then he runs to the door and shifts into a huge black wolf the moment he is out of the house.

I follow him out, having difficulties moving in such a small space.

He stands in a fight-ready position, ready to devour me. Well… we’ll just see about that.