Chapter 13: Mates!
(Mia POV)
The room felt too small.
My wolf stopped breathing.
His did too.
She opened her mouth.
A single word formed.
"Alpha…?"
The world snapped.
The feeling slammed into me again — hard and sharp — like something grabbed my ribs and squeezed until I couldn't breathe.
Bond.
Mate bond.
No!.
No!, no!, no!.
My eyes opened fully. The ceiling came back into focus, slow and shaky. My throat was dry. My lips hurt. My whole body felt strange — heavy and light at the same time, like I slept too long and not at all.
Then I smelled him.
He smelt like the earthy scent of the forest, my favorite scent.
The scent rolled through me and my wolf reacted before I could think.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Want.
My fingers tightened in the blanket. My heart sped up too fast. My vision sharpened like the world had been foggy and someone wiped it clean.
I turned my head.
He stood there.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Raven black hair with forest green eyes, an elegant straight nose, and strong defined features, he's gorgeous.
His forest green eyes were fixed on me like nothing else existed. Calm face. Still body. But that calm shook underneath, like a wild animal held by chains.
His eyes met mine.
The bond hit again.
Harder.
Something hooked into my chest and refused to let go.
My wolf rushed forward inside me, ears up, tail high, whining and baring her throat at the same time.
Mine.
The thought wasn't mine.
It didn't ask.
It just existed.
I sucked in a breath too fast and choked.
"W-where…?" My voice sounded small and broken.
"You are in my territory," he said.
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.
It rolled through me, deep and sure. My stomach dropped like I fell off a cliff.
My territory.
Alpha.
My wolf pushed against my skin like she wanted out — not to run.
To go to him.
That scared me more than the Dark Forest.
I stared at him, hands shaking. I was tired and confused and scared and hot, all at once.
This was wrong.
I should not be here.
I should not feel this.
He stepped closer.
Not fast. Not threatening.
Just closer.
The space between us went tight, like a pulled thread.
"You are my mate," he said.
The words didn't echo.
They landed.
Heavy and Final.
Something inside me clicked, like a lock answering a key.
Yes—
No.
No.
"W-wait," I said fast. "No... I... that's wrong. It can't be...."
My heart pounded loud in my ears. My skin tingled. The air itself felt warm and close. Everything around me whispered one word.
Mate.
I tried to sit up.
My body disagreed.
My arms shook. The room spun a little. I caught myself, breathing too fast.
He moved at once.
Just one step.
But the world reacted to him when he moved.
"D-don't," I said quickly, hand up without thinking.
He stopped,Instantly.
His jaw tightened like he was holding something back with force.
"I won't touch you," he said slowly. "Not unless you ask me to."
That sentence should not have done anything.
It did everything.
My wolf shook.
Heat rolled under my skin.
I suddenly felt every part of my body. The blanket. The bed. My heartbeat. Lower.
No. Not now.
"What… happened?" I whispered. "How did I get here?"
His gaze softened. Only a little. Like stone warmed by sun but not melted.
"You were found near the eastern border," he said. "Inside my land. You came out of the Dark Forest."
The words hit me like cold water.
Dark Forest.
Running.
Breath.
Blood.
Something hunting me.
System messages flashing.
Then — nothing.
I swallowed. My throat hurt.
"I… I don't remember leaving," I said.
"You don't need to," he replied.
Simple. Final.
My wolf liked that too much.
I didn't.
"Why am I here?" I asked. "You could've left me. Or taken me to a healer. Or anywhere else."
"I could have," he said.
He didn't blink.
"And?" I whispered.
"You are my mate."
There it was again.
Like gravity.
I shook my head.
"No. You don't understand. Mate bonds don't just happen like that. They take time and...."
"You felt it," he said quietly.
Not a question.
My mouth went dry.
The bond pulled tight again. My hand flew to my chest without thinking.
He watched.
Something sharp flickered in his eyes — hungry, possessive — then he crushed it back down.
"I won't force you," he said. "But denying it will hurt more."
It already did.
"I don't even know your name," I whispered.
"Liam," he said.
The name slid through me too easily.
Alpha Liam.
My wolf purred in bliss
"I'm Mara," I said softly.
His pupils widened. His wolf pushed behind his eyes so strong I almost felt it in the air.
"Mara," he repeated.
The way he said it made my cheeks heat.
"Don't say it like that," I muttered.
"Like what?"
"Like it's yours."
Silence.
"It is," he said.
My face burned. "You can't say things like that."
"I don't say them," he said. "I feel them."
I had no answer for that.
The system's interface flickered at the edge of my vision.
[System online.]
Great. Perfect timing.
[Mara, remain calm.]
"Doing my best," I thought weakly.
[Mate bond detected.]
[Classification: Alpha–Omega, high compatibility.]
[Status: Active.]
My stomach dropped.
"No," I thought. "No!, no!, no!. Not again. Not now!."
My heart sped up. My breathing went tight. My wolf was already pushing forward, happy, whining, excited.
I was not.
"I don't want this," I whispered inside my head.
The System stayed calm.
[Your body is reacting normally.]
"Normal?" I thought. "I just escaped a pack. I just got rejected. And now—this?"
The bond pulsed again.
Warm. Heavy. Real.
Liam's eyes narrowed a little. He felt it too. He felt me panicking. His wolf pushed forward in him like a storm behind glass.
"Who hurt you?" he asked softly.
"Nobody," I said quickly.
Lies.
But it was easier than explaining everything.
"I just… don't understand why this keeps happening," I whispered. "I finally got free. I didn't want another alpha. I didn't want another bond."
" Does the moon goddess enjoy toying with me."
The System chimed again.
[Heat cycle destabilizing.]
[Proximity to mate accelerating symptoms.]
Of course. Perfect.
My face heated. I squeezed my legs together under the blanket before I could stop myself. I hated that my body reacted on its own.
Liam noticed.
His pupils widened. His jaw tightened. His hands curled like he wanted to grab something and was fighting himself.
"I won't touch you," he said.
"Even if it kills me. You're not ready."
His voice broke a little at the end.
That was worse than shouting.
I looked away, breathing too fast.
"I don't want a mate," I whispered. "Not anymore."
Silence.
Then he answered, low and steady:
"You have one."
The bond pulsed again. Not cruel. Not soft. Just real.
I closed my eyes.
"I don't like this."
"I don't either," he said quietly.
That surprised me.
I thought alphas always wanted mates.
He looked at me like his whole world had changed in one second and he was still trying to understand it.
I was too.
Sleep pulled at me again. My body was exhausted. My head was spinning. Everything was too much — bond, heat, fear, confusion.
The System spoke softly.
[Rest. Your body needs recovery.]
For once, I didn't argue.
The last thing I heard before sleep took me was Liam's voice near the bed, low and certain.
"I just found you, Mara" he said. "I'm not letting you go."