Aramis POV:
I watched the soft features of her face as her chest rose and fell evenly. She had fallen asleep.
A flood of feelings coursed through my veins and my skin tingled.
I took a deep breath.
I took another look at the small, fragile body in my arms. She looked so fragile. So damn fragile. My gaze wandered back up to her face as a bruise on her neck stopped me. I knew only too well where this injury came from.
A low growl escaped me and my extended claws dug into my palm. If I hadn't already killed that scumbag of a werewolf, I would slowly rip out his heart with my bare hands, let him scream and suffer until all life left him. He would never hurt her again. Damn nobody would ever do that again!
My wolf roared in agreement.
I froze and then shook my head in disbelief. What the hell happened to me?!
She is our mate. Idiot. my wolf rolled his eyes in annoyance.
That can't be, you know that very well. my eyes twisted into slits.
Stop fighting it! Every cell in our body knows that it is the one. my wolf in me didn't think rationally and logically. He followed his instincts and acted accordingly. For him it was very simple, everything in him pointed to the fact that she was his mate and so nothing else mattered.
My hands clenched into fists, I still tried to suppress all feelings. She couldn't be my mate. It's just out of the question.
You know we can't be her mate. We are not werewolf.
That didn't stop Reah and Leav either!
That's something else damn it! Why are we even discussing this?! There are more important things!
Just thinking about how much time I lost saving her made me nervous.
No! She is ours! I can feel the bond.
My steps faltered and my heart started beating faster.
it was true
I felt the bond too. It wasn't strong, but it was there. I could faintly make out a single, softly pulsing thread between me and little Omega. A thread that connected us.
My breathing went shallow.
But..
Nothing but. She is our mate.
A tiny glimmer of hope sprang up in me and I wanted to give myself completely to it, when a thought crossed my mind I destroyed the small glimmer of hope as quickly as it had appeared.
I locked my heart behind a wall of ice and gritted my teeth.
No. It's an illusion. It's a game and nothing more. He must have forged the mate tape. It's not real.
And we almost fell for it.
I pressed my lips together as a bitterness brewed inside me.
It would have been nice too.
It's not a game! my wolf growled and his anger had never been greater than at that moment.
SHE IS OUR MATE!
And what if she's behind it too? Perhaps he has her under his spell, or she is playing along voluntarily in her own interests. Try to lure us in a case.
Just the mere thought of it makes my blood boil with anger. But my wolf didn't seem to agree with me in the slightest.
SHE IS OURS!
I tried to muffle the voice of my wolf inside me. Because if she really is his ally, I would kill her without hesitation.
My wolf growled at the thought and bared his teeth.
MATE!
I felt his claws dig into my insides, raging and struggling to break free.
But I wouldn't let my wolf take control, no matter how hard he struggled.
A tiny thought crossed my mind. What if she's just as clueless as I am. What if she's innocent and didn't voluntarily commit herself to this artificial bond. Then she would be in danger because of me. I wanted to give myself completely to this thought, to believe in her innocence and to block out everything else.
My wolf noticed my little moment of doubt and directed me towards his feelings. The incredible rush of joy at realizing who this being was, what she embodied to us. The urge to protect her, to cement the bond and mark her as his. No one would ever try to harm her hair, because she was a gift from the goddess of the moon, she was our mate.
As quickly as the thought came, it vanished again.
If I let that happen, the devil's likeness would have won and everything would be destroyed. And I would never let him win no matter what the cost. Because of this, I couldn't allow my wolf to escape and mark them as ours.
I lowered my head and looked at the little wolf in my arms.
I had to leave her.
I felt my chest tighten and stifled the rising pain. Just the thought of it made my claws extend and dig into my palms. My entire body tensed and I pushed down any feelings as deeply as I could.
There was no other way out. She wasn't my mate, she couldn't be. The only logical reason for the mate band was that he was behind it. And if I let it, the small, delicate, wonderfully scented wolves would break through my wall. So it would be an open weakness of mine. He would use this to his advantage, render me defenseless and then it would all have been for nothing.
The world would end.
***
Zaira's POV:
When I opened my eyes, I immediately missed the warmth and security that being near my mate had brought me. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't free my arm. I lay wrapped in a blanket on the frozen forest floor. A small fire flickered in front of me, which made the icy cold that surrounded me more bearable.
On a fallen log behind the fire sat my mate. Lost in thought, he stared motionless into the fire.
Quietly, trying not to draw attention to myself, I tried to pull myself out of the blanket, noticing my broken ribs and wincing in pain. As I sat up straight, I turned my head towards him. He looked at me with alert green eyes. A pleasant shiver gripped my body and I tried not to let on the strong effect it was having on me.
My wolf started to purr almost like a cat as she enjoyed our mate's attention.
I quietly cleared my throat and gathered all my courage to address such a dominant wolf. Normally I wouldn't dare in my wildest dreams to do something like that. My wolf was far too obedient and would torture herself to oppose such a dominant wolf. But Mates had different rules, dominance and ranking didn't matter between them. Being the first to speak was due to my instincts not to be afraid of my mate.
"Thanks..." my voice was still hoarse from Alpha Blake's attempt to choke me. "Thank you for saving me."
He didn't show any emotion and his face remained just as emotionless and cold as before. My courage was about to fail me when I remembered what my mother used to tell me.
**
"A mate is the most beautiful thing in the whole world, the best thing that can ever happen to you. He is your other half, the half that complements your soul completely. He will adore and love you as you can only dream."
**
He was my mate, he would never reject me.