KAEL'S POV

CHAPTER THREE

Kael’s POV

“Donika…” I whispered her name slowly as I caressed the face of the woman who was fast asleep in my car.

My heart felt like it was going to explode the moment I saw her in that wedding dress standing like a lost pup on the altar. That was my second chance mate about to given off like a piece of stale bread to the bastard who stood beside her.

When I first found out she was my mate while observing a nearby pack which shared a small boundary with ThornClaw Pack,she had been off by the water fall just by the boundary crying her heart out two weeks ago and yelling into the void,going on and on about her cheating mate,just then my wolf Fenris called out “MATE”. He was so excited and a sense of protectiveness clouded his mind

“Let’s take her before we lose her too…” was all Fenris kept asking in my head and I couldn’t help but shut him out as he was starting to take control fully.

I could feel my heart tug and the scent around heightening to a sweet floral smell,just as I was about to approach her, she was yanked away by some pack guards. I immediately did my findings, lo and behold,she was being shackled into a marriage with Damon,their new Alpha who claimed to be her mate.

Poor girl…

I planned to take her in grand style and so did I,cause she was mine! She looked so fragile and unhealthy,even as a wolfless girl, she looked worn out.

By the time we pulled into the pack lands, the sky had already darkened. The gates opened before we were even at the entrance. My driver didn’t need instructions, took us straight to the my house which was a walking distance from the Pack house.

Donika was still unconscious. Her head leaned against the window, that cursed wedding dress crumpled around her tiny frame. She looked nothing like a bride.

I carried her out of the car straight into my house and the maids outside gasped as I walked through the grand foyer, the bridal train dragging behind us. Their whispers followed me like shadows.

“Is that a wedding dress?” “Who is she?”“Did he just…?”

“Wait till Luna Mae finds out…” that very statement was the one that actually made more sense to me. My mother would go gaga about the whole situation.

Ronan,my Beta, was already waiting at the steps when I pulled up.

“You brought her here?” he asked the second he saw her limp body. His eyes narrowed but didn’t question my grip. “Is she okay?” He looked closely with concern.

“She will be,” I said. “She passed out mid-ride. I didn’t drug her. I only knocked her out before she clawed my damn eyes out.”

“Is she that feisty?”

“She tried to jump out of a moving car in a wedding dress.”

Ronan snorted under his breath. “Sounds like a perfect match for your grumpy ass.”

I ignored him and pushed through the hallway taking her straight upstairs to the west wing and kicked my bedroom door open.She still hadn’t stirred. “So much for your feisty attitude.” I mumbled while tucking her in.

I laid her gently on the bed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. Her brows were furrowed even in sleep, as if she was fighting battles even now.

Fenris,my wolf stirred. “She’s ours. Mark her before someone else tries to touch her again.”

“No.” I responded flatly trying to block the he-wolf out but he was just as stubborn as his newfound mate.

Fenris: “They cornered her. You smelled their intent. We protect our mate.”

“She’s not ready. She has no wolf. You know that. If I mark her now, it might kill her.” I let out a long sigh. “I haven’t told her we’re mates yet,she’ll run away before we even mark her if I tell her now.”

That silenced him.

Even Fenris had scars. Deep ones. Our first mate hadn’t lived long enough. The vampires made sure of that. I wasn’t about to risk Donika,not for a bond, not for vengeance, not even for the Moon Goddess herself.

I turned from the bed and left the room, shutting the door quietly.

Ronan trailed behind me into my office. “So… wanna tell me why you brought home a runaway bride who looks like she came outta a haystack?”

“She was going to marry someone who hurt her. Cheated on her. Her family forced her into it.” I tried my best to explain it but I wasn’t good with words especially when I was tired.

“Right,” he drawled. “Still not an explanation for why the Lycan King stormed into a wedding and carried off a girl who doesn’t even have a damn wolf.” That earned him a glare from me. “It’s obvious Kael,she smells like a human.”

“I don’t care,she’s my mate,” I said without thinking.

Ronan raised a brow. “Your mate?” He looked startled as he looked at me to confirm if I was joking or not. “Wait…are you serious right now?”

“Yes I am. She’s my second chance mate who doesn’t have a wolf yet and yes I stole her from her wedding. Satisfied?” I scowl at him before falling onto the couch. Ronan looked even more excited than I am.

“So have you told her she’s your second chance mate?”

“No,” I said flatly.

“Why…what do you mean by no?” His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of its sockets.

“Because she’s from the Thornclaw pack and the daughter of the late alpha and Luna,does that ring a bell Ronan?” And without much said,he understands why. “Exactly,our packs are sworn enemies and will rather run away than be my mate, I’m not letting that happen.”

He nodded slowly as he tried to make sense of the situation. “So we keep her close. Watch over her. Gain her trust.”

“Exactly.” I nod lost in my own thoughts.

Later, I was in my office going over security rotations when I heard a sound coming from just across the hallway.

A faint whimper which sounded louder the next passing second. “Help… someone… please…” DONIKA!?

I stood up so fast my chair hit the wall behind me. Fenris roared inside me, claws ready, eyes sharp.

Fenris: “She’s in danger. Move.”

I burst out of the office and into the corridor.The sound was louder now. More frantic. She was crying.I turned the corner and froze.

Three of my warriors had her cornered against the wall.

Her dress was half torn, hair a mess, eyes wide with pure fear. One of them had a smirk on his face. Another grabbed her arm as she tried to push past them.

“I said move!” she shouted, voice hoarse.

“Relax, sweetheart,” one of them sneered. “We just want to talk.”

“Not with your hands on me!” she screamed struggling to hold up her gown with her free hand.

My vision went red.“What the fuck is going on here?” I growled,voice barely human.

They froze.Good.

Because if they didn’t, they were going to die where they stood. One of the warriors,Greg,actually had the balls to smirk. “She doesn't look like she's from around here and looked lost, Alpha. We were just helping.”

“Helping?” I said quietly.

They knew better than to try to pull a smart one on me.They were testing me.

I stepped forward, voice dropping to a snarl. “You think I’d leave my guest unguarded and let you be the ones to comfort her?”

Greg's smirk vanished.The other stepped back.

I took a breath and let Fenris inside me rise with Lycan energy.

A dark, oppressive force slammed through the hallway like a storm breaking through glass. All three warriors collapsed to their knees with howls of pain, claws scratching against the floor, whimpering like cubs caught in a trap.

Donika gasped behind me and stood right in front her , whispering lowly, “Don’t look at them princess,they’re getting what they deserve.”

I heard footsteps coming from the stairs and I could sense who it was before she spoke “What’s all this chaos for?”

Mother!