Chapter 3

• Caelum's POV
• I watched as she sat in awe of the car. It was adorable how wide-eyed she was.
• “Where are we going?” she asked curiously.
• Silly mate, where else would we go? My wolf, Xyler, grumbled. He was trying hard not to show how over the moon he was that he found her.
• “My place. Where you would be staying from now on—as my mate of course.” I couldn't keep the amusement from coloring my tone even if I tried.
• It must feel like salt being rubbed into a deep, bleeding wound, realizing that you're mated to the man whose parents murdered yours.
• But I guess she has forgotten that her parents were the reason I'm like this.
• Shaking the dark thoughts from my mind. I decided to focus on my mate. Her once shiny red hair was now stringy and dull, but her green eyes are just as fiery as I remembered.
• 13 years spent in that place did nothing to take away her beauty, except she was thinner than she should be. I could see her bones jutting out from where I was.
• Suddenly she smiled. But it wasn't a nice one. No, I narrowed my eyes, it was one that promised death.
• We need to keep an eye on mate, Xyler said. He was a suspicious wolf by nature, and well, so was I. I agreed with him.
• Turning my thoughts to past events. I remembered the thrill that passed through me when I saw her sitting in that grimy cage.
• A part of me liked seeing her chained and in a cage, but I pushed it down.
• From the moment she was locked inside there, I had been keeping tabs on her. I knew every bone she had broken inside there.
• It pleased the part that hated her for what her parents did to me, but that part was quickly declining.
• I didn't know what the moon goddess was playing at, but somehow I knew I would have so much fun watching it all play out.
• “Are you near?” My beta, Soren, mind-linked me.
• “Yes, have a room prepared.”
• “A room? Jessica wouldn't like that.” I could hear the sadistic glee in his voice even from here.
• “My mate shouldn't be in the dungeons, don't you think so?” With that, I cut off the mind-link. Let him process the information.
• I could see the huge iron gates that protected the boundaries of my pack. Ah, home sweet home.
• Wren's POV
• I could see a huge set of iron gates swing open. At first, I thought it was automatic, but then I saw the huge set of guards guarding it.
• This is it, no going back, Astrid said. I could feel how nervous she was.
• It's not like we had anything to go back to, I bitterly reminded her.
• The journey had been a long one spent in silence, surprisingly. I would have thought that Caelum would spend the time getting on my nerves.
• The car drove for a while, trees surrounding us. My curious eyes darted around trying to catch everything.
• The sound of a waterfall reached my ears faintly and the smell of water brushed by my nose. I eagerly breathed it in.
• After years of smelling sweat and blood, this was the closest thing to heaven.
• Sunlight streamed through tree leaves, birds chirped here and there. I could even see a family of deer passing through. My eyes were fixed on the passing scenery.
• Slowly, the car stopped in front of a huge mansion. It was way bigger than the one in my old pack.
• Wolves were moving in and out. I could see some kids playing about and off to the side and people sparring in their wolf forms on the other side.
• “Aren't people going to wonder when they see you walking in with a strange female?” My voice came out raspy from hours of disuse but my words were clear.
• Caelum's eyes flickered to mine and for a moment, I saw something soft in them, but then they became impassive, fitting well into the bored look he always seemed to wear.
• “They wouldn't mind," he simply said and stepped down from the car, as elegant as ever, an air of superiority around him.
• I hesitated. Anxiety filled my body and my leg began to bounce.
• There's nothing they can do that's worse than what Alric did to us, Astrid tried to reassure me.
• Yeah, but at least I knew what to expect. I whispered to her. I was scared of the unknown, the new turn my life had taken.
• A knock on the window drew me short. Caelum was standing impatiently by the window.
• “If you don't come out now, I would drag you out and it wouldn't be pretty.” I couldn't hear the words, but I could read his lips.
• "Here goes nothing." I muttered and stepped out. I could feel the curious eyes of wolves on me, but I held my head up high and avoided their eyes.
• Something unreadable flashed in Caelum's eyes, too quick for me to read it. He turned and strode towards the door to the huge building, I quickly followed.
• Inside looked even bigger than outside. The ceilings were high, the room wide and spacious. A chandelier hung prettily casting the room in a warm golden light.
• Brown leather chairs were arranged loosely around a fireplace with a soft looking rug placed in front of it.
• Stairs with golden railings twisted round and round upwards, showing the vastness of the house, despite which, it still felt so homely.
• It was like a beautiful dream.
• A squeal broke me out of my reverie and I turned just in time to see a stunning woman throw herself at Caelum.
• I quickly locked my jaw to stop the growl building up there. She's touching my mate. The fact that I want to kill him doesn't mean she can touch him. Astrid growled.
• The woman was delightful to look at which hair like spun gold, eyes as blue as the sky and a figure that a lot of women would die for. Her flawless skin looked smooth to the touch.
• In summary, she was everything I wasn't.
• “Caelum, you weren't in bed when I woke up.” Her high-pitched voice grated my ears. I gritted my teeth.
• Caelum flung her aside roughly. I winced and almost felt bad for her.
• “I hate clingy women.” His voice was cold and unfeeling. Damn, that was brutal. Jessica pouted.
• " But baby–" He brushed past her towards the stairs. He halted at the bottom of the staircase and turned towards me, an eyebrow raised mockingly.
• “Do you need an invitation?” His tone was bland and dry. I hurried after him, making sure not to catch Jessica's eyes. I felt awkward.
• His long legs took great strides and I had to run just to keep up with him. We passed two floors, my legs were seriously complaining.
• The stairs ended in the middle of a hallway, splitting it into two.
• “This floor is out of reach to other members of the pack. It's open to only me, my beta, my head warrior, and now you.”
• "Did you have to walk so fast?” I panted. He turned to look at me, sharp eyes taking in my sweaty, tired form with amusement.
• His hard features seemed to soften, and his voice took on a low, tone that gave me goosebumps.
• "Apologies, Red." he said, his gaze roaming over me with an intensity that was nearly uncomfortable.
• "I forget that not everyone shares my... enthusiasm for speed." He continued.
• His eyes lingered on my eyes, and I felt my pulse quicken as he took a step closer, his long legs boxing me in. I tried to take a step back, but my feet seemed glued to the ground.
• "You're not used to matching my pace, are you?" he teased, his voice smooth like honey. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to... slow down."
• His gaze dropped to my lips, and my heart beat faster as he raised a hand, his fingers brushing my cheek faintly. Sparks erupted along the trail of his fingers. I tried to pull away, but he caught my chin, his eyes burning fiercely.
• "Relax, Red." he whispered, his minty breath fanning my face. "I promise I won't bite….yet."
• I tried to laugh, but it came out strangled as he leaned in closer, his lips inches from mine. I felt like I was without air. My breath coming out in short pants.
• With what seemed like all of my strength, I tore my gaze away from his, my eyes landing on a portrait behind him.
• Shock ran through my body, fear following shortly after.