Chapter 5

• Raven's POV:
• By the time the meeting came to an end, my heart rate had finally stabilized. I stood up, smoothing my skirt with a calming exhale. "Thank you for meeting with us, Mr. Draconis. We'll see each other again for the contract signing in three days."
• His gaze raked over me in an overtly lingering appraisal that made me stiffen. Then, in a low rumble that I swore sounded like a growl, he said, "I would like to talk to you in private, if you don't mind."
• Otticus looked at the confused Mirabelle and interjected smoothly, "Care for a tour, Miss Parker?"
• Mirabelle shot me a concerned glance, but I gave her a reassuring smile. She exited with Otticus, leaving Azrael and me alone in the sleek conference room.
• "Sit down," Azrael ordered, his tone brooking no argument.
• I swear to the Moon Goddess, I almost cowered under the sheer force of his dominance. But I remained defiantly standing, arching one challenging brow. "What would you like to discuss, Mr. Draconis? I think we've discussed all the necessities of the contract, haven't we?"
• He rose from his chair in one sinuous movement, prowling toward me with an inexplicable predatory grace. "You are beautiful," he murmured, so close now that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
• I blinked, stunned by the unexpected compliment. "Thank you...you're not too bad yourself," I managed in what I hoped was a nonchalant tone.
• A knowing smirk curved his full lips. "I would like to take you out to dinner tonight. Get to know you better."
• Oh no, he wanted to reject me over a romantic dinner? I might as well just get it over with now. Squaring my shoulders, I began, "I, Raven Wildheart of the Novilian Pa—"
• Suddenly, he raised one hand, his fingertips pressing against my lips to silence me. His piercing emerald stare bored into me as if searching my very soul while he slowly, almost reverently, trailed his hand down to cup my jaw.
• "You are mine, little wolf," he rumbled, the words seeming to vibrate straight through to my core. "Deny our bond, and you defy the laws that govern us all."
• His eyes shifted, bleeding into that same lupine emerald I had seen flashes of earlier, and I knew without a doubt that his wolf had taken over.
• "Just accept my rejection" I couldn't stop the tremor of vulnerability from slipping into my voice, memories of past heartbreak bleeding through my bravado.
• His chuckle was dark and sin-rippled. "How did I not know you are one of us?"
• I lifted my chin in defiance. "Because I am a half-breed with no wolf."
• His grip on my jaw tightened ever so slightly, his burning gaze holding me immobile as prey before a predator. "It doesn't matter, little mate. You are mine now...ours."
• He let the implications of that possessive statement linger in the suddenly thick air between us. Then, without warning, he sealed his mouth over mine in a searing, plundering kiss that stole the very breath from my lungs.
• I thought I had been prepared to reject this mate, to steel myself against that soul-shattering pain one more time.
• But nothing...nothing could have braced me for the cataclysmic impact of Azrael's lips against mine. Of his earthy, pine-laced taste flooding my senses in a dizzying tidal wave. Of the way my insides seemed to burst into molten lava, heat searing through every molecule of my being.
• This was...this was what a true mate's touch felt like.
• When he finally wrenched his mouth from mine, I was trembling violently, my legs barely able to support my weight. "Listen, and listen well, little wolf," he growled against the swollen curve of my lips. "You cannot reject an Alpha King. I might do something you'll regret, if you try."
• Lust. Fear. Anger. Exhilaration.
• My emotions were a relentless cyclone raging within me, making me feel simultaneously more alive yet more unmoored than I ever had before.
• "Al...Alpha King?" I asked in disbelief, my voice barely above a whisper. Although I had sensed his overwhelming alpha dominance when he first approached me, I never could have fathomed that he was the esteemed Alpha King himself. A slow, arrogant smirk spread across his chiseled features as he gave a slight nod of confirmation.
• "Yes, see my little mate, you and I are bound together forever. I will not take your rejection." His deep timbre reverberated through me like a primal force, each syllable laced with quiet menace. "Understand?"
• I could only gape at him, utterly at a loss for words. My mind spun, unable to process this staggering revelation. How could the fates have deemed me worthy enough to be mated to the most powerful alpha in all the werewolf realms? Especially after three failed attempts that left me scarred and ostracized by my own kind.
• Azrael reached out, his calloused fingertips lightly tracing the line of my jaw in a possessive caress. I shivered at his touch, heat blooming across my cheeks. He pulled away slowly, bringing his fingers to his full lips as if savoring the lingering essence of our brief, searing kiss.
• "So about that dinner, Miss Wildheart?" His molten amber eyes bored into mine with intensity. "What do you say...I will pick you up at 7pm."
• I wanted to protest, to tell him there had to be some mistake. Yet no words would form on my tongue. I could only stare back dumbly, my cheeks still flushed crimson from the electrifying contact.
• A deep, rumbling chuckle spilled from his lips - the rich sound was like audible silk caressing my senses. "Take deep breaths, little one. I will leave you to adjust your emotions." His gaze raked over me in an unabashed sweep. "My beta, Otticus, will gather your home address before you leave."
• All I could manage was a small, embarrassed nod in return, feeling utterly unraveled like a lovestruck teenage girl under the weight of his intense magnetism.
• As Azrael turned and strode away with that same predatory grace, I fought to steady my ragged breaths. Why had the Moon Goddess seen fit to bestow upon me a fourth attempted mating...and to the formidable Alpha King, no less? More bewildering still, why hadn't he immediately rejected me as the others had, recognizing me as the unworthy half-breed I was?
• A maelstrom of tumultuous emotions swirled within me - shock, disbelief, confusion...and an unsettling flicker of anticipation that I couldn't deny. Whatever destiny had in store, my life had just been irrevocably altered. I could only hope I would prove strong enough to face the profound consequences to come.