Chapter 4 Mate?

• Isla's Pov
• “Ack!” I awoke with a start, my eyes darting around, trying to figure out where I was. I was in a huge room, the bed beneath me was soft, layered with thick quilts and pillows that smelled faintly of lavender. My eyes swept across the wooden walls and the flickering fireplace across the room.
• Where was I? Where was this place? The last thing I remembered was the cold biting water. My heart pounded against my chest, and I pushed myself up, only to freeze when I felt a sharp jolt of pain shoot through my legs.
• “No… no, no, no…” I whispered, my voice trembling.
• I threw the blankets off and looked down. My breath caught in my throat. Both of my legs were bound in thick, clean bandages, splinted and propped up slightly with pillows. Bruises trailed up my thighs and hips and it all came rushing back. I let out a strangled cry, crawling back instinctively, my hands gripping the headboard as if it would shield me from memory. My breathing quickened, shallow and panicked.
• They must have caught me again to continue punishing me. I didn’t escape, I didn’t survive. They found me and they'll finish the job, they'll never let me go.
• “No, no, no…” I twisted, trying to get off the bed, needing to run and needing to hide, but the moment I moved, pure agony shot through me.
• White-hot pain surged through my legs, and I collapsed with a scream, landing hard on the floor. The thud echoed loudly in the silent room.
• My body convulsed, trembling violently as sobs tore from my throat. I clutched at the floorboards, eyes wide, lungs tightening, air refusing to fill them.
• “I can’t breathe… I can’t… please… Someone, help me.” I gasped, my panic spiraling.
• The door burst open, and a woman rushed in, her eyes wide with concern. She looked to be in her mid-forties, wearing a long gown with a doctor’s card slung over her shoulder.
• “Dear goddess, what happened? Child, it’s okay, you’re safe now, you’re…”
• But I didn’t hear her. I only heard the voice of the man who had broken my legs again in my head.
• "Break her legs for trying to run… Break them!”
• I screamed again.
• The woman knelt beside me, trying to touch my shoulder, but I recoiled, sobbing harder, curling in on myself like a wounded animal.
• “Don’t touch me! Don’t… Don’t hurt me, please, don’t! I'll do anything, don't touch me!”
• Suddenly, hurried footsteps rushed into the room behind her.
• “Move.” A deep voice said.
• Strong arms were suddenly wrapped around me, careful, cradling me like I was made of glass. I was lifted from the cold floor, pressed against a firm chest that radiated steady, grounding heat.
• “Isla, listen to me.” The man whispered my name.
• His voice was low, calm, like the quiet before a storm, but kind and unthreatening. It sounded very familiar.
• I tensed at first, shaking in his grip, but then I felt something strange. His hand moved in slow, soothing circles on my back, his chin gently resting atop my head. The rise and fall of his chest was steady, like a lullaby for my racing heart.
• “You’re safe now.” He murmured, “No one’s going to hurt you here. I promise.”
• And despite myself… I started to believe him.
• My sobs slowed. The tremors in my hands eased. My body, so used to pain and fear, leaned into his comfort, desperate for any anchor.
• I clung to him, tighter at first because he seemed like he was the only person that was grounding me here. Until I calmed down, he didn't let me go, he kept on drawing circles around my back.
• When I could finally breathe again, when the tremors had mostly faded and I realized I wasn’t about to die, I slowly lifted my head and I promptly froze.
• The man holding me was not just any man, he was stunning.
• So beautiful, it felt wrong. As though he didn’t belong in this world, his hair was jet black, falling in tousled waves over his brow, framing a face that could only be described as painfully perfect, sharp cheekbones, a strong jaw dusted with a hint of stubble, full lips pressed into a calm, unreadable line.
• But it was his eyes that left me breathless.
• Amber. A molten, glowing gold like wildfire trapped in glass, flecked with hints of crimson and bronze.
• “You…” I whispered hoarsely, my throat raw, “Who… Who are you?”
• He smiled softly, the barest curve of his lips. And then he said the one thing that completely broke my brain.
• “Your mate.”
• I blinked.
• “Huh? What… What are you talking about? What mate?” I stammered, confused.
• A half-smile tugged at his lips, arrogant and charming, but somehow still gentle.
• “I’m the one who pulled you out of the river.” He said softly, brushing a damp strand of hair from my forehead, “You were barely breathing. Your pulse… it was almost gone.”
• “You saved me?” I asked, voice trembling.
• He nodded, “I couldn’t leave you there, Isla. You were fighting so hard to live… I had to do something.” His thumb lightly grazed the side of my jaw, “I marked you.
• “What?” I blinked in disbelief, “Marked? But… why would you…” I pulled back as much as my broken body would allow, “We don’t even know each other.”
• That teasing glint returned to his eyes, the corners crinkling with amusement,
• “Oh, but you do know me, Isla.”
• His voice dropped to a murmur, husky and rich, “Look a little closer.”
• And before I could reply, he leaned in. His beautiful face moved close to mine, so close I could feel the warmth of his breath ghosting over my lips. His amber eyes searched mine, and my breath hitched in my throat. Something about him stirred something deep inside me, a memory I didn’t even realize I had.
• My cheeks flushed instantly, my body betraying me as it leaned toward him without permission. I could smell his scent, woodsmoke, wild forest, and something darker, more intoxicating.
• “I… I think I’ve seen you before…” I whispered.
• He chuckled slowly, a sound that vibrated against my chest.
• “You have. And once you remember, you’ll never forget me again.”
• And just as the name danced on the tip of my tongue, the door slammed open behind us.
• “Alpha Killian!”
• I flinched, my heart lurching as I whipped my head toward the sound.
• The man holding me, Killian, turned slightly but didn’t release me.
• The healer from earlier stood in the doorway, panting, “The bath is ready… And your brother sent word regarding the people who had…”
• But I didn’t hear the rest of what she said.
• Alpha Killian. Did she just say Alpha Killian?
• My world spun. My eyes widened as I turned back to look at the man cradling me. I’d heard of his name countless times. The whispers, the warnings, the reverent fear.
• The Lycan King.
• The most feared and powerful Alpha in the entire realm. The one who had never chosen a mate.
• Until now.
• “You…” I breathed, shock crashing into me like another wave, “You’re Killian Daemon. The Lycan King…”
• He smiled slowly, “Took you long enough.”
• And then, with devastating ease, he brushed his lips against my temple.
• “Welcome home, mate.”