Running on the slippery ground, Annabelle had fallen many times but kept getting up and running. It was a do-or-die race, and she was determined not to get caught.
Finally, she stumbled over a tree stump and fell to the ground, covered in mud. Wincing in pain, she tried to get up but was stopped.
She turned to see who had held her, but her breath hitched when she saw the strange man behind her.
She screamed in fear, pushed him away, and tried to get up, but he held her down. He was indeed powerful and was obviously not affected by the cold weather or the slippery ground.
"Calm down, Annabelle!" He yelled at her, but she continued struggling.
"Let me go... please," she pleaded, shivering from the cold and fear, pushing away his hands whenever he touched her.
"Stop struggling, okay? I'll let you go, but don't try running away again," he said. She nodded immediately, hair strands sticking to her face.
He released her from his grip and helped her to her feet while she shivered as though she was about to die.
"Take a deep breath," he told her, and instantly she obeyed.
"How do you feel now?"
She only shook her head as she was unable to form a word.
"Ouch!" her legs crippled as she sank into the mud.
"Should I help?" he said as he squatted before her, but she shook her head in disapproval because she wouldn't be able to make an escape if he carried her. She had intentionally stepped into a deep muddy part.
"No! I'll come out on my own," she said as she tried pulling herself out but couldn't.
He only watched as she struggled to come out but couldn't.
"Give me your hands," he said, and she reluctantly placed her hand in his, and he pulled her out without any difficulties.
"What was that?" she asked as she wiped her hands on her muddy dress.
"What?" he asked as they continued walking.
"The sparks, you felt it, right?" she asked as she stared at him.
"I felt it," he replied simply.
"So what's wrong with your hands?"
"I will tell you when we've reached home."
He wasn't surprised when she attempted running again, but he held her back with a swift grasp.
"You've left me with no option other than to do this once again," he said, and she immediately became unconscious.
"I'm sure you'll definitely make this difficult for both of us," he chuckled silently, but the sadness was laced in his voice as he took some time to study the unconscious little lady in his arms.
He used his thumb to clean off the mud from her face before he used her shirt to clean it off completely.
He tied up her hair into a messy bun before placing his hand on her nape to check her body temperature.
He stared at her exposed nape without saying a word. She was supposed to have his mark, but he was being considerate, knowing that things like this were strange to her.
Noticing that his fangs began elongating, her bare nape tempting him to mark her as his, but he suppressed the urge, covering his mouth with his hand.
When his fangs returned to their normal sizes, he made her face him, so that he wouldn't have a full view of her nape.
"You never gave me a proper chance to tell you the truth, the truth that we were both different from each other, and I wasn't a human. You've ended up figuring it out yourself, and in the wrong way. You could have waited for me to open up; I would have told you the truth. If I would have had a change of mind to send you back and keep you safe over there, I can't do it anymore because of what you've known, the truth about us. Forcefully marking you would be the only option I have to stop you from always trying to run, so please don't hate me for that."
He carried her through the woods, heading back to the mansion. The sparks he was emitting kept her warm, and the heat from their closed bodies kept them warm until they reached the mansion.
The maids immediately covered her with a flannel, while he quietly climbed the stairs with her in his arms. The maids followed behind, and when he reached the bathroom, he placed her into the bathtub before he stood up and left, allowing the maids to take care of her.
...
Annabelle walked down the stairs, ignoring all the greetings made by the maids.
After being caught by the strange man, who she later found out to be the Alpha of werewolves, she started avoiding everyone.
How could she be a Luna when she knows nothing about werewolves?
The thoughts of living with half-human and half-animal beings always freaked her out. She still had plans of escaping, but wouldn't she get caught?
Living with supernatural beings was challenging because she was the weakest among them.
"Luna, Alpha demands to see you right now," one of the maids said to her.
On hearing what the maid said, Annabelle became scared but behaved boldly, passing the maid as though she hadn't heard.
Entering the room, she sat on the bed, wondering what would happen if she turned down the Alpha's request to meet him. How could he expect her to be there when she had been ignoring him?
"What is it?" she asked angrily as she heard a knock on the door.
"Luna, please, Alpha demands to see you," another maid said.
"I'm going nowhere," she said, covering her ears with her cushion.
"Please, Luna, you need to meet him now before he loses his patience, please," the maid continued pleading.
"Tell him that I am ill, very ill," she said before running into the bathroom to avoid any more pleas.
She sat on a stool, staring at the blank wall, lost in thought. She didn't budge or turn behind to find out who it was when she heard the creaking sound of the door, indicating she wasn't alone in the bathroom.
"Annabelle," Alpha Alvin called, but she pretended not to hear, still gazing at the wall.
"Stop ignoring me, Annabelle," he said, receiving no response.
"Okay, what do you want?" he inquired, already knowing her answer.
"I want to go home," she said soberly, turning to face him.
"Don't you have any different requests?" he asked as he walked towards her.
"No, I don't!" she said, glaring at him. She already knew what his response would be.
"I can't grant you that request," he said, making her heart drop.
"I hate you," she said, standing up and storming out of the bathroom.
"Letting you go means putting your life at stake, don't you get it!" Alpha Alvin said as he followed her into the bedroom.
"It's my life, Alvin, not yours!" she yelled at him, wiping away her tears.
"You are my mate, Annabelle, my soul mate. So, if you don't care about your life, I do, and so does the whole pack. Accept your fate and stop making things worse," Alpha Alvin said, his jaws clenched, but a message just entered into his phone.
"You know what? I reject you," she said and walked to the bed away from him, still frowning
He said nothing and walked out of the room as though he hadn't heard her. He had no reaction; instead, he was chatting on his phone.
"Wow, it didn't work," she scoffed, jumped down the bed, and ran after him.
She expected him to tell her to go home after her rejection, not just to walk out on her.
"Did you see Alpha Alvin?" she asked one of the maids mopping the floor.
"I think he is heading to his office," the maid replied, and immediately Annabelle ran to his office.
...
"Would you let me pass already?" Annabelle said to the guards guiding the door to Alvin's office.
"I'm sorry, Luna, but Alpha has instructed us not to let anyone into his office, even you," one of the guards said.
"I am serious; I need to meet the Alpha. I rejected him, and he hasn't permitted me to leave."
"What!" All the guards screamed, placing their hands over their heads in shock, while she flinched, startled by their sudden exclamation.
"You did what!!" they asked in sync, their voices laced in panic.
"Reject him," she replied, squinting her eyes at their reaction.
"We are all in trouble! What have you done?" one of the guards said, squatting down with his hands still on his head.
"You people are the ones in trouble, and I did nothing wrong. Can you please let me pass now?" she said, glaring at them.
After glancing at each other, they opened the door for her, and she scoffed before walking in.
As she strolled through the dark passage, her fingers trailing on the wall, she pushed the door open and entered the office.
She sensed a weird vibe and looked around, goosebumps settling on her skin. She was sure Alpha Alvin was there.
Tiptoeing quietly, she stopped dead in her tracks, feeling his presence behind her.
"What are you doing here, Annabelle?" She heard his cold voice ask as he walked towards his table.
"You haven't permitted me to leave, so that's why I came to meet you," she turned to him and said, fiddling with her nails.
"Why should I permit you to leave?" he asked, smirking evilly.
"Annabelle, I don't like it when you use foul language. It makes you look immature and unsuitable to be a Luna," he spoke sternly, his gaze fixed on her.
"How would you expect a seventeen-year-old teenager to be a Luna?" she complained, sitting on the couch.
"And besides, I don't really need to take permission from you before leaving."
"Then why did you come into my office?" he asked, arching his brows.
"Because I knew that you would try to stop me from leaving," she replied with a sigh.
"Look here, Annabelle, I am only trying to be nice to you. Don't make me regret it. I know you don't know much about the life of a werewolf, but getting rejected by your mate is not something werewolves laugh over."
She tilted her head to him, observing him as he paced around his office, his hands placed on his waist, and he looked disturbed.
"Look here, Alpha Alvin, I don't know if I'm trying to be nice to you, but don't make me regret it. I know that you don't know much about the life of a human, but getting kidnapped from your home by a werewolf king isn't something humans laugh over," she retorted.
"You are so ignorant, Annabelle."
"Then enlighten me, Alpha Alvin."
He stopped pacing, took some time to study her, before he walked towards the couch and squatted before her.
She tried creating a distance between them, but noticed he was watching her intently, so she stopped.
"You ought to be marked."
"I am already marked," she replied boldly.
"I can't find any markings on you," he said, confused.
"Actually, I have one on my belly. Besides, I'm not supposed to tell you that," she said with a shrug.
"Annabelle, what mark do you think I'm talking about?" he asked, holding back laughter.
"Birth markings, isn't that what you were talking about?"
"Seriously, Annabelle?" He chuckled, just like the growl of an animal, and she became tense.
"What's funny?" she asked, surprised.
"I wasn't talking about birthmarks. I'm talking about the markings werewolves give their mate in between their neck and shoulders to let others know they've been taken." He said, and raised up his hand to touch her nape, caressing it gently, making her feel the sparks, but she suddenly pushed away his hand.
She refused to fall for the sensations of what he was doing to her.
"Hell no, Alvin. There is no way I will let you mark me," she said, standing up and moving away from him.
"So you will try to stop me, huh?" he asked with a smirk, making her shiver in fear as her eyes met with his.