**Devon's POV**
"What the hell is going on here?" I asked the men, who were forcefully holding a lady.
They all stopped and she looked up. When our gazes met, something stirred within me. She was the one; she was the one with the scent that clouded my mind a few minutes ago. I had come to the mating ceremony with the sole aim of finding my mate. I've searched for her for years but hadn't found her and came because of that but was disappointed when nothing happened.
I was about to leave when a sweet smell hit my nostrils. It smelt like Lavender together with roses, and I knew the smell was coming from my mate. I followed it and it led me here.
"Mate!" I growled and walked closer to them.
They moved away from her due to fear, and she ran into my arms, taking me by surprise. My eyes widened when she deepened the hug, but it was like she realized something and pulled away from the hug immediately.
I held her chin up and looked into her eyes. Something seems off about her. I have a special kind of power that stops people from coming close to me. It's like a force of aura and makes me unapproachable. People get knocked away when they came too close, but nothing happened to her. She just walked through it like it was nothing.
"You're strange," I muttered as I stared into her eyes. She continued looking into mine but lowered her gaze when it became intense. I turned to look at the wolves, who had the audacity to touch my mate, and they went on their knees.
"Alpha, have mercy on us. Stay away from that girl! She is a witch!" One of them snapped and I scoffed.
How far is he willing to go to get what he wants?
I turned to leave with her. "She is a mute and Stealer Wolf!" He yelled and I stopped in my tracks. My hands subconsciously slipped away from hers, and I looked at her with widened eyes, expecting her to speak up for herself and explain to me that whatever they were saying wasn't true and that it made no sense.
She only shook her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. I wanted to ignore them and act like I didn't hear them, but I was curious to know what they were really talking about. The moon goddess wouldn't be so heartless to give me a mute as a mate, right?
"What do you mean?" I asked.
He stood up and walked forward, his gaze lingering on her. I could see the lust in his eyes, and it was annoying me greatly.
"Alpha, she isn't your type. This girl is a Stealer Wolf, she doesn't deserve you. Worse of all, she is mute and can't speak. You deserve better and not someone like this." He explained and I sighed.
"Who knows? She is just trying to seduce you. Didn't you see the way she hugged you?" Another one asked.
"Those are the things that stealer wolves are good at. Stay away from her, she is only trying to seduce you." One added.
I looked at her, expecting an explanation, but she only shook her head.
"Aren't you going to explain whatever is going on here to me?" I asked. She went on her knees and made a pleading sign with her hands. "So it's true? You are dumb?" I asked and facepalmed.
"She is, Alpha. She has been mute since birth and still is." They said I frowned.
Why was the moon goddess so cruel? Why on Earth would she give me a mute as a mate after all I've been through to find my mate? Was she this heartless, or was she purposely being mean? A stealer wolf?
Stealer wolves weren't the kind of wolves to quickly have mates, since they could be claimed by just any wolf if the wolf was single or widowed, and if Stealer wolves were lucky enough to have mates, it would mean trouble. Was this the kind of fate I would be subjected to? This wasn't how I imagined my first meeting with my mate to be at all.
After taking over from my father a few years ago, I searched for my mate and couldn't find her, came to the mating ceremony and was disappointed and after getting her scent, after thinking that it was all going to be fine, it turned out to be a mute; a weak mute mate. And not only that, she is a Stealer Wolf as well. Where did I go wrong to deserve this?
She is a mute, which means that she wouldn't be able to communicate with me a d worse of all, frail. I want a strong mate by m side; a mate who can stand by my side through thick and thin, a mate who can fight beside me and would win battles together with me, not one that I would be rescuing all the time.
"This can't be happening. I can't accept this!" I snapped and looked away from her. I turned to look at her once more. She looked relatable, her red hair flew down in waves and cascaded against her back. She wasn't bad looking either, and I would have accepted her, but there is no way I'm taking a weak mute as my mate.
The thought alone annoyed me, and I looked away from her. She held my hand, I darted her a dangerous glare, and she quickly let go.
"Let her go, Alpha! She's cursed." They shouted while she shook her head vigorously.
I turned to leave, but she held me.
"Stay away from me, or I might just kill you!" I ordered and yanked her hands away. I turned to leave, and she tried to touch me again, but the wolves grabbed her. I didn't want to look back, and I didn't want to save her either.
"Alpha… Devon. Please… Save me,"
I stopped in my tracks and looked back to see her struggling in tears, her hand stretched out to me. My eyes widened.
Did she just speak?