(Bella's POV)
Before Nate could respond, Alexander's body suddenly went rigid in my arms. His muscles seized, and a sound of pure agony tore from his throat. His skin was so hot it almost hurt to touch.
"Alex!" Nate surged forward as Alexander's knees buckled.
Nate's face suddenly drained of color as he checked Alexander's pulse. "The drug... it's too strong. His heart rate is dangerously high." His eyes met mine, desperate and accusing. "If we don't do something now, he'll die."
"Then get him to a healer!" I urged, still supporting Alexander's burning body against mine.
"No time." Nate's jaw clenched. "There's only one way to purge Luna Camellia this potent." His eyes bore into mine. "You'll have to help him through it."
"Me?" I stared at him in disbelief. The implication of his words slowly sank in. "But I—"
"Aren't you his girlfriend?" Nate's voice was sharp, but I caught the flicker of guilt in his eyes. He didn't want to force this, but Alexander's labored breathing left him no choice.
Before I could respond, Alexander's body jerked against mine. His skin burned like a furnace, and his usual composed demeanor had completely shattered. He pressed closer, seeking relief from the fever that consumed him.
"Hold him still," Nate ordered, but it was impossible. Alexander's hands clutched at my dress, his face buried in my neck. The drug had stripped away all his control, leaving only raw need.
"I can't—" I started to protest, but the words died in my throat.
Alexander's lips found mine, desperate and burning. The world stopped. Everything stopped.
"MATE!" Gina's howl of recognition shook through my entire being. "It's him! Our true mate! "
The kiss deepened, and suddenly Alexander's scent hit me like a physical force – dark woods after rain, lightning before a storm, and something else, something primal that made my knees weak.
I have never smelled such scent from Alexander before. It's strange. But there was no time for me to think more. The scent wrapped around me, sank into my skin, called to something deep and ancient in my blood.
Something inside me clicked into place, like a key finding its lock after centuries of searching. My wolf and I aligned perfectly for the first time, both recognizing what this was. The way his scent made my head spin, how my skin burned where he touched me, the overwhelming urge to bare my neck to him.
This wasn't just attraction or desperation. This was destiny.
My mind reeled. The Alpha King's heir was my fated mate? The most powerful wolf in the northern territories was meant for me – a packless foster child with an unknown past?
"Holy sh—" Nate's low exclamation of shock brought me back to reality. The situation crystallized with terrible clarity: I was trapped in a building full of enemies with a dying mate. I was, and my only chance of escape depended on convincing his best friend I was his secret girlfriend.
"We should help him!" Gina's voice was urgent.
Images flashed through my mind: Derek's cold smile, Martha's betrayal, the drugged girls being sold like cattle. And this– the mate bond humming between us, impossible to deny.
I made my decision. Meeting Nate's eyes, I said firmly, "Get us somewhere private. Now."
Nate cleared his throat awkwardly, backing towards the door. His usual warrior confidence had been gone. "I'll... I'll keep watch outside," he mumbled. At the doorway, he paused, turning back with an uncertain expression. "Thank you... If you need anything, just... just call."
The door clicked shut, leaving me alone with Alexander. The room – some kind of private office – felt suddenly too small, too intimate.
"MATE!" Gina's excitement coursed through me like wildfire. "Our mate needs us!"
"Alexander," I whispered, and it was like speaking an ancient spell.
"What are you waiting for, hurry up, he needs us."I first discovered that Gina was so noisy.
I summoned up the courage, lowered my head and tentatively touched his lips, but the length of time I lingered was enough to make my heart race, and Gina excitedly howled. Suddenly, Alexander seemed to feel that pulling force, that undeniable magnetism that drew us together. He cupped my face in his hands, his fingers threading through my hair, deepening the kiss, his tongue slipping into my mouth, our tongues dancing a sensual dance, and I could barely catch my breath.
The air was thick with an indescribable desire and the scent of Alexander. Gina's voice echoed in my mind, urging me on. And so I did it. My hands roamed over Alexander's chest, feeling the taut muscles beneath his shirt. My trembling fingers fumbled with the buttons, undoing them one by one, until his shirt fell open, and true to my imagination, his broad chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing.
I straddled him, and we continued to kiss passionately. My hands roamed his chest and abs. Alexander's hands were caressing my back and buttocks, and suddenly he touched the hem of my dress, slowly lifting it up, feeling my lace underwear. It was like a lightning bolt flashing through my mind, and my body became increasingly pliant, reacting instinctively to his touches. I could feel him hardening beneath me, pressing against my hips. I unbuckled his belt, exposing his hard and substantial masculinity. But I hesitated. William and I had never been this intimate before.
My hesitation was like a fire that completely ignited Alexander. He suddenly got up and pushed me down. His body covered mine, he kissed me, his hand reached for the zipper of my dress, quickly pulled it down, and then unhesitatingly pulled off my bra too, his fingers roaming over my breasts, I felt as if I was in a hot spring, my whole body enveloped in his breath. His fingers traveled down my abdomen, caressing my groin, I arched my hips, seeking more. "Fuck," he muttered, his fingers suddenly parting my folds, finding my core. He teased my entrance, in and out with a rhythm that made my toes curl.
I couldn't help but moan, his touch made my whole body tremble, filled with pleasure. But Nate was still outside, so I could only desperately suppress myself. My moans aroused him, and he let out a deep growl, following my instructions, placing his massive member at my entrance and pushing forward. I felt a sting of pain, and couldn't help but take a sharp breath, but this was quickly overshadowed by the pleasure that followed. I clung tightly to his shoulders. He began to continue pushing, and when he was fully inside, I felt his taut muscles. Waves of trembling ran down my spine. This was a sensation I had never experienced before, making me dizzy. I clung to him tightly, my nails digging deep into his back as he continued thrusting, his movements growing faster and more urgent. My hips met his every thrust, becoming more and more entwined with each movement. My moans mingled with Alexander's muffled grunts of effort.
As his charge became erratic, his breathing became labored, he roared, and plunged deep inside me, he released.
_____________________________________________________________________
Alexander's POV
The fog of Luna Camellia slowly lifted from my mind like morning mist burning away. My senses returned one by one – first touch, then smell, then sight. My hand rested on smooth, warm skin. A woman lay beneath me, her soft breast was under my palm. Her scent was intoxicating – like moonflowers and something wild, untamed.
As my vision cleared, recognition hit me like a physical blow. Bella. The café girl. The troublemaker from the Shadow Pack.
Her brown hair with those distinctive red highlights spread across the pillow like liquid fire. Those extraordinary golden eyes, still hazy with pleasure, seemed to glow in the dim light. Her skin, honey-colored and flawless, practically begged for my touch.
Even I was fully awake, my body responded traitorously to her presence, hardening against her soft curves.
"MATE!" Leo's roar shook through my consciousness. "Our mate! Finally!"
But rage flooded my system, drowning out Leo's joy. She! Drugged! Me!
Memories crashed over me, made sharper by rage and unwanted desire.
That first night in the alley, she'd been wearing a black dress that hugged every curve. She was surrounded by three men. The sight of her surrounded by those men had made my blood boil, but not from righteous anger. No, it was pure, primal possessiveness. Mine, everything in me had screamed. MINE.
I'd forced those feelings down, disgusted with myself. While other wolves might have mistaken her messy clothes and the scene for an attack, I'd seen how relaxed her stance was. How she hadn't really been fighting back.
A gold digger, I'd thought, playing dangerous games with pack males.
I'd forced Leo down that night, grateful for the ancient Thorn Rose technique that allowed me to mask my scent.
Better she never knew we were mates. Better than being trapped with someone who'd use that sacred bond for social climbing.
Then seeing her at the café, working honestly... for a moment, I'd wondered if I'd misjudged her. Gods, she'd been beautiful in that simple uniform. She'd handled Sarah's bullying with dignity. Leo had begged me to reconsider, to approach her properly. The sunlight catching those red highlights in her hair, the slight flush in her cheeks when she'd thanked me... For a moment, I'd wanted to drop all my walls, to let her sense what we were to each other.
But this... this proved my first instincts right.
Rage flooded my system as reality set in. This goddess beneath me, this siren who made my body burn with need even now – she'd drugged me!
"NO!" Leo fought against my rage. "Listen! Something's wrong. She saved us—"
I silenced him. My wolf might be blinded by the mate bond, but I wasn't so easily fooled. Not even by the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She must have planned this!
My hand shot out, wrapping around her delicate throat. "How dare you drug me!"