Chapter 3 : Marked by the monster
The thought of Jarrel touching and marking her made her skin crawl as if bugs were crawling all over her. She sat in the dark room, sobbing, wondering why she had waited all her life for her fated mate, only to be bound to the one man she hated.
How much more of her pack's pride would be ruined by this monster? The moon goddess must be playing a cruel joke on her, giving her a beast who kills out of sheer boredom and cares only for himself.
The creaking door signaled Jarrel's return. Hana's chest tightened to a ball of fear as he drew closer, suffocating her with his arrogance. He was always followed by his guards who without delay, took a stand near the door so that no one attempted to come in.
Jarrel stared at Hana and, in his eyes, she saw the desire of a man ready and willing to take what he perceived to be his own.
"You have no choice, Hana," Jarrel said, his tone as civil as always but there was that commanding note that said a lot. "It's a necessity, and we must go through with it."
Hana's skin crawled at his words. She moved backward while crushing herself into the icy stone-built wall.
"You can't do this," she whispered glaring at him while her face revealed both anger and fear. "I reject you!"
Jarrel stepped closer, closing the distance between them in a few strides. "Your rejection means nothing until I accept it," he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards him.
His touch sent an unwelcome shiver through her body, a mix of revulsion and the undeniable pull of the mate bond.
"Let go of me!" Hana struggled, trying to wrench her arm free, but Jarrel's grip was unyielding. She kicked at him, desperation giving her strength, but he effortlessly avoided her blows, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Stop fighting, Hana," Jarrel said, his voice softening slightly, almost as if he were trying to comfort her.
"This will be easier for both of us if you just accept it."
"I will never accept it," Hana spat, her eyes burning with defiance. "You're a monster, and I will never be yours."
Jarrel's expression hardened. "As you wish," he replied.
In one decisive move, he grabbed her and turned her around, thrusting her against the wall. Heaving flat and quickly to his feet, Hana just stood still, her breath having been taken away by this rather abrupt action of his. He pulled her close and his chest was against her back his breathing heavy against her skin.
"Get off me!" She yelled and tried to push him away, but he did not budge as he overpowered her. She tried to fight and twist out of his grasp but he only laughed, a sadistic grin on his face.
"You do feel it right?" Jarrel asked her in his low, husky voice that she was already becoming familiar with. Even if you try to rid yourself of it, it's there. The bond. You can't run away from it.
Hana's body had gone against her, an ember of desire, burning inside her even though she despised it. She despised herself for it, for feeling anything other than hate for this man who had reduced her to nothing. Anger staining her face and tears in her eyes she fought on but Jarrel did not loosen his hold on her.
He cupped her hands together and raised them high on her body; he then traced the curve of her neck with the back of his hand while his fingers threaded through her hair. Hana could feel his hot breath on her neck, and she recoiled at his touch.
"No," she moaned softly within herself more than saying it out to him. "Please, no. "
Jarrel stopped for a second, his lips inches from her delicate flesh. "This is the way it has to be," he whispered. "For both our sakes."
Hana felt the sharp sting as his teeth pierced her skin. She cried out in pain, her body arching instinctively away from the source, but Jarrel held her firmly in place. The pain quickly turned into a burning sensation that spread through her veins, the mate bond solidifying with every second.
Her brain shouted in protest, and yet her nerves jangled to the point that her sensuality was incapable of being controlled. The bond amplified everything—her anger, her despair, and the unwanted pull towards Jarrel. She could feel his emotions too: the satisfaction of claiming his mate, the dominance of an alpha exerting his will.
Finally, Jarrel released her, stepping back to admire his work. Hana slumped against the wall, clutching her neck where he had bitten her. The mark throbbed, a physical reminder of her new reality. She looked up at Jarrel with tear-filled eyes, a mix of hatred and anguish etched on her face.
"It's done," Jarrel said, his voice a mixture of triumph and something almost tender. "You are mine now, Little mate. The bond is complete."
"I hate you," Hana whispered, her voice breaking. "I will always hate you. You freak"
Jarrel's face only relaxed for a second before it was replaced with his usual smooth expressionless face.
"You can hate me as much as you want," he went on. "That does not change the fact that you belong to me".
He walked out of the room, waving his hand for his guards to come along. With the door shut, Hana sank to the floor buried her head in her hands, and cried her heart out. The mark on her neck throbbed with the mate bond, which made her remember that she had been forced into mating with Jarrel.
In the cold and hardly illuminated room, Hana was left alone with the only feeling of the new life crushing her spirit. She despised the bond, despised how it had allowed her to feel something for the man who had inflicted so much pain. She despised the kind of powerlessness that had become her new normal.
The fe
eling of the mark repulsed her, she needed to clean it off, she looked around for anything, could it even be cleaned off?