Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"That's impossible," Daisy spat, her face twisting in disbelief. "How could someone like her be your mate? She's worthless!" She screamed in anger as if not believing the fact.
I turned my glare on Daisy, my wolf growling at her audacity. "Watch your tongue, girl," I warned, my voice low and dangerous. "You may have treated your sister badly but she's my mate and you'll respect her accordingly."
Daisy recoiled, her confidence faltering under my glare. Anger still evident on her face but contained. The room filled with tension.
Kieran stepped forward, his expression hardening. "With all due respect King Damien, Arianne is not worthy of such an honor. She's...."
"She is your daughter," I interrupted, my voice laced with disdain. "Yet you treat her worse than a servant. You dishonor not only her but yourself and your entire pack."
Kieran flinched but said nothing, his lips pressed into a thin line.
I turned back to my mate who still sat on the floor, her eyes wide with shock, gratitude and something I couldn't place my finger on. Carefully I extended my hand to her and her reaction startled me, her head bowed as though she were expecting another blow. My heart clenched at the sight. My wolf, fierce and unrelenting moments ago, softened with a protective tenderness I hadn't felt in years. What had they done to her. My thoughts swirled.
"Come," I said gently. "You don't belong here." Her vanilla and strawberry scent engulfed me with a hint of blood in it.
She looked at me with teary eyes but hesitated, her gaze flickering to Kieran and Daisy who both glared at her with thinly veiled hatred. But then her eyes met mine, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of hope. As if she finally saw her saving straw.
Slowly, she placed her trembling hand in mine and I helped her to her feet.
The whispers around us grew louder, but I ignored them. My focus was solely on her.
"Let's go," I said, wrapping an arm protectively around her shoulders. "You're coming with me."
She looked at her so called family as if wanting them to ask her to stay but they only stared at her with disgust.
Arianne didn't protest. She simply nodded, her trust in me evident despite the fear and pain that lingered in her eyes.
As we walked toward the exit, I turned to Adrian. "Ensure everyone who hurt my mate understands the consequences of what they did. No one will get away with hurting what's mine." I ordered, my voice cold and unyielding.
Adrian nodded, his expression grim as he stepped forward to address the stunned alpha. And I knew Adrian would not disappoint me.
with that, I led Arianne out of the hall, away from the people who had treated her so cruelly, and into the night where her new life would begin.
"What are you doing?" Kieran's voice was sharp, cutting through the stunned silence as we walked out of the hall.
I didn't even bother glance his way as screams started filling the hall.
I looked down at Arianne. Her cheek was red and swollen from the slap, and her hands were scratched from the broken glass. She was trembling, but her eyes were steady, locked on mine.
"You're safe now," I murmured, my tone softening for her alone. "I won't let anyone hurt you again."
I led her to the back of the car were we both sat in silence waiting for Adrian to get back for what felt like forever.
Adrian came in taking the front passenger seat. "Damien, should we… leave?"
I nodded. "Yes"
Arianne's gaze flickered between me and the pack house, uncertainty clouding her expression. "But…" she began, her voice barely above a whisper.
"You don't belong here," I said firmly. "You deserve better." she didn't respond and looked down her laps.
"Thank you" she said softly, her voice muffled against me. "you didn't have to do that, father will...."
I looked down at her. Her eyes searched mine, filled with confusion and a lingering hint of fear.
"You're my mate," I said simply. "And no one will ever hurt you again. There's nothing your father can do"
Her lips parted in surprise, but she said nothing.
"We're going home," I told her, my voice steady. "Your real home." I myself didn't know where this gentleness is coming from, my wolf kept purring in my mind edging me to get more closer but I ignored it.
And as we drove away, leaving behind the cruelty and pain of her past, I silently vowed to protect her with everything I had.
...
Arianne's Point of View
I was stiff in the stranger's car, my mind swirling with emotions I couldn't quite grasp. This man who claimed to be my mate, stood up for me as though I were the most precious thing in the world. The warmth of his arm on my shoulder as he led me out of the hall contrasted with the icy glares I had grown used to in my father's pack.
Was this real? Could it be possible?
His scent enveloped me, musky and fresh, like the scent of the earth after a rainfall. It was intoxicating, grounding me in a way I hadn't experienced before. My heart raced, not from fear, but from something I couldn't yet name. For the first time in my life, I felt safe.
Safe in the arms of a stranger.
I wanted to ask him so many questions, but the words caught in my throat.
My gaze flickered up to him, the strong line of his jaw, the intense focus in his eyes. There was something about him, something that demanded respect, yet I couldn't sense hostility from him. His aura was overpowering, yet calming at the same time.
He was so handsome, with sharp jawline.
"Why?" I managed to whisper my voice barely audible.
His eyes darted down to me, softening as they met mine. "Why what?"
"Why would you… help me?" My voice cracked, the disbelief evident. "No one ever does."
His arms clenched tightly at his sides and for a moment I thought I saw a flicker of pain in his expression. "Because you're my mate," he said simply, his voice steady and sure.
The word echoed in my mind, Mate.
It was something I had dreamed of but never truly believed I'd have. A mate was supposed to be someone who cherished you, someone who loved and protected you. Someone you feel drawn to even if you've only met. I had long since resigned myself to the fact that I would never have one, not with my wolfless status and my pack's disdain for me.
"But I don't have a wolf," I blurted out before I could stop myself. Tears streamed down my face, I know someone as powerful as him wouldn't want a wolf-less mate.
He didn't falter, didn't even hesitate. "That doesn't matter," he said firmly, his tone brooking no argument. "The bond is there. I feel it. My wolf feels it."
I stayed silent after that, unsure of how to respond. My heart warred with my mind, trying to make sense of what was happening. Part of me wanted to believe him, to trust in the warmth and protection he offered. But another part - the part scarred by years of neglect and pain was hesitant.
What if this was just another cruel twist in my life? What if he changed his mind and abandoned me too?
He must have sensed my hesitation because looked up at me again. "You're safe with me, Arianne," he said, his voice softer this time, as though he could read the doubts in my mind.
Something in his tone made me want to believe him.
Could I really leave? Could I leave behind the pack that had been nothing but cruel to me? The father who saw me as nothing but a burden? The sister who seemed to take pleasure in my misery?
As the car moved with steady speed, I stared out the window, watching the scene outside . My hands fidgeted in my lap, my mind racing with possibilities.
"Where are we going?" I asked finally, my voice shaky.
"To my pack," he replied. "Your new home."
Home.
I wasn't sure I even knew what that word meant anymore. Thought I had a home with my family but that was just a cruel joke.
Silence filled the car as we drove through the forest, the rhythmic hum of the engine lulling me into a strange sense of calm. My cheek throbbed from the slap, and my hands stung from the glass, but for the first time, the pain felt distant.
I turned my gaze to him, studying his profile in the dim light. There was a hardness to him, an edge that made him seem unapproachable. But there was something else, something hidden beneath the surface, something that made me want to trust him despite my better judgment.
"Stop overthinking things, you'll be safe in my pack" he said as if sensing my thoughts.
"But you don't even know me," I argued, my voice rising slightly. I've been traumatized enough to question every good thing in my life.
"I know enough," he said, his tone firm. "I know that you've been hurt, that you've been treated unfairly. And I know that it ends now."
His words left me speechless.
The car eventually came to a stop in front of a grand estate, far larger and more imposing than the pack house I had known all my life. The air here felt different, cleaner, freer.
He opened the door for me and offered his hand. I hesitated for a moment before taking it, his warmth seeping into me as he helped me out of the car.
"This is your home now," he said, his voice steady.
I looked up at the sprawling mansion, my heart pounding. Could this really be a new beginning for me? Could I really have a place where I belonged?
And for the first time, I felt a glimmer of hope. a fragile tentative hope that maybe, just maybe, things could be different.