2. Kye

Chapter 2

Kye

W hat in the hell just happened?

My head swims, and my chest feels tight as my little dark-haired mate locks her gaze with mine for a split second before darting off like a rabbit.

What the fuck?

There was so much fear as our mating bond clicked into place and all I want to do is show her she's safe. The gathered crowd parts to let her through as she shoves her way toward the exit and another female with moon-touched hair tries to follow her.

Clamping my jaw together, I try to control my irritation. If my mate thinks she can run from me, she's out of her fucking mind. We're connected. I now know where she is at every given second, and even if we weren't, I'm a formidable tracker. There's nowhere she can hide from me.

Go after her.

My wolf is impatient for me to claim her fully, and so am I. I've never felt a damn thing toward a female in my life, but this little hybrid has awoken something inside me I didn't know lay dormant. The need that pulses through me with every thump of my heart is like an adrenaline rush, but the way she ran from me fucking pisses me off.

What the hell is she scared of?

You.

And why wouldn't she be? I'm a hulking, snarling asshole who is as approachable as a rabid bear.

This was not how I expected to meet my mate.

A blanket is thrust in my direction, but I ignore it. I don't give a shit that I'm naked. The only thing I care about is that the bond between us isn't calm. Her panic and fear pinball around my mind, and when she doesn't come back inside, a wave of panic washes through me.

I don't even know her name or where the hell she came from. I've been out on a mission for the past week and a half, and she wasn't here before I left.

As soon as the truck pulled into the compound, my body started to vibrate, like an electric current running through my veins. I didn't understand what was wrong then, but now it all makes sense.

My wolf recognized her presence, even from a distance. It knew our mate was here before I did.

Come back.

I push these words through our new bond, testing it, uncertain if it works—or how I'm supposed to use it. When I get nothing back, it only adds fuel to the fire burning in my gut.

Why isn't she talking to me?

A deep instinct warns me to tread lightly, but I'm driven by something far more potent than sense. My primal urge to take her and put my mark on her is overtaking everything.

I stagger in the direction she took off, but my path is blocked. Beck stands in front of me, his broad arms folded over his chest.

What the fuck is he doing? Does he think he can get between me and my mate?

It would be so easy to knock his teeth down his throat and resume my hunt for my female, but I'm aware I'm outnumbered as wolves and tau crowd closer.

"Move," I hiss at him.

The asshole shakes his head. Does he have a death wish? He stands between me and what I want.

"You scared the shit out of her, Kye. Let Apryle figure things out first before you go after her."

Apryle. It's a pretty name for a pretty girl, and I'm pissed that he knows it. He's far too fucking familiar with what's mine. My gaze slides to the mat where she was pinned beneath him. What the fuck was he doing with my female?

My molars grind together.

"She doesn't need to figure out anything. We're mates." I stab my finger into his chest. "Stay the fuck out of my way, Beck."

His brow cocks as he shoves my hand aside. "If you tried engaging your brain for just one second, you'd understand that all you're going to do is push her further away. Apryle's… Going through stuff ."

Is he seriously trying to tell me how to handle my mate? And what the hell does that mean? Going through stuff? What is she going through?

More importantly, why the fuck does Beck think I'd allow him to fix it?

I may have liked this asshole once, but in this moment, I want to tear his guts out. The low rumbling growl that climbs up my throat is threatening as I draw myself to my full height, letting him feel the force of my dominance.

Beck is a big wolf, yet I still have five inches and at least fifty pounds on him. He's not vargr, and while his wolf is strong, it doesn't compare to mine. I'm almost impressed that the fucker doesn't flinch as I bear down on him.

"What stuff?"

He folds his arms over his chest. "That's her business. I won't violate her trust."

I thought the phrase "seeing red" was just that—a phrase. It turns out it's not. A crimson haze descends over my vision as I ask again, "What fucking business?"

Does he want her?

Is that what this is? Him trying to prove that he knows my mate better than me?

The thought is enough to make me slam my fist into his jaw. The force of it lifts him off his feet before he sprawls onto the mat. He goes down heavily, groaning as the wind is knocked from his lungs.

"You stay the fuck away from her," I warn.

His eyes blaze red, his wolf surging to the surface, but he doesn't move from the floor. This is not a fight he can win, and he knows it.

His younger brother, Archie, isn't as smart. He squares up to me, his face a mask of anger. Normally, I would relish the fight, but my fear and concern for my mate make me impatient.

"You're a fucking dick," Archie snaps at me, shoving my shoulder. I barely move with the impact, but he isn't deterred. "I hope she rejects you, asshole."

That burns worse than anything he could have said to me. Rejection? Fuck, for a wolf, that is a death sentence. Fated mates don't have the luxury of refusing a mating bond.

"Why the hell did you have your hands on her?" I snarl this question at Beck, ignoring the wound Archie delivered.

"I was teaching her to defend herself." He glares at me as his brother offers a hand to him and pulls him up. "I didn't think she needed it, but boy, was I wrong."

The insinuation that Apryle would need protection from me pisses me off. "I would never hurt her."

"You already are."

"It stops. Now ."

He glares at me. "That's not your decision, Kye."

"If you touch her again, I'll tear your fucking arms off and beat you to death with them."

I don't have a lot of people here—unsurprisingly—but Beck was one of the few I might have considered as a friend, at least before this incident.

Jealousy rages through me. How long has he been training with her like that? How many times has he touched what's mine? It's irrational, I know this, but I can't stop these dangerous thoughts.

As much as I want to drag the answers out of him, I don't have time to waste here. I need to go to my mate. Until this bond snapped into place, I wasn't scared of a single thing. Now, terror floods my veins, and that vulnerability infuriates me.

As I go to step around him, Beck grabs me, and instinctively, I grip his throat. It would be so easy to squeeze the life out of him that I ignore Archie's calls for me to let go, focusing instead on Beck's granite stare.

An arm wraps around my neck from behind, and I'm dragged backward. The strength holding me in place is steel, and I have no choice but to let go of Beck as my feet scramble to keep purchase.

Dominance I've not experienced for a long time flows off this wolf as he says in my ear.

"You can hit me all day long, but while you're doing that your mate is alone out there," he says before he lets me go.

It's probably a bad sign that he doesn't fear my retaliation enough to keep hold of me, but when I spin to face him, attack isn't on my mind. My mate is.

Those words whispered into my ear are sending more anxiety through me.

Where the hell is Apryle?

He stares at me, a calmness in his stance that is almost unnatural. I don't recognize this wolf, but he is vargr. I take in his light blond hair and piercing eyes that are locked on mine with no sign of concern. He's not as big as I am, neither in height nor bulk, but I get the feeling he will fight me if I push it.

My gaze slides past him to the small female at his back. She has bright blue hair and gray eyes that appear almost like a stormy sky. It's a little disconcerting, and it drives a full-bodied shiver up my spine.

There is no fear in her either, and when I scent her, I understand why. She's a tau—part witch, part wolf. Like my little mate.

"Go after her," she says, her voice a lot softer than his. "Make sure she doesn't do something stupid."

The thought my mate might endanger her own life to escape me sends anger but also terror careening through me.

I never expected to find my true mate. Fated pairings are rare, or at least they're supposed to be, yet she is here like a needle in a stack of needles, waiting to be found.

Waiting to be claimed.

I shoot a dark glare at Beck before I step around the mated pair, heading for the door with a renewed sense of urgency. I've wasted precious minutes here, giving her more time to run from me.

I stop at the door and grab a pair of sweatpants from the clothes bin. With so many wolves shifting around here, there is always spare apparel kept on hand.

Still settling them on my waist, I reach for the door handle.

"Asshole!" Archie yells after me. "You could have killed him! Callum should send you away, you crazy bastard."

I don't look back or respond. We all know I'm an asshole, and if Callum had a lick of sense, he would have made me leave a long time ago.

As I hit the door and step outside into the cool air, my head snaps in the direction I know she's gone in. There's no sign of her, but I can taste her scent. It lingers in the air, enticing me.

Stop running , I demand through the bond. We need to talk .

I'm met with silence once again, but I can sense her emotions as they thrum between us. My little mate may be afraid, but she's also pissed. What the hell is she so angry about? Most wolves go their entire lives without running into their true mate. We've hit the lottery here, and yet she's acting as if this is a curse.

I take off running in her direction, passing the multitude of buildings that make up the compound until I realize I'm getting close to the perimeter fence.

Did she leave?

That makes my heart stutter in my chest. We have enemies, dangerous ones. There are hunters waiting for the chance to grab tau because of what they can do. The thought of the Order capturing her sets off a chain reaction inside me.

My wolf is furious at me and her. I'm pissed enough for the both of us.

Apryle, stop running , I snap, and I know I should be softer with her, but I'm struggling to hold back my fear.

Stay out of my head, jerk.

Her barbed voice rings through my mind, and I almost stumble. The relief at hearing her, even if she's cursing me out, is overwhelming.

She's okay.

I've never given a shit about anyone but myself, and for good reason. Caring is a weakness that can be used against you, but this little wolf hybrid simply pushed through my self-inflicted isolation as if she has always been with me. In the few minutes I have known her, she has done what no one else has ever managed since I lost my cousin. She has made me give a shit.

I have a moment of sympathy for Apryle. When she imagined her mate, I have no doubt that someone like me was not what she had in mind.

Vargr are dangerous. Even among other shifters, we are the stuff of legend, used to scare younger pups into behaving.

But I am the worst of my kind.

I wear my darkness like armor, and I will taint her with it.

For that reason alone, I should let her walk away, but I can't, and I won't—and not just because denying each other would cause us both to waste away in agony.

As I round the last building, I see across the field to the fence. My mate is moving along the chain link perimeter, trying to find a weakness in the defense. I blow out a breath before re-inflating my lungs and wiping my clammy hands on my sweatpants. She didn't escape.

With relief also comes irritation. She's safe, but if she'd gone outside the perimeter…

I don't even want to consider the outcome.

My nostrils flare as I stalk across the grass, my fingers curled into fists at my side as I struggle to keep my temper in check. Did she really think I would just let her go?

From the way her shoulders sag, I can see how disappointed she is that I caught up to her. I don't have to feel it through our bond, though I can, and a sting of pain spreads through me.

"Where are you going, little mate?" I demand, my voice ragged with my anger.

Slowly, she turns her head to peer at me and pins me in place with her baby blue eyes.

I can't stop myself from sucking in a breath. Apryle is intoxicating. Everything about her makes my body come alive. Her scent is in my nose, her feelings are in my head, and I want nothing more than to take her in the grass and make her mine completely.

As I step into her space, she must sense the turn my thoughts have taken. She spins around so that we are chest to chest, her breath quickening as she tips her head back to look at me. She's so small I could break her with my strength, and that thought scares me. I didn't expect my mate to be so fragile or someone that needed to be protected, kept safe from harm.

I force calm into my body even as I cage her between the fence and myself. She gasps as my fingers slip through the chain link behind her head to keep her in place. I won't risk her taking off again.

Wild, wide eyes look up at me from under thick, dark lashes, and her chest heaves as she drags in tremulous breaths, unwavering even in the face of her apprehension.

"You shouldn't have run," I murmur.

I can't resist lowering my head into the crook between her neck and shoulder. Her sweet smell fills my nose, a heady mix that makes me want to sink my teeth in.

I don't want to rush anything, so I settle for running the tip of my nose along the column of her throat. Her body is wound tight, her shoulders pulled up to her ears as she freezes like a doe caught in headlights.

"What are you doing?" She pants the words, arching her back and letting out a needy-sounding moan.

She isn't immune to my touch, and that gives me hope.

My wolf reacts instantly, howling and pawing at the ground.

Ours.

Our mate.

She is ours to protect, to comfort, to own .

"I'm tasting what's mine," I tell her as I flatten my tongue against her fluttering pulse. She tries to melt into the fence, clinging to it as if it can save her even as her hips rise to meet mine.

I know she can feel my heat and my hardness as I press into her core. I can't resist licking every inch of her throat.

"I don't want you to taste me." The protest falls flat when she lets out a high-pitched moan.

Fuck. Yes .

I ignore her, my hand cupping her between her legs, rubbing her hard enough to drag another sound from her. She's wet. I can smell her arousal, and it is divine. I want to taste it on my tongue. I want to own every inch of her body?—

An invisible force unexpectedly shoves me hard, and I go back on a foot.

Magic.

I can smell it now, the air filled with the acerbic scent of it. She used her power on me, and from the look on her face, she's not a little bit sorry about it.

Hands held up in a defensive stance, she moves around me, putting my spine to the fence and the open compound behind hers. It won't make any difference, but if it gives her a sense of control, I'll allow it.

"Are you crazy?" she snaps. "You can't just go around touching people like that!"

"You're not people. You're my?—"

I smell the magic as she draws upon it. "If you finish that sentence, I'll blast you into the next century, buddy."

None of this makes sense. Mates are supposed to be inexplicably drawn to each other, but she looks like she wants to strangle me. "Are all females this frustrating, or just you?" I demand, irritation making my words sharp.

Her eyes narrow, her mouth becoming an angry line slashed across her face. "If I'm that annoying, then you won't have an issue leaving me alone, will you?"

"You know it doesn't work that way. We're bonded."

"Yeah, well, we don't have to be."

I grind my teeth, my patience close to snapping. "Then we both fade away, probably die too."

The way her expression falls tells me she didn't consider anything beyond getting away from me.

Her eyes squeeze shut as she wraps her arms around her waist. Littering her pale skin are dark purple bruises, and the moment I see them, my rage erupts like an inferno.

I grab her wrist, dragging her to me as I twist it to get a better look. Fury is sloshing in my belly, a liquid hot rage threatening to explode.

"Who did this to you?" I grind each word through gritted teeth.

Alarm ripples over her face as she tries, and fails, to pull her arm away. "No one. Let go of me!"

I don't. I examine every inch of her skin for other injuries. There are a few lighter marks that look older than the others, but nothing more serious.

"Did Beck do this? Why are you training with him?"

She pulls again, and fearing she's going to dislocate her shoulder, I release her, watching as she stumbles back from me. "You're insane. Of course you are." She throws her hands up, peering up at the sky. "Why wouldn't the universe chain me to someone like you ?"

Those words hurt more than I want to admit, and it takes everything I have not to flinch. I can stand the world looking at me with disgust and disdain, but not her.

"I'm not exactly thrilled about you either," I fire back. I don't mean it, not at all, but she cut me open, and my only defense is to fight back.

Eyes narrowed on me, she drops her hands to her hips, and I can't stop from growling under my breath as I take in those bruises again.

Fuck.

Beck's dead.

"There's nothing wrong with me."

"But there's something wrong with me?" My words are flat, and she blows out a breath, as if she's trying to control herself.

"You mean aside from cornering me and insulting me? Not to mention touching me without permission. Consent matters, asshole."

I growl under my breath at the insinuation. "You and I are mates, Apryle. Touching is kind of necessary."

"Only according to some stupid magic trick, but I don't want you, and if you're being honest with yourself, I doubt you want me, either. You're just consumed by the bond."

She's wrong. I've never wanted anything more. But she doesn't give me the chance to respond.

"This is insane. Fated mates are rare. How the hell did we just stumble upon each other? I don't want this." She frees her hair from her ponytail holder and rakes her fingers through the long strands. I like how it tumbles down her back. Visions of my fingers wrapped in her locks as I pound into her fill my mind.

She blinks and shakes herself. "Oh, no! Take your weird sex dream somewhere else! You're never getting anywhere near me like that."

Shit, I forgot about our connection, but I'm done playing games with her.

"When I take you, it'll be because you're begging for my cock."

I smell her arousal, even though her eyes flash with fear. "You don't want this. It's a mistake. We'll find someone to undo it," she whispers. "Please. I can't be your mate."

Her voice breaks, and her fear is replaced with such anguish it makes my chest heavy. What has her feeling this way?

"It's done," I tell her. We both know the clock can't be wound back.

She stares up at me, tears brimming in her eyes as she shakes her head. "I don't even know your name."

"It's Kyson, but I go by Kye."

Her chin wobbles as she tries to control her emotions. "Please, for both of our sakes, stay away from me, Kye."

My dick twitches at my name on her lips. Fuck, I want her so much. My fingers wrap around her throat in a gentle caress—nothing like what I did to Beck. She freezes beneath my touch, her pulse fluttering wildly as I try to soothe her. I don't know why she's unhappy, why she's rejecting me, but it's not an option.

"I won't allow you to push me away," I say, my words cold.

Her eyes close as her fingers wrap around my wrist. She doesn't remove my hold on her throat, but I get the impression she's using it as leverage to keep steady.

"This isn't happening."

"I'm not what you pictured?" I snarl. I can't help it. I'm a proud wolf, and her rejection burns.

Apryle isn't what I envisaged for myself either, but as I take in her dark hair, her delicate features, those perfectly sculpted eyebrows and crystalline blue eyes, there's no part of me that is disappointed. She's beautiful, and she's mine, no matter how much she denies it.

"Please trust me. We can't be together, Kye."

"Our wolves recognized each other. We're mates. End of story."

It's the wrong thing to say. It's like pouring gasoline onto a lit flame. I'm hit with a ball of magic that drives me to my knees. Pain flares through my body, agonizing heat spreading through every synapse until I'm dizzy.

I don't know how I end up face down in the grass, breathing like I've run a marathon, but when my vision clears, that's where I am. I can taste blood on my tongue and my head throbs.

Panic flares through our bond and I instinctively seek out Apryle. She's standing close by, her hands covering her mouth as if she's trying not to puke. The flash of vulnerability in her awakens something to me that I haven't felt in a long time—an ugly feeling of guilt. I should have given her space, time to work this out in her head.

I hate that Beck was right.

"Please leave me alone," she whispers as she backs away from me before she flees once more toward the bustle of the compound.

I try to get up, but my body feels like water. Collapsing back onto the grass, I have no choice but to watch her go. Even though every part of me wants to follow her it's good that this choice is taken from me. I can sense how fragile her emotions are through our bond, and as much as I want to push my little mate, I don't want her to unravel either.

If she needs a little time to get her head around this, around us, I'll give her that, but she has to know I won't wait forever.