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Mate

I don't remember how I ended up in the bar, but I found myself downing whiskey after whiskey, forgetting - or maybe ignoring - the fact that I was pregnant. All I wanted was to numb the searing pain in my chest. As dusk fell outside, the dimly lit bar began to fill with patrons seeking refuge from the darkness. I blended into the shadows, lost in my own world of hurt.

A sigh slipped out, and I bit my lip as if I could trap the despair inside. But it came out anyway, a slow leak of desperation.

I couldn't shake the thought of Jerome's eyes finding me, his fists closing around my arms like a vice. The familiar fear crept up my spine, a chill that spread through my veins like ice. I'd never escape him, never be free. The thought echoed through my mind like a scream, but I couldn't make a sound. Another sigh escaped, and I hated myself for it. Weak. I was so weak.

“Luna Vera,” two smiling young ladies called out to me with an affectionate voice, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I wanted to ask them for help, but I couldn't. I was paralyzed by fear, forced to watch as Jerome slowly drained the life from me. It was like I was disappearing, piece by piece, and I didn't know how to stop it. Slowly I spun around and plastered a false smile on my face.

“Oh girls, how are you doing? I hope you've eaten?” I asked with a cheerful voice, forgetting my worries and acting like the perfect Luna everyone thought I was.

The young ladies smiled at me broadly. “Yes, we have. Thank you very much for assisting us with the community cleaning. Also, thanks a lot for the meal you prepared for the motherless puppies. You are the best, and we are honored to have you as our Luna,” one of the ladies said. Tears swelled in my eyes, my arching heart broke a little more. The smile on my face faltered and I struggled to keep it up.

“Oh, it's nothing. Everyone deserves to be loved and cared for, moreover, it's my job as Luna.” I replied with a gentle voice.

The two ladies’ smiles broadened, and they gently pecked my cheeks. I wasn't expecting it, and my face was flustered in embarrassment. They thanked me one last time before they both left, giggling excitedly.

When I was sure that they were far gone, I covered my face with my palm and burst into tears, sobbing quietly.

Members of the Red Light pack were unaware of what I was going through in the hands of their Alpha, Jerome. How could they know that beneath my smiles, concerns, and hard work, I was passing through hell, dying slowly? They knew a little about his infidelity because he liked to sleep with everyone, male or female. They also knew he didn't regard me because I was used as payment for a debt my parents owed, but what they didn't know was the way he beat and molested me. They weren't aware of the full extent of the pain I passed through in Jerome's hands.

Red Light pack members saw me as the epitome of perfection, and I had a lot of admirers.

It felt like I was drowning in his control. Every command, every demand, was a weight that pressed down on me, suffocating me. I wasn't just afraid of him - I was afraid of what would happen to my family if I didn't comply. He had the power to destroy us, to rip us apart with a single word. And I knew it.

Wiping my tears, I raised my head and downed my shot, then gestured to the bartender for a refill.

I kept drinking after the buzzing sound in my head disappeared. My eyes glazed over and I could barely hold myself. I nearly fell off the bar stool which I was sitting on.

I giggled, loving the feeling of not being able to remember my sorrow. After taking another throat-burning shot, I slipped off the stool. The moment my feet touched the ground, my world came crashing down. My legs buckled beneath my feet and I crashed to the floor. I laughed at my own mistake and managed to stand up.

I felt a strange aura as if someone powerful, dominant, and loveable had entered the bar, but I pushed my thoughts aside, calling it silly.

I'd had enough, and I made a desperate lunge for the door, stumbling and staggering like a ship in a storm. The world around me was a blur. I collided with strangers, sending glasses shattering and patrons scattering, but I couldn't stop. The floor beneath me seemed to tilt and spin, like a carnival ride gone mad. I grasped for tables, chairs, anything to steady myself, but my hands closed on air.

As I careened through the crowd, my path was suddenly blocked by a solid wall of flesh. I stumbled backward, gasping, as I took in the towering figure before me.

Broad shoulders, a chest like a barrel, and eyes that seemed to bore into my darkest days. I suddenly felt at rest, it was like I was in a safe refuge, but I assured myself that nowhere was safe for me, so I retreated, my feet scrambling for traction on the slick floor. But before I could escape, the bartender appeared, his face red with rage, and his voice like a crack of thunder.

“You think you can drink on my tab and walk out, huh?” he bellowed, his finger jabbing at me like a dagger. I cowered, my heart racing, as the stranger's eyes narrowed, his gaze pinning me in place.

The alcohol and dim lights blurred my vision so I couldn't see the stranger very well, but my body felt a strange and erotic connection with him, like I had known him my whole life.

A nervous giggle bubbled up from my throat, and before I knew it, I was laughing uncontrollably, my shoulders shaking and tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. I clapped a hand over my mouth, mortified, scolding myself for losing control at such a precarious moment.

But the laughter wouldn't stop, it spilled out of me like a pent-up flood, until the bartender's scowl deepened and he growled, “What's so funny, huh? Give me my money!” His words cut through my hysteria, and I struggled to compose myself, my face burning with embarrassment.

I was so drunk that I struggled to keep my eyes open, I sluggishly brought out my purse from my cross bag, trying to check if I had money with me, but to my dismay, my purse was very dry. I furrowed my brows in confusion and turned to the stranger I had bumped into, a seducing smile settling on my face.

As my eyes met his, I saw a flicker of something in his gaze, a spark of recognition that made my heart skip a beat. His eyes narrowed, his pupils dilating as he took a step closer, his broad shoulders squaring towards me. For a moment, we just stared, the air thick with tension. Then, his expression smoothed, and he turned to the bartender, his voice low and even. But I saw it, that flash of awareness, and I knew something had shifted between us.

“I will take care of her bills,” he informed the bartender, who reluctantly agreed and left.

A young man's voice was laced with a mix of excitement and nerves as he approached the stranger. "Alpha King, the cars are ready!" he called out before his eyes landed on me and he froze, his gaze darting back and forth like a trapped animal.

The stranger, on the other hand, remained calm, his expression unreadable. But the young man's eyes told a different story - they seemed to be screaming 'Who is this woman, and what is she doing with the Devil incarnate?'

At that moment, the alcohol kicked in and I became paralyzed in my legs. As I felt myself falling, I reached out blindly, and my hands found a solid wall of chest. I collapsed into the stranger's arms, my head cradling into the crook of his neck. His warmth enveloped me, a gentle heat that seeped into my bones. I felt his chest rise and fall beneath my cheek, a soothing rhythm that seemed to lull my racing heart into a slower pace. His scent, a mix of earthy woods and smoky spices, wrapped around me, a comforting embrace that made my eyelids flutter closed.

For a moment, we just stood there, my body trembling with pain and exhaustion, his arms holding me steady. I felt his fingers trace a gentle pattern on my back, a soft caress that sent shivers down my spine.

And then, his body tensed. His breathing slowed, his heart rate dropping to a crawl. I felt his eyes on me, burning with an intensity that made my skin prickle. His voice, low and husky, whispered a single word: ‘My Mate.’

My head spun, and his words blurred together, I didn't understand what he meant. I stared at his chest, my hand reaching out to touch... something. He felt warm, hard. I think I was staring. Did I say something? I couldn't remember.

Our eyes locked, and his intense gaze pinned me in place. The blue in his irises deepened, like a stormy sea, and a fleck of gold flashed like a spark of electricity. His piercing eyes roamed my body, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. I shuddered, my heart racing as if his gaze had physically touched me.

A subtle sniff in the air told me he was as electrified as I was. The air seemed to vibrate with tension, and I felt my heart race in response. And then, everything went dark, like a switch had been flipped, and I remembered nothing more.

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