Chapter 4 MY MATE

CHAPTER FOUR | MY MATE

ASPEN

I swallowed, eyes widening at the name he called me. Mate. He knew I was his mate.

I couldn't form words, no matter how hard I tried. While I was repulsed by his presence, my wolf wanted to lean into it. I held my breath as he pressed the knife closer, his gaze sharp and threatening.

I didn’t need anyone to tell me he wouldn’t hesitate to slit my throat if he had to, mate or not.

“Who are you? What are you doing here? Why are you pretending to be a boy?”

“How did you find out I’m not a boy?” I fired back, both intrigued and suspicious.

He rolled his eyes, his grip on my neck loosening slightly. “Because I’m not gay, and you’re my mate.”

My lips pressed into a line as I squinted my eyes, suspicious. The action caught his attention, and suddenly my lips became the most important thing in the room.

I shivered, anticipating his next move even though my brain protested. I didn’t want to be attracted to my mate’s suspected murderer, but resisting the mate bond was impossible.

“Why did you help me?” I asked, cutting through the tense silence.

His grip on the knife loosened until he let go of me completely. “Will you tell me what you’re really doing here if I tell you why I helped you?”

I narrowed my eyes, irritated by his tactics. “I’m just trying to survive.” I gave him only half the truth.

“I’m not stupid. You’re running from something… or someone. You’re a criminal. Only criminals go to any length to get what they want, even if it costs them their lives. I can’t prove it yet, but trust me, I’ll have enough evidence soon. And when I do, I won’t hesitate to reveal it to the world. Once I’m done teaching you a lesson, you’ll wish Mr. Jones and Ryker had killed you instantly.”

I froze, the color draining from my face as I finally understood why he saved me. He hadn’t done it out of mercy, he’d done it for himself. He wanted to destroy me personally and take pleasure in doing it.

Rage replaced my fear. I made up my mind then and there: I would destroy him first, before he ever got the chance.

“That’s rich coming from someone who killed his family for a mare position.”

In a flash, he was beside me, his hand wrapping around my throat. “Shut your fucking mouth before I rip it out, bitch.”

His eyes flared red—his wolf taking over. A gasp escaped me. This wasn’t him. It was his rogue wolf.

Then a thought hit me. What if it was Ronan’s wolf that committed those murders, not him? Everyone knew rogue wolves were untamable. Once they took over, their host lost control until the rage burned out. When that happened, the wolf recognized no one, not even a mate.

But did that change anything? Did it erase the blood on his hands? Would it stop me from avenging Adrian?

The sound of footsteps in the dorm caught his attention, but he didn’t release me. The clicking of heels grew louder until they stopped right beside him.

“Hey, baby. Ronan, how many times have I told you to stop trying to kill your roommates?” The woman slapped his hands until he let go of me.

I collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. When I looked up at my rescuer, her beauty stunned me.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

“It’s fine. I apologize on my boyfriend’s behalf. He didn’t mean anything he said or did. His rogue wolf still needs to be tamed.” She smiled.

I froze at the word boyfriend. I wasn’t sure what shocked me more, the fact that a female could freely roam a school meant for Alphas, or that Ronan had someone willing to put up with his nonsense. And not just anyone, but a breathtaking blonde fashionista.

Then came a feeling I didn’t want to acknowledge: jealousy. I hated it, but it clawed at my chest anyway. My eyes traveled from her head to her toes as she scolded Ronan. Unlike me, she knew how to look good. She looked like a goddess, and the pit in my stomach deepened. I had to fight the urge to growl when she touched him.

She turned to me, her blue eyes bright with kindness. “I’m really sorry for his behavior. I’m Rachel, by the way,” she said, helping me up.

“Thank you. I’m Asp—” I stopped myself just in time and coughed. “I’m Alex Smith.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alex. It’s lunchtime. You should join us. You can call it an apology treat.”

I wanted to refuse, but I couldn’t. She was too sweet, too sincere. How could someone like her end up with someone like Ronan? “Sure,” I said, smiling faintly.

She squealed, linking her arm through his while I trailed behind. Every touch between them made my wolf bristle. I was his mate, not her. He hadn’t rejected me yet, which meant our bond still held. He had no right touching someone else.

The cafeteria buzzed with noise, packed with students and guards, but the attention wasn’t on food. Someone stood in the center of the room, addressing everyone.

At first, I couldn’t see who it was, but when I did, my stomach dropped. Alpha Darius.

He stood tall and proud, photos in hand, addressing the student body. I couldn’t hear every word, but I had a feeling it was about me.

I wanted to run, but I couldn’t move without drawing attention. My body shook uncontrollably as sweat pooled down my spine. A flyer was being passed around, and when it reached me, I went cold.

My face was printed on it. Bold and unmistakable.

The caption made it worse.

“Aspen Morgan—wanted for the murder of Adrian and Devenity, children of Alpha Darius. Fled after brutally attacking and killing them. A reward of three million for her capture alive, one million if delivered dead.”

I was wanted, dead or alive.

I turned the flyer over and almost screamed. A photo of Devenity’s mauled body stared back at me, nearly unrecognizable.

“She was last spotted at the gates of the Golden Dragon Pack, where she killed my daughter,” Alpha Darius’ voice rang across the room, while my own picture stared back, showing me smirking over Devenity’s corpse.

The paper slipped from my trembling fingers.

And as Alpha Darius’s gaze swept across the crowd, I realized one horrifying truth.

He was looking for me.