"Mate."
The word slipped from my lips before I even realized it.
She was limp in my arms, her head resting against my chest, her breathing shallow. She weighed nothing more than a small bag of food, she was small and absolutely light yet the scent… her scent—vanilla and cinnamon wrapped around me, cutting through the thick smoke like it owned the damn air.
But there was something else.
Something inside me snapped.
'Finally.'
The voice hit me like thunder. It was deep, wild, and sounded like me. 'She's ours. Our mate.' It was my wolf, Declan.
I staggered a step back, eyes wide. For years, he'd been silent. Dormant. Not a whisper, not a growl. I thought something was wrong with me… with us. I'd accepted it, locked that part of myself away.
But now? Now, he was clawing his way out like he'd been waiting for this very moment.
'She's ours, Alec.' Declan repeated.
I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. My chest heaved, the air was thick with something dangerously close to need. Coming from me.
I looked down at her again, there was dirt on her face, torn clothes, blood on her arm, scars that marred her skin and yet I couldn't see anything but her. My mate.
No. No, this couldn't be happening.
She was a rogue. A slave in a rogue camp.
And I already have Juliette.
This shouldn't be possible. The more I stared at her, the more maddening it was.
A sharp voice cut through my mind. "Alpha! Where are you?" It was Tyler, my beta.
The world slammed back into focus. The flames, the heat, the distant screams of the last rogues falling under my warriors' blades. The damn building was about to collapse.
I gritted my teeth, tightening my grip on the unconscious rogue in my arms. Then I moved. I stormed out of the burning shed just as part of the roof caved in behind me.
The moment I came out, the warriors froze. Every single one of them, all of their eyes on me like they'd just seen a ghost.
My gaze is stuck on the rogue in my arms. The way my wolf rose in me. My hand clenched around her, unwilling to let go.
"Alpha, are you okay? You just ran in there and we—" Tyler paused, his eyes locked onto me, then dropped to the girl in my arms. A frown creased his face. "Who—"
I gulped hard, feeling my blood boiling yet it wasn't from anger. I shoved her to a warrior nearby. "Check her out. Make sure she's not dying." I gritted out, hoping no one saw the way my hands tremble as I release her. The second she left my arms, something inside me twisted painfully.
Tyler was even more confused. Alpha Alec and a rogue? That was like oil and water mixing. It's simply impossible. "Alpha, This is a rogue. What does it matter if this one dies?"
I never hesitated. I never second-guessed myself. But for the first time in my life, I didn't have an answer.
The warriors exchanged glances. They saw it. They saw my hesitation.
Tyler took a step forward. "Alpha…?"
I ran a hand through my hair, my chest rising and falling too fast. The second I passed her to the warrior, My wolf wanted her back.
I ignored it.
"Take her," I muttered, turning away. "Get her out of my sight."
Tyler's gaze burned into my back as I walked away. Anyone who knew me could tell something was off and Tyler, He knew for certain that something was wrong. But I didn't have answers… not yet.
Not until I could figure out what the hell just happened.
~~~~~~
The door slammed shut behind me as I stormed into the office. I couldn't think straight. My chest was tight, every breath like fire. I paced the room angrily.
How could the Moon Goddess do this to me?
A rogue. A fucking rogue.
I felt it the second I touched her. Something thick and powerful snapping into place. That pull. That bond. It wrapped around my soul like chains, and worse… it woke him.
'She's ours.' His voice echoed in my mind. My wolf, Declan. silent for years, suddenly wide awake and clawing inside of my skull. Suddenly more active than ever.
'She's our mate. You felt it.'
"No," I growled out loud, running a hand through my hair frustratedly. "No, she's not. She can't be."
'She is. You know it. I know it. She's ours.'
I punched the wall so hard the plaster cracked. Pain shot up my arm, My wolf had never spoken to me like this. Not with this desperation. Not with this anger. He'd been a shadow inside me for years, quiet and distant. But now? He was alive. Awake. Angry. All my life I've thought he hated me and thus never tries to reach out. Not after that day but now, he's suddenly here, making demands. Oh, fuck you!
"She's a rogue," I spat. "I'm not accepting her. I won't."
'You don't get to choose.' Declan shot back at me.
"I have a fiancée," I snapped. "I have Juliette. She's my mate… my real one.".
'No. She's not. The rogue is. You can't fight it. You cannot fight the mate bond.'
"Watch me."
I growled out in frustration and just then the door creaked open. I turned, breathing hard. Tyler stood there, his eyes sweeping across the wreckage of the room before landing on me.
"Alpha?" His voice is careful and hesitant.
"Get in," I snapped, turning away from him, bracing myself on the desk. I could feel Declan pacing inside me, furious, demanding we go back to her. That we claim her. Touch her again. Feel her warmth. I ignored him.
Tyler stepped in, shutting the door behind him.
"…The girl. The rogue. How is she?" I asked through clenched teeth, hating the way the question tasted in my mouth.
"She's alive," he said. "Burns and smoke inhalation. But she'll pull through."
My jaw tightened. A flicker of relief passed through me and I hated that too.
Tyler hesitated. "What happened in there, Alec?"
I whip around to face him, "She's my mate, Tyler."
His eyes widened. "T-the rogue slave?"
"I touched her," I said. "And it hit me like a damn hurricane. My wolf… he's never acted like this before. And now he won't shut up."
Tyler blinked. "But… you're already—"
"Juliette," I said, voice flat. "Yeah."
Right on cue, the door opened again. This time, it was Juliette.
Her beauty was the kind that made heads turn without effort. Pale porcelain skin, long blonde hair that cascaded down to her waist. Eyes the color of ice, striking and sharp.
Her eyes fell on me, then the room, then Tyler. The silence said everything. Her gaze searched mine, and then she asked the question I knew was coming.
"You found your mate, didn't you?"
I said nothing.
Her lips trembled. She stepped further inside, her voice breaking just a little, "So… what happens now?"
"Nothing changes," I said quickly. Too quickly. "I'm going to reject her. I don't care what this bond is. It's not real."
"It is real," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Alec…"
"I'm not going to let a rogue destroy everything we've built." I gritted out.
Juliette moved closer, pain twisting her face. "You're going to pretend she doesn't exist?"
"I have to," I said. "Because if I don't… I'll lose you."
"Even if your wolf doesn't want that?"
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't have to.
Declan was pacing inside me like a caged animal, growling so loudly it made my head pound.
But I ignored him.
I forced myself to meet her gaze. "You're my fiancée. You're the one I chose. That doesn't change just because fate decided to play a cruel joke." I stepped closer to her, wiping her tears. "I will reject her. Whether my wolf wants it. Or not."