His Cursed Mate

Chapter Three

**Trigger Warning: This chapter contains depictions of self-harm**

Ell's POV

His voice echoed behind me as I continued to run. Were they chasing after me? Was he chasing after me? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that I got the hell out of this town as soon as possible. None of this was making any sense.

I shouldn't have a mate. I don't deserve one.

After all, I didn't have a familiar, nor did I have a family. At this point, I was essentially just a Rogue with heavier baggage. I honestly wasn't even sure that I was still a werewolf any more; not that it wasn't uncommon for werewolves to end up with humans as mates. Still, we definitely shared the connection. If I could feel it without even touching him, I knew I couldn't let him catch me. If he caught me, I didn't know that I would be able to resist his gravitational pull; to make matters even worse, I didn't know that I would want to.

I shook my head, mentally kicking myself for even thinking such things. He wouldn't catch me - I had become quite the expert at hiding myself from other wolves. Even if he was destined to be my mate, I wouldn't allow him to find me.

The sound of heavy footfalls rapidly approaching me from behind snapped my attention back to my present situation. I didn't need to turn around to know it was him. I could physically feel his presence creeping up my spine.

Damn, he was faster than he looked. I'd clearly misjudged his speed by assuming he would be slower with his larger frame. If I still had my abilities intact, I easily could have outrun him by now. As things were, he would catch up to me. He likely had the stamina and strength to keep pushing forward well past my own limits. My ankle continued to protest as I vaulted myself forward, threatening to collapse at any moment.

I was nearing the edge of the town, the gas station I had been dropped off earlier in the night now within sight. I looked around as I held my pace, frantically looking for somewhere I could escape.

"Please, just stop! I'm not going to hurt you!"

His voice rang clear behind me, nearly stopping me in my tracks. He couldn't have been more than ten feet behind me now, quickly closing the gap that resided between us.

My breath hitched in my throat at his words. He didn't want to hurt me; of course he wouldn't. If we were mates, it was highly unlikely that he would be chasing after me in an effort to cause me any harm. That was it. That was exactly what I needed.

I began to slow my pace, hearing his footfalls grow softer behind me as if he was following suit and doing the same. Within seconds, my movement halted and I stood there, my chest heaving up and down as I attempted to gather my breathing. I could hear him behind me. It seemed that he wasn't moving either, as I could no longer hear the sound of his feet hitting the ground.

A grimace twisted my features as I reached into my bag, pulling out a small pocket knife. Before he could react, I quickly placed the tip of the blade to my inner left wrist, turning around. I couldn't bring my gaze to meet his; I couldn't risk my heart betraying me in this moment.

"Stop chasing after me..." I hissed, clenching my teeth together, "This isn't what you
want. I'm not what you want, trust me."

He took a step toward me, reaching his hands out.

"What are you doing? I don't want to hurt you, I already told you that. I just want to talk,
I promise. Please, put the knife down..." he responded, his voice soft and gentle as he
took another step in my direction.

I took a few steps back, pushing the knife further into my wrist. Blood began to trickle down my arm as I cut into my flesh. I then made the mistake of allowing my eyes to travel upward, to his face. His face was stony as he stared at my wrist, clenching his jaw as he quickly took another few steps toward me, nearly closing the space between us.