Twins of the Cursed Moon (wolf shifter werewolf romance)

5. Fated Mate Evander

Rose
I felt a strange sensation as if the world was tipping and then I was blinded by light after being in total darkness. When my eyes adjusted I realized that I wasn't alone anymore. To the side of me, there was a small parking lot, half full of cars, and eleven people stood close by, while others stood around the border of the trees, most likely all shifters. As I looked at them and they stared up at me, it felt like my heart was trying to freeze over.
The people below started to quietly talk amongst themselves until a man stepped forward and addressed me. "I am Alpha Garret of the Lupis clan, the eldest son of High Alpha Kabe and the selected heir of the clan that you invaded. It is my great pleasure to inform you, that as a trespasser and suspicious person, you will be interrogated and then terminated." He indicated for the guards near the trees to come forward to arrest me.
"Hold back, I feel the sacred platform speaking to me," said a tiny light brown-haired girl, with caramel-colored skin, and eerie silver eyes. She would only come up to my chest if we were standing next to each other. Everyone parted ways to let her through. She walked up to the platform, not moving her arms as she walked, and reached out, caressing it.
"This child of the human race has been found worthy and has completed the first stage of the...' Trial of the Midnight Sun'," she said with a small smile on her face.
"Truly, Seer Maya?" said High Alpha Kabe.
"I would not joke about something so sacred," said Maya.
"I didn't mean to presume, of course you wouldn't," said Kabe.
"Please come down child, nothing bad will happen to you, you have my word," Maya said and then looked around at the others as if daring them to cause any trouble.
"Rose, my name is Rose," I said. I slowly stood up on shaking legs. Now that I could see again, I saw that both of my legs were covered in colorful bruises and cuts, my clothes were ripped, I was covered in filth, mud, and pine smell, and my hair looked like it belonged in an eighty's hair-band. All of these beautiful people were staring at me, especially a gorgeous man wearing a perfectly tailored suit. He stepped forward sniffing the air as I walked down the steps, which did nothing to calm my nerves. I know that I must smell hideous.
He met me at the bottom of the stairs, staring into my eyes as if he were in a trance. He silently stared at me, pulled out a perfectly white handkerchief from his pocket, and proceeded to gently wipe my face and neck clean. Then he leaned in with his nose touching my cheek and sniffed in deeply.
"What on Earth are you doing?" I said while pushing against his shoulders.
He put his arm around my shoulders and sniffed again, pulling me closer to him.
I felt my face heating up. "My space bubble is at least two feet!" I said while pushing at his chest as hard as I could. "You can sniff me from over there if you're so inclined. I know how much you wolf shifters love sniffing things."
He didn't seem to register what I was saying because at that point he didn't back up. He shoved his nose into my matted hair and then sniffed along the side of my neck. An involuntary thrill shot up my back at our proximity and I had the naughty inclination to expose my neck so that he could nip me. His sharp canines grazed the side of my neck and I let out an involuntary moan.
"Mine," he said in a low growly voice.
My hands stilled. "What did you just say?"
He pulled back just enough to allow me to see his face. "Allow me to introduce myself," he said while adjusting his perfectly tailored suit, which now had muddy handprints on his chest, and smudges all over it. "I am High Alpha Evander Mohan of the Southern Zenith clan and you are my mate."
"Alpha," I said with widened eyes and scooted around him.
"High Alpha of the Southern Zenith clan. I am the leading alpha of the southern half of the Zenith clan. My twin rules the northern half.
"Congratulations," I said while backing away from him.
He frowned and tilted his head slightly while his light blue eyes flashed into gold. "You're smell has become...sour."
"Yeah, that'll happen when you're running through the woods," I said.
"You smell like...fear. You have nothing to be afraid of, I won't allow anyone to hurt my mate."
"I'm not your mate," I said while continuing to slowly back away from him.
He took a step forward as if invisible magnets were preventing him from being too far away from me. "You are my mate. There can be no mistake, I can smell it on you."
"I do not have an Alpha mate," I said.
"High Alpha," he said.
"I do not have a High Alpha mate, I have not accepted you," I said while backing up a few more steps.
He frowned in confusion. "Why would you not accept a High Alpha mate? ...I see," he said and smiled beautifully. "You don't know what one is, since you were born as a human."
"No, I know what a High Alpha mate is, I just don't want one," I said.
"You...don't want me? Are you attempting to reject me right now?"
"There is no attempt, I am rejecting you right now," I said.
"I think you're misunderstanding something. I have no intention of accepting your rejection. As the higher ranked between the two of us, it is my right to accept or reject your proposal to end our fated mate connection. That being said, I'm technically not your mate until you accept our fated mate connection, but you are unable to sever our connection without my permission; which I decline to give," he said while frowning at me in irritation.
"You're not used to being disobeyed, are you?" I said while sneering up at him.
"I am not."
"Suit yourself, wait for as long as you want, but my answer will never change. I have no interest in being mated to you or any other alpha," I said.
When I mentioned other men, a low growl rumbled deep in his throat.
An incredibly tall woman with a long scar on her face stood beside me. "I think that's enough for today. The poor girl is tired and could use a warm shower, some clean clothes, some medical care, and a meal. There's plenty of time to discuss fated mate bonds and the like, but not before she's had a good long rest.
He looked me up and down, then cleared his throat. "Yes of course. Please forgive me for my oversight," he said while staring into my eyes. "I was too distracted by my joy in finding you," he said while his eyes switched from gold back to blue. He took hold of my dirty hand and kissed the top of it. "I will return soon to check in on your health and continue our conversation when you're ready."
"There is no conversation to continue," I said to his retreating.
"I will return soon," he said without looking back at me.
My jaw tightened and my eyes squinted while looking at his perfect backside in annoyed admiration.
Seer Maya smiled up at me gently and then pointedly looked over at High Alpha Kabe. "I believe that this is your territory."
"Yes, yes it is. Brian, escort this young lady to the unmated adult female housing and bring her to Barbara, I'm sure that she can arrange something," he said to Brian.
Kabe turned to me, "We have more to discuss...later." He said with an annoyed look on his face. Then walked to his car, effectively dismissing me.
A girl with long blonde hair, wearing a blue silk wrap dress, looked me up and down with disgust and then dismissed me as if she saw something nasty on the side of the road. She climbed into the passenger seat of Evander's car and they drove off.
"Come on then, I have other things I'd like to do today," Brian said while walking off into the woods without me. "I'd drive us there, but there's no way you're getting into my car looking like that. Normally, I wouldn't even allow you to walk next to me looking like a swamp monster, but what can you do? Special circumstances."
He took long strides into the woods, not accommodating for my shorter legs or my injuries in the least. All I could do was grit my teeth and bare it. I'm alive, that's all that matters right now.