A Cold Howl

Mate.

It can't be. Of all people— why?

I idly stood there. No longer having the motive to help Chase since I was afraid. When all of a sudden, a call for my name wakes me up from the trance.

"Aria! Get away from him." I think Chase yells, still trying to gather my thoughts together.

I shook my head and realized what was happening. Everyone was now looking at us, also shocked at what was currently going on. I ignored what Chase said and moved closer, attempting to remove Alpha Greyson off of him.

Before I could reach down, Alpha Greyson gets up and stops me from getting closer to Chase. I look up to his horrifying eyes.

His dark black eyes. He stares deeply into my scared ones, as if he was about to inhale my soul.

Before I could say anything, he whispers something to my ear, making my whole body shake and weak. "Don't even think about it. Touch or even look at him, I swear... You'll both regret it."

I felt weak at his words. I can't let him do this to me. He may be my mate, but this is unacceptable. I try to encourage myself to stand up to him.

"Just leave him alone. He didn't mean any h-harm." I said to his face, while trying to seem confident so he would let go of Chase.

Aplha Greyson looked back at Chase and growled, but then returned his gaze to me, causing me to look away, but he grabs my chin with his hand.
"Mate." He smirks, then getting rid of it before looking down to my arms. He grabbed my wrist tightly, making me wince in pain. He jerks his attention towards me, with almost a bit of sympathy in his eyes, but immediately ignores it.

He drags me towards the exit of the mansion and I notice Olivia with a man, who I assume is her mate seeing how close they were to each other. She tried to reach out to me, but her mate held her back. I don't blame him. Alpha Greyson might end up hurting her from trying to retrieve me, so I returned a small smile, letting her know it's okay.

I look towards him again, he who happens to not even care to look back at me. We rushed outside and he took out his phone, calling someone quickly.

"I found her. Get us now." He says coldly. I don't understand. Doesn't he live here?

"Where are we going? Don't you live here?" I asked curiously.

He gives me a serious glare, as if I wasn't meant to talk. Surprisingly, he returns an almost neutral answer.

"We just use this place for annual events. Also, I have my own place. Does that answer your question so that you can shut up now?" he scoffs.

Now that I have grasped the situation, my original personality kicks in. "Look, there is no need for you to be a jerk. You're the one who almost beat up my friend back there and—"

A sudden pain strikes my other wrist.

"Look here. If you think being my mate allows you to talk to me like that, you better think again before you and your friend end up dead." He scowls.
I pulled my arm away and kept it away from him. I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up with bruises at this point.

He stares at my arm again with the same sympathetic look from earlier, but immediately turns away to look at a black Range Rover headed towards our way. He grabs my waist, holding me close to his body, smelling the addicting minty scent he had with him. I felt gross that I'm forced to be attracted to someone who I can't even consider a man at this point.

He shoves me into the van and lets go of my waist. Please sit in the front. Please sit in the front. Ugh.

He's sitting right next to me.

I scoot away from him, scared he might hurt me again. He looks at me as if he knows why I moved away because he doesn't move closer to me.

Thank God.

Thinking it wouldn't be awkward since I was far away from him, he ended up staring at me throughout the whole ride to his place. I forced myself to look at the window, but I could feel him staring at me immensely.

Once we finally arrived, he breaks his deep stare and quickly exits the van. I follow him and remain in awe at the location. It's so beautiful. I couldn't help, but rush towards the trees— just simply admiring the beauty of nature. I smile like an idiot and I swear I saw Alpha Greyson sneak in a smile, but shrugged it off quickly. He looks at me with a serious face again.

"Stop wasting time. Let's go inside." he says with a harsh tone.

I raised my eyebrows, but nodded to let him know I'd follow. I have no reason to piss him off right now anyway.

The inside of the house was just as nice as it was outside. I looked around and saw people bowing their heads to Alpha Greyson and then me. I kindly smile, returning the same respect since I wasn't used to this type of treatment.

"I'll show you to your room." One of them says.

I gladly followed her, knowing I could finally be away from Alpha Greyson.

The room was beautiful. I took a small tour around and flopped onto my bed. Just as I was about to actually be happy a sudden thought pops into my mind. Is Alpha Greyson going to be sleeping in here too? The thought brings an uneasy feeling to my stomach, until the person who led me here interrupts.

"Alpha Greyson wants you to get ready for dinner. He will be down stairs," She informed with a smile.

"Okay." I simply say, returning a smile as well.

Once she shut the door, I headed into the shower and couldn't help myself from thinking about Chase. I wonder if he's okay. His mate should be there with him so... Ouch. Why did that hurt so much? I shake my head and finish showering. I quickly put on some clothes and remember my mom was the one that prepared them. Ugh. Of course, my mom would pack this type of clothing. I make my way to the dining room and already feel him eyeing my outfit. His eyes turn a shade darker, like before, but the vibe was different. I immediately regret coming down and attempt to cover my body with my arms.

"If you think you can make me think of actually liking you by dressing promiscuously—

"Think again. I know." I say, finishing his sentence.

"My mom was the one who packed my clothes, so I have no say in what to wear unless I shop now." I explained.

He gives me a confused look before saying, "Your mom had to prepare your stuff for you?"

"I wasn't exactly excited for the event." I mumbled.

I know he heard me because his face became serious. Before he could say something, he seems to have thought to himself and shut up, so instead He motioned for me to sit down and I did.

"Before you make any assumptions, I want to make sure you know your place," I look at him, but he continues to eat.

"I'm sure you've heard the rumor that my pack has threatened to kick me off as Alpha if I don't return with my Luna."

I look down at my plate. I knew it. But why did this offend me so much? Is it the bond? Whatever. It's not like I want to be infatuated with him or anything. If that's how we're going to play the game, then fine.

"Pretty understandable. I'm not obligated to be committed to you. You just need me to keep your position in the Silver-Moon Pack." I say confidently.

I could tell he was hung up on the commitment part, but he nods hesitantly. I don't think he knows what effect I have on him, but okay.

We quickly finished eating and I made my way to my room after I said goodnight to him. As I was walking, I could tell he was right behind me. The thought of us sharing rooms popped into my mind again. As I opened my door, I looked back and he was entering another room down the hallway. Thank the Moon Goddess. I can finally relax. I hopped into bed and allowed myself to drift into sleep.

My last thoughts remained focus on Chase and I'm not sure why.