Freeing Starr
Chapter 24 ~ Who are you?

I took a step back in surprise as my wide eyes stared into the glowing eyes of the man who I instinctively knew was my mate as my heart trembled in alarm.

Why did this have to happen to me?

A sense of shame washed over me as I thought of my circumstances and I could feel the tears getting ready to spill as I prepared for what was to come.

And I was right.

The man's emerald eyes trembled with emotion as he took a step towards me in his excitement, as if wanting to immediately embrace me and never let go.

But then he froze as he sniffed the air, his face completely falling as a look of betrayal blanketed his face. He looked as though he had just walked in on his lover cheating on him with another man.

That was exactly the case.

His previous excitement turned into a cold stare as his eyes drifted to Zion's mark that resided on my neck. His eyes darkened considerably as the wolf that reflected in them narrowed it's eyes dangerously at my mark as if wanting to tear it off of my shoulder.

My heart shuddered in fear as a feeling of immense danger washed over me.

This man.... was dangerous.

My voice broke as I whimpered and took another step back, "I'm so sorry."

I quickly turned and fled down the hallway, ignoring the warning growl that sounded behind me as my heart shuddered at the pure power behind the sound alone. I almost stumbled onto my face in fear but forced myself to flee.

Both me and my wolf knew that if we didn't create some distance between us and this man, something bad would happen.

Except I didn't make it far.

Before I could even turn the corner, a strong grip landed on my arm and forcefully tugged me backwards, causing me to slam into his firm wall of a body. I opened my mouth to scream for help and felt my eyes widen in terror when his hand covered my mouth to trap the sound.

I fought against his hold as I was suddenly pushed up against the wall and found that I was completely helpless. Under this man's dominance, I could barely gather any strength to fight, much less shift into my wolf. It was as if he'd taken complete control of me without even trying. It caused my heart to shudder in fear as tears fell down my face.

I was terrified.

The killing intent that radiated out of this man terrified me.

I could tell instantly that he was an Alpha. A dominant one.

He leaned into me and brought his lips to my ear, but before he said anything his body shuddered as he took a deep breath of my scent that I was certain had Zion's scent mixed in as well.

A snarl ripped from his lips as he rest his forehead against my shoulder and took in deep, steady breaths as if trying to control himself. A dark chuckle escaped his lips as he muttered, "this is the first time in years that I've lost control like this. You have no idea how much I want to rip your heart out right now."

My shoulders trembled as I tried to hold in my sobs, my heart quaking in fear of the man before me. His words cascaded over me like a death sentence and I couldn't help but mutter through his hand, "this isn't my fault."

He heard me.

A snort escaped his lips as he pulled back to stare at my glossy, sullen eyes, "then is it my fault? What? You decided that I was taking too long to find you and went and mated with another man!?"

A strong pressure built up inside of him and came spilling out to push down onto my body. I cried in alarm as his Alpha's authority, stronger than anything I've ever witnessed before, even Zion's came crashing down on me like a giant wave, causing my face to pale as I lowered my head and whimpered submissively.

"Who are you?" I whispered in fear, never having met someone with such mental strength in all my life.

The man closed his eyes tightly as he struggled to control himself then opened them again once they began to clear up.

He finally leaned up off of me but before I could create some distance between us, I was suddenly flipped upside down as I got thrown over his shoulders.

Immediately I cried out and pounded against his back, "what are you doing!? Put me down!"

"Shut up," he snarled threateningly, his words zapping me like a bolt of lightening as my lips snapped shut and my eyes trembled in surprise.

He just made an Alpha follow his orders by simply giving a command and we weren't even in the same pack.

Who the fuck was this man?

My heart trembled as he walked back towards the elevator and got in. I watched with fearful eyes as he pressed the button for the top floor and allowed the elevator doors to close.

Being this close to him, I was almost drunk off of his scent as it continued to invade my nose, causing my wolf to pace back and forth in my mind while constantly whimpering in shame and guilt.

We both felt guilty... and dirty.

We didn't ask for any of this. We didn't want any of this. This wasn't our fault!

We knew that our fates were already sealed. We're now forever tied to Zion. There's no way he'd want us, no matter how much our heart raced with excitement at the thought of being with him, our true soulmate. We'd be lucky if he didn't even tear us apart at the betrayal.

No.

Why was I even thinking like this?

I did nothing wrong.

Why was I cowering?

This was all their fault.

I've done nothing but live for others, walking behind others and doing what everyone tells me to do.

I wanted my soulmate. I wanted him dammit but I couldn't get him. Life didn't allow that for me so he can't blame me for being weak and succumbing to strength. This was a dog eats dog world and I wasn't born with the strength to trample over others as much as I'd wish I was.

I didn't have a choice.

I shouldn't be feeling guilty because choosing Zion as a mate wasn't my choice.

My heart tightened in resolve as I prepared to face this headon and stick with the path that was laid out for me.

The elevator doors pinged open and I watched as he took a key card out of his pockets and opened the door on our left.

The man who I saw at the receptionist desk earlier who was carrying his scent looked over from his place at the table in surprise, there was a laptop in front of him. It looked like we had interrupted his work, not that it really mattered at a time like this.

The man's eyes widened as he stared at us coming through the door, stood from his seat and exclaimed, "what the fuck!?"

I lowered my eyes to avoid his gaze as my face flushed with heat. I was embarrassed.

Look at the way I was being carried!

"Get the fuck out," my mate growled an order.

The man immediately bowed his head without question and murmured, "yes Alpha," before vanishing out the door, leaving me alone in this apartment complex with a man that showed blatant hostility towards me.

He shrugged me off of his shoulders and began pacing the length of the living room, seeming to be deep in thought as he probably considered his next options.

I already decided that I wouldn't back down so I stood there awkwardly and waited for him to address me, mentally preparing myself for the worse. By the end of the day, I'd reject this man and go back to Zion to live the life that was set out for me.

As if he had heard my thoughts, the man's eyes snapped towards me and he stopped pacing, seeming to have finally calmed down enough to have a conversation. His eyes traveled across my body before coming to rest on my neck.

"You're marked by another," he stated cooly, his eyes drilling into the puncture wound that decorated my neck.

Despite the calm his voice carried, my body shuddered at the pressure behind his words and the hidden dangers that laid beneath his gaze.

I trembled and averted my eyes with pursed lips, trying my best to be brave. "So what? I'm a mated wolf now, which means I was never meant to be yours."

His eyes narrowed in on my face as they swirled with reckless abandon. "What was made for me will forever be mine. That pup that you went and played with can't stop me from tearing that mark off your shoulder."

My eyes snapped up to his as I gawked in disbelief... caution washed over me as I felt like this man really would follow through on his threat, "y-you can't do that!"

He raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Are you going to stop me?"

I couldn't help but retort, using my only line of defense, "My mate would kill you!"

His voice heightened as he lost his cool again and snarled, "I'M YOUR MATE! There isn't a person on this earth that could kill me, let alone your bastard. You should be worried about what I'll do to HIM for forcing himself on MY WOMAN!"

I flinched and took a few cautious steps backwards. Then I whimpered and asked for what was probably the third time now, "who are you?"

The man's lips tilted up into a ridiculing smile as he replied, "I'm the part of your soul that you chose to forsake."

Then he began to stalk towards me with a purpose, his eyes lightly glowing as the wolf that stood behind them bared its fangs at me.

My body shook as he came closer and raised a hand as if to strike me. I flinched and squeezed my eyes shut, but the pain never came.

I opened my eyes to meet his intense ones and saw him frowning.

"You're an Alpha female," he said, "why do I feel like the fear you're emitting right now isn't directed at just me?"

Tears slid down my face as I shook my head, "I.. I don't... I," I stuttered as I quickly wiped the tears away.

The man narrowed his eyes as if in deep thought and asked a question that caused me to shudder, "does he beat you?"

I pursed my lips and averted my gaze, mustering up the courage to reply, "it's none of your business."

He brought his hand forward and cupped my cheeks and I felt my heart melt right there and then as this calm sensation washed over me, "were you forced to mate this man?"

I refused to answer.

"Answer me," he demanded.

Not having a choice, the word slipped out of my mouth at his command.

"Yes."

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