Chapter 2 | The Mate I Never Wanted

CASSIAN

The moment she fell… Something inside me snapped. My body moved on its own and I caught her before she hit the ground. Her body was too light in my arms. Too warm. Too… human.

A low, dangerous growl built in my chest as I stared down at her unconscious face. Her hair spilled over my arm, soft, dark strands brushing against my skin like they didn’t belong anywhere near me.

And her scent- My jaw clenched. It hit me again….. Stronger this time. Something so …. Sweet. Soft. Addictive.

Mine.

“No,” I said sharply, pulling back slightly like her touch burned. “No… this isn’t happening.” But my wolf didn’t listen. It surged forward inside me, restless, aggressive, demanding.

MATE.

The word echoed in my head like a command. A claim. A chain I didn’t ask for. My grip tightened around her without realizing it. Her body shifted slightly in my arms, and for a second- just a second- I felt something I hadn’t felt in years.

Calm.

It pissed me off. I immediately pushed her away from my chest, holding her at arm’s length as if distance would fix this. As if it would undo whatever the hell this was. “She’s human,” I muttered, voice rough, angry.

My eyes dropped to her face again. My furious eyes scanned her …. Soft features. Closed eyes. Completely unaware of what she had just done to me. What she was. A bitter laugh escaped me. “Of course,” I said under my breath. “Of all the damn things in this world…”

My mate had to be human. My wolf snarled in disagreement. I ignored it. “I don’t want her.” The words came out colder this time. Harder.

Like I needed to hear them. Like I needed to force them into reality. Because there was no way- No damn way- That fate would tie me to something I despised.

Humans were weak. They were fragile. Liars and I knew that better than anyone. My jaw tightened as the past clawed its way forward, uninvited. A face. A smile. Soft hands that once held mine. A voice that once trusted me.

And then- Betrayal. Blood. Loss.

My chest burned suddenly- not from anger but from the curse. “Fuck…” I hissed, my grip loosening as pain twisted sharply through my ribs. It started low. Always low- like something digging under my skin.

Then it spread so fast and so brutally. My breath came out uneven as I dropped to one knee, still holding her with one arm. The curse was waking up again. Right now.

Perfect timing. “Not now…” I growled, pressing my free hand against my chest. It didn’t listen. Of course, It never did. Pain ripped through me like claws tearing from the inside out.

I could feel it-  My strength was draining. My blood was burning. Slowly being sucked away. It was Punishment. That fucking curse. “You will suffer… until you beg for death.” Her voice echoed in my head.

The voice that belonged to that fucking witch. Her eyes glowing as her clan burned around her. I had killed them all. Every last one. And she made sure I would never forget it.

I shut my eyes tightly, jaw clenched so hard it hurt. But it wasn’t just her. Another memory pushed through. That human. The one who had smiled at me like I wasn’t a monster. The one who used me. The one who had-

I snapped my eyes open, rage replacing everything else. “Humans,” I spat, my voice low and venomous.

They were only weak, disgusting and untrustworthy. And now one of them- One of them- … Was my mate? My grip on the girl tightened again, almost unconsciously. She stirred slightly in my arms.

A small, soft sound left her lips and my entire body stilled. The pain in my chest didn’t disappear. But it… seemed to change. Weakened.

My brows furrowed in confusion. What the hell…?

I looked down at her again. Her face was pale. Maybe …. Too pale. Her breathing was uneven. Fear was still written all over her even in unconsciousness.

And yet- The moment I held her closer again— The pain eased….. Just a little but enough for me to notice. My eyes narrowed. “No…” I muttered.

This wasn’t normal. Nothing about this was normal. My wolf pushed forward stronger again. He was getting … really Possessive. Mine.

“Shut up,” I snapped under my breath. But he didn’t stop. He never stopped. My fingers tightened slightly against her arm, my gaze scanning her face again like I was trying to find something- anything- that explained this.

There was nothing. Just a weak human girl. Breakable and … Everything I hated. Then why the hell- Why the hell did my body react like this? Why did the pain ease when I touched her? Why did my wolf refuse to back down?

“Alpha.” The voice came from behind me. I didn’t turn. I did not need to. “Stay where you are,” I said coldly. The footsteps stopped instantly. Good. At least someone still had sense.

“What do we do with the girl?” one of them asked carefully.

My jaw tightened. I looked down at her again. At the way she was still in my arms. At the way I hadn’t let go. That alone pissed me off. “Nothing,” I said sharply. They were confused. I didn’t blame them. I was confused too.

My gaze darkened. “She’s just human.”

The words tasted bitter somehow but I forced them out anyway. Because I needed control. I needed distance and I needed this to not be real.

“She shouldn’t have been here,” I continued coldly. “ Alpha Daxtor is on his way and will be reaching soon. ”

My wolf roared in protest. I ignored it again. I started to stand but my body didn’t move. My grip on her didn’t loosen. I froze, confused. What the hell…? My eyes darkened as I tried again.

My hands refused to let go. My chest rose sharply as something dangerous flickered inside me.I was losing my control. Because of her. Because of this bond. Because of something I never asked for.

“She’s not staying,” I growled under my breath. Mine. The word hit harder this time.

Stronger. Deeper. My breath hitched slightly.

No. No, she wasn’t. I wouldn’t let that happen. I didn’t care what this bond said. I didn’t care what my wolf wanted. I didn’t care what fate decided. I wasn’t keeping a human. Especially not as my mate. Never.

My jaw clenched as I looked down at her again. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly. Fuck- She was waking up. A strange, unfamiliar tension settled in my chest.

Something sharp. Was this …. Anticipation? No. Definitely not. 

I tightened my grip slightly, forcing that feeling down. Her eyes slowly opened and I saw… confusion.

Bright green….. And for a second- Everything else disappeared. My breath stilled. Her gaze met mine. And I saw it again. That same fear. The same look humans always had when they saw what I truly was.

Monster.

Good. Let her be scared. Let her run. Let her leave. Because the moment she did- This would end. It had to.

Her lips parted slightly. “You…” Her voice was barely there and she was shaking. “You killed it…” I said nothing but my gaze stayed locked on hers.

Her breathing quickened. Her eyes flickered to my face… then my eyes. And then- Her entire body went still. “What… are you?” she whispered.

My jaw clenched. There it was, exactly what I expected. Exactly what I wanted. So why- Why did something in my chest twist? I ignored it and stepped closer. Her body pressed back instinctively.

“Stay away…” she whispered, panic rising again. My wolf snarled, not liking it. “Stop saying that,” I snapped, my voice rougher than I intended. She flinched. And something about that- something about the way she looked at me like I would hurt her- made my control snap just a little more.

“You think I want this?” I said suddenly, anger slipping through. Her brows furrowed slightly, confusion mixing with fear. “I don’t even know what’s happening!” she said, her voice breaking.

“Exactly,” I shot back. “You don’t.”

Heavy silence fell between us. My chest rose and fell slowly as I stared at her. At the girl who had just turned my world upside down. At the human I was supposed to be bound to. My mate.

The word burned. “I don’t want you,” I said finally. The words came out cold and her expression fell slightly maybe because she had known that long before.

“I don’t know what this is,” I continued, voice hard, “but it ends here.”

Her breathing hitched and I watched as she looked confused, her eyebrows scrunched.

I stepped back, forcing my body to move this time. “This never happened.” And then- The pain hit harder this time. My body tensed violently as the curse surged through me, stronger than before.

Stronger because I had stepped away. Because I had let go. And I realized, this was my wolf doing this. He was fighting me for hurting our mate. A low growl tore from my throat as I dropped to one knee again, my vision flashing red.

“What’s happening-?” she whispered, panic rising again. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. Because this time- The pain wasn’t stopping. And for the first time in years…

It felt like it might actually kill me.