Mate Combat

Even though I don't see anyone but Darius Carter, I feel all eyes are on us.

As I stare at him in shock, I slowly realize what's going on here.

Muffled sounds from the crowd echo in my ears.

"Oh my God!"

"That can't be..."

"Lila is Darius' mate."

"Is that Patrick's daughter? The one who left to live with humans?"

"She's the one who always made trouble as a kid."

"Dione's friend?"

"Yes. People say it was her who got him killed."

"Is that why she left?"

"Must be."

Shut up everyone! I have got to think. I have got to... do something. Anything!

But my body doesn't listen - it's like I don't want to move away from him. I'm hypnotized by his magnificent scent - my lungs yearn for it.

Oh, shit. This is without a doubt my mate.

I have a mate.

As the realization hits me, my knees totter and I feel like vomiting.

He swiftly grabs me by my elbows as if he thought I was going to fall. So dramatic, Darius! I'm only... what am I? Mesmerized? The skin to skin touch is too much for me to bear. I shiver with pleasure. Darius smirks satisfactory, enjoying the effect he has on me.

"I will handle it," I hear Ian's voice and feel his arms wrap around me.

"No," Darius breaks our eye contact to look at Ian. "You won't."

I look at my fiancé and suddenly, like a lightning, my brain becomes painfully aware of the situation. I'm engaged to be married! To Ian. But Darius is my mate. There's no doubt about it - Dad told me when you meet him, you know. Now I see what he meant.

"It's okay," I finally find some words for this man that's got me dazed, still holding me in his strong arms. "He's my fiancé."

I have never witnessed a crowd go so silent so quickly. You could hear a pin drop at this moment.

Darius' full attention is on me now. His face expression changed from enchanted to murderous in a second. I can actually feel the air between our gazes.

He doesn't speak immediately, and I swallow hard as I realize the heaviness of my words.

"I don't think so," he says painfully plainly, not raising his voice for a decibel. Instead, his voice is deep and enraged, demanding authority, making me feel smaller than a grain of sand.

Ian chooses to speak in the worst moment possible. "Let her go immediately. I said I would-"

I feel Darius' grip loosen and predict his attack on Ian before it happens. It is a weird feeling, as if I am able to read his mind in slow motion. I know there is only one way I can save my fiancé from this beast's attack.

If I become a beast myself.

Darius pulls Ian hands off me in one swift movement and then throws a fist at his arcade bone.

I shift into my wolf in crazy speed, and knock down a lot of furniture in the process. But I succeed in my intention: Darius' is so surprised by my shift, that he forgot all about Ian.

The crowd is now too loud for comprehension. Some people scream and make place for my big white wolf, while others run to help Ian and Darius. I have just made an open attack on a pack's Alpha and, normally, such offenders don't end up to well afterwards.

I see Ian knocked down on the floor and it infuriates me to realize this "meet-the-family" project has ended even worse than the worst scenario I imagined.

"Patrick King's daughter? Wasn't she the leader of the Havoc Clan?"

"She sure was..." The crowd disapproves.

I see they still resent my childhood decisions. Well, to hell with it. I deserve all of it.

I might as well defend my rebel status.

Now my green wolf eyes meet with Darius' and I growl at him menacingly, ready to attack.

"Alpha, shift!" I hear Derek warn him.

But Darius isn't afraid at all. He stands still, looking at me with some sort of amusement and... satisfaction.

What is wrong with him?

"Alpha, what do you want us do?" his men ask.

Darius just lifts his hand to silence them, still smirking at me in all his masculine glory.

"If that's how you want it to go down, little wolfie," he approaches me and pets my muzzle, unaffected by my snarling, "I'm all in." And then he runs to the door and shifts into a huge black wolf the moment he is out of the house.

I follow him out, having difficulties moving in such a small space.

He stands in a fight ready position, ready to devour me. Well... we'll just see about that.

"Lily, stop!" my Dad yells running out of the house, a large crowd along with him.

I am the first one to attack. I lunge at him full force, trying to bite his arm, but he manages to evade my attack at the last moment.

He shakes his wolf head, as if amused, and slowly circles around me, trying to test my combat style.

Well, you big black wolf, I wasn't born yesterday.

I fake movements, leading him to think I have slow left reflexes, manipulating him to attack my strongest side. Then I move my legs backwards every now and then, trying to make him mistake me for a defender, instead of an offender type.

My plan works brilliantly.

Darius' wolf attacks my left side in super fast speed and I miss his teeth by only half an inch. I manage to do it, though, and while he is still surprised by the outcome, I lunge at him straight ahead, not giving him time to rebound, and he ends up knocked down on the ground.

We start wrestling there.

His wolf is so strong, which doesn't surprise me. His human form is massive.

"Lily!" I hear my father's authoritative voice, "I command you to stop immediately!"

But I don't listen. I was never good at obeying commands anyhow.

The crowd that gathered to watch us looks shocked - they must've thought I'd suck in combat, given I left my pack at 18.

Darius manages to overpower me for a second, and it gives him just enough time to leave a bite mark on my lower arm. Nothing serious, though. I bet it won't even leave a scar.

But it enrages me, nonetheless. So I mislead him again in an opposite direction and manage to come back on top of him. There, I bite his shoulder. Gently as well, but this might actually scar him for good. I am not that good at self-control when upset.

The crowd starts yelling now and both our wolves are back on our feet, heads low, snarling viciously.

I distinguish some comments from the spectators and conclude that people are overly shocked with my performance in my humble opinion. Is it just because I'm a woman, or is everybody else so inherently bad that the little Alpha hasn't found his match up until now?

We both prepare an attack now, and I know misleading won't work anymore, so I do what he doesn't expect. Show him my real intention, approaching too fast too soon, knowing he will think I am only playing him. And when he backs the next time, it won't be enough.

My plan seems to work, and as he moves his legs back for a bit, I don't back this time. Instead, I full force jump on him, trapping his neck between my front legs, and I go on to push him on the ground.

"Lily... Lily, please don't do this..." a painfully familiar voice says. A voice that always calms me down.

I break contact with Darius for just a moment, to look at Ian, but that is all it takes for him to knock me down and trap into a lever. As his wolf is stronger than mine, and his position is now privileged, I know there is no way to win this fight.

Damn you, Ian.

Damned our love. Why did I have to look at you? You've no idea what you caused now...

Knowing I've lost and therefore have to submit, I force myself to professionally bow my head. Out of respect for my father.

With that motion, I announce everyone that he won.

The crowd is relieved.

I see my father let out a sigh. His eyes are glowing with pure pride, though. Nothing else but love and pride. He hasn't seen me in wolf form for a very long time. He must have feared I forgot everything he and Mother taught me. But I haven't. I never will. And in this moment, I realize, I never want to, either.

Darius' wolf lets go off me and he leads me into the woods nearby.

I decide to follow. It'll be best to talk with him in private and explain why this mate thing isn't for me.

When we are gone from other people's view, he shifts into his human form and commands me to do the same.

I unwillingly obey. What the hell?

Oh my God, I challenged an Alpha and lost, is he now my Alpha? Am I a part of his pack?

He glances at his wounded shoulder and smirks in amusement. "Lila," he says slowly, as if testing the sound of it.

To me, this name from his mouth suddenly sounds like my favorite melody.

"Is that your name, little wolf?" he takes a few steps toward me to close the big gap between us.

I take rugged breaths, trying to cover my naked body parts with my wounded hands.

He grabs both of them. "Don't hide yourself from me," he demands. "I am your mate."

I swallow hard and quickly shift back into my wolf, as being naked in human form with him was too much too take. It took me every ounce of my energy and self-control not to get too excited and lunge passionately onto my mate. I wish I could control my thoughts, because I suspect he hears them, as common pack members share thoughts. It's their way of communication.

You are right, he answers, now in his wolf form as well.

And my thoughts are confirmed. Shit! I am a part of his pack now.

You're more than a part. You are Luna, he says proudly. And may I say, your spot is rightfully deserved. He licks the blood off his wound.

Stop it! I shout at him, shifting quickly into my human form again. I don't even mind nudity anymore, because I am as angry as I've ever been. "Get out of my head!"

He shifts back as well, this time being less arrogant. He innocently lifts his arms in defense. "I wasn't doing it on purpose. You know how it works as well as I do."

I turn and walk back to where we came from to pick my clothes from the place we had shifted first. He walks behind me in silence. However, as I am about to leave the woods, I see an entire crowd standing at that same spot.

I automatically freeze in place and Darius' front collides with my naked butt.

I scream and jump aside, covering my breasts with my hands.

He watches me shamelessly, as if it is the most normal thing in the world.

"You have the most amazing body," he says lustfully.

My nipples harden without notice and I feel wetness between my crotch. "Could you not look at me?" I try to sound enraged, but it comes off more like a plea. If I am truthful, his compliment only made me feel desirable and horny. But I would never admit that to him.

He smirks. "I'm afraid I can't look at you, even if I wanted to."

"You are a pig!" I say.

"I am no pig. I am a wolf. One that you are dying to kiss."

My lips part without my consent and I am utterly unable to pretend I am angry anymore.

"Could you at least be a gentleman and go grab a piece of fabric for me?"

He checks out my body one last time before he nods and looks me in the eye. "I can do anything and everything you want me to," he gently takes one of my hands to lay a gentle kiss on it, "Lila."

And then he leaves. And leaves me even more excited after that comment spoken in the world's sexiest voice.

——————

So my amazing readers did you expect this? What do you think happens next❓🤔 please vote if you like the story ⭐️