Mate Reclaimed

Kiara.

I woke up in a strange room, eyes popping open as the bright lights hit me. Confused, I jolted forward, and the blanket slipped off, leaving me stark naked, an outcome that I had not seen coming. I frantically snatched the bathrobe that was sitting at the edge of the bed and covered my naked frame. Only after doing this did I notice two strangers smirking at me from either side of the bed.

"Who... how..."

The last thing I remembered was having drinks at a bar with my elder sister. I'd only drank a glass before I felt the dizzying effect of it and now here I was. Something was off. There had to be, otherwise how else would I have ended up naked in a room with two men?

I pinched myself as if trying to establish if this was just a dream and the pain I felt only went further to prove to me that this was in fact real.

"You enjoyed it, didn't you?" One of the men said, laughing. He put a hand on his stomach and buckled under the weight of unsaid words, laughing and rocking back and forth like he had cracked the best comedy ever known to man.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, frightened and confused all at the same time.

My body shook with unease but there had to be more. This couldn't just be it. I tried to remember where I'd been and what I had been doing before all of this; perhaps, in some way, I had left the bar and done something else that led me here but nothing came. My body was weak and I had a massive headache but I couldn't let that deter me, my wedding was coming up and I was naked in here with two men!

"What the heck did you do to me?" I yelled and tried to move away from the bed, away from them both.

A cold hand however touched my shoulders and pushed me back onto the bed. Under normal circumstances, I would have been able to fight off these people by simply shifting but it seemed someone had deliberately given me something to quell my powers or even the ability to shift. I was powerless and it made me all the more frightened.

"Did... did you touch me? Did you?" I asked. They hadn't, I could just tell, but I wanted to be sure because who knew if I was just numb for now.

"What do you think?" The blonde-haired guy asked, laughter in his tone. They were teasing me, enjoying my powerlessness and I hated it, I hated them.

"Let me go!" I snapped as his hands gripped mine. He was hurting me but aside from that, the look in his eyes was haunting; a look that was unfamiliar to a wolf like me.

A sudden knock interrupted my thoughts and even the guys glanced at the door, clearly caught off guard. I could instantly tell that they weren't expecting any visitors, at least, not yet. Another knock, and the blond guy cautiously moved towards the door. The other one stayed near the bed, growling softly with clenched fists.

Then I heard it – keys jingling, clicking against the doorknob. The door swung open, and my heart skipped a beat. Chase stood there, gripping the doorknob with one hand and the other hanging midair. I saw a swift change in his expression, a shock on his usually stoic face. Unable to meet his eyes, I glanced down at the sheets.

Chase didn't say a word but his snarl spoke volumes, the intensity of his anger loud enough to command surrender. His eyes flashed red, and his growl filled the room with authority. The two wolves dropped to their knees, shivering under the weight of his fury.

I'd never seen him this angry before. But maybe I'd never put myself in such a situation.

"Chase... no," I whimpered, surprised by my own courage. Despite feeling the chill of his anger, I stood my ground. I was too deep into this mess to think straight.

"Leave the room now, Kiara," he calmly ordered. No yelling, no change in tone, but I wasn't naive. Walking away without explaining meant the end for us.

"I don't want to... let me explain myself, Chase. Please."

"I want you to go," urgency in his voice. "Because I fear you will hate seeing what I am about to do here."

I shook my head, knowing if I let him act on his anger, he would break the wolves' necks. Not until I figured out how I got here or who set me up.

"I can't... I can't let you taint yourself like this, Chase, please," I whispered.

Throughout Chase's speech, he hadn't glanced my way, eyes fixed on the wolves. "You didn't think you'd get away with this, right?" He directed to them.

One wolf whispered, "She asked us to accompany her, said she was lonely, seduced us and..."

"That's a lie!" I growled, smacking the sheets.

Chase glared. "You are pitiable, Kiara. You are naked in a room with wolves and you think you still have the guts to tell me that you can explain?"

"I wasn't... I'm not-"

It bothered me how I couldn't articulate my words in front of Chase now and how, with how sloppy my words are, Chase would think it was true. That I had chosen to betray him. I tried to speak but no words would form. No matter how many times I willed it, I just couldn't.

"Chase..." I began.

Something sparked in his eyes, something bright and red and dangerous that stopped me in my tracks. I saw him flex his hands. I knew how this looked. I'd been caught doing something I shouldn't have but then again, I could swear I had no idea what was going on. No explanation would make this all go away, I knew that, but still, I hoped he would understand.

He wasn't the Alpha of the pack for nothing. And the way he looked at me, anger and disdain burning in his eyes, a part of me knew it was over. I was his mate, his future Luna and here I was, in a room, half naked, with two strangers. I couldn't imagine how he felt. He raked his hands through his hair and stepped forward towards the wolves. He still wouldn't look at me, and in that moment, I couldn't blame him. Pretending was futile. To him, I'd messed up badly.

Chase lunged towards the blonde-haired wolf, growling menacingly. Swift and strong, he grabbed the wolf's neck, trapping him in his large palms. The other wolf hung back, clearly frightened.

"An Omega?" Chase spat out with disgust. It seemed he had expected more, as if the wolves involved should have held higher ranks. To him, an Omega was too insignificant for the betrayal he felt.

Observing Chase's powerful hold, I realized he could easily snap the wolf's neck. However, I was still unable to speak.

"I didn't know she was your mate," the blonde-haired wolf stammered.

Chase's grip tightened, the wolf turning red as life seemed to slip away. Then, abruptly, Chase stopped. As the Alpha, he needed to protect his pack, not be the one causing harm. He stepped back.

"Get out of here before I snap your necks in two," Chase growled, his voice thunderous in the room.

The men hastily left, leaving us alone. Though reluctant to be with an angry Chase, there seemed to be no other option. His back faced me as he breathed heavily, staring at the wall. Should I attempt to explain again? Did I even know what to say? Would he be willing to listen?

I hurriedly left the bed, wrapping the robe tightly around me. "Nothing happened, Chase, I swear."

He remained silent, and I cautiously approached, touching his broad shoulders. He shrugged my hands away and turned, the anger replaced with remorse in his coffee brown eyes.

"I don't want you anywhere near me," he stated. Even in his subdued tone, the command in his voice, derived from being the pack's leader, remained.

"Chase, this isn't what it looks like," I protested, stunned by the absurdity of the situation.

He scrutinized me, locking eyes with mine. "I, Chase Knight, Alpha of the Valley Pack, reject you, Kiara Farkas, as my mate and future Luna!"