~ Prey

**Raina's POV**

To say I was shocked would be an understatement.

What the hell was going on?

Who was this Alpha Rowan, and why was he looking at me like I was the most delicious dessert in the world? Like I was a prey and he was a predator who’d been hunting me down the whole day and finally caught me?

I closed my eyes, waiting for the rejection I was expecting because none of this was making sense.

Was he trying to mock me before rejecting me in front of the entire pack?

No…

I would rather he rejects me right here… then I could keep it to myself, and no one would ever know I was mated to an Alpha and he rejected me.

I couldn’t take any more humiliation. Especially from my fated mate. The person who was approaching suddenly retreated, and I breathed out in relief… at least there would be no witness to my rejection.

“Please be quick… there’s no need to drag this out,” I managed to say, not daring to open my eyes.

I was scared that if I looked at him again, I would want to be his mate. But I couldn’t get myself hurt by an Alpha again…

“Let’s get this over and done with…” I added, my heart slamming hard against my ribcage.

Silence fell between us, but I could feel Alpha Rowan’s presence… he was so close, his scent kept wafting into my nostrils, making me feel things I’ve never felt before.

Was this the power of a mate bond?

I heard it was instant love… once you meet your fated mate, it would feel like you’ve known each other for ages. Like you were meant to be and finally found each other…

I was afraid that if I looked into this man’s onyx eyes again, I would want him to embrace me and claim me.

Silence continued to stretch between us, and it put me on edge.

One second…

Two seconds…

Why the hell wasn’t he rejecting me yet?

I suddenly felt the pressure on my leg subside before a curse left Alpha Rowan’s lips.

“Fuck, who did this to you?”

My eyes fluttered open, and I glanced at Alpha Rowan in disbelief as he held my bleeding leg, examining it with a frown on his handsome face.

His touch on my skin had a certain calming effect that I couldn’t explain. For a moment, I felt like the pain I had felt earlier was nothing but an illusion.

“You’re not rejecting me?” I asked, bemused.

Alpha Rowan glanced at me, arching an eyebrow. “Why would I? Do you want me to reject you?”

I lowered my head. “Well… because I’m… you know… ugly and fa–”

A low guttural growl reverberated from his chest, and I had to clamp my thighs shut as my core clenched repeatedly with need.

“I don’t see anyone ugly here… I only see my gorgeous, beautiful mate. I don’t know who lied to you, but they are blind,” he said, looking into my eyes. “Actually, I’m glad they are blind… that way, I get to keep you to myself.”

My heart skipped a beat.

Was this a dream?

It had to be… because where did this man who claimed I was beautiful come from?

No one had ever found me attractive… even if Silas made use of my body to satisfy his own needs, he only did it because men stick their dicks in anything, not that he was attracted to me. He always looked at me with so much disgust, I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror anymore.

“I don’t know if this is a prank, but please, don’t play with me, I already get enough of that in this pack,” I said, looking away.

My stomach was churning, and my wolf was getting angry with me because I was pushing our mate away. But I didn’t want to make a fool of myself… there’s no way this handsome man would want me as his mate.

“I’m not rejecting you… I would be a fool to do so,” Alpha Rowan said, frowning deeply as he glanced at my still bleeding leg.

He must have noticed that there was something wrong with me. As a werewolf, my leg should have healed by now, but it just kept bleeding and throbbing in pain.

That’s it… He’s going to reject me now that he knows I don’t function like a normal werewolf.

“I guess I’ll have to prove it to you, right, dear mate?” Alpha Rowan remarked in his deep velvety voice. “Let’s start by doing something about this wound of yours, which doesn’t look like it will heal anytime soon.”

Before I could tell what was happening, Alpha Rowan raised my leg, leaning forward. When I felt the first stroke of his tongue on my skin, I trembled, arching my back as waves of tingles coursed through me.