Chapter 2 SHE IS MY MATE

SHE IS MY MATE

HAYDEN GAYLE'S POV

The fire inside me would not calm.

I paced back and forth in my study, praying they would find her eventually. My heart swelled with rage as I paced. It's either she's found, or I'm done for.

The audacity of Ximena to even attempt this foolish act. And worst of all, she picked this moment to carry out her hideous plan. My own wedding day. A day that had been forced on me by the elders, yes, but still a day I could not afford to falter. And she thought she could ruin it all. She thought she could disappear from me like smoke.

She was wrong.

My phone rang out, breaking through my thoughts, and before the first echo could fade off, I picked it up hurriedly and pressed it to my ear.

"Alpha," Clover called out urgently. "We just found Lady Ximena."

My eyes burned dangerously as though I would burn her to ashes with them when she is brought to me.

"Bring her to me," I ordered in a growl. I didn't even wait to hear what he had to say next, I hung up immediately and flung my phone against my mini leather chair.

What made her think she could go through with this stupid plan? Today of all days? She would learn tonight exactly what kind of man Hayden Gayle was.

Moments later...

The door slammed open.

They dragged her in...thrashing, kicking, shouting like some wild creature that had been cornered. Her voice rang in the chamber frantically and desperately.

"Let me go! She screamed, "Let me go now!"

The sound pierced something deep inside me, though I ignored the twist it left in my gut.

I rose slowly from my chair, striding towards her angrily. My men released her from their grip, hurling her towards me and she staggered until she gained balance. She goggled at me and I could see fear dancing in her eyes. She knew what was coming; I'm certain.

I didn't think of what to do next. My hand instantly shot out, seizing her by the throat.

Gasps fled her lips as her back slammed against the cold stone wall. My grip tightened. I felt the frantic beat of her pulse beneath my palm, her fingers clawing at my wrist as her feet barely found ground.

"You dare," I hissed, my face inches from hers, "you dare run from me? On this night of all nights?"

Her lips parted, sucking for air. "I...I...I'm not..."

I cut her off with more pressure, my eyes narrowing as I studied her. Something about her was strange.

The hair was darker. The eyes were hazel, not the usual brown. A feeble trick. A mask. Did she really think she could escape me with a color change?

"You did all of this just to hide your identity? Why? To run away from me?" I leered staring right into her now hazel eyes. What a dubious piece of shit. "Do you think dye and lenses can save you from me, Ximena? You insult my intelligence."

Her hands were trembling as she held onto me tightly with her nails digging into my skin. She choked, her eyes turning red, but I held tighter. I was satisfied by how much she was suffering.

She gasped and choked until I was sure that she had almost stared death in the face, then I released her suddenly, letting her crumple against the wall, gasping for air, one hand rising to cradle her neck. For one dangerous second, I had wanted to squeeze until her body went limp. But no...she was still needed. The wedding was not a choice; it was an obligation, and she was the key to it.

I slammed my fist into the wall beside her. The marble cracked under the force, dust sifting down between us.

She flinched violently. Good. Let her tremble. Fear was the only language I trusted.

"I will let you go for now because we are already running out of time, but don't ever pull this shitty stunt again unless you are ready to get buried alive, Ximena," I said, closing in on her. "Because if you do this again, I swear on the Moon Goddess herself, I will tear you limb from limb and feed your flesh to my dogs."

She whimpered, curling into herself, arms wrapped tight around her legs as she trembled on the floor.

I dragged a hand through my hair, a low growl rumbling from my chest.

"You ruin everything," I spat. "That's all you are... bad luck! Just one more stunt, one more trick, and I swear I won't be merciful. Do you hear me?"

She kept silent, her eyes fixed on the ground, like even her voice was too afraid to escape.

My patience snapped. I seized her chin, fingers digging in so hard she winced. I forced her face up to mine.

"I said, do you fucking understand me?"

Her jaw clenched against my grip, but she gave a desperate, frantic nod, her chin jerking in quick, shaky motions.

"Good." I snapped.

I picked up the document, throwing it at her arrogantly. They slapped against her chest before tumoring into her bound hands.

"Sign them."

Her fingers shook as she caught the papers, her eyes darting down to the lines of ink.

"This is your reminder," I said, in a dark and final tone. "The deal was made. You will honor it. ONE HUNDRED DAYS of marriage, nothing less. The pack elders want a union, and I will give it to them. You are the bride, and there will be no other after you."

She lifted her eyes to mine, slow and trembling, lips quivering like she was holding back tears.

"I... I can't sign this."

Her voice was barely a whisper, fragile enough to shatter if I breathed too hard.

"I'm not Ximena."

The words didn't register at first. They were broken pieces of sound that made no sense.

And then, like a blade twisting into my chest, the lie carved its way in.

Rage exploded inside me. My chest tightened, my blood boiled, and I swung toward her, my snarl echoing through the room like thunder.

"What did you just say?" My roar shook the very walls, rattling the air. My hand shot up, ready to strike her, ready to silence her forever, once and for all.

But before I could bring it down to her, something else hit me.

Not her. Not a blow.

Something far worse.

A searing, electric jolt tore through my chest, stealing my breath. My stomach heaved, my veins burned as though fire had replaced my blood. My wolf surged forward, howling with a thrill I couldn't contain.

"What... what is this?" I rasped, clutching my chest as the force spread through it like wildfire, flooding every nerve, every corner of my being. My vision blurred, my heartbeat staggered, then lurched violently, as though it was being ripped out and replaced by something unrecognizable.

No.

No, this couldn't be.

The bond.

The sacred, cursed bond.

She wasn't Ximena. She wasn't the deceiver I thought I'd cornered.

She was something far more dangerous.

She was mine.

My mate.

And the world tilted on its axis.

My mate...

The words I had never spoken, the fate I had never accepted, burned themselves into my mind with blinding clarity. My body knew it before my mind could deny it... Every fiber in me screamed it.

The scent of her skin, the tremor of her voice, the way her hazel eyes lifted in fear to meet mine...all slammed into me with a force greater than any battle I had fought.

My throat constricted. My hand fell limp at my side. For the first time in years, I felt something crawl past the fortress I had built around myself.

Horror.

Because the woman standing before me, trembling, bound, whispering denials with cracked lips...

Was not Ximena.

She was my fucken mate!

Mildred's POV

"I'm not Ximena..."

I muttered shakily. I knew no one cared about whatever I said. They were all too engulfed with their Ximena trouble to even notice that I was telling the truth. Even the so-called Alpha didn't know his bride-to-be well enough to see that it can't be me.

The contract in my hands quivered. My fingers could barely hold it steady. The black ink bled into my vision through the blur of tears. A hundred days. That's all the document promised. A hundred days of pretending, of sharing a roof with a man who despised the woman I was supposed to be.

Different rooms. No intimacy. Nothing but duty and cold silence.

I shouldn't have cared. Yes, I shouldn't because this isn't my contract. I am not Ximena. But this isn't some police case of mistaken identity. It's a trap with no going back as the only option.

Next thing, he turned swiftly. And I bowed my head between my legs, waiting for him to strike.

"You're not Ximena," he blurted, and I raised my head quickly.

How did he finally realize that? I felt very relieved. At least one person believes me. Before I could make sense of what to say next, he started sniffing.

His nostrils flared as though catching a scent of something. Was I stinky? "What is he doing?" I thought to myself.

"You don't have a wolf," he coughed, infuriated.

My heart dropped instantly. Oh my! He could tell. He could feel it. My shame, the secret that had followed me all my life was laid bare in front of the most powerful werewolf in existence.

I hadn't even swallowed that before he dropped the biggest bombshell.

"You are my f*cking mate."

What? Fear instantly gripped me. Finding my mate was supposed to mean safety, love, belonging, and all the things I had been denied. My heart should have leapt. But instead, dread poured through me like ice water because the Alpha King wasn't looking at me with wonder. He looked at me like I was a mistake carved into flesh.

"Unbelievable," he muttered, almost to himself. He studied me with eyes that stripped me bare. His jaw clenched as though the bond itself offended him.

"How do you look so much like her?" His voice was low, sharp, suspicious. "What's your name?"

My lips trembled. I tried to get the word out but it got stuck midway.

"Speak!" He scolded and I flinched.

My tongue loosened in fear. "M-Mildred. Mildred Pierce."

He turned away sharply. "Run a check on her," he barked at Clover. "And find Ximena. She's going to pay for this."

The command made my stomach twist. Whoever this Ximena was, she had left me to drown in her shadow.

Then his eyes found me again, colder than before.

"And you..." His voice was a blade. "I refuse to be bonded to a wolfless, weak mate."

The words sliced through me. My knees nearly buckled.

He straightened his shoulders, his face unreadable but his voice merciless.

"I reject you, Mildred Pierce, as my fated mate."

The world stopped.

My entire body went numb and I didn't know when the contract slipped off my hands.

Tears gathered around my eyelid. So this was fate's gift to me? A mate who didn't want me. Who hated my existence itself and whom I met under a very traumatic circumstance. This is it? No hope of meeting the love of my life? Because standing beside this man feels like horror to me.

"Take her away," he ordered flatly. "She's useless."

The guards stepped forward, their hands closing around my arms. I wanted to fight, but I couldn't even breathe through the hollow ache in my chest. My legs dragged behind me. My tears fell freely.

And then, the door burst open.

A man entered, his presence was commanding. "Your Highness," he said, and I froze.

My head whipped around. Your Highness?

The Alpha King. Of course. The rumors hadn't been exaggerated. No wonder the air itself seemed to bend to his will.

"The ceremony is about to begin," the man continued urgently. "Why isn't Lady Ximena ready?"

Every gaze in the room landed on me. The guards, the man, and...Him. Their stares pinned me where I stood.

My stomach dropped.

His eyes swept over me, lingering like he was studying something. His brow furrowed, confusion flickering across his face. "She's not..." He trailed off, but then snapped upright. "Bring in the dress. Prepare her immediately."

"What?" I whispered. My voice was lost beneath the orders being barked around me.

"Get the makeup artist. Hurry. Twenty minutes," the man commanded before vanishing as quickly as he came.

I stood frozen, my mind started whirling in confusion.

I was just rejected. He called me useless. And now... they want me in a wedding dress?

The Alpha King's voice broke through my daze. "You're going to be my bride tonight."

I snapped my gaze to him, disbelief written all over my face.

"You can't mean that," I whispered, shaking my head.

"I can. And I do." His tone brooked no argument.

"But you just rejected me," I blurted, the words tumoring out before I could stop them.

His eyes narrowed. "And so? You'll stand in for Ximena until she's found. After that, you're free."

Free. The word meant nothing in his mouth.

"You will sign a contract," he continued coldly, "You will be her substitute. And you will do exactly as I say."

My lips parted, a protest forming, but the door opened again and servants filled in with fabrics, brushes, and jewels.

"Dress her up," he ordered.

I tried to speak, but they closed around me like a storm. They all started working on me, making up my face, dressing me up, and accessorising me. In a giffy, they finished and I stood up, staring into the mirror before me. Mildred... I looked like an entirely different person. I should be happy, yes, I should, but I was scared. I felt like an entirely different person. Maybe like Ximena.

They led me back out. And there he was.

Hayden Gayle. The Alpha King. My mate. My rejector.

He stood at the other end looking strikingly handsome. No one would believe that a man like this was a monster behind closed doors. He smiled so graciously that one would think he was deeply in love with me.

What a devilish actor.

I walked toward him, wishing that something could go wrong, anything, anything just for this wedding to be cancelled. I prayed that the so-called Ximena would walk in through the door and save me from this sham.

"Please, let me go, I don't want to do this," I pleaded as soon as I got to him but he didn't even flicker or respond. He then held my hand firmly and leaned in.

"I am the King, your king and this is an order you will obey. You'll be compensated, if that matters to you. But tonight, you will be Ximena."

"I am not an object you can just pick up and use at will, I am a person, I..."

"You are an object to me. Yes, you are, and if you mess this up for me, you won't love to tell the story," he cut in, still smiling as though we were loving up. Such a monster.

His grasp tightened until my fingers throbbed.

"Now smile," he said softly.

"You're getting married."

I forced a small smile.