Mated To The Predator

Chapter 1

A not-so-simple task

Lilian.

I wasn't always like this.

This bony and frail looking girl with hollow eyes. These eyes were vibrant once before, even my dark hair was shiny once before, now it looked scattered and dry like an overused mop.

I sighed to myself as I gave up looking at my miserable frame in the mirror. This was my life now, I had made peace with it.

There was no big bad Alpha that would swoop in to save me and destroy the lives of the people that were destroying mine everyday.

"Are you done gawking at your ugly self, Lorraine?" The Luna's disgusted and mocking tone filled my ears.

I looked up and saw the disdain her eyes had as they stared down at my bony figure.

"I'm sorry, Luna. I just wanted to tell you that I was done cleaning Cailan's room." I bowed my head while I spoke.

"Oh." She stopped short at the stairs, looking all put together in the gold-coloured satin simple gown that hugged her delicate figure. "Find something else and do it. It is not like there isn't any other thing in this house to keep you busy. Don't be a lazy fool and go out yourself to work!" She commanded with acid dripping from her tone, and thundered down the stairs.

I nodded slowly. I sure looked really tired and weary, and my tummy grumbled due to lack of food. I hadn't eaten since the previous night as a punishment for not washing the Beta's clothes.

My knees could give way at any moment and I could slump at any time, but I walked on.

"Lorraine, there you are." I heard a haughty voice behind me.

Beta Aidan.

"Yes, Beta." I bowed my head to show submission, if not, I would be used and abused and nobody would care.

"Go to the lobby and scrub the floor, it needs to be sparkling and shining before I return. You can take Hailey with you." He said.

I bowed my head once again and rushed the best I could to pick up the supplies and go to my stationed workplace. Hailey came with me, and together on our hands and knees, we scrubbed quietly.

"Seal all the pack borders! We are under attack!" My Alpha's deep voice resonated throughout the pack link, and I could feel all the hair in my body stand.

For the first time in a while, I was struck with fear of the unknown. I was ensuring all these because of only one goal in mind, and a pack attack would ruin it all. There was a hint of panic in the Alpha's voice, something that had never happened before.

"Something is really wrong, I have a terrible feeling about this." My friend, Hailey, said with eyes filled with fear.

If Hailey said something was wrong, something was really wrong. She was really perceptive.

"Alpha!" A sharp voice cut through my wandering thoughts as a bloodied pack warrior stumbled in and fell at the door. "Half of our warriors are down." He tried to muster out, coughing up a lot of blood in the process.

Whatever happened out there had really weakened the spirits of the Commander of the Pack Warriors.

Alpha Blackthorn stood up from where he sat, not quite far from the floor we were scrubbing, his eyes were blazing emerald green in anger.

"Who dares attack my pack? How many are they in number? How many are the rogues out there that you can't defeat?" His voice thundered at the warrior.

Tears spilled out of the corner of the warrior's eyes. Bitter tears, I noted. I felt my heart drop to my stomach, dreading the next words that would come out from his mouth.

"There are no rogues," his voice cracked. "It is just one wolf. One demon! One monster!" He shivered in fear as more tears spilled out of his eyes.

"Lilian!" I heard my Alpha's dark and grainy voice called out to me and my legs began to move on its own as it scurried forward towards where the Alpha stood.

I knelt, head buried to the ground, to listen to his orders as I always did, if not, his heavy legs would come crashing down my back.

"Since all my warriors are busy, I will task you with one important mission. I even promise to let your family go and all their debts forgiven." He said coldly and I knew my life was going to be on the line for this request.

But thinking of my parents, my brothers and sisters coming back home to me, I knew I would do everything in my power to make it happen, no matter how weary or hungry I was. This was my only chance to redeem my family, and I wasn't going to let this slip away.

"Y-y-yes Alpha. I will do anything." I struggled to breathe out.

"I want you to protect my only son and child, Cailan, with all your life. If anything as little as a strand of hair misses from his head, I would slaughter your family before your very eyes and burn them till they turn to ashes," his voice was really low and malevolent as he spoke.

I was internally gasping for breath at that gory mental picture. I swore on my life that it would never get to that, and I would protect Cailan even if it meant dying.

"I promise that Cailan will be safe after this is all over. I swear on it with my life." I was trembling as those words came out of my mouth.

I could feel the tears begin to well up in my eyes. I could do this! I had to be able to do this! Only then would I be able to see their faces once more.

"Good." The Alpha breathed out before disappearing in a second.

Immediately he was gone, I scampered to my feet and rushed to the corner of the room where Cailan napped peacefully. We had to hide!

Careful not to wake him, I scooped him into my arms and shouted towards Hailey, "The big oak! We need to hide there."

I cuddled the boy in my arms and fled out of the lobby, skipping over the fallen warrior in his pool of blood.

"Not that way!" I heard the warrior shout with his last breath as soon as I dashed towards the direction of the big oak, and dread filled my stomach once again.

It was already too late to turn back...

Chapter 2

Mate.

Lilian.

There was a sickening shatter of bones beside me and a shrill scream pierced the evening sky. I turned in horror, and that was when I saw him. The midnight black wolf which crushed every bone he stepped on.

I stood in shock, watching how the remaining pack warriors struggled to fight the beast, but nothing could penetrate its hide, instead, their bones shattered anytime they made bodily contact with it.

But something was even more wrong...

I found myself rooted to the spot, entranced by the magnificent beast in front of me. I was all but afraid as I stared at it.

And as if he could feel himself being watched, he slowly turned around and his stormy grey eyes met my dull blue ones, and everything went silent in my head.

I was feeling new things... things I haven't felt in a really long while. I could feel my heart pounding against my ribcage, and it wasn't out of fear this time, instead my body hummed and thrummed with excitement.

"Lilian!" I heard a scream somewhere in the back of my mind, like a dim echo in my head, my eyes still fixated on the huge wolf that was making its way towards me.

"Lilian! Snap out of it! Run!" The voice came in sharper this time and I was jolted back to reality.

The wolf was coming even closer now, and I was paralysed with fear.

"Lilian! Run!" Hailey shouted again, and my legs moved on their own this time, and I ran with the remaining strength in my life.

I ran with only one destination in mind –the big oak tree– the only thing in the pack that was rumoured to survive any kind of destruction.

I bounded with Cailan in my arms, not stopping to see if the wolf was behind me. I didn't stop to think about the way I was feeling towards the wolf, my family mattered the most to me.

I could see the oak now, it was getting nearer and nearer, my legs were about to give out, but I wasn't ready to give up, not when my life depended on it.

But it was like fate didn't want anything good happening to me as I stumbled on a pile of firewood and fell forward.

Remembering the child I held in my arms, I twisted my body to fall in my back, protecting Cailan. I heard a crack and I screamed in pain. Some of the firewood had broken and the splints lodged itself into several parts of my body. The pain was unbearable as I screamed in agony.

At this time, I heard bounding footsteps nearing where I lay and I knew the beast was getting closer. I was surprised that with all the ruckus, Cailan hadn't woken up.

"Stay away from her!" I heard a pained voice cry out.

It was Hailey again. I lifted my head the little I could to see what was going on. She was crying now as she threw stones, sticks and pebbles at the beast, but they just shattered as soon as they made contact with its hide.

"I surrender," I said, tears streaming down my eyes. There was a painful lump in my throat as the beast towered over me. "I surrender." I breathed out again, wincing in pain as the splinters buried itself deeper into my body.

But he was not stopping, he was still coming closer, his grey eyes searching mine. "I swear I will kill you if you do as little as harm to this child." I shouted this time, my voice laced with pain and tears. I didn't know where the boldness had come from as I shivered from the sudden adrenaline rush.

But the beast paid no attention as he stomped closer, slowly transitioning to the most handsome man I have ever laid my eyes on – a demigod.

"You little creature." His voice was mocking but soft.

I eyed him cautiously and turned over to hide Cailan deeper in my arms. "Please, leave us alone," I whimpered as his face neared mine. The adrenaline rush was gone after his large bulky frame bent over mine.

A short laugh escaped from his lips, it was so soft that I turned back and refocused my eyes to meet his eyes, and my next words stuck in my throat when he whispered one word.

"Mate."

The air around me seemed to freeze.

Mate?

A word I never considered in my entire life. I had a destined mate? I shook my head slowly in denial. It couldn't be possible.

"No. No. No. That can't be possible." I shook my head vigorously this time as I said breathlessly. I tried looking at him once again and was startled by the dimness in his eyes.

Was that disappointment or relief in his eyes? I just couldn't tell.

"Stay away from my son!" There was an angry roar behind us that shook the pack grounds.

Looking past the huge towering man in front of me, I breathed out a sigh of relief when the Alpha came into view.

The beast–my supposed mate–turned towards the sound of the voice. Seeing the Alpha, he was unperturbed as he turned around to train his eyes on me again.

A delicious scent was wafting into my nose, and I couldn't help but want to inhale every single breath of it. I could feel electricity coursing the areas of my body that his eyes traced. It was all so entrancing... like being in another world.

"Alpha...no...dangerous..." We heard a wheezy voice call out. It was another fallen pack warrior who had blood streaming down his nose. "Bone...break...shatter..." he continued incoherently with so much pain laced in his voice.

I watched as the eyes of Alpha Blackthorn widened, as if he had just realised something horrible, and he stumbled backwards, away from the beast–my mate.

Alpha Blackthorn raised up his hands slowly in surrender and a gasp of air escaped my mouth.

"Look," Alpha Blackthorn started saying softly. "I know we can't beat you in a fight. Please, there have already been a lot of casualties. Let us go so I can tend to my wounded. If you have any grievances with any of us, we can all talk it out."

The Alpha was surrendering! Our Alpha never surrendered to anything or anyone, not even someone remotely brutal like our Alpha King. Just who was my mate to instil so much fear in the Alpha?

My mate turned away from the Alpha and gave me a really long and soft look.

"If it's the woman you want, you can take her and do anything you like with her," the Alpha's voice came again, stronger and closer this time. "We don't really have any use for her. You can take her with you. Please, just don't hurt my child."

"Alpha!" I really protested as new emotions welled inside me and furious tears filled my eyes. After everything I have done for the pack?

"Shut up, Lilian!" The Alpha fiercely commanded me.

And in that instant, like a taut string snapped, his movements were a blur until my mate towered over the Alpha.

"You would never speak to her in that manner!" I heard an angry growl of hatred tear out of my mate's throat as he firmly wrapped a hand around the Alpha's neck and lifted him off the ground.

"No! No! No! Stop!" I didn't know when I started screaming in protest for my mate to stop.

Not like I cared if the Alpha lived or died, but my family were still in his hands. He had my family where no one else knew and only he could give them back to me. He couldn't die, not just yet...

I watched as the broad back of my mate tense for a second or two. He listened...I breathed out of relief in my heart.

But in the next second, everything flipped over, and a loud crack filled the pack grounds and there was a short thud on the floor.

I watched in horror as the Alpha's mangled body lay on the floor.

...And everywhere was quiet.

Chapter 3

The Predator.

Lilian.

The pack hospital was brimming with hundreds of injured, healing and dead pack warriors and their family swarming over them.

The room was rowdy and filled with cries of agony for the dead and injured. It was the most painful and heart wrenching thing to watch.

"Lilian! You're alive!" Hailey said from afar, her eyes shone with tears as she rushed to gather me in her arms.

I winced and whimpered in pain as I felt some splinters digging deeper into my skin. Hailey noticed as well and her eyes started brimming with tears.

"Oh, Lilian! The doctors haven't looked at your wounds at all? For the goddess' sake, you put your life on the line for the heir of the pack!"

I gave her a grim smile while I tried pulling out the remaining splinters from my body, wincing as the blood gushed out.

"You could get an infection, Lilian!" Hailey's voice cracked this time.

"It's not an issue, Hailey. My body will heal on its own, okay?"

Hailey looked at me with disbelief in her eyes. "You are the slowest when it comes to healing..."

"But I will heal eventually..." I cut her short as I stared ahead of her, taking in the whole sombre scene in front of me.

Gladly, no one was paying attention to the filths of the pack as they went around trying to save who they could. My eyes darted to where the Alpha lay.

Luna and little Cailan were crying over his slowly healing body.

"What did the doctors say about him?" Hailey asked after following my line of sight.

"It would take a couple of hours," I managed to breathe out. "A couple of hours and his body will heal by itself. The doctor said it was a good thing that he was in human form when he was attacked, if not, there's no way he would be able to heal. Right now, his wolf is healing him."

Hailey breathed out a sigh of relief and sat back, leaning into the wall.

"Call me selfish," she whispered slowly, "Or call me wicked, but I wished everyone who ever treated us bad was killed."

"Hailey!" I chided, turning to frown at her.

"Our lives would be much better without them, and I am unapologetic of what I said," Hailey replied stubbornly, her dry brown hair–just like mine– falling to the side of her face.

"But what was that thing? I saw it speaking to you. What was it saying?"

An unexplainable fury welled up inside my chest as Hailey kept referring to my mate as an it!

"It made me so scared." She continued which made me snap.

"We were all scared, Hailey. Hell, I was the closest in proximity with him so I was terrified. And that was a male wolf–a him not an it!" I spoke fast, gritting my teeth in anger.

"I'm sorry, Lilian." Hailey said softly with deep remorse in her eyes, "I know you're the most traumatised. So, what did he say..." she was thankfully cut off when there was a shout of joy.

"The Alpha is waking up! I saw his hands move!"

Hailey and I bounded from the corner as did everyone around as we all rushed to surround the Alpha. I wanted him to see that I had kept Cailan alive as I promised. I was excited at the prospects of seeing my family. We reached the crowd and pushed past them to get to the frontline.

His hands were indeed moving. After what felt like hours, his eyes flew open and immediately, they landed on me. A look of surprise flashed across his face as he struggled to sit up.

"Alpha! You don't have to. Your body is still..." The pack doctor came over to him but was pushed away with so much brute force he hit his head on a pillar.

Everyone gasped in shock as they shuffled to keep their distance from the Alpha. All these while, his eyes never left mine.

Then, he suddenly opened his mouth to speak... but nothing came out. He tried again and again and again, his mouth opening and closing like a fish but no sound came out. It was then we came to our conclusion–the Alpha had lost his voice.

"Everyone!" Our minds were suddenly intruded by the Alpha's strong and angry voice. "In all our lives, have we ever seen this kind of massacre before? Just an out-of-the-blue attack? When we have made peace with the lands for the past few years..."

Each person turned their heads to each other, shaking their heads in response. This attack had really been strange.

I watched as the Alpha noted the look of confusion on our faces before he continued in the mindlink. "What does this tell you? This was a deliberate act! This was a betrayal by one of our own!"

Everyone gasped in shock, as did I. Who would do such a horrible thing? Who wasn't content with the peace of the pack? Everyone suddenly became wary of each other.

"That's right! Someone set the Predator on us!"

Predator?

That word rang over and over in my head. How was that even possible? Predators didn't exist. The Predator was supposed to be a myth told by parents to keep their children in line. But even as I thought that, everything in me said something different because I knew what I had witnessed.

My mate was the last living predator? But how was that even possible? Alpha Blackthorn's black hair whipped around as his eyes glowered at me before he thundered into the mindlink once again.

"And who would set the Predator on us if not his mate!"

"Mate? Predators don't have mates. That's their curse." Someone from the crowd pointed out and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Oh. I thought that as well," the Alpha nodded to everyone, my heart and mind was racing sporadically. I started feeling lightheaded, but the Alpha continued. "But I am not mistaken. His mate, somewhat disgruntled about how we've treated her in the pack, set him on us as a revenge," the Alpha leered at me, and my heart dropped to my stomach.

He knew. How did he know? My palms had become really sweaty, my eyes wide I was so sure I reeked of fear. This wasn't going to end well.

"Who is this mate? Let us flush him or her out already!" An angry voice tore from the crowd.

"Who else but Lilian Hawthorn?"

The angry murmurs had subsided and turned to whispered hushes as everyone trained their eyes on me.

"That's not..." I tried to defend myself again when I was silenced.

"Shut up! What defence do you have? Are you calling me a liar? He had you pinned against the ground with your eyes looking defiantly at him, yet he did not kill you. No one, I repeat, no one makes eye contact with a predator and lives to tell the tale."