The loud knock on the door annoyed Natalia as she had just fallen asleep. Confused who was barging at the door, she got up from bed and slowly walked towards the door.
“ughhh..."
She opened the door and saw the unfamiliar man standing in front of her. Her eyes scanned his face.
No matter how hard she tried, Natalia could not recall the identity of the person standing at the door. She expected the man to say something, but that did not happen at all. In fact, she thought the man just stood frozen looking at her.
After a few seconds passed and she could not control herself.
“Who … Who are you?”
“What are you doing here?”
Her voice shook as she controlled the anxious thoughts and looked at the man for answer.
After a long time in his life, Archer was left stupefied and was not able to utter a single word. He was too stunned to speak. The delicious scent of vanilla intoxicated his nose and the sweet voice he had just heard enchanted him. His eyes were so fixated on the beautiful girl that he did not notice the uneasiness in her face.
Seeing the person had no desire to reply, Natalia was about to close the door when she finally got a reaction.
“Hiii…”
The man was not only handsome but had a magnetic voice as well.
Natalia immediately discarded that thought and looked at the man again.
“I seem to have lost my way. Can you guide me to the party?”
That was the best excuse Archer found at the moment, and he even mentally cursed himself for being so lame.
While Archer was in a dilemma, Natalia did not suspect a thing. She pointed out the direction and, without giving the stranger a second chance, closed the door right in front of his face. Once the door was closed, she walked back to her bed and tried to fall asleep again.
Meanwhile, Archer did not leave the place and stood confused for a while. There were a hundred things running in his mind and the most important one was why his mate acted like she did not recognize him at all.
“Wait.. Could it be because she still has not shifted yet?”
But he immediately discarded that thought out of his head. After all, how did he recognize her if she had not been shifted? There was definitely something going on, and he had to get to the bottom of it. His sister mind linked him and told him to get his ass on the party as soon as possible and Archer started running. He effortlessly mingled with the crowd again while his family gave him a side eye.
Archer did not want to arouse any kind of suspicion, so he kept his calm and focused on the party. Seeing the young couple looking at each other with so much love and affection, his mind wandered towards his first mate, Rose. The sudden realization that now he had a second chance mate and the love of his life was not him anymore pained his heart. However, he did not lose his composure and throughout the drive back home, stayed silent.
“Is everything okay, bro?”, Archer’s brother-in-law, Brandon asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
The next few days went on a blur with his mind filled with the thoughts of Rose and his second chance mate. The fear of losing all the precious memories he had with his love made him anxious and unable to sleep at night. At the same time, he could not bear the distance and kept longing for his second chance mate. His heart was torn between his past and the future, and he had absolutely no idea how to react. The change in his behavior affected the people around him as everyone became careful and cautious not to make any mistakes. After all, who had not seen and faced Archer Raven’s wrath?
“Fuck.”
Cursing out loud, Archer looked at the pile of mess angrily and called for the intern who made the report. The whole floor went silent, not breathing loudly and praying for the new intern to escape the wrath of the demon. However, the sight of the new intern running out of Archer’s cabin with tears and a snot-covered face made everyone tremble in fear. Just as he was about to take a breath, his phone rang and Archer picked it up. However, the next moment his anger subsided when he heard he had to go to Greyhound Pack to discuss the upcoming business venture between the two packs. The thought of seeing his mate calmed his troubled mind and he immediately confirmed the meeting.
“I’m coming for you.”
He softly whispered to himself.
************
Natalia dejectedly looked at the coffee shop where she had just been rejected. In recent years, her parents had been cutting off her supplies slowly and for the past six months she had been on a mission for job hunting. However, no matter what, the moment they heard her, she was rejected on the spot.
“Maybe I should just tell people I’m mute. After all, it’s not like I can speak freely.”
Thinking to herself, Natalia sighed again and started to walk. The coffee shop was twenty minutes' walk away from her place and she had no trouble walking back. Her mind was filled with finding a job to support herself and became financially independent so she could finally leave her house, her so-called pack.
Halfway through, she spotted a group of young wolves chatting and laughing loudly. Her danger senses started tingling, and she tried to make herself as invisible as possible. After being rejected, she did not want to face bullying and became a laughingstock for everyone.
But that didn’t happen when one of the wolves spotted her and called to her loudly.
“Hey, b***h, come here.”
His snide remarks made everyone laugh as Natalia looked at them uncomfortably. She knew she had no chance of hiding now and there was no way she could outrun them.
Knowing her fate, she did not struggle and slowly walked towards them. Someone from the can threw an empty can at her and she could not dodge it in time, making her stumble and causing another uproar of laughter.
“s**t. She actually looks cute.”
One of them tried to sniff her, and she just stood there like a statue.
“f**k, she doesn’t have any Alpha's scent on her. She is a virgin bro.”
The remarks of these seventeen-year-olds made her extremely uncomfortable and enraged. But she did not let that show in her face and tried to think of an exit strategy.
“Bro, do you think she will stammer or moan if I f**k her hard?”
Another round of laughter and the four of them stood close to her. They were just about to touch her when a loud growl stopped them, and they looked at the source.
“Alpha Archer.”
One of the wolves greeted the man in a suit who got out of the car and was now walking towards them.
“Let’s go.”
It took Natalia a moment to realize the man in the suit was talking to her. After looking at him carefully, she recognized he was the same Alpha who lost his way and asked her for help. Though she rarely trusted strangers, for some reason she felt like leaving with him would be safer. Thanking him in her heart for rescuing her, she followed the man all the way to his car and sat inside. She looked at her bullies who were now standing in shock and a faint smile appeared on her face.