His Defiant Mate

Aria’s wrists were already sore from how tightly the guards held her before, and now the heavy chain was holding her hands together. Her father had started to treat her like a thief lately, so she had learnt to be good at pretending she wasn’t angry. Rage only attracted more punishments from her father but showing fear made her appear vulnerable.

She watched her father walk ahead of her, as if this were some political meeting and not the day he was delivering her to the most feared Alpha, located beyond the waters.

The Ironwood border didn’t look welcoming. It was known for its tall trees, shrouded in thick fog, and a silence that many feared. People whispered that Alpha Cole Draven lived in a land where sound was swallowed, and today, Aria believed it. She was starting to realise that the rumours were literal.

Her wolf, Maya, rumbled. “We should run. I don’t like this place.”

“We can’t just run with these heavy irons on my wrists, can we?” Aria answered silently. “Let’s just watch and observe everything for now.”

Her father strode forward without looking back, not even once. Aria watched silently. It was typical of him when his mind was made up on a decision.

The first Ironwood warrior stepped out of the fog, tall and blank-faced. Aria felt something heavy in the air, but it wasn’t magic, it was tension. The warrior bowed his head to Ronan Hale, her father, and motioned for them to follow.

The clearing they entered held a large wooden cabin that was silent, and nothing like the elegant packhouses she’d grown up around. Ironwood wasn’t about luxury; it was about survival. Ironwood prioritised endurance, over comfort and the air was colder there. Her heart started to thump hard. She was starting to wonder if she could survive a day in the place.

Her father finally looked at her. “Fix your dress, Aria. You’re meeting your future husband. You should look less…” He paused, searching for a word.

She scoffed. “You mean my captor. You’re basically selling me to him, father.”

He straightened his coat instead of responding, but she caught the tension in his jaw. Even he was nervous. It worried her. There was someone whom her stubborn, selfish father was afraid of.

The cabin doors opened. Cole Draven stepped out, and everything around her seemed to pause. He was taller than the rumours suggested; not bulky, but physically looked strong in a way that didn’t need announcing.

He had dark long hair, pushed back behind his head. His nose was pointed, and his chin was dotted with his stubble, and his lips belonged to a man who didn’t smile often, if ever. And his eyes…deep brown with gold at the centre, steady and unreadable.

His wolf pressed close beneath his skin; she could feel it. Maya could feel it. Her wolf leaned forward with a warning. “Careful, Aria…he’s powerful.”

Aria held her chin up. She wouldn’t flinch for him even if her father’s breathing lost its rhythm after Cole joined them. Cole stopped a few steps away and looked at her father, not her.

“Is this her?” He asked.

Her father bowed his head. “Yes, Alpha.”

Cole’s gaze finally shifted to her, slow and assessing. His eyes landed on her wrists, the red marks from the irons and something flickered there, too quick to name but it could be narrowed down to the fact that he didn’t think his Luna should be in chains like a prisoner.

“Release her,” he ordered and her father’s guards obeyed instantly. But the moment the irons fell…Aria ran.

She dashed and sprinted into the forest, launching herself forcefully enough to rip the edge of her dress. The chilly air stung her lungs as she barely managed to breathe. She kept running even when the dry air made her eyes start to tear up. She had been planning her escape throughout the journey; the woods were clear and she could transform once she got to a thicker shelter.

A blurry figure cut across her path. She inhaled sharply…and before she could exhale, she was on the ground.

Cole slammed her down faster than she even registered him moving. His grip caught both her wrists above her head; his body pinned hers without crushing her, but he didn’t leave her room to breathe. The strength in his hold wasn’t human.

Aria struggled violently, enraged at how easily he pinned her. “Get off me!”

His eyes locked on hers, and his gaze was calm in a way that made her angrier. “You tried to run from your mate,” he said quietly. “Already?”

The word burned through her. Aria felt a rush in her chest. It was him causing it. She paused for a moment to catch her breath, then she tried shoving him off and failed so she glared up at him. “I didn’t choose you.”

Cole’s jaw tightened. “And you think I chose this? You think I want my mate brought to my border in chains?”

He shouted from behind them, “Alpha, she’s a bit stubborn and strong-headed, but she’ll learn to…”

Cole didn’t look at him. He didn’t need to. “That’s enough.” The tone of his voice snapped the surrounding quiet.

He focused on her again. “You’re not allowed to do that again. You won’t run, do you understand?”

She let out a short, sharp, disagreeing laugh. “Watch me.”

He shifted in a flash once more. In one moment, she was trapped under him; in the next, he had spun her onto her belly and hauled her up with her wrists secured behind her back, in his hold.

She gasped from the sudden motion, her anger intensifying out of her control. Cole lowered his head, his breath brushing her ear. “Okay. Run again, and I’ll catch you again. Every time…until you understand you’re not leaving this territory.”

It wasn’t a threat. It wasn’t a promise either. It was just a fact and he wanted her to know it. Aria felt every hair on her body rise, but decided to still be defiant. She couldn’t let him have the last say.

“You can’t force me into staying here,” She snapped.

“You’re my mate,” He started, voice rougher now. “And I won’t let you die in those woods just because you want to spite your father and me.”

Her father stepped forward. “Alpha, the papers…”

“Leave them with my Beta,” Cole said, still clutching her. “You can go.”

Aria felt it. She felt her father’s pride rise as he left. He was soon to be in relations with Cole Draven himself. As he stepped away with his guards, he didn’t say goodbye. He didn’t look at her. He didn’t even hesitate.