Chapter 31: Chapter 31

I was leaving to go grab the few groceries Clarice had rung ahead and ordered from the grocer. It was a nice day out today as I went over the mental list of the chores I still had to complete. As I walked toward the main gates, I noticed the King talking to some man who had his back to me. Yet as the breeze shifted, every muscle in my body tensed and I found myself unable to move. It was as if my body went into some sort of shock.

“Abbie, are you okay?” I heard Liam’s voice reach my ears, yet still I couldn’t bring myself to move. My heart leaped in my chest when his hands gripping my arms jolted me out of the odd state I was in. Liam turns me to face him.

Yet my eyes automatically go to the stranger standing with the King. His suit was a light grey, his jacket open, and he had his hands in his pants pockets. My eyes roamed over his body. The white shirt he wore fitted his body in a way that I could see the outline of his abs pressing tight beneath it. .

When his eyes met mine, he appeared curious while every part of me screamed, mate. “Abbie?” Liam’s voice says, and I notice the man’s eyes go to Liam’s hands gripping my arms. His lips move in a way that told me he didn’t like Liam touching me. I shake my head, coming out of my daze and looking at Liam, who stared worriedly at me. He glances over his shoulder at the man the King was with.

“Sorry, I forgot what I was doing,” I tell Liam before quickly rushing out the gates while every part of me screams I should be running toward my mate, not from him. Yet he made no move to stop, and once I was walking down the road, I shook my head, thinking I must have imagined it. I make my way into town, yet that nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach never dwindled. If anything, it only got worse.

The entire walk was a daze. Even once I retrieved the goods I was sent for, I stepped out of the shop, having no memory of even stepping foot in there. I was on autopilot while my mind was consumed with the man back at the castle. So consumed, I didn’t even notice he had followed me to the small town until I walked into him.

“You didn’t stick around to introduce yourself, little rude, don’t you think, little mate?” A deep voice came before hands slid up my bare arms, leaving tingles from his touch.

I take a startled step back, and he puts up his hands in what I assumed was supposed to be an apologetic gesture. “Your name is Abbie, isn’t it?” He asks.

I say nothing. Despite him being my mate, he was still a stranger, though every fiber of me being called for me to go to him, submit to him.

He glanced around, and so did I. No one was around, which only made me more nervous in his presence. “Liam told me your name. No need to be scared. I won’t hurt you, love,” he tells me. Still, my brain doesn’t seem to be able to function, and he sighs loudly. “I’m Alpha Kade, but you can call me Kade.”

“Nice to meet you,” I tell him, trying to step around him, knowing no Alpha would want a rogue for a mate, and I could tell he was an Alpha. His aura wasn’t as strong as Gannon’s or anyone really I had met here, yet there was the power behind it that told me I was right in thinking that. He sidesteps, stepping back into my path.

“Trying to escape me, I don’t mind a good chase, though I would rather not cause a scene here,” he tells me, making me look up at him. He catches my chin between his fingers, forcing me to meet his gaze. His eyes flicker, and I watch his tongue dart out between his lips as he looked me over.

“You realize who I am to you?” He asks; his tone was curious.

“You’re my mate,” I whisper, waiting for his rejection so I can go about my day. He chuckles softly, leaning down, so close his lips are almost brushing mine.

“Hm, if you know, then why are you trying to run from me?” He asks.

I blink at him, and my brows furrow at his words. “I’m not; I am…” I stopped myself, knowing that was exactly what I was trying to do. He raises an eyebrow at me, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip.

“Good, I am a busy man and don’t have time for silly games of hide and seek. So shall we?” He asks, letting me go and motioning toward his car. I glance down at my bags in my hands, knowing Clarice needed them for dinner tonight.

“I’ll return you to the castle after lunch. The King okayed it,” he tells me.

“You told the King who I am to you?” I asked. He nods his head, reaching for the bags I gripped so tightly my knuckles were straining against my skin.

“Of course. Now come on, there is a cafe down the road,” he tells me, and a giddy feeling rises in my stomach. My mate wanted me? He wanted to keep me? He wasn’t rejecting me! I thought for sure when he said nothing, that meant he was going to reject 0.00%

12:44 D me.

Chewing my lip nervously, I glanced at his car. It was sleek and modern. He opened the door and motioned for me to climb in. My mother would have scolded me really good for getting in a car with a stranger, but mum always said mates were our biggest blessing. They would love us unconditionally and never leave us. When I was younger, I craved to have a relationship like my mother and father had. Though over the years, I never thought it would be a possibility for me. No one would want a broken rogue for a mate.

Mum’s words flitted through my head, a vague memory I had. “If you find your mate, and I hope you do one day, it would be the most magical experience of your life. You’ll know instantly they are yours, and you are theirs. It’s a love that compares to nothing else,” she once told me, and I wondered while looking at him if I would have that with this man. Mrs.

Daley always told us we would never have a mate, that we were unlovable and vile. Hearing that enough over the years, I started to believe her. Yet as Kade waited for me to climb into his car, I wondered if she was wrong.

“I mean you no harm. Don’t you feel the pull?” He asks, and I nod.

“You’re not thinking of rejecting me, are you, Abbie? You wouldn’t shun the moon goddess in such a way, would you?” Kade asks.

“No, of course not. I just didn’t expect you to want me back,” I answered honestly.

“Of course I want you. You’re my mate. Now, who doesn’t want their mate?” He asks, and my cheeks heat at his words.

“So shall we?” He asks, motioning toward his car again. A giddy feeling bubbles up within me, and I nod, climbing in the car. He leaned over me, plugging in my seatbelt before pausing as he went step away. His hand cups my cheek, his thumb brushing below my eye gently.

“You are a pretty one,” he murmurs, and tingles rush across my face, his scent inviting, and I am unable to help myself as I inhale deeply, his scent strong like peppermint and white chocolate. Kade chuckles softly.

“Good to see the feeling reciprocated,” he whispers, his eyes sparkling as they go to my lips. He then clears his throat, letting me go and shaking his head as he shuts my door.

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