Alpha Arkan
Because of the Alpha of the Eastern Pack, I had been forced to leave Kayra's side. I still hadn't breathed in enough of her scent.
The thought drew a restless growl from my throat.
"Are you alright, Arkan?" Alara asked. "If you want, you can go back to your mate. I'll keep my father occupied."
No. Kayra told us not to keep our guest waiting, Bozok said. We cannot disappoint her.
I don't think this would disappoint her.
I hesitated for a moment.
I think we should go back and kiss her a little more.
Ah… yes. We should return to those soft lips.
"Ah! Alpha Arkan, I'm so glad you came back."
When I turned around, I found myself face to face with the Alpha of the Eastern Pack.
"We were just coming to meet you, Father," Alara said before walking over to hug him.
"Thank you, Alpha Kıraç," I said, extending my hand. "Welcome to the Crescent Pack."
A pleased smile spread across Alpha Kıraç's face as he shook my hand.
"My dear daughter must have missed Alpha Arkan," he said.
"Yes, Father. It's been a long time since we last saw each other," Alara replied, turning her gaze toward me.
Look. She missed you.
Ha ha ha. Very funny, Bozok.
"I'm sure Alpha Arkan missed you as well. After all, you're engaged," Alpha Kıraç said.
No. I did not miss her at all, Bozok growled inside my mind. Tell them we found our mate and send them away.
Of course I was going to tell them. What did he take me for?
"I found my mate."
The moment those words left my mouth, the smile disappeared from Alpha Kıraç's face. He instinctively pulled his daughter slightly behind him.
"You made an agreement with us—"
He stopped mid-sentence. His gaze locked onto my neck.
"What is that?" he murmured, stepping a little closer. "Is that some kind of black mark on your neck?"
His eyes widened in shock.
"Is that a mate mark?"
"You should see his mate, Father. She's a very cute girl... but also surprisingly fierce," Alara cut in.
Strangely enough, she looked happy. I was relieved her heart didn't seem broken. She was a valuable friend to me.
Hrrr. Not at all. She tried to take my mate's place. Kayra's place.
"Can you believe she bit an Alpha, Father?" Alara continued excitedly. "And not just any Alpha—a noble Alpha."
"Is this true?" Alpha Kıraç asked.
He slowly stepped back, unable to take his eyes off the mark on my neck.
I gave a slight nod in confirmation.
"This is absurd," Alpha Kıraç said, his voice rising slightly.
The growl rumbling from my throat echoed through the corridor, and within moments Soren arrived at my side alongside several guards.
"You misunderstand," Alpha Kıraç said, taking a step back. "An Alpha binding himself to his mate... that is not something that should happen—"
He cleared his throat.
"I mean... it's not something that has ever been seen before."
"I've heard that Alphas used to be marked by their mates in the past as well," Alara said.
Her father's gaze snapped sharply toward her.
"And that is exactly why many packs were left without an Alpha," Alpha Kıraç replied.
"Ah... right," Alara murmured.
Then she looked at me with sorrowful eyes.
"They leave together, even in death."
Kayra
Kongar's cold hands against my cheeks still echoed with the words he had spoken moments earlier.
You are more connected to me than you are to Arkan.
Why did it feel as though the harder I tried to escape this place, the deeper I was being dragged into it? I was just an ordinary person. Well... if I ignored the fact that my sense of reality had completely fallen apart. Maybe none of this was real, and everything I was experiencing was nothing more than a horrifying trick my mind was playing on me.
I hoped that was true.
The moment I felt Kongar's cold lips against mine, my thoughts scattered completely. My eyes widened instinctively as I looked at him. His yellowish eyes were slowly darkening while his face moved even closer to mine.
Tensing, I tried to pull away the hands holding my cheeks, but I couldn't even make him budge. I didn't know why the men in this world were all so strong, but being around them made me feel unbearably vulnerable.
After tightening his hold on my face a little more, Kongar slowly licked my lower lip. The coldness of his tongue sent a shiver through me at first, but only moments later strange tingles began spreading throughout my body.
The hands clutching his wrists slowly loosened before falling uselessly to my sides, and despite myself, I found myself surrendering to him. When my lips parted without me realizing it, Kongar's tongue slipped inside, drawing an involuntary moan from my throat.
What was wrong with this body of mine?
Was I dreaming, or was all of this nothing more than some strange fantasy created by my subconscious?
Please let it be that.
Otherwise, I was going to melt away among these creatures.
As Kongar slowly leaned closer, he took my hand and placed it over his heart. The moment I touched it, it felt as though I was touching my own heart instead. That cold heart seemed to come alive beneath the warmth of my hand.
My fingers slowly drifted lower across his chest, brushing against the stiff fabric covering him.
Why was he wearing so many layers?
I wanted to touch that cold skin.
The thought made a displeased sound slip from my lips, but Kongar swallowed it with his mouth.
As he slowly pulled his hands away from my cheeks, I instinctively reached toward him. Kongar immediately caught the hand I extended before finally pulling his lips away from mine.
"You felt this way with Arkan too, didn't you, Kayra?" he asked in a husky voice.
I was just about to protest when he lifted the hand he was holding and pressed a slow kiss against the back of my hand.
Who was this supposed to be?
Where was the Kongar I knew?
"You don't need him, Kayra. I can make you feel every emotion he makes you feel."
Didn't he realize I was trying to escape both him and Arkan?
"How?"
With that question, I hoped he would finally realize how impossible that sounded.
After tilting his head slightly to the side, Kongar reached his hand toward me and placed his palm over my heart. The sudden contact made me flinch instinctively.
"I feel everything he makes you feel as well," he said, his brows drawing together.
"What do you mean? Can you actually feel Arkan touching me too?"
Even hearing my own question made me uncomfortable.
"No. Of course not. That would be disgusting," he said, his face twisting briefly as though he had tasted something revolting.
Then his gaze settled on me once more.
"When he touches you, I can feel every beat of your heart pounding as if it's about to burst out of your chest."
That had to feel terrible for him. His heart would suddenly race at the most unexpected moments, only to slow down again a second later, and he wouldn't even know why.
It sounded almost like a curse.
"I can make your heart feel the same things Arkan does," he said.
After slowly sliding the hand resting over my heart upward, he cupped my chin and lifted my head, forcing me to look into his dark eyes.
"That heart belongs to me."