IRIS POV
His words hung in the air, echoing loud in the silence. Every eye turned towards me, I was still surprised knowing I was his mate and now he had just declared that I was going to leave with him. Their stares on me felt like knives against my skin, wolves all frozen in disbelief that a human like me, a slave was Hades' mate.
The Cursed Alpha's mate. The greatest Alpha warrior. I had heard stories about him, his victory in battle, his ruthless nature and most of all the fear invoked in everyone. I had also heard even the Alpha king feared him but I didn't believe that the Alpha king as scary as he was could fear anyone until today.
I was not left out, my knees trembled. I wanted to speak, to deny his claim on me and tell them there must be a mistake, but my throat was locked. I dared not even speak or look any of the wolves in the eye for fear of my life. I peeked at the one who everyone feared, I had never seen wolf as beautiful as him.
He stood tall, his dark eyes cold as he looked at the Alpha king in his eyes. When he had commanded them to release me, I thought I was saved until he claimed me as his mate.
Mate
The word hunted me, I had heard about wolves and their mates. I am not a wolf so how could I be the mate of Alpha Hades. The elders said it was forbidden and unheard of.
"You dare defy me, Hades?" The king was trying to restrain his fury but I could still feel it.
"I don't defy you, Uncle. I'm merely protecting what's mine"
Mine
The words chilled me to the bone. How could I belong to such a man? It was better I remained here for the rest of my life than follow him.
"A human can't be your mate. It defies the wolf law and the goddess herself" he said through clenched teeth, his voice heavy with restrained rage.
"Well the goddess chose that human herself for me. That human being here, do you think it's just a coincidence and especially on this night?"
Something dark ripples through the air, pressing against my skin. The wolves around us bowed their hand, I could feel it too, the strange invisible force that radiated from him. It was raw power, that could bring anyone to their knees. No one raised their head as the Alpha king and his nephew went back and forth.
I wanted to run away from here and disappear but my body refused to move. My wrists burned and I looked at it, the moon illuminated on it.
"If you leave with that human, you give room for our enemies to hunt us"
"Let them hunt" then I felt his gaze on me.
"Come"
It wasn't a request, it was an order. I didn't move because of how scared I was. My heart pounded in my ribs. When I didn't obey, he moved, swift and furious. His hand closed around my arm, not cruelly but firm enough that I couldn't pull free.
My instinct screamed for me to fight and run but his touch was surprisingly warm and not cold as I assumed it would be. My pulse quickened. He dragged me outside the sacred room and to the front of the house.
"You bring ruin upon yourself, Hades!" The Alpha King's voice thundered behind us but Hades didn't turn.
When we finally stopped at the front of the house, I was shaking from fear and the nights chill. He released me abruptly and I nearly fell.
"W-why?" I whispered, my voice shaking. He didn't answer.
He turned to me and I finally looked up at him and his jaw was tight and his eyes cold.
"What brought you there?" He asked coldly.
"A-a high ranking wolf sent for me" I managed to say but I didn't add that Andrea told me.
"Are you not aware that today was the mating ritual?"
"I forgot"
Something flickered across his face, anger or maybe amusement. I didn't know but it vanished quickly as it came.
"I can't go with you"
"You don't have a choice" he said with a clipped tone.
"The elders said it was an abomination. This is a huge mistake. I rather stay..." he turned from me before I could finish, calling out an order. A guard came from the shadow. He appeared like a ghost.
"Prepare the carriage" he said. They hesitated.
"The king..."
"Now" he snapped, the guard bowed and vanished.
He didn't look at me again. He stood in silence until the carriage arrived. When he finally motioned for me to enter, I obeyed. My body numb.
The inside of the carriage was unlike anything I had ever seen before, the scent of leather filling the air. I had never imagined myself inside a carriage beautiful as this. I sat far from him, curling into myself, my hands trembling in my lap. The door closed, sealing us inside.
The carriage jolted forward. I couldn't believe I was leaving the royal pack, for the first time in my life. I didn't know what to feel. I felt so alone.
For a long while neither of us spoke, he sat silent and unreadable. His gaze flickered to me occasionally, each glance made my stomach twist tighter. The silence between us thickened until I could hardly breathe. I turned away starting at the trees blurring past. I couldn't still believe how my life had changed in mere minutes. His mate. How did that happen?
Every time I looked at him, I felt the same strong pull. It pressed against my senses, the pull was so strong that I wanted to wrap my arms against him but I resisted it. I wrapped my arms around myself and tried to focus on anything else.
At some point, exhaustion won. My eyes grew heavy and despite the quickening of my pulse, I fell into a restless sleep. I saw Alpha Hades in his wolf form chasing me, his eyes glowing red. I woke up with a gasp.
The carriage had stopped. My neck ached from sleeping upright and for a moment I didn't know where I was.
Then I remembered everything that had transpired this night. Alpha Hades. His claim. I looked around but he was gone. The door opened before I could move. A warrior stood, tall and silent.
"We've arrived" he said.
I came out of the carriage. I was now in the Iron Claw Pack. The air felt unusual.