Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
"Interesting."
A slow clap echoed through the trees as a man stepped out from his hiding place.
"I see that your abilities are working perfectly, just like we anticipated," he said, smiling too brightly as he watched her with open fascination.
Camelia's eyes narrowed.
Something about him felt wrong. Not just hostile, but off in a way she could not place. She was certain she had seen him somewhere before, but the memory refused to surface no matter how hard she tried.
"What do you want?" she asked, her voice low.
"He sent me to come get you," the man said, striding toward her with unhurried steps. "So you'll have to come with me."
Her body tensed instantly. She moved back, keeping her distance.
"Who sent you?"
"Does it matter?" he replied, tilting his head to the side, the smile stretching wider, almost manic.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Camelia said, bracing herself in case he made a move.
He stopped abruptly.
For a moment, his gaze dropped to the ground, his expression twisting as if he were thinking too hard. He raised his hand and began biting at his nails, muttering under his breath.
"If she doesn't come with me… what will I do?" he whispered. "What will I tell them…"
Camelia frowned. His behaviour was deeply unsettling. Was he unwell? Or was this some kind of act? She considered ignoring him entirely and continuing on her way.
Then his head snapped up.
"Wait."
The single word sent a chill down her spine as she stilled completely.
Suddenly, it hit her.
She remembered him.
The healer's death. The chaos that followed. The day she had been dragged out of the pack meeting hall on Alpha Caden's orders. Through the pack cheering at her misfortune, she had seen this man standing at the edge of the crowd, watching her with the same unsettling fascination.
"You," she said slowly. "You were there."
His smile faltered, then returned sharper than before.
"Oh. You noticed me," he said softly. "Good. I hate being forgotten so easily."
Before she could even process his words, he lunged towards her like a complete psychopath.
Camelia moved aside just in time, his fingers grazing her arm instead of closing around it. She lashed out instinctively, landing a heavy blow on his jaw.
Groaning, he stumbled to the side. She didn't wait to see his reaction.
Turning on her heels, Camelia sprinted away, her heart pounding violently as she ran, the sound of his unhinged laughter echoing faintly behind her through the trees.
She didn't care to wait around to find out who he was, but she had a feeling he was a rogue, probably with the group attacking the pack.
She didn't slow down, not even once, even as she entered the pack, until she reached the Draven residence, the house finally coming into view.
She had taken her usual short route. She circled the building, finding her way to the area where Ian's room was.
The window was open, the curtains drawn back as well, causing her to heave a breath of relief. She could smell Ian from down where she stood. He was inside.
She proceeded to climb up, scaling her way carefully toward the window.
Camelia slipped inside silently, landing lightly on the floor.
Her eyes quickly found Ian on the bed, sitting up with his eyes closed, head leaned back against the headboard.
"You're bold," Ian said coldly, eyes still shut. "Breaking into my room like this."
The buttons of his shirt were completely undone, revealing his toned and ripped body.
Camelia couldn't help but let her eyes linger longer on his exposed torso. She hadn't gotten the chance to properly size him up last night, but now that her head was slightly clearer, she was amazed at how enticing her mate was.
The thought brought a warm blush to her cheeks.
"I'd like to assume you didn't come here to simply stare," Ian said, his eyes snapping open.
A subtle line creased his brows when he saw how dishevelled she looked. Her blonde hair was a complete mess, leaves and twigs sticking out everywhere.
Camelia straightened. "We have to talk about our mate bond-"
"Camelia, there's nothing to talk about," Ian cut her off before she could even finish.
"Since I cannot reject you, you will reject me and move on with your life."
At hearing those words, Camelia's fists clenched. She could feel her wolf's growing irritation at their mate's stupid suggestion.
"I have no intention of rejecting you, Ian," she said, striding toward the bed.
"In fact," she continued, "I intend to place my mark on you right now, if you will let me." Her ears turned red at her own words.
Ian's lips curled, but there was no humor in it. If anything, it looked like irritation laced with something darker and far more dangerous.
"Don't joke about things you don't understand," he said quietly.
Camelia stopped a few steps from the bed.
"I'm not joking."
His gaze dropped to her clenched fists, the tension in her shoulders, the stubborn fire in her eyes. She didn't look like she was backing down from this. The thought only hardened his expression further.
"You think this is about what we want," Ian said. "It isn't."
He swung his legs off the bed and stood, towering over her. The air between them shifted instantly, heavy with the pull of the mate bond. It was even stronger now than before, especially for Ian.
"You're a werewolf. I'm a vampire. That alone should tell you this ends badly."
Camelia shook her head. She had heard stories before about something like this. Tales about how a werewolf mated to a vampire would be killed off by the pack.
"That's pack superstition," she said, her voice low.
"It's history," Ian snapped. "And it's written in blood."
She opened her mouth, but he did not give her the chance to interrupt.
"Every time this bond has formed, the pack eliminates the werewolf," he continued coldly. "Not the vampire. You. They will call it keeping the balance. Mercy." his eyes darkened.
"They will use this as an opportunity to tear you apart, Camelia."
Her breath hitched, but she refused to step back.
"Then take me away from here," she said quietly.
Ian stilled, then let out a short, humorless laugh.
"Do you even understand what you're asking of me?" he said, frustration dripping from his voice.
His hand shook as he reached for her face, cupping her cheek.
"Are you asking me to kill you?" he muttered.
His fingers traced her face, creeping into her hair. Camelia inhaled sharply, closing her eyes as his fingers moved through it, tugging gently as her lips parted.
Fuck everything he had spoken until now. At that moment, all he wanted to do was claim her, ravage those lips until they memorized his kisses.
His head dipped down, lips barely centimeters from hers, but he suddenly remembered Thomas's words from last night.
He immediately pulled away, jaw clenched in barely held restraint as he walked past her, going to stand by the window. His nails dug painfully into his palm, drawing blood as he struggled to keep himself together.
Camelia's eyes snapped open immediately as she turned, only to see his back as he stood by the window.
"Reject me," his voice came out hard and cold, like a command.
"You think marking me will fix this," he went on. "It won't. It will paint a target on your back so large you won't survive the week."
Silence fell between them, broken only by Camelia's uneven breathing.
"You're trying to scare me," she whispered.
"No," Ian replied, finally looking at her again. "I'm trying to save you."
Her eyes burned. "I never asked you to save me."
Before he could respond, a sharp knock came from the door. His gaze fell on the door, then back to Camelia, his eyes lingering on her for a moment longer.
"You should leave."
He walked over to the door and opened it.
A maid stood there.
She bowed her head low. "Master Lucas has sent for you," she said, keeping her head as low as possible.
"I'll be with him in a minute," Ian said, already knowing why his brother was sending for him.
Before leaving, the maid raised her head, her eyes falling on Camelia inside the room before quickly averting them.
Ian shut the door and faced Camelia, who still stood there. He sighed, rubbing his face as he strode over to the wardrobe to change.
Camelia sat down on the bed, averting her eyes from him, until she noticed him about to completely remove his shirt.
"I'm going out. You should be gone by the time I get back," Ian said before leaving the room.
….
Two cars pulled up in front of the cabin that stood deep within the woods on the south side of the pack, isolated and unnervingly quiet. Ian and Lucas stepped out from the car behind, followed by Thomas, who exited the driver's seat with a noticeable irritated expression.
Alpha Caden stepped out from the car in front and walked over to the three vampires.
"She said only you three may enter."
Lucas nodded once, he and his brothers striding toward the cabin door. He and Thomas entered first, but Ian stood by the door for a moment, glancing over at Alpha Caden before finally stepping inside.