You Rejected Me. Remember?
In Love With My Best Friend Chapter 25

Astrea

I was in pain yet, slowly, I started to wake up. My head felt like it might split. Wincing, I g*****d and turned around. Without opening my eyes, I started to massage my temple, hoping that it would reduce the suffering.

“Wake up, darling,” a dreadful, deep voice whispered, and I felt my whole body stiffen. I focused on the scent of my environment. The atmosphere wasn’t familiar to me. I sniffed the air, hoping to catch a whiff of the person who spoke to me, but nothing. Maybe they had somehow inhibited his scent.

Frowning, I forced my eyes to open. The room was dark. However, with the gift of our night vision, it wasn’t hard for me to look around. Though it wasn’t as clear as it would be during the day, I could look around just fine.

I wasn’t in the palace. I realized. My surroundings were unfamiliar. The room was compact and monotonous. The dull cement blocks of the walls and the cement floor had no life in them. A wooden door was right in front of me and a little window beside it revealed a glimpse of the silvery moon, but that was it. There was nothing else. No furniture, not even a mattress. I was lying on the cold floor. But who was the one who spoke to me?

The creases on my forehead deepened as I looked around. My breathing hitched when my gaze zeroed on a tall, well-built man who was leaning against the wall behind me… wait.. I knew him… Calvin!

I gulped. Being in the same room as him meant trouble. Staring at him, I tried to analyse the situation. They had brought me here. We were at the perimeter, trying to settle everything. I squinted at him, as I tried to recall what had happened next. They had Zelda, and he wanted me in exchange for her. Yes, I remembered.

A cold shiver ran down my spine when I remembered how he kept calling me his girl. That was cringe-worthy. Why would I be his girl? He was nothing but an eccentric criminal and we met for the first time. Suddenly, my headache didn’t matter much to me. The matter at hand was worse than I thought and I knew I couldn’t slack. I had to fight against all odds.

“Hello, my darling,” he smirked as I sat up.

What he might do to me scared me a bit. I knew he was a Lycan, hence stronger than me. Moreover, I was most probably where they wanted me to be, on their turf… if we could call this land their turf…

Regardless of the situation, I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I would strive till the end and if I had to die, I wanted to die fighting. Like a true heroine.

“How are you?” He asked, tilting his head, as though everything was perfectly fine.

I scoffed.

“You mean, other than the fact that you have kidnapped me? I am fine,” I grimaced. I had no interest in entertaining him, and it irritated me that my response seemed to have amused him.

He chuckled. “You see, I haven’t met a girl as fiery as you. I like it,” he snickered.

I rolled my eyes.

“What do you want?” I demanded.

Shrugging his shoulders, “you, of course,” he stated as a matter of fact. I gritted my teeth.

I wanted to challenge him, but I knew I had to use my brains against him. He was physically stronger and I didn’t have my weapons with me. In addition to that, being away from my home was an added drawback.

“You are crazy and you can’t have me,” I spat. I just had to say it.

“If you think you can claim me just like that, you are wrong! My heart belongs to someone already. Someone much, much better than you. He isn’t a crazy lunatic who keeps trying to snatch what isn’t his,” I mocked.

The thought of being with him made me want to puke.

I wished I could tear his limbs on the spot. He was getting more and more bothersome by the second. The annoying grin on his face was adding to my discomfort. He looked outside the window and pointed outside.He didn’t seem to be offended by what I had said. In fact, he didn’t seem to care.

“See the moon, darling?” He said. “Do you know what is special about this night?” Still grinning, he glanced at me. My eyes darted towards the moon. My lips parted when I saw a reddish shadow blocking the silvery light of the moon.

The b***d moon!

Gulping, I glanced at the moon. The moon looked more like a crescent. But I knew that it was a full moon night. That shadow could only mean that the phases of the b***d moon had begun.

s**t! I had forgotten about it!

But why did he ask me that stupid question? I glanced at him skeptically. I didn’t have a good feeling about it. Yet, I chose to remain silent.

“See that red shadow?” He sounded excited. “It is a very special night for me… for us,” he said.

Not knowing what to expect, I stood up. I need to think of a way to escape. The only way out was the door and the window. But with this lunatic with me, it would be impossible.

Deciding that I would attempt to run out as soon as he left, I studied his countenance. I just couldn’t understand why he sounded so excited. And why was he in the same room as I was? Shouldn’t he be with his followers?

“Ash?” I called my wolf.

Silence.

“Come on… Ash! You can’t go silent now,” I pleaded through our link. Yet, I received no response.

Perhaps she was resting.

I told myself for self satisfaction and tried to gulp down my anxiety. I could feel her presence, so I wanted to assume that she was fine.

“Just a moment more,” he whispered, looking intently at the moon that was now almost completely red.

I gulped. I had never thought anything could be eerie and amazing at the same time until I saw this. Eerie, because what awaited us in the near future was still a mystery and amazing because it was simply extraordinary.

Anxious, I watched the silvery moon slowly change its colour. The red shadow engulfed the moon and it looked like a bloody red moon… my heart raced. So that was the b***d moon. My anxiety skyrocketed. Something was supposed to happen tonight… but what?

Calvin walked towards me and I naturally took a step backwards. However, the room was tiny and my back soon hit the wall. My eyes shifted from the dangerous rogue approaching me to the window that revealed the bright red moon. It has happened. It was the b***d moon. I trembled in fear when I saw him saunter over to me. I was more worried about what Calvin was about to do. I proceeded to move, slithering away from him.

However, after some time, it seemed that he had had enough and dashed towards me. He was fast, and it wasn’t a surprise. He was a fully shifted lycanthrope and a trained guard.

Everything happened so rapidly. One minute he was moving slowly, almost crawling at the speed of a snail, and the next minute, he was right in front of me. Placing his hands on either side of my face, he caged me in-between his arms.

His face was uncomfortably close to mine. The stench of his breath was making it hard for me to breathe.

“Get away from me!” I demanded and tried to push him away.

He didn’t budge. Pushing against his rock hard chest was like trying to move a stubborn boulder from its place.

“Don’t you still get it?” He suddenly asked, making me halt.

“Get what?” I shook my head. “I don’t care! I don’t want you to be close to me. Go away!” I screamed. Within a flash, he grabbed both my arms in one hand and pinned them above my head.

My chest constricted in fear. What was he doing?

“Ash! Help!” I desperately called for my wolf. She stirred in my mind, rather uncomfortably.

“Astrea… those sparks….”

I froze. My eyes widened and I could have sworn that my heart stopped beating. Could it be? No… no, no, no. It couldn’t be.

“Do you feel the tingles?” He whispered. My heart was hammering in my chest. I gulped.

No!

I wanted to scream. Lintels of sweat trickled down my face. My chest heaved as I twitched.

No! He couldn’t be my mate!

I wanted to cry. However, it was undeniable. The tingles exploded where he was holding my hands and it was very noticeable. At first it was faint, almost imperceptible. However, as time passed, the tingles started to get more and more central. It was undeniable.

Tears gathered in my eyes. No.

His smirk widened and there was nothing I liked about it. I suppose that he realised that I also felt it. He looked evil… he was evil.

“Hello, little mate,” he snickered under his breath and lowered my right hand, pinning it against the wall. He made sure that he held my other hand and sandwiched my body between him and the wall, making it impossible for me to flee. Slowly, he lowered his head towards the crook of my neck. I felt that my soul might leave my body.

I can’t let him mark me… not like this. Not ever!

“No!” I screamed and thrashed against him with all my might.

He can’t mark me! He can’t!

I resisted. I didn’t want to allow him access to my marking spot. It was supposed to be reserved for Leo. Only him.

A menacing growl erupted from his chest when he found it hard to sink his teeth in. He bared his yellowing teeth at me and forcefully titled my head, while still holding me using one hand. He was bigger and stronger than me even in the human form. The other thing was, he was a supreme lycan and I was just a wolf. An alpha, however, a wolf.

No!

He ran his tongue over my marking spot and it irked me to no end. It didn’t make sense. If he was my mate, everything about him would be likeable to me. Yet, I was irritated at being held by him. Was it because I was being held by force? I couldn’t care less about it. I wanted to prevent him from imprinting me.

I squirmed and revolted. Nevertheless, my pleas and protests fell on deaf ears.

Despite my efforts, I couldn’t free myself from his grip. He was just too strong. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I felt his canines scrape the surface of my skin.

No… please…

“Let me go!” I shrieked, still struggling against him. However, he didn’t budge. His disgusting breath fanned my skin, and the urge to scrub my skin clean was increasing. He was too close to me, too close.

“Let me go… please…” My pleas eventually reduced to weak sobs as I felt his teeth pierce my skin. The pain of being imprinted on, ripped throughout my frame, sending me into a state of panic.

Inhaling deep gasps of breath, I tried my best to withstand the agony. Tears continued to spill out of the corners of my eyes. This wasn’t supposed to be how someone marked his soulmate. It wasn’t presumed to be painful. It was reckoned to be pleasurable. It was supposed to be done out of love. Not by force.

Oh the pain…

It was unbearable. Waves of agony pulsed through my physique. I stopped fighting and my tears dried up. I was exhausted. I felt his canines being slowly retracted and he stepped back.

I stumbled onto the floor, exhausted. I was still aware of what was going on, yet had no desire to react to anything. My fight against him had worn me out. He didn’t bother to pick me up, or help me stand. He didn’t even care about checking if I was fine. He simply did what he wanted to and walked away.

I heard his footsteps and the door clicked open.

“See you later,” he snickered. “Mate,” he added, as though he was making fun of me.

The door closed and the lock clicked. He locked it from outside. As I lay staring into the expanse, a lone tear rolled down out of my left eye.

My gaze shifted towards the open window. The redness of the moon was slowly clearing away.

“Astrea…”

I heard Ash’s voice. She was also worn out. My wolf and I had lost our first battle against him.

“I… “

“Shhh.”

I hushed her. I didn’t want to talk. Not yet.

“Please listen to me,” she begged. Pursing my lips, I let her know that I was ready to listen.

Sighing, “this bond seems weird to me. Mates are supposed to be able to detect their scents. I didn’t sense that. Just the sparks…” she trailed off.

My lips parted. “I know,” my voice was hoarse.

Neither my wolf nor I could fathom what was going on. All I knew was he had forcefully marked us and I felt ruined. I was supposed to let Leo do that, not some deranged criminal.

A sob escaped my lips.

“Ash… I… I am tired… please…” my voice quivered.

She heaved a sigh. “Same here,” she confessed.

Silence followed. “Rest, Astrea,” she whispered and retracted to the back of my mind.