Chapter 6 6: Who Is the Woman I Took

Chapter 6

Maya tried to pull away the moment she had a chance, but he moved in a flash, his eyes glowing with a fierce intensity that made her tremble. His arm wrapped around her like a whip. Just a second ago, she had been above him-now she was beneath him, his weight pinning her to the ground.

"Be quiet," Samuel warned after hearing footsteps in the distance.

"Who... who are you?" she gasped, trying to push him away, but he was solid as stone. The sound of tearing fabric filled the air as her clothes became nothing more than a pile of rags.

Samuel couldn't think. His senses were in chaos-confused, tangled in a storm of instinct and desire. His eyes were a dark abyss, wild and unfocused. He held Maya so tightly her body ached, yet he couldn't bring himself to release her.

His breath was hot against her face, and for a fleeting second, Maya saw something flicker in his eyes... pain? Awareness? But it vanished, swallowed by the beast within him.

"Let me go!" she cried, her voice trembling with fear. "Please, stop! What are you going to do?"

Her plea struck him, but he couldn't stop. He heard her-felt every word like a blow to his soul-but the wolf inside him roared louder. He wanted to fight it, but couldn't. Her scent drove him mad-sweet, unmissable, intoxicating.

"I can't let you go..." he murmured, his voice low and rough, yet laced with desperation. Maya felt tears stream down her cheeks as she pushed against his chest one last time.

But he didn't release her. Samuel took her there, on the damp grass, his instincts consuming every scream, every plea that no one would ever hear.

And even as he did it, he felt his heart shatter. Her sobs were like glass breaking inside his mind-because they were caused by him. Yet he couldn't fight what the potion had awakened within him.

"I didn't want to take your first time like this... but I need your body..." he whispered, clutching her in his arms while she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to silence her sobs and the pain tearing through her.

When it was finally over, Samuel collapsed beside her, his body trembling with exhaustion.

Maya curled up, tears streaming down her face as she clutched the torn remains of her dress and the mess he had made. His scent clung to her skin, and that only made it worse. She rose unsteadily, her body aching, driven by the need to flee from him in panic-though a part of her almost wished she had died under his touch.

Samuel tried to reach her, but his body wouldn't obey. He fell back into the grass.

"Please... I need to know who you are!" he pleaded, ashamed of himself.

He watched as she ran, dressed in white like a ghost fading into the darkness.

As his consciousness wavered between lucidity and darkness, Samuel tasted the bitterness of guilt. He was the Alpha-the leader who was supposed to be married that day-and he had just taken a woman by force. A woman who, he realized with horror, had never been touched by any man before.

A storm of thoughts devoured him. He bitterly regretted not staying in that room with the women his brothers had sent. At least then, he wouldn't have forced anyone.

After a few minutes, he gathered what strength he had left and deactivated the barrier once he felt safe enough.

The elders were already approaching, searching for him.

"Those triplets... always scheming something!" one of them grumbled. "When is Gael going to deal with those half-blood wolves?"

"Stay focused!" another barked. "Samuel must have activated the anti-tracking barrier. We won't find him like this."

Their voices sounded distant, as if from another world. Samuel let the pain of his mistake consume his thoughts for a while, not knowing how he could ever fix what he had done.

The image of the woman running, crying, and looking at him with disgust-even through the darkness-would haunt him for a long time. Still, he couldn't tell who she was; his blurred vision made it impossible to distinguish anything around him.

"Here..." he grunted, forcing himself up as the elders came closer to help.

"What happened?" one of them asked, scanning him with concern.

"I just needed some time... wasn't feeling well," he muttered, still dazed by the potion's effects. They could never find out what he had done.

They dragged him through the back halls to his room. His wedding suit was laid out on the bed, and a few maids waited anxiously.

"The bride's parents are furious about the delay! What are you going to do? Get ready quickly-you look terrible!" one of the elders scolded.

"They're being patient... this shouldn't even be called a delay anymore," he murmured anxiously. "Apologize to them for me and tell them I'll be downstairs in a few minutes," he ordered, keeping his composure as he dismissed the maids.

He fell to his knees on the bed, his body aching, his mind tormented by guilt. Yet amid the pain and confusion, a strange sense of pleasure consumed him.

The moment had been degrading, but he couldn't deny it-it had been one of the most powerful sensations he had ever felt, as if he had known that woman countless times before.

After a cold shower, he dressed and left the room. Everyone seemed tense, and one of the elders approached him.

"The bride's family was acting strange. I sensed something was wrong. They were walking through every room of the mansion, searching for something-or someone."

"Whatever. As long as my bride is ready," he muttered, not giving it much thought.

His brothers were in the hallway too. He approached them; they kept their heads down. But his father stopped him, examining him from head to toe before pulling him into another room.

"I questioned the triplets," his father said tensely. "Did something happen? Did you have an affair with someone?" he pressed, but Samuel just tightened his lips.

"Let's just say... what can't be proven, can't be discussed."

"Kan, this is serious. You have to be careful," his father sighed, then began sniffing the air. His eyes turned glowing blue, fixed on him.

"You tampered with the Goddess of Fate?" he asked, holding a shimmering stone in his hand.

"This is dangerous. If you were with someone like that... you may have gotten her pregnant. Have you thought about that?" His father's tone grew tense, and Samuel's worry deepened.

"I hope not-but it's likely she will be pregnant," he admitted quietly.

"It's possible... The Goddess of Fate gave me this stone to reveal her identity, but it shows nothing. They said she was a woman untouched by any man."

"I already knew... I feel like garbage because of it."

"Let's keep this between us for now. We should get to the ceremony-we're already far too late. It's a miracle they're still waiting," his father warned, cutting the subject short.

"There's been a small issue-it seems the bride is having some kind of problem. We'll have to wait a bit longer. And since the groom is late, we can't exactly complain," one of the elders added, rushing into the room.