Chapter 4: My mate

Celeste pov

My body falls to the ground in shock that Oliver is gone.

His cologne and shampoo fill my nose with a sweet scent. Getting up, I lean my head out of the window. How can his scent be so powerful? There's no time for thinking. Leaving the hotel room, I rush to the lobby. I run to the back of the hotel where Oliver and Daniel jumped.

Even now I can smell him! If his scent is so strong, I should be able to follow it. I sprint through the trees, bushes and make it to the street. As soon as I reach the street, I take a breather. In the past, I ignored it, but now I have a sore head and a sore body, and I'm exhausted. Instead of addressing it, I shove it in the back of my mind. What matters is the scent. As I cross the intersection, a car screeches to a stop almost hitting me as it turns.

This is not something I have time for! In apology, I wave my hand and return to my task of crossing the street. A hand grabs my arm before I could go any further.

Whoa, what the hell?

Mellow is the most correct way to describe me. Other than being around Oliver, I prefer to be alone. Reading and studying are my passions. I dislike confrontations. My temper rarely flares. Tonight, I feel differently. All my senses have gone into overdrive. The more I search for Oliver, I feel like I'll rip off anyone's head.

My other hand swung around to hit the person who grabbed me. The growl that I let out was something I didn't know I was capable of. “Let me go!!!”

The individual was a man. Of course, he was. At this point, I'm sick of men.

I kick him when he grabs my other hand, but he picks me up as if I wasn't there.

“You b*stard, let me go!” I scream as loud as I can. He just grins at me.

With a tilt of his head, “You're quite the feisty wolf, aren't you?”

What is going on with these crazy people? Why are they calling me a wolf? Trying to wiggle free of his grip, I try to squirm away from him.

He sighs, "Can you calm down? No harm will come to you. Tell me what's wrong, and I'll help you. I might be able to aid you. Are we in agreement?”

I pause for a moment. When he grabbed me, I wasn't paying much attention. He's a lot taller than Oliver. Oliver is lean, but this guy is all muscles. As he stares at me, his deep black eyes burn.

I can smell his scent too, but it's more enticing than Oliver's. I would roll around in it if it were perfume. He smells so good, his scent reminds me of sandalwood on a cozy night by a fireplace. It reminds me of winter!

Eventually, I let out a sigh, "Okay, we've got a deal." He lets me go, and I feel my feet touch the ground.

The man crosses his arms across his chest. "Now how come you're running like a ghost is chasing you?"

He looks me up and down. His face turns dark. “Why is your dress torn? You are also covered in wounds.”

My patience starts to wear thin. "I'll explain everything later, but can you please help me? I have a friend in trouble.”

He brushes his long, black hair with his hands. "Okay. Let's go.”

I start running again. It isn't a smart idea to rely on an unknown person, but I have no choice but to hope he isn't a total creep as well. There is nothing about him that makes me feel like Daniel did.

As I continue to run as fast as I can, I sense that I am drawing closer to Oliver. Up ahead is the park.

Oliver's smell is all over the park, but he is somewhere in this area. "I'm Celeste, by the way, thank you very much for coming."

I glance over at him as I was panting hard, and he smiles at me. "I am Zayden."

Zayden. When I hear his name, I feel like I'm catching a bag of bricks. Why do I feel comfortable with him? I shake my head to clear my mind.

Looking around, I hear yelling and what sounds like explosions beyond a group of trees. Immediately, I run.

At a clearing, Oliver and Daniel are walking around each other in a circle. Daniel looks angry and Oliver does not seem hurt as I expected.

“Are you all right?” I yell at Oliver.

He glances at me. It was difficult to read his face, but he looks furious.

“What brings you here, Celeste?” He groans.

I could not hold back my anger. "Oliver, how can you expect me to leave you? Even though I am small, I know how to defend myself effectively!”

Despite being an introvert, I enjoy the sounds of a punching bag just as much as I enjoy reading.

Zayden appears behind Daniel completely out of the blue. Daniel is lifted into the air by his neck.

How did he move so quickly? My jaw drops. Daniel is thrown to the ground by Zayden with a loud thud. Everything in the area seems to shake. The scene in front of me feels like I'm in a movie, and Oliver was left speechless.

Daniel coughs and laughs, glaring up at Zayden, "I didn't realize she was part of your pack. I would have of course let her be if I knew." Daniel slowly gets up, dusting off his clothes. Zayden's aura was deadly.

The smirk on Zayden's face came from irritation. "You pathetic vampire, she isn't just a part of my pack, she is my mate, too. I'm madder than you can possibly imagine! Not only did you hurt her, but you also put your filthy fangs on her!” He roars, making Oliver cover his ears.

What does he mean? Pack? Mate? How do I keep running into these people?

Oliver walks over to me and whispers, “Where did you meet him?”

I rub my face, "I almost got hit by his car when I was trying to find you. He insisted on helping me. I thought I could trust him to help, but he's just as crazy as Daniel." I let out a long sigh.

Daniel backs away from Zayden as if trying to escape. But Zayden is faster and picks him up again. "You really think I'll let you go?" He chuckles evilly.

A group of men appears out of nowhere in the clearing. Zayden glanced at them with Daniel still in his grasp. Daniel is thrown in front of them, "Take him to the villa. Lock him in the basement." One of them grabs him before Daniel can flee.

Zayden comes back to me. As he looks at me, he seems to be worried about me. "Are you okay?" I nod with a small smile.

Suddenly, the pain in my head and body came back with full force, causing me to lose my smile. In pain, I fall to the ground and clutch myself desperately, trying to hold onto anything. The tears are falling down my face as I look up at Oliver and Zayden, "Please make it stop." I whimper before closing my eyes. I feel someone picking me up - either Oliver or Zayden. But I can sense the anger and jealousy that surrounds them both. Unfortunately, I was unable to open my eyes; I pass out.