BROKEN.

8. Home.

The moment I heard his voice though, for some reason I wasn't as afraid as I knew I should've been of him. His voice was deep and trickled over my skin like honey. He ripped the chains off as though they were nothing and quickly caught me before my weight was supported by just one arm, which would probably have separated the rest of me from it.

My fear came rushing back when his arms went around me and he made contact with my bare skin but an electric shock ran through me at his touch and his scent filled my nostrils. It was nothing like I'd ever felt before.

His scent was fresh, kind of like what the forest smells like after heavy rain. Suddenly, being in his arms wasn't so scary. As if reflexively, he pulled me closer to him and I relished the warmth that I didn't know I was missing all this time. He put his shirt on me and the material felt so soft against my skin. I felt his arms come around me again and I lifted my lashes to get a good look at my rescuer. My gaze met his chest and slowly travelled up, drinking in the muscle. It was a wonder that someone with so much strength could be so gentle. When my eyes met his face, I was struck dumb.

Dark messy hair framed a face bronzed by the sun. His lips were a light shade of pink and his jaw was chiselled. It was almost like I could sharpen a knife on it if I wanted to. His nose was long and straight. When I looked into his grey eyes, I lost my breath.

It couldn't be....mate?

"Elaheh...are you okay?" 

I snapped back to reality to see Kaveh standing at the door staring at me.

"Kaveh," I said and he rushed to me, taking me in his arms. I was home...and safe. My brother would protect me, I knew it. "I missed you," I whispered.

"I'm here now El," he replied, his voice breaking a little. "I'll never let him touch you." I believed him.

Jenna came in with soup in her hands. She sat on my bed while Kaveh took the chair.

"I found my mate," I said and saw Kaveh's fists clench.

"Yes, Aleksy Kai." Jenna clarified in a clipped tone and her eyes flashed with bitterness. "He saved you."

My insides turned into ice when I heard the name. "Aleksy Kai? The Aleksy Kai?" I asked and Jenna looked away.

"As in the Alpha of the Dark Moon pack?" I asked, needing further confirmation. I couldn't believe it. How in the world had the Moon Goddess deemed it fit to pair me with him? Just hearing his name used to send shivers of fear down our spines. He was like the scary stories you told around born fires. You were never sure if they were real but they scared you shitless nonetheless. Thinking of his angry grey eyes now, I felt a chill settle over me.

"I went to seek his help to find you and sure enough..." Kaveh explained, not finishing his sentence.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"He's with his pack," Jenna said and although I knew the answer to that, I couldn't help but feel slightly dejected. I knew of course that he didn't really care about me but it still brought me down. I didn't understand why because it wasn't exactly like I cared about him.

"He wanted to keep you near him but I thought that with everything that's happened, it would be better if you stayed here for some time...where everyone is familiar," Kaveh explained.

"He wants you back by the end of the month," Jenna said and I stared at them in shock.

Wait, what? He wanted me to be with him? Why? It wasn't like him, that was for sure. But then again, what did I really know about him? Then something else weighed down on me. Why would he want me when I had been used and broken beyond repair? How could anyone want a girl after that? Especially an Alpha. They had way more pride than I thought was healthy but no one wanted a girl that everyone had had their way with. The thought brought a heaviness to my chest and I felt a cloud of despair settle over me.