Beyond the Border | ✔

7 | rule 33

RULE 33: ALWAYS STICK TOGETHER WHEN YOU'RE NEAR THE BORDER'S EDGE

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"I'm not your soulmate," I said, as a matter of fact, crossing my arms over my chest.

My heart sunk. If he was truly my soulmate (not that I thought he was), then what would Pa think? Surely, he would be disappointed in me, but more importantly, I could see him being disappointed in himself, thinking he failed me. I longed to reach out to Pa and hug him.

I had hugged him just the other day, but I was struggling to remember what his embrace felt like, and my heart rate picked up.

"You're mine, Sage," he moved even closer, his lips barely touching my ear. "I told you'd I'd show you that whether you liked it or not."

His scent was alluring — a mixture of pine and rain. Instinctively, my body swayed into his hold, leaning in closer to him.

"You may think I'm a monster, but your body is telling me a different story, sweetheart," he whispered into my ear, one of his hands on my knee, inching closer to my thigh.

Quickly, I swatted away his hand and pushed him off of me. I shook my head. He must have spiked me with something to act like this. That had to be it.

"What did you drug me with?" I asked, maintaining eye contact with him, as he took a step back. My hand was tingling from where I had touched Theo; it was an addicting kind of sensation.

"It's the mate bond," he smiled lazily. "It is one hell of a drug, don't you think?"

"Don't be ridiculous," I scoffed, realizing I would get nowhere with him.

He's a monster, after all. You can't reason with them. He was just saying that to provoke me. But why? I couldn't understand why he had captured me.

Then it clicked.

He had to know I was from the Borderlands... He must want to use me for insider information to bring down the Border. I simply wouldn't let that happen. I would rather die than betray my family and friends. While the idea of dying didn't settle too well with me at the moment, I knew — if it came down to it — I might have no choice.

"Where are my friends?" I asked, tearing my eyes away from him.

"Safe," he responded, "for now."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That it depends on you, little mate," he was too smug about the whole situation that made my skin crawl. How could he be so casual about holding my friends captive?

Fast footsteps were heard scampering on the hardwood floor, slowing down once they reached closer to us.

"Alpha, I went to check up on the Luna, and her food was left untouched and she's missing!" the same voice from earlier this morning said frantically.

"It's okay, Mabel, she's right here."

"Oh, thank goodness," a petite woman came clamoring into the kitchen, with a tray full of cold food. It looked like there were pancakes, waffles, french toast, eggs, bacon, and sausage on the plate. My mouth was nearly watering at the sight of it. I hadn't eaten in a while. "Luna, you caused me quite the fright."

I froze.

It hadn't clicked earlier when I was still was bogged down by sleep. Theo was an Alpha and this stranger had called me Luna. No, it couldn't be — a fate worse than death. I couldn't possibly be a Luna.