The Girl He Marked by Laila Callaway novel Chapter 4

Oberon's POV.

She grunts in frustration, and I finally put her down. Antagonizing her isn't going to get us anywhere.

I slam the gate closed before she gets out, locking us both in the cell. She crosses her arms over her chest and glares at me.

'Look here, Alpha, I don't want to be your mate.'

I shrug, trying not to show how much that hurts. 'You haven't got a choice.'

She narrows her eyes at me. 'I could reject you.'

I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach.

'I wouldn't do that if I were you,' I advise quietly.

I take a step towards her, and she takes a step back.

'If you reject me, you put yourself through a world of pain, as well as me. It will take you years to feel like yourself again and there's no guarantee that the Moon Goddess will bless you with a second mate,' I goad her, stepping towards her until her back hits the wall.

I place my hands on the wall on either side of her head, pinning her in. I lean in close, smirking when I hear how fast her heart is beating.

'Your body wants me, so why are you fighting it' I question her. I hold up a strand of her hair and twirl it between my fingers. 'The Moon Goddess paired us together for a reason. She obviously thinks we're the perfect match.'

Phoebe glares stubbornly. 'She was wrong.'

I glare back. 'The Moon Goddess is never wrong, and you know it.'

To accuse our Goddess of making a mistake is blasphemous. My little mate looks embarrassed with herself for insulting our deity.

'I know,' she admits quietly, her eyes dropping to the floor.

She takes a deep breath and looks me in the eye.

'You can't keep me locked in here forever,' she says defiantly. 'If I'm your mate, I demand you respect my wishes and let me go.'

I smirk at her. 'No can do, little mate.'

I step back and cross my arms over my chest.

'I can't have you hurting yourself or putting yourself in danger. I'm not letting you go by yourself. I want you to eat that food and take those pills, I will check on you in half an hour.'

I turn to leave, and she lets out a cry of anger and frustration. She hurls herself at me, jumping onto my back.

The guards come running up to the cell, just as I'm trying to pry her off my back. She yanks on my hair, making me growl in pain.

The guards unlock the door and pull her from me.

'Don't hurt her!' I snap at them as they cuff her wrists to the metal handcuffs chained to the wall.

She growls and snarls at them and they both step back quickly. The three of us leave the cell and my mate pulls on her restraints, glaring at me.

'I will see you in half an hour,' I tell her calmly.

My scalp is still throbbing from her yanking on my hair. That isn't exactly how I pictured my mate pulling on my hair, if she ever did. I kind of hoped that it would be during the throes of fucking.

'You're an asshole! You can't lock up your own mate!'

I ignore her shouts as I walk down the corridor.

It hurts me that she doesn't want me as a mate. I don't know what else to do. She attacked me, twice.

'Um, Alpha' One of the guards gets my attention. 'This is what she had on her; someone keeps ringing her phone.'

I thank him and take my mate's handbag. I carry it back to my office.

As I open it, the whole thing starts vibrating with an incoming phone call. I dig out the phone and swipe to take the call.

'Phoebe! Where the fuck are you I've been worried sick! Why weren't you answering your phone' A female voice shouts angrily down the line, I grimace and pull the phone away from my ear.

'This is Alpha Hyde of Hyde Forest Pack. Phoebe was found trespassing and drunk on our land this morning; she is currently in our holding cells. Who is this please'

It's silent for a moment before the woman starts up again.

'Oh my gosh! Alpha, I'm so sorry. We went out drinking last night and we got into a fight, Phoebe took off and I didn't see her again. I'm her twin, Paige. Is she okay'

'She's fine. It appears that she is my mate. Although, Phoebe hasn't taken the news too well.'

To my surprise, Paige bursts out laughing.

'Oh, Alpha, I feel so sorry for you. This is hilarious! We were fighting last night because Phoebe insisted that she doesn't need a mate, how ironic that she found him the very next day!'

I chuckle awkwardly. This woman seems a little more excitable than what I'm used to.

Apparently, passion runs in her family.

'If you don't mind, I would like her to stay with me until I can make some progress with her. At the moment, she keeps trying to escape.'

Paige sighs heavily. 'Yeah, I bet she does. I feel better knowing that you're her mate, at least I know that she is in good hands. Has she told you why she hates Alphas'

I frown at that statement. 'She dated a controlling Alpha before, apparently'

'Yeah. We were part of the Lothian pack, she dated the Alpha, Harrison, for about a year. It ended badly. Phoebe and I have a lot of guy friends and he forbade her from seeing them, he tried to control where she went, what she wore. We left his pack after they broke up a few months ago and we haven't joined another one since.'

I grip the phone tightly and then quickly release it, worried I might break it. I can't believe Harrison treated her like that. I've known him for years, but we're not friends, merely allies.

'Is there anything I can do to make her warm up to me' I ask pathetically.

'She's in denial that she needs a mate. I can only recommend that you show her that deep down, she does want you. And try not to be too controlling, it's a trigger for her anger and she can be right firecracker when she loses her temper.'

'Don't I know it. I've got a bald patch thanks to her,' I joke and Paige laughs.

'Oh, Alpha, I am sorry. I can come and talk to her if you want Shall I come round'

I'm so glad that Paige is supportive of our bond, even if Phoebe isn't.

'Honestly, at this point, I'll take all the help that I can get. Do you know where our main entrance is'

'No, can you send it to me Look, I can come after I finish my shift. I can't get time off, I'm afraid, I'm a nurse. I finish at 6 PM.'

I jot down Paige's number and send her directions to get to the pack. With renewed hope, I wait another twenty minutes before checking on my mate.

Phoebe has eaten all of the food when I return to the cell.

I'm carrying a towel, a bag of toiletries and one of my t—shirts.

'I've brought you these, I thought you might want to freshen up,' I tell her.

She looks at the things in my hands and stands up.

'How am I going to do that' She asks me.

'I will let you use one of the bathrooms in the pack house. One with no windows.'

She glares. 'Fine.'

'Do you promise to behave I can put you in cuffs if I need to.'

I can't help but smirk as I think of having her handcuffed for me. She glares, knowing exactly which direction my thoughts have taken.

'Pig,' she mutters, but her flushed cheeks give her away. 'I promise.'

I think my little mate likes that idea.

⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆✥⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆