Wymond, The Cursed Beast: He's My Mate (Mated to Beast King Werewolf Romance Series Book 2)

Arabella's point of view.

Being the only living soul wandering through this lifeless, enchanted forest was terrifying. I could barely move my legs, but I was already in too deep to turn back. I had to get out quickly, so I forced myself to keep moving.

A gust of eerie breeze blew past my ears, sounding as though someone had just sprinted past at great speed. I shivered.

It was pitch dark everywhere, but since I was a werewolf, I could still see clearly. I saw goosebumps rising on my arms and hugged myself tightly.

Then it dawned on me. Daphne had said a dead body was found around this area last night. Could the killer still be lurking around?

"It's late."

I heard a deep, frightening voice speak near my ear.

I jumped back and couldn't suppress the shriek that left my mouth. But before I could grasp what was going on, or even get a glimpse of who had spoken, a hand wrapped around my neck.

I was lifted off the ground and slammed against a tree I hadn't noticed earlier. I closed my eyes and grunted in pain. If I wasn't a werewolf, I was sure my backbone would have broken from the impact.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, struggling to get away. It was impossible; his hold was ironclad.

I lifted my head and opened my eyes. My breath hitched instantly, and my mouth parted at the sight that greeted me.

I had heard people say *he took my breath away*, but I had never really understood the meaning of the phrase. Right now, I had the perfect explanation.

My eyes trailed along his facial features. His thick, perfectly arched eyebrows were knitted together in a frown, and his long eyelashes framed sparkling blue eyes. His lips looked a little pale, but still so beautiful and tempting. I stared at them longingly, folding my lower lip into my mouth and biting it hard until I tasted a metallic liquid. That was when I realized I'd injured my lip.

He looked flawless and sinfully handsome. Even though he was frowning, he didn't look any less devastating.

*Is this human? How can someone be so perfect?*

*Hold on a sec, why is my heart pounding so fast? Am I having a crush on him? What about my mate? What am I going to do when he…*

"What were you thinking, coming into the woods at this hour?" His hoarse voice interrupted my unnecessary thoughts.

"It's the only way home," I answered, strangely bold.

He growled, as if he didn't like the tone of my answer. His free hand held my chin up, and he stared into my eyes, his own squinted in… anger?

"A lot of things can happen to you in the woods tonight. Do you know that?" he snarled.

That was when I saw it. There was a small trail of blood in the corner of his mouth. Judging from the scent, I could tell it was fresh.

My eyes widened as fear suddenly gripped me. My heart accelerated as different thoughts ran through my mind.

*Could it be I've met the Beast? Is he going to kill me? Is my blood next in line?*

*Oh no, please spare me. I'm a very good girl. I might be a little rude, but I'm still a good girl. Please don't kill me.* I started praying in my mind.

"Answer me!" he bellowed.

"A-are you the Beast?" I asked instead.

Honestly, I didn't know where this courage came from, or why I asked that question. I just couldn't keep it in and blurted it out.

"Don't I look like a Beast?" he asked me back.

I studied his face and shook my head. According to Grandma's description, the Beast must be very old, with horns and dirty fangs in his mouth. This guy looked pretty neat to me.

"No, you don't look like a Beast. You're very handsome," I said.

He stared at me silently for a moment, then chuckled lightly. His tensed shoulders slumped down a bit. The sound of his laugh was very rich and soft.

"Don't be fooled by looks, my darling. They can be deceiving," he told me in a calmer tone this time. "You seem like an obedient little thing. So, obediently run home now," he added.

I scoffed mentally. I was nowhere near obedient at all; in fact, I could be very stubborn sometimes.

"What are you still waiting for?"

"Like you said earlier, looks can be deceiving." I smirked, using his words against him.

He closed his eyes briefly.

"I'm not someone you'd want to mess with. Leave now before I become your worst nightmare!"

"But you are not…"

He suddenly tensed again, his brows furrowing instantly as he sniffed the air. Then he zeroed his eyes on me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He quickly let go of me, and I almost fell on my face. He took a few steps away from me, as if standing close to me would burn him—as if *I* burned him.

"Get out of the woods now!" he barked at me.

"Then what about you?"

His blue eyes suddenly turned bloodshot red, and I took cautious steps back.

"Get out before it's too late for you!" he roared, making the forest shake. Or maybe that was just my imagination.

I heard very heavy footsteps approaching us. It sounded like the feet of a monster hitting the ground in cartoon films.

My body started shaking in fear. I slowly picked up my bag that was lying on the ground and ran towards the exit of the forest. I didn't want to stay back and witness that handsome guy lose his life.

I ran as fast as I could, using my wolf's strength to support myself—though she was fighting me, refusing to lend her strength.

★★★★★

"Mom, I'm home," I announced immediately after stepping into our small living room.

I threw my bag randomly on the table and slumped onto the nearest chair, releasing heavy breaths.

"You're finally home," Arthur, my younger brother, said as he strode towards me with his hands in his pockets. He was seventeen.

He thought doing that made him look cool and stuff. I scoffed mentally; he was just bluffing.

"Where's Mom?" I asked.

"She went to the pack house," he answered.

"Pack house? Why?"

He sat on a chair, reached for the remote control, and turned on the TV.

"There's a pack meeting. I think it's about the selection parade. Alpha Jarek personally came to inform Mom about it…" He paused and tilted his head, his brows furrowed in a serious frown. "…do you think he has a crush on Mom?"

Alpha Jarek and Mom together? That wasn't a good combination at all. I winced in disgust at the thought of them being together.

"Get your mind outta the gutter. You're too young to be talking about crushes."

Arthur coughed.

"I'm 17 years old and I'll have a mate next year, so I'm not too young to be talking about crushes."

Weirdly, at the mention of *mate*, my mind flashed back to the handsome stranger I met in the enchanted forest. I wondered what happened to him.

Did the Beast King catch up with him? Was he devouring the handsome stranger's flesh right now?

"Ara!"

Arthur snapped his fingers across my eyes. I blinked and alighted from my train of thoughts. It was a pity that handsome stranger's life would be wasted just like that.

"Besides, Mom's a widow and Alpha Jarek is a widower…" He adjusted his posture to an imposing one. "…I'd love to have people referring to me as the Alpha's son." He laughed evilly.

I leaned forward and pushed his head gently, making him glare at me. He quickly looked away when I glared back.

"Stop dreaming about being the Alpha's son. You're not fit for that title," I told him.

Arthur had girls flocking around him everywhere he went. If it wasn't for the respect he had for Mom, I was sure he would have been a little heartbreaker by now.

If Arthur ended up becoming the Alpha's stepson, I believed all the unmated girls in our pack would become pregnant with his kids, even before getting a chance to know who their mates actually were. After all, he had great looks and a pompous personality.

In fact, everyone in our lineage had great looks and bodies. I was no exception.

"Right, you're already 22 years old and still haven't found your mate yet…"

I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to conclude his words, although I kind of had a hint where this conversation was going.

"Maybe you should visit another pack. Your mate might not be in this pack," he said.

"I don't need a mate," I told him curtly.

"You don't need a mate? Who doesn't need a mate in this world?" he asked rhetorically.

"Maybe me," I answered.

He set his lips in a thin line, turned away from me, and gave his attention to the TV.

"Good for you," he said.

"What's for dinner?" I asked.

"Nothing. Mom's not around to make dinner."

I glared at the back of his head.

"What a lazy ass," I grumbled under my breath, but he heard me anyway.

I got up, reached for my bag on the table, and headed towards my room. I needed a long warm bath and a nice sleep.

★★★★★

It was just me and him again in this lonely woods. Not even a bird could be seen flying around.

"You're here," he said.

"Yes," I answered.

Then there was silence. He didn't say anything, and neither did I.

It was always like this every time we met. We didn't talk, but we enjoyed being in each other's company. It was almost as if we were speaking with our souls.

We didn't see each other's faces, either. Or maybe he had seen my face, but I hadn't seen his once. I couldn't tell what he looked like.

His back was always facing me every time. I could only stare at the back of his head.

"You called me and I'm here. Can I at least see your face?" I asked.

This was the first time I'd requested to see his face.

"No," he answered.

"Why?"

"I'm ugly," he said.

*Ugly?* I huffed mentally. Handsome guys always referred to themselves as the ugliest beings.

"I don't care if you're ugly. I just want to see your face," I told him.

"No, my face would scare you away."

"Huh?"

"It's going to be your worst nightmare," he said.

How could I be friends with him but not know what he was like? Who was he? Why did he always call me to meet him here? Wait, how did he even manage to call me?

"Stop thinking. Your tiny brain's going to explode. Besides, I don't know why I can call you too," he said.

*How did he know what I'm thinking? Is he a vampire that can read minds?*

"You're right. I can read minds, so I suggest you stop thinking."

"Oh."

This was all the more reason I must see his face. He might be someone I knew.

I reached forward to touch his shoulder, but…

★★★★★

My eyes snapped open at the sound of someone banging on my door very loudly. I threw a glare towards the door, imagining I was glaring at whoever was banging on it.

From the scent, I could tell it was Arthur. I angrily sprang up and sat on my bed, gathering my blanket in my hands.

"What?!" I barked at him.

"Mom said I should wake you up. Breakfast is ready," he said.

I rolled my eyes.

"I'll be there in a jiffy," I replied. Then I heard his footsteps fading away.

I fell back on the bed and covered my face with my palms, puffing out some air.

The same dream again. It had been quite some time since I had this weird dream. Why did I dream of him today?

I had been dreaming of this nameless man since I was twelve. I didn't know anything about him.

But the weirdest thing was, I always enjoyed being around him in my dream. I must be losing my mind.

"Ara, Mom said you should hurry up!" Arthur shouted from the living room.

"Well, you didn't have to shout before I hear you!" I shouted back at him.

I pushed the blankets off me, hopped out of bed, and dashed into the bathroom.