Elena's POV
With my heart raising heavily, I kept on watching him as he was approaching me. Once he approached me, he raised his hand up like someone who was about to strike someone, and immediately I swallowed hard before closing my eyes while awaiting my fate.
My eyes were still shut tightly when my baby that was tied to my back started crying, and immediately I opened my eyes and saw the strange werewolf inhaling my scent. I had been overwhelmed by everything going on to the extent that I forgot that a baby was tied to my back. Once he inhaled my scent, he immediately took some steps backward and started shifting back into his human form, and without hesitating, I untied the baby, sat beside the tree, and started breastfeeding him.
"Hope they didn't hurt you." He asked me, and immediately I raised my head and looked at him before shaking my head negatively, and immediately he heaved a sigh of relief.
"The baby really looks beautiful; what is his name?" He asked me while squatting down to look at the baby properly. With that, I remembered that I hadn't even named the baby.
"Actually, I just gave birth to him yesterday, and I haven't even named him," I said to him, and immediately he furrowed his brows at me before returning his gaze towards the baby.
"Do you mind if I name him?" he asked me while caressing the hair of the baby.
"I don't mind," I said to him after some seconds of hesitation; after all, I didn't even know what to name the baby.
"His name will be Richard; what is the name of his father?' He asked me.
"Darian," I said to him, and he nodded positively.
"His name will be Richard Darian," he said to me while caressing the face of the baby.
"So tell me, who's his father? Is he dead?" He asked me, and immediately I furrowed my brows at him.
"What makes you think that his father is dead?" I asked him with an inquisitive look.
"Because you are my mate, I felt the mate bond when I saw you today; you can't be my mate if your previous mate is still alive," he said to me while peering into my eyeballs.
Deep down, I could feel Tricksy groaning angrily because of what he said.
"I'm sorry, but my mate is still alive, and maybe you have even heard about him," I said to him while covering my baby.
"And who is he?" He asked me while standing up. I could already see the anger burning in his eyes when I informed him that my mate is still alive.
"Darian Walcott, the Alpha of the Wolfenwood Pack," I said to him, and he nodded.
"I know him, known for his ruthlessness and cruelty; so tell me, are you his mate or breeder? Because if you were his mate, you wouldn't be here alone in this dangerous forest, and if you really gave birth yesterday, just as you said, that means you also gave birth in this forest. So what are you to him, mate or breeder?" He asked me while peering into my eyeballs.
"Actually, I was sold to him by my stepfather as a breeder, but when I came to his castle, I discovered that he's my mate," I said to him, and he nodded.
"So did he acknowledge the mate bond between the both of you?" He asked me once again. From the way he sounded, it was as if he knew everything about me; all he needed to do was ask me a question about it to confirm it.
"No, he didn't," I replied after some minutes of hesitation.
"I knew it," he replied confidently.
"People like Alpha Darian don't need mates in their lives; there is no space for love in their hearts; all they want is a breeder that will give them an heir to their throne, and after that, they will get rid of her. Maybe that's why the moon goddess mated you to me despite the fact that your previous mate is still alive because she knows that you deserve better; you deserve someone who will take care of you and cherish you, and that person is me," he said to me confidently, and without realizing it, I found myself blushing at his statements, but I snapped back when I felt Tricksy groaning angrily.
"I would have loved to believe everything that you are saying, but if you were truly my mate, I could have felt it when I saw you. I mean, I would have felt the mate bond, and you know well that it's not possible for a she-wolf to have two mates at the same time," I said to him from where I was sitting, and immediately he sighed heavily.
"If you didn't feel the mate bond, it's probably because I'm a little bit different," he said to me, and immediately I furrowed my brows at him.
"What do you mean by a little different?" I asked him with a confused tone.
"I'm a Lycan," he said to me, and with that, his eyes glowed yellow.
"A Lycan?" I asked him in surprise, and he nodded positively.
That answers everything; no wonder his wolf was that huge, and he didn't feel any pain while shifting, unlike us werewolves. I have heard many things about Lycans and how they are stronger and faster than we werewolves, but I never imagined that I would ever meet one, and the worst part of it is that the one I have met now claims to be my mate.
"I have to go back to my pack; the sun is already setting. I usually come here to train every morning, and I don't like staying here till daybreak, so are you following me or not?" He asked me.
"I will follow you, but not as your mate; just as I said, I still don't feel the mate bond, but if I do, I won't hesitate to become your mate," I said to him, and immediately he sighed dejectedly.
"That's okay with me; I can't force you to do something you don't want to do, but I hope that it won't be late when you feel the mate bond, he said to me while helping me get up.
With that, he helped me climb on the horse; with the help of the cord, he dragged it, and we started heading towards his pack.