Page 85 of Mate to the Alpha Predator

But still, he walked towards the huge metal gate and pinned the woman with a hard stare. "Who are you looking for?"

"Big bad Wol—I mean, the Alpha King." The quick correction followed immediately.

"Is he expecting you?"

"Y-Yes," she lied, too desperate to start trying to make explanations for the mean-looking man that questions her lazily like he has no intentions of letting her in. "Yes, he is."

The man finally rose from the chair with the fluidity of a cat, covered the distance, and opened the gates.

"Thank you." Ismena walked through and towards the front door. He didn't call her back or say anything else, and for that, she is more than grateful.

There are so many guards—or sentinels, like Eline, calls them—at the vicinity of the tower but when she stepped into the house, everywhere was empty.

As she took the stairs to the fourth floor of the house where she remembered clearly his bedroom is, she wondered at the emptiness of the big castle. Just like that morning four days ago, she didn't see a single soul.

She got to his bedroom, but it was empty too. Where is he?

She knows he's around. He has to be around for his men to let her in.

"Wolfariane..." She called hesitantly, looking around.

There was no answer.

Completely forgetting his instructions five nights ago when he told her never to wander around but to remain in his bedroom, Ismena went in search of him.

"Wolfariane...?" She called again, walking through the hallways of the fourth floor. She called repeatedly but didn't get any answer.

So, she walked out of the fourth floor to check another floor of the big tower...

The huge mountain lion used his paw yet again to push the food towards the smaller wolf. The wolf pushed the food away again, whining in its throat. An anguished sound.

The wolf has refused repeatedly, but the mountain lion did not give up.

This time around, he stalked closer to the wolf, lowered himself to his haunches, and pressed his huge forehead to the wolf's.

Also, it raised a huge forepaw and pressed on the wolf's jaw repeatedly. A gesture filled with affection, guilt, and pain.

The wolf growled low in its throat. The mountain lion did the same, waiting the wolf out so patiently.

Finally, amber eyes with invisible wounds to the soul closed, and the wolf whimpered in defeat and surrender.

A few seconds passed between them, before the mountain lion stepped back, and offered the food again. This time around, the wolf lowered her head and devored the meat ravenously.

The mountain lion stood guard while the wolf ate, its green eyes never leaving the wolf.

Suddenly, a scent whisked through the air.

The wolf and the cougar froze at the same time. They know that scent for what it is.

The smell of human.

The wolf went berserk instantly, howling in blind anger and rage. Food abandoned, she threw her whole form towards the bar that caged her, over and over and over again. She wants out of here to catch the human!

As for the mountain lion, it stalked out of the bars, barely sparing enough time to close the bars with his hind paw before it took off in a dead run towards the door.

His green eyes mirrored the blind anger and rage the wolf's...only more.

He let out an ear-splitting raging howl that would have shaken the towers if its foundation was not so strong and solid.

---