Reborn Mate

||• Prologue •||

"Mate..."

He growled like an animal, his eyes dilating into a strange blood-red colour as he fixed his gaze on the figure before him, as though she were his prey—his newest catch.

The young woman standing before him trembled in fear at the mere sight of him. "No, this can't be true. It can't be you, Xavier..." Her voice shook as she forced the words out of her mouth.

It's not possible. My mate can't be Xavier.

Her mate couldn't possibly be the same rogue who had been banned from entering the Moon Lit Pack years ago for violating the pack's rules. The thought of being mated to him was enough to make her shudder in pure terror as she desperately tried to shake the thought from her mind.

How had she ended up here in the first place?

Yes, she remembered now. Her instincts had led her here, following a sweet, inviting scent. Without needing anyone to tell her, she had known the scent belonged to her mate, and she had been beyond excited at the prospect of finally meeting him.

She couldn't wait to discover who her mate was. That excitement had sent her sprinting towards the source of the scent, racing all the way here without a second thought.

But now that she had arrived, she was not only disappointed but also heartbroken and terrified. How could the Moon Goddess be so cruel to her? That was the question running through her mind as she stared at him.

"Aren't you happy to finally meet your mate, baby girl?" Xavier's voice dripped with mockery, and a dirty smirk played on his lips. He had seen how happy she had been moments earlier, right up until he growled the wordmate. In a split second, her entire countenance had changed.

"You can't be my mate, Xavier. You just can't. I can never accept you as my mate." Her voice was no longer as shaky as it had been at first, but fear still laced her words. "I'd rather be without a mate than have you as one."

"Oh, really? Is that how much you despise me? Your newly found mate?" He snickered, taking a step towards her. She immediately took a step back. "We haven't even spent much time together, and you already despise me this much, eh?"

"Stay away, Xavier. I won't accept a worthless rogue like you as my mate." She forced the words out, struggling to keep herself from trembling in terror any longer. Pointing the index finger of her right hand at him, she glared at him defiantly. "Stay very far away from me."

"How can I stay away from my sweetheart, huh?"

She had reached her limit. Her back struck the tree behind her, and she let out a short shriek. Before she could even react, Xavier was already upon her, trapping her against the tree and leaving her feeling powerless beneath his scrutinising gaze.

He smelled incredibly good, his intoxicating scent filling her nostrils. She had to admit that his physical features were captivating. His finely carved abs showed through his transparent shirt, which clung to his flawless skin.

How could a man with such a heavenly physique have turned out to be so worthless? Xavier had always been the bad egg among the werewolves of the Moon Lit Pack, even before he finally crossed the line and was banished.

"Look who's been threatening to reject me as her mate but can't stop drooling over my perfect body. What an irony!" Xavier's husky voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Her face flushed with embarrassment, but she quickly masked it with a glare. "I'm not drooling, you hear me? You disgust me! The smell coming off your body is almost enough to make me puke. It's choking!"

"Ouch! That hurts a lot, especially when it's coming from your own mate." Xavier dramatically clutched his chest, wearing an exaggerated frown. "What am I supposed to do? I can't just let a beauty like you go. The Moon Goddess was considerate enough to make you my mate. How nice!"

"I'm cursed to have a devil like you as my mate. The Moon Goddess can be cruel sometimes. I shouldn't even be standing here chatting with you when I could just do what needs to be done." She muttered the words, her tiny, soft voice rising in pitch as her frustration grew.

Xavier frowned, his brows drawing together as his instincts hinted at what she was about to do. "The only thing you need to do is accept me as your mate. We're a perfect match, don't you think?"

She spat on his shirt, her expression defiant. She had had enough of him. "I, Nina Kiel, reject—"

Xavier was quick to cut her off. "Don't say it. Just don't say it, or you might not like the outcome." He warned her, his voice laced with menace. His expression had gone blank, but his eyes remained fixed on her with a deadly glare.

"I, Nina Kiel, reject Xavier Fender as my mate and partner—"

"I said, DON'T SAY IT!" Xavier snarled, his voice trailing off into a menacing growl. In a split second, his hand was around her neck, choking her. "Now, you'll have no choice but to enjoy the consequences while they last..."

CHAPTER 01

Herzl.

Yes, that was his name. Yet it was a name everyone seemed to have forgotten, for they had given him another name they believed suited him best.

Slave.

He stood at the school gate with his hood pulled over his head, contemplating whether he should go in or not. He tried pulling it further down to cover his face, but it barely made a difference.

He sighed deeply, the kind of sigh that carried both pain and frustration. "No matter how hard I try to cover my face, I'll still be recognised," he muttered sadly.

And he was right. He was the only student in the entire school who wore hoodies and face caps to conceal his identity. The other students hated him with a cold passion because he was the only werewolf in the pack who had no family of his own to call a home.

His father, Xavier, had been a rogue wolf who forced himself on a teenager who was barely nineteen year