"W-- I don't understand. I already have mates, how... am I really a fey?" Panic surged through me, and it was entirely justified. He had mentioned something about me becoming a fey if I had too many mates. "You're not my first mate. You're my second-chance mate," he clarified, appearing somewhat displeased by the situation. I felt extremely uncomfortable hearing this from him. After all, he was my father's friend and older than me. The idea of being mates with him was just inconceivable. "Is that why you offered to help me? So that you could spend time with me and try to convince me that the only way I can have a wolf is by taking a second mate?" I found myself ranting in anger. I wasn't sure what had come over me, but I felt triggered. The fact that he had known about this connection between us and kept it from me, all in an attempt to manipulate me into the whole training scenario and persuade me to accept a second-chance mate, was mind-boggling. "You're accusing me now," his voice turned harsh. "Tell me again why Liam left? Did you force him out? Didn't you?" I asked angrily. "You weren't saving me for yourself, were you?" I continued to question him in a stern tone. "No! Now you're just blaming me for every problem in your life," he scoffed, glaring at me, clearly warning me to stop. His angry glares couldn't silenced me because I needed answers from him. "What did you say to my father to make him allow you to take me wherever you please?" I began to question everything he had done for me. "Because my father knows I could never win against a beta werewolf in a contest. So let's not pretend he let me go for that reason." "Stop it! You're being entirely unreasonable," he snapped, his gaze fixed on me, his breaths heavy. "Tell me what I'm asking you," I fixed him with a hard stare, observing as he nervously ran a hand through his silky hair before finally succumbing to my pressure. "I paid him money for your time," he admitted, and as soon as he finished, I gasped. “You did what---,” I mumbled under my breath in utter shock. It was so disrespectful that he was buying my time and I had no clue. "What the heck?" I yelled, surprising him with my outburst. I reached for the door to leave but found it locked. "Open the door, damn it!" I was on the verge of throwing a tantrum like a child. "Let me out!" I shouted, kicked at the door, and demanded that he release me. I didn't want to be around him anymore. Every minute I spent with him meant my father was demanding payment for it. "Don't be absurd. It's not safe for you to be wandering around so recklessly at this hour," he protested, suggesting that I shouldn't be upset as if it wasn't a significant issue. "So my father can profit from more of my time spent with you? You claimed you knew I was your mate. Is this how you show respect to your mate? Purchasing my time? What else have you bought on my behalf?" I yelled, feeling once again deeply betrayed. "Mr. Zeon Holt! Open this door right now before I take matters into my own hands," I yelled and grunted in frustration. He stared back at me with his green eyes for a moment, then finally relented. The seriousness in my voice had made him realize that I was in no condition to remain in his car. He unlocked the door, and I rushed out without a second thought. I was seething with anger. I had been sharing everything with him, and he had been secretly buying my time from my father, without even letting me in on what was happening. It wasn't until I was on my way home that I understood why he had mentioned the lack of safety outside, as I began to hear noises from behind me. When I turned around, I noticed a group of older rogues tailing me. In typical situations like this, a person would shift and flee from the threat. Unfortunately, my wolf seemed unwilling to come to my aid. I had to rely on my human abilities and my legs to escape. Despite gasping for air, I continued to move rapidly away from them. It was clear they were pursuing me, as the farther I ran, the faster they chased me. As I reached a busy highway, I glanced back to check their whereabouts and was taken aback to see a vehicle pulling up in front of me. As the vehicle door swung open, someone sprang out and forcefully seized me from behind. "LET ME GO!" I managed to utter those desperate words before being tossed into the vehicle. I found myself in the backseat with another person, while the man who had grabbed me took the passenger seat. Two unfamiliar men, whom I had never seen before, were trying to restrain me, while the driver and the man in the passenger seat appeared relaxed. My heart was skipping beats at the thought of something even worse happening to me. "What do you want from me? Let me go, please, just let me go!" They were stronger than me, and despite my best efforts to scream and struggle free, I couldn't budge them. One of the men tied my wrists behind my back, while the other covered my mouth. With my ankles now tied, I had no choice but to scan my surroundings for any clues about the identities of these people and their intentions. When those two men finally stopped blocking my view, I started to piece together who might be behind all of this. I had to turn away from the tears that were blurring my vision to focus on the one person sitting by the window who had now captured my attention. I received the shock of my life, and I would have let out a piercing scream if my mouth hadn't been covered. I had never expected him to take it this far, but here I was, in a car, being abducted by one of my mates.