The glass shattered against the wall, sending tiny pieces flying across the Alpha's office. Narek gripped the edge of his desk, trying to control the rage and pain racing through his body. His right wrist burned like someone had pressed a hot iron to his skin.
"Alpha? Are you all right?" His beta, Marcus, burst through the door, eyes wide with fear.
"She's here," Narek growled through clenched teeth. "My mate. The mark just appeared."
Marcus's eyes dropped to Narek's wrist where the crescent moon with three stars and a crown was growing, the skin around it angry and red.
"This is good news, isn't it?" Marcus asked slowly. Everyone in the pack knew how their Alpha felt about finding his mate.
Narek straightened up, pushing his face to show no pain even though the mark still burned. "Call the pack leaders. Now."
Within minutes, Narek's office was filled with his most trusted dogs. His brother Garrick leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a strange smile playing on his lips. The pack doctor, an older woman named Sera, studied Narek's mark with interest. The head guards shifted nervously, waiting for orders.
"My mate mark has appeared," Narek stated bluntly. "The girl is somewhere in our territory. I want her found before nightfall."
"What does she look like?" one of the guards asked.
Narek frowned. "I don't know. But she'll have this same mark." He held up his wrist. "And she'll be running."
"Running?" Sera asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why would your mate run from you?"
"Because she can feel what I'm feeling," Narek answered coldly. "And I have no interest in this bond."
The room fell silent. Every wolf knew refusing a mate bond was dangerous, even for an Alpha.
"Narek," Sera said softly, using his name instead of his title, something only she could get away with. "The mate bond is sacred. It's not something to be fought against."
"I didn't ask for your opinion," Narek snapped. "I asked for your help finding her."
Garrick pushed off from the wall, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Little brother, always fighting destiny. What are you afraid of? That she'll make you weak?"
Narek's eyes flashed blue with power, making Garrick take a step back. "Watch yourself, brother. Alpha or not, I'm still stronger than you."
Turning to the guards, Narek yelled out orders. "Search teams of four. Cover every inch of our territory. She'll be hiding, probably scared. Bring her to me unharmed."
As the guards filed out, Narek felt the pull in his chest grow stronger. His wolf growled inside him, angry that its mate was out there alone. But Narek had spent years gaining control over his wolf. He wouldn't let impulses rule him.
"You know why I can't welcome this bond," he said quietly to Sera when they were alone. "The pack needs a strong Luna, not just whoever fate decides to pair me with."
Sera shook her head sadly. "The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes, Alpha. Your mate will be exactly who you need, even if you can't see it yet."
Narek turned away, looking out the window at his area. The Silver Moon Pack was the strongest pack in the area, with hundreds of wolves under his protection. He had worked too hard to let some random girl waltz in and take the position of Luna just because of a mark.
"Find her," he said again. "That's an order."
As his pack spread out through the forest, Narek paced his office, the pull in his chest getting uncomfortable. His wolf was getting more restless by the minute. Go to her, it seemed to say. Find her yourself.
Finally, unable to resist any longer, Narek stormed out of the pack house and into the bush. The afternoon air was thick with the smell of coming rain. Perfect. Rain would make tracking harder for everyone else, but not for him. Not when it came to his mate.
He took a deep breath, focusing on the pull in his chest. It tugged him southeast, toward the old border with the River Moon Pack. Interesting. No one had lived in that area for years, not since the old Alpha had abandoned it after some family tragedy.
Narek moved quickly through the forest, his keen eyes catching signs others would miss – a broken twig here, a footprint there. His mate was smart, avoiding the main paths, but she couldn't hide from him.
The rain started as he picked up her smell – wild and sweet, like forest berries after a storm. His wolf howled inside him, desperate to find her now. Narek fought to stay normal, to think clearly. Why was she running so hard? Most wolves would be proud to be mated to an Alpha.
Unless she already knew who he was. Unless she'd heard the stories.
Narek's image as a cold, unfeeling Alpha was well-known. Some called him cruel for how strictly he enforced pack rules. Others whispered that he had no heart at all. Few knew the real reason he kept everyone at a distance.
The rain fell harder now, but her scent remained clear to him. She was hurt – he could smell blood mixed with fear. The thought of his mate wounded sent a wave of unexpected protectiveness through him.
"I don't even know her," he muttered to himself, annoyed by his own response.
Thunder cracked overhead as Narek spotted a guard up ahead, searching the forest floor.
"Report," Narek ordered.
"Alpha! I think I found her trail," the guard said quickly. "A young female, probably around eighteen. She ran that way when she saw me."
"Did you see her face?" Narek asked.
"Just for a moment. Pretty. Dark hair with some gold in it. Green eyes, I think."
Something stirred in Narek's memory at the description, but he pushed it away. "Keep searching in that direction. I'll take the higher ground."
As the guard hurried away, Narek closed his eyes, focusing completely on the mate bond. The pull led him to a hillside where he knew there were caves. Smart girl, finding cover from the rain.
He approached quietly, staying downwind. A dim glow from inside the cave told him she had somehow managed to start a fire. Brave and clever. His wolf approved, even as Narek told himself not to care.
Taking a deep breath, he entered the cave, striking a match to see better. And there she was – backed against the wall like a trapped animal, her green eyes wide with fear.
Something about those eyes struck him as familiar, but he couldn't place it. She was younger than he expected, probably just turned eighteen today. Her clothes were worn and dirty, her dark hair tangled around a face that was scared but determined.
"So, you're the one," he said, his eyes drawn to the mark on her wrist – identical to his own.
Their talk was brief and tense. She tried to deny the bond, saying there must be a mistake. But there were no mistakes with mate marks. She belonged to him now, whether either of them wanted it or not.
Just as he was about to get answers about why she looked so familiar, Marcus's howl cut through the night. Trouble at the border.
"Stay here," he told her. "I'll be back."
Outside the cave, he shifted into his wolf form and instructed one of his trusted guards to watch her while he dealt with the border problem. The guard nodded and shifted into wolf form, taking position outside the cave opening.
Narek ran through the forest, following Marcus's howl. He found his beta in human form, standing over the body of a dead wolf – not one of theirs.
"River Moon Pack," Marcus said grimly, referring to the tattoo on the dead wolf's shoulder. "He was on our territory, armed with this." He held up a silver dagger – a wolf-killer.
"River Moon Pack has been dead for years," Narek said, worrying.
"Apparently not," Marcus responded. "And there's more. He had this." He gave Narek a crumpled photo.
Narek's blood ran cold as he looked at the picture. It showed a young girl with dark hair and green eyes – eyes that matched the girl in the cave. His mate.
"He was hunting her," Marcus said. "The question is why."
Before Narek could answer, another howl tore through the night – this one from the direction of the cave. His guard was calling for help.
"She's in danger," Narek growled, already running back toward the cave, fear holding him in a way he'd never felt before.
The mate bond flared painfully in his chest. He could feel her terror as if it were his own.
As Narek raced through the bush, rain soaking his skin, one thought consumed him: If anyone harms her, I'll tear them apart.
The thought shocked him. He didn't even know her name, didn't want this bond, and yet...
And yet he was running faster than he ever had, driven by a primal need to protect what was his.
When he finally burst into the area by the cave, he froze at the sight before him.
His guard lay unconscious on the ground. And standing over his mate was a man Narek never thought he'd see again – a man thought dead for years.
"Alpha Kaden," Narek growled.
The man turned, his eyes cold as ice. In his arms was Narek's dazed mate.
"You'll never have her, Narek," the older Alpha said. "My daughter belongs with her own kind."
Daughter? Narek's mind reeled as he looked at the girl's face again. Now he knew why she seemed familiar.
She was Kaden's youngest daughter – the one who had supposedly killed her own sister.