POV: Ryder
My fist crashed into Jake's jaw with a sickening crack. He flew backward through the air and slammed into the training ring's rope obstacle. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he hit the ground hard and didn't get back up.
"Ryder wins again!" the referee shouted, but I barely heard him over the roaring in my ears.
I stood in the middle of the ring, breathing hard and shaking with leftover rage. My knuckles were bloody and my shirt was torn, but I felt no satisfaction from another easy win. The hollow feeling in my chest just got worse.
"What the hell was that?" Marcus, my training partner, climbed into the ring with worry written all over his face. "You nearly killed him!"
I wiped blood from my split lip and glared at him. "He shouldn't have gotten in the ring if he couldn't handle it."
But Marcus was right. I'd used way too much force against Jake, who was just a normal pack member trying to improve his fighting skills. The anger burning inside me was getting out of control, and I didn't know why.
For weeks now, I'd felt like I was crawling out of my skin. Every little thing bothered me. Every chat bored me. Every training session left me wanting to punch something until it broke.
My wolf was even more anxious than I was. He paced constantly in my mind, searching for something I couldn't name. Sometimes I caught glimpses of what he wanted - flashes of red hair and green eyes that made no sense.
"Ryder, you need to calm down," Marcus said, reaching out to touch my shoulder.
I jerked away from him before he could make contact. "Don't touch me."
The crowd around the training ring was starting to talk. They were scared of me, and I didn't blame them. Even I was scared of the violence building inside me like a storm ready to burst.
That's when the smell hit me again.
Sweet like vanilla and strawberries, warm like sunshine. It wrapped around me like a soft blanket, making my wolf stop moving and start hunting instead. Every muscle in my body tensed as I searched the crowd for the cause.
I'd been smelling this amazing scent for days now, but I could never find where it came from. It would appear for a few seconds and then disappear, driving me crazy with want and confusion.
My wolf ordered that I find the owner of that scent. He needed to protect her, claim her, keep her safe from everything that might hurt her. The depth of his feelings scared me.
"Do you smell that?" I asked Marcus, my nose lifting to catch more of the incredible scent.
Marcus sniffed the air and shrugged. "Smell what? All I smell is sweat and blood from training."
Frustration burst through me like a bomb. How could he not smell something so powerful and perfect? The smell was everywhere now, making my head spin with desire and confusion.
I jumped out of the training ring and pushed through the crowd, following my nose like a hunting dog. The scent got stronger as I moved toward the main pack house, my heart pounding with anticipation.
But just as I reached the front steps, the scent faded completely.
"No!" I roared, spinning in circles and sniffing frantically. "Come back!"
Several pack members stopped to stare at me, probably thinking I'd lost my mind. Maybe I had. Normal wolves didn't chase invisible smells or talk to empty air.
My brothers picked that moment to come running out of the pack house, their faces pale with shock. Dante looked like he'd seen a ghost, and Phoenix's eyes were glowing silver with magic.
"Did you feel that?" Dante ordered, grabbing my arm. "Tell me you felt it too."
I stared at him in confusion. "Feel what? All I smell is that amazing scent, but I can't find where it's coming from."
Phoenix's sparkling eyes went wide. "The girl with red hair. You smelled her, didn't you?"
My world turned sideways. "How do you know about the scent? How do you know about the red hair in my dreams?"
"Because we just found our mate," Dante whispered, his voice shaking. "And she's not who we expected."
The word 'mate' hit me like lightning. Everything suddenly made sense - the restlessness, the anger, the pressing need to find the owner of that perfect scent. My wolf had been looking for our other half, the missing piece of our soul.
"Where is she?" I demanded, my protective senses roaring to life. "Is she safe? Why did I lose her scent?"
"She ran away," Phoenix said sadly. "She got scared when she felt the mate bond and hid in the servants' quarters."
Servants' rooms. That explained why I'd been getting her scent around the pack house but never saw her. She was one of the unseen workers who kept our lives running smoothly.
But she wasn't unseen to us anymore.
"We have to find her," I growled, already moving toward the maids' wing. "She needs to know we won't hurt her."
Dante caught my arm and held me back. "Wait. There's something else you need to know."
The serious tone in his voice made ice fill my blood. "What?"
"It's not just you who's mated to her," Phoenix said softly. "It's all three of us."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I stumbled backward, my mind reeling with shock. "That's impossible. One person can't be mated to three people."
"Tell that to the Moon Goddess," Dante said grimly. "We all felt the bond when we saw her. All three of us."
My wolf howled with joy at this news, but my human brain struggled to understand it. Sharing a mate with my brothers? It went against everything we'd been told about pack tradition and proper behavior.
"Tomorrow's ceremony," I said slowly, the horrible truth sinking in. "We're supposed to choose Vivienne."
"I know," Dante answered, running his hands through his hair. "Father will never accept this. The pack will never accept this."
Before any of us could say more, heavy footsteps echoed from inside the pack house. Father's voice boomed through the open doors like thunder.
"Boys! Get in here right now! We have a problem!"
The three of us looked at each other with growing fear. Father sounded angry, which meant someone had already told him something. But what could he possibly know about our mate situation?
"Maybe someone saw us react to her," Phoenix whispered nervously.
"Or maybe she told someone about feeling the bond," Dante added.
My heart clenched with fear. If Father knew about our mate before we could explain things properly, he might do something to hurt her. He respected pack tradition above everything else, even his sons' happiness.
"We stick together," I said firmly, my warrior reflexes taking over. "Whatever happens, we protect her."
We walked toward the pack house, each step feeling like we were moving toward our doom. Father's angry voice grew louder as we got closer, and I could hear other voices too - pack elders and advisors who only gathered for major emergencies.
Just before we reached the door, I caught that amazing smell again. But this time it was mixed with fear and tears, making my wolf go crazy with the need to comfort our mate.
She was somewhere inside the pack house, scared and alone while important people chose her fate. The thought made rage burn through my blood like acid.
"Whatever they want to do to her," I whispered to my brothers, "we stop them."
We stepped through the opening and found Father waiting for us with a dozen pack leaders. His face was dark with rage, and his eyes promised trouble.
"Sit down, boys," he said in a dangerously quiet voice. "We need to discuss your future Luna."
But as we took our places, one terrifying question echoed through my mind: Was he talking about Vivienne, or had he somehow found our real mate?