Lucien.
I had never smelled her so strongly.
Not even on the night I first realized she was my mate had our bond felt this overwhelming. The scent was both sharp and tight, it wrapped around my senses with no intention of loosening.
My paws pounded into the frozen ground in a relentless rhythm as I followed her scent, running through the forest at full speed. Behind me, my elite guards struggled to keep up, their breaths grew heavier with every passing minute.
They were trained to protect me—and in the future, their Luna.
Tonight, however, they were only escorts.
Almost, my wolf growled, not to them—but to her, out mate.
I pushed harder, increasing my speed more and more.
When I finally slowed, it was not because I was tired. But because I had reached the place where her presence dominated the air so completely that nothing else mattered.
I lowered my head and inhaled any and all scents lingering in the area. My ears perked when I picked other scents which were neither her cousins' or hers.
Rogues.
The stench was thick—rotting, feral, and heavy with blood and fear. It turned my stomach. But even that foulness was soon drowned beneath something far stronger.
Her.
It was soft. Familiar . Soothing—and above all it was cleansing.
The entire area smelt like her.
Mate, my wolf called gently, with recognition and respect.
The pressure in my chest eased a bit the moment the word left him. She had turned. Fully turned.
"What… what is this presence?" Armand asked through the pack link, his voice unsteady from fatigued and perhaps, awe.
"It feels like—" Everett faltered, glancing at me.
They felt it too.
Their Luna.
I did not confirm it. There would be time for explanations later—if I decided they were necessary, that is.
I moved forward, tracking her scent deeper into the woods. With every step, bodies appeared in the snow. Lifeless rogues lay scattered across the ground, their wounds clean and precise.
Too precise actually.
Earlier, I had trusted that the twins could protect her, which was why I could remain somewhat calm. They were strong, capable warriors. But the sheer number of fallen rogues tightened something dark in my chest.
I quickened my pace.
She would have resisted turning until the very last moment. I knew that much. For her to surrender fully… the danger must have been absolute.
My fury rose, sharp and cold.
I would not forgive anyone who had put her in danger—not even members of my own pack…or her family. Especially not those who failed to protect her.
"Alpha," Earl called hesitantly through the link.
"Please… calm yourself."
I did not look back.
I felt them tense under the weight of my pheromones, the air grew thick with my restrained rage. They were unused to this side of me. I rarely lost control—especially in my wolf form.
Today, restraint cost too much.
Finally, I reached her.
Nothing else mattered. Not my anger. Not the dead rogues. Not the guards behind me.
She lay on the blood-stained snow, wrapped in a blanket, her breathing shallow but steady. She was alive.
Unharmed.
The storm inside me stilled instantly.
I stepped closer, lowering myself beside her. And upon sensing my presence, her eyelids fluttered open.
Her alluring forest-green eyes met mine.
Then—slowly—a smile bloomed across her lips.
The world narrowed to that single expression.
I leaned closer, resting beside her as she watched me without blinking, as though afraid I might disappear at any moment.
Nearby, Seraphina quietly adjusted her torn clothing before rising and moving away, giving us privacy. I barely noticed. All of my attention was fixed on Amara.
We said nothing.
Her smile softened, and I memorized it.
Then her voice brushed against my mind—light as a whisper.
Tired.
My ears perked up as I slightly stiffened. When did she learn to do that?
Telepathy.
My wolf hummed in approval as warmth spread through my chest.
They're closer now, he murmured.
Just a little closer, but that was all she needed. Soon she would learn to accept it and become one with it.
I nudged my muzzle against her cheek and gently licked the dried blood from her face.
"Sleep," I murmured. "I'm here."
Her lashes fluttered once more before her eyes finally closed. The bond quieted as her consciousness slipped away.
I stayed beside her long after, guarding her as time slowly passed around us.
"She's…" Lance whispered.
"The Alpha's mate," Seraphina replied softly. "Our Luna."
Vance emerged from behind a tree, freshly clothed. "You knew?"
Of course she had. Every night I took Amara out, Seraphina watched from the window, worry etched into her features. Whether Elder Zora told her or she pieced it together herself didn't matter.
She protected her cousin. That was enough.
I rose slowly and turned to them, my presence dominating the entire area.
"No one speaks of her identity," I said through the pack link. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Alpha," they replied in unison, heads bowed.
It was only a matter of time before the pack sensed it. Her wolf's aura alone would expose the truth. And even then, acceptance would not come easily.
Her hybrid nature isolated her and made it had for her to link with the pack members.
The only way to bind her fully to the pack would be through my mark.
But I would never force that choice.
——————————————————
Seven hours later.
Steam still clung to my skin as I wrapped a towel around my waist and stepped into the hall.
"Alpha," Kael said, bowing slightly.
I sat in a nearby chair and glanced at the clock. 8:13 p.m.
Had she woken?
"Did you need something?" I turned back to Kael, my voice hoarse from exhaustion.
He handed me a thin file. "The report on the rogue attack."
"From the twins?"
"Vance. He sustained the least injuries."
I nodded absently, scanning the pages. The elders would gather by morning demanding answers. But politics and consequences could wait.
Kael hesitated, then smiled. "She woke up not too long ago."
I froze at the statement for a moment, and then the next, I was on my feet. I was going to see her.
I didn't waste another second and immediately left home after putting on something random.
——————————————————
The forest blurred as I ran. Halfway there, I shifted, my human legs couldn't take me to her quick enough.
Soon Elder Zora's house came into view.
I circled toward our usual meeting place beneath her window—and froze.
Moonlight caught the long strands of her hair as they danced in the cold breeze like black silk. She turned slowly, golden light from the yard lamp warming her features.
She smiled.
"I've been waiting for you," she said softly.
I stepped closer, unable to stop myself.
You were?
She nodded, confirming it.
It was weird. Usually, whenever she as much as showed signs of shifting, she became so afraid and distressed. But tonight—no, ever since I saw her earlier, there was not a hint of those emotions anywhere about her. She was calmer. Whole.
The fear that once clung to her was gone, replaced by quiet acceptance.
She stepped into my arms and embraced me.
"I found one," she murmured.
"One?" I echoed.
"One beauty of my wolf."
I waited, listening.
She lifted her face and met my gaze, her smile intact. "She's kind," Amara said. "Strong. Dependable. She isn't feral."
My chest tightened. I felt proud.
"But I need time," she whispered. "To understand her. To learn to endure the pain. And to accept what she brings."
I lowered my forehead to hers.
"Take all the time you need, Amara," I said softly. "I'll be here."