“Time?” Father scoffs with a bitter chuckle. “You've already been alpha for two months, Tyler. The council cannot be patient any longer.”
Though I knew this was bound to follow when I became the alpha, the reminder that I need to pick a mate so soon makes me jittery.
How could I possibly pick a mate when I've experienced the true mate bond with a she-wolf who's forbidden to me?
A she-wolf who'd since left the Moonshine Pack after I left for black ops four years ago…
Both my parents stare at me expectantly, and I sense that their visit isn’t a casual one. It was planned, like an intervention, since I’ve been avoiding the mate bond clause that comes with being the alpha of this pack.
Groaning in recognition, I sense no consideration for what I've already requested—to change the law that declares an alpha needs a mate to rule the pack. I'd rather do away with the rule altogether, but it's evident that this is non-negotiable.
My parents still have to answer to the council that demands I take a mate to rule as alpha.
Feeling overwhelmed and powerless despite my position of authority, I sigh despondently and feel the weight of my burdens crushing my shoulders as I turn to leave my own house. The walls feel stifling, my parents’ expectations choking me tothe point that I can't even hear them calling after me as I exit through the front door.
As soon as the cool fall air whips across my cheeks, I flash into wolf form, my inner wolf too heated by the overload I've been carrying to remain confined. I rush forward, needing to work off all this pent-up energy by racing through the forest as fast as my wolf paws can carry me. I'm exhausted, but I'm fueled by my need to get away for some fresh air.
Every thunderous stomp through the forest takes me further from the main area, but it also allows me to clear my mind and have a moment to breathe. I haven't had much of that luxury since returning to Portland, and every second counts. I'm grateful for each breath I take. But the further into the woods I drift, the harder it is to get one thing out of my mind.
My parents’ insistence that I need to pick a mate.
I know it's a key element in being the alpha of this pack, but there's no way I can simply pick a she-wolf as a mate as if I'm choosing clothes for the next day. It isn't as simple, and I'd rather forego the mate bond altogether.
What's the point, anyway?
It's because you know who your true mate is, my inner wolf reminds me, and the thought slows down my steps as I reach the Portland border.
It's not like it would make any difference.Shewould never have been accepted as my mate. Yet, I can't seem to stop thinking about her, even though she's no longer in Portland.
Still, I find my mind going back to the thoughts of her that were interrupted when I was pulled back to my duties earlier tonight. Gazing at the navy-blue sky, I focus on a pair of stars that suddenly morph into the calmest set of warm, hazel eyesthat stare back at me. Just a figment of my imagination, my wolf vision seems to amplify the memory of her eyes staring back at me, and my heart skips a beat that's long enough to recall the last time I saw her.
Just then, Brutus, my beta, comes trotting toward me from the border where he'd been keeping watch tonight.
“Alpha Tyler.”He bows his wolf head as he approaches, speaking through the mind link we share. His telepathic voice is clear and distinct, not echoing the way it would have if he'd been communicating with all our members.
Nodding in recognition of the private communication, I ask him, “Have you found anything?”
Brutus shakes his head, his beady wolf eyes full of remorse. “Unfortunately, no. She's missing without a trace, Alpha.”
I blow out an agitated breath through my wolf nostrils as I keep my eyes fixed on the pair of stars I'd been focused on.
Though she'd never be accepted as my mate in Moonshine, I thought I'd return from black ops and find her here. Her absence is a gnarly sting that won't go away, and it's been causing restless, sleepless nights spent tossing and turning, wondering where she could be.
Wondering if she's safe out there. What more could I possibly want for my true mate, except her safety? She might be forbidden to me within the construct of pack laws, but that doesn't mean I don't care.
It's why I asked Brutus to find out where she was the moment I realized she'd fled the Moonshine Pack.
I wish I'd done things differently. I wish things could be different. But it appears that it's too late, and I have to make peace with it.
“Thanks, Brutus. I'd like to be left alone now,”I tell my beta, closing my eyes as he takes the instruction and leaves. The heaviness sets in, full of the regret I've been carrying for the past four years. There's nothing I can do now but accept that my true mate is gone for good.
It's just that a piece of my puzzle will forever be missing.
Chapter 3 - Arianna
Warmth spreads across my cheeks, but it's not just from the bright morning sun. My lips lift with a smile of adoration when I spot the silhouette of a man I'd recognize in any crowd, standing at the ingress of the woods with one arm outstretched toward me.
My feet move of their own accord, bare and basking in the heavenly softness of the summer lawn like a blanket that cushions my steps until I'm close enough to see the tattoo coiling around the arm held out toward me. I've always found myself intrigued by the moon phases inked across the thick forearm, wanting to press a kiss to each one until I reach his shoulder.
