Chapter 2 What the hell was she?

/Nelson/

No part of me wanted to come to the Night Walk Pack today but I had to. The witches attacking their borders were getting out of hand, and if I didn’t help handle it properly, it could spill into the other packs. That would make me look weak and as Supreme Alpha, incompetence was something I couldn’t afford.

Alpha James wasn’t a bad leader, nor was he inexperienced. He simply needed stronger support, especially now that those witches had begun using dark magic. The last thing I wanted was for them to join forces with our oldest enemy the vampires.

Still, the way Alpha James kept watching me didn’t go unnoticed. It was subtle, but I could see the hope in his eyes the hope that his daughter might turn out to be my mate. The thought made my wolf, Sunny, growl in irritation.

He had waited too long for our true mate and the idea of anyone trying to choose her for us only made him restless.

I tried to focus on James and his beta as they explained the latest attack patterns, but then I felt it.

A presence.

Strong. Electric.

It hit me before I even looked up.

When I turned my head, my gaze locked onto a pair of golden eyes bright, wild, and unlike anything I’d ever seen. The air in my lungs vanished. My pulse stuttered. And when her fingers brushed against mine, everything inside me roared to life.

My wolf went insane claws scraping, heart racing, tail whipping with desperate need. My body reacted instantly, my blood heating, every nerve on edge.

Then Alpha James cleared his throat loud, sharp and just like that, she was gone. The moment shattered.

The scent faded. The warmth faded. But the ache she left behind didn’t.

Is she our mate? I asked Sunny the moment I could think again.

He hesitated, then said quietly, No.

My heart dropped, the word cutting deeper than I expected.

No? I demanded. Then why the hell does she feel like it?

Sunny went silent which only made it worse.

I stared at the spot she’d been standing, still feeling the ghost of her touch against my skin.

If she wasn’t my mate, then what the hell was she?

“Sorry about that, Supreme Alpha,” Alpha James said quickly, noticing where my eyes had gone. “Edie is one of our more… awkward omegas.”

I forced myself to look away from the direction she’d disappeared, schooling my expression into something calm.

“Has she never had her wolf?” I asked before I could stop myself.

James shook his head. “Never, Alpha. She’s been here since she was a child. Good worker, quiet girl… but wolfless. We keep her around because she’s loyal and never causes trouble.”

I only nodded, pretending the answer didn’t bother me. But inside, Sunny growled. Wolfless? he repeated, disbelieving. That’s impossible. I felt her.

I tried to tune back into the conversation as Alpha James began explaining the witch attacks again something about burned borders, missing scouts, and strange sigils drawn into the soil. I nodded at the right moments, but truthfully, my mind wasn’t there.

All I could think about was her the flash of gold in her eyes, the soft brush of her skin against mine, the scent I couldn’t shake no matter how hard I tried.

She’s not wolfless, Sunny muttered. She’s hiding.

I clenched my jaw and tried to focus. “You said the witches attacked near your eastern border?”

James looked relieved that I was finally paying attention. “Yes, Supreme Alpha. We lost five guards and one scout. Their magic has gotten stronger, darker. We can’t track them easily anymore.”

I nodded, my voice steady again. “Then I’ll leave some of my fighters here to reinforce your patrols. They’re trained in dealing with witch magic. Have your beta coordinate with them.”

James exhaled in relief. “Thank you, Supreme Alpha. That means a lot to us.”

The food arrived shortly after but she didn’t. I scanned the room once, pretending not to, but there was no sign of her anywhere. No golden eyes, no nervous energy, no accidental brushes of fingers.

It shouldn’t have bothered me. But it did.

By the time dinner ended, I excused myself earlier than planned, claiming exhaustion. Truth was, I couldn’t sit there pretending to care about strategy when every part of me was straining to find a scent that had already vanished.

When I finally entered my guest room, I barely had time to close the door before Sunny’s voice exploded in my head.

I smell her.

I froze mid-step.

I smell our mate! he roared again, loud enough to make my chest ache.

And just like that, every wall I’d built to control him to control myself began to crack.