Chapter 3
We were kneeling outside the Pack House, the heart of the territory ruled by the wolves who had captured us. My body trembled from both exhaustion and blood loss. The ground beneath my knees felt like ice despite the warm dusk air. I could still feel the sharp sting of teeth on my arm, the warm trickle of blood that hadn’t stopped since the forest ambush.
My wounds should’ve started healing by now—every werewolf’s did. But not mine. Not when my blood ran silver.
They didn’t know what we were yet.
And I wasn’t sure if that ignorance was a blessing or a curse.
Pack members surrounded us, watching closely, keeping a tight hold on our arms like we were criminals. Their glares burned holes into our backs. To them, we were nothing but Rogues—strays without purpose, wild things unworthy of respect or mercy.
I grit my teeth, refusing to show weakness. But inside… everything ached.
Dawn wasn’t helping.
My wolf paced like a storm behind a fragile wall, snapping her jaws and growling uncontrollably.
“Dawn, please. Calm down. We’re literally dying here and you still want to cause trouble?”
“I don’t know what’s happening, Selene!” she replied, her tone almost giddy. “It’s like… I want to jump around and celebrate. I especially want to tear that big door down.”
“Don’t you dare,” I warned. “Don’t get us killed like the last time you did something reckless.”
“I’ll try,” she muttered, and I slammed a mental door between us. She was too wired to think straight.
I turned to my sister. Rose knelt beside me, her head bowed, her usually defiant eyes hidden beneath her lashes. But I knew better. She was burning with silent rage.
“Well? Regretting what you did now?” I asked her through our link, sarcasm lacing every word.
“Not one bit,” she snapped, her mental voice sharp. “I did the right thing.”
“Ugh. You’re so stubborn, sis. You’ve put us both in danger.”
“I’m tired of being treated like garbage just because we’re Rogues.”
“Exactly why I was trying to speak to them peacefully. But no—you just had to interrupt. Now look where we are.”
“Their tempers flared first. Not mine.”
“Seriously, where did Mom even get you from?” I sighed. “You love charging straight into trouble.”
“Ate, stop—”
But I didn’t hear the rest of her thought.
Because I smelled it.
A scent so potent it halted every cell in my body. Warm vanilla… cool mint… like moonlight and fire wrapped in one. It punched the air from my lungs, flooded my senses like crashing waves.
My chest tightened.
My pulse—weak from the blood loss—suddenly roared back to life.
The wolves around us straightened in unison, as if pulled by an invisible force. I wasn’t the only one who felt it.
Then I heard the whispered reverence ripple through the crowd.
“Alpha…”
I slowly raised my head, heart thundering in my ears.
And there he stood.
My breath hitched. My body forgot how to move.
Moon Goddess.
Tall, proud, and impossibly striking, he stood like a divine punishment sent from the heavens. Dark hair tousled by the wind, skin tanned and kissed by battle. Emerald-green eyes—piercing, sharp, and glowing faintly—locked onto me like I was the only person in the world.
His lips were a shade of blood-red. His jaw was sharp, dusted with the faintest shadow of a beard. The muscles beneath his open shirt flexed as he moved, power coiled in every step.
My mouth went dry.
What… what is this feeling?
And then, before I could brace myself—
“MATE!”
“MINE!”
“ONLY MINE! MATE!”
Dawn’s voice thundered in my head, louder and more primal than ever before. She howled, clawing at my soul. I gasped, nearly doubling over. My hands dug into the dirt.
My legs shook as I forced myself upright.
Could this really be him?
The one my mother used to whisper stories about in the dead of night? The one destined to belong to me?
The one who could shatter everything with a touch?
And then—he growled. A sound low and feral.
“MINE. MATE. ONLY MINE.”
He shouted the words like a battle cry, like he couldn’t hold it back even if he wanted to. His voice echoed through the courtyard like a thunderclap.
Everyone around us gasped. Even the cocky guards backed away.
I flinched, caught between awe and embarrassment.
Did he really have to yell it like that? I thought as heat rushed to my cheeks.
Then, without warning, he crossed the space between us in seconds and wrapped his arms around me. My body was yanked into his strong embrace—firm, desperate, unyielding.
Pain screamed through me.
“Ouch!” I cried, trying to push him away. “Stop, stop! Let me go!”
His arms loosened instantly. His expression shifted from possessive to panicked. His eyes scanned me, wide and horrified, and I realized he hadn’t even noticed I was bleeding until now.
“You hurt our Mate,” Dawn hissed in my mind.
“Try being hugged with open wounds,” I muttered to her. “Let’s see if you wouldn’t push him too.”
I blocked her out again and looked at him.
His entire demeanor changed the moment he saw the silver blood soaking my shirt. His eyes darkened. The green hue dulled under the weight of his fury.
He inspected the wounds quickly—too quickly—and then looked up.
He growled.
A terrifying sound, low and deep. It wasn’t just anger. It was rage. Ancient. Unforgiving.
The pack members around us froze.
Even Rose, who never shut up, went dead silent.
“Who did this?!” he roared.
No one answered.
“I SAID, WHO DID THIS?!” his voice boomed again, trembling with power. His wolf was on the edge—ready to snap. His aura surged like a storm, oppressive and wild.
I was reminded suddenly of something my mother once told me...
---
“My daughter,” she said softly one night, brushing my hair as I lay in her lap. “One day, you might meet your Mate. And when that day comes, your heart will race, and you’ll catch a scent your wolf finds irresistible.”
“What kind of scent?” I had asked, eyes wide.
“It depends, anak. But the real sign—the one that matters—is possessiveness. You’ll see it in his eyes. He’ll hate seeing you hurt or touched by anyone else. Their anger… will be wild. But remember: the only thing that calms them is your touch.”
---
The memory echoed through my bones.
Maybe that’s why I did what I did next.
I stepped forward, slowly and shakily. Every part of me screamed in pain. But I didn’t stop.
I raised my arms—trembling and bloodied—and gently wrapped them around his waist.
He stilled instantly.
His fists unclenched.
His breathing, once wild and unrestrained, slowed. I felt the rapid rhythm of his heart begin to steady against my chest.
He looked down at me, stunned. Like he couldn’t believe I had touched him. Like he couldn’t believe I was real.
Truthfully? I couldn’t believe it either.
I had just hugged the Alpha of the very pack that had captured us.
My face burned. My knees wanted to buckle. But I didn’t let go.
Because in that moment, the pain in my body disappeared.
His scent, the warmth of his skin, the feel of his heartbeat against mine—it dulled everything else.
Then... he smiled.
Just for me.
A smile that was full of wonder and disbelief. Like the stars had aligned just for this meeting.
And just as I felt myself relax into his arms—everything around me went black.