Chapter 2

Alaric

“Alpha, you really can't dodge this anymore. As the Alpha King, it is your duty to oversee the smooth running of all the smaller Packs. You should have been to Red Moon two months ago.”

My Beta, Roderick, nagged me once again.

I groaned and dragged a hand down my face. He was right, but I hated that he was right. I already had more than enough to deal with inside my own Pack, but what made this all worse—infinitely worse—was the ticking clock in my chest. I was turning thirty in a week. And I still hadn’t found my mate.

And that wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t mean I was going to die.

No joke, no exaggeration. If I didn’t find and mark my mate before the age of thirty-one, my life would end.

I was running out of time faster than I could think. Each sunrise felt like a countdown. Each sunset another nail in my coffin. How the hell did I even get to this point? And who the fuck placed that stupid curse on my family? Whoever it was, I hoped they were rotting six feet under, haunted by their worst fears on repeat.

No one really knew the full history of the curse. It went back centuries, maybe longer. All anyone knew was this: every Alpha of the Silvermist Pack who failed to find his mate before turning thirty-one died suddenly, mysteriously. The people called it a curse of the Moon.

By the third death, it became undeniable. By the time an Alpha heir reached eighteen, it turned into a desperate race. Find your fated mate. Find her fast or die.

And here I was completely empty handed after twelve years of searching. Twelve years of failure. My death was staring me down.

The last thing on my mind was overseeing another Pack. But I was the Alpha King. I couldn’t make my personal problem everyone else’s. Duty was duty.

“I don’t really feel like going to Red Moon,” I muttered. “Everything seems to be going just fine there.”

“You haven’t been there since the new Alpha was crowned,” Roderick countered. His voice was patient, but firm. “Only the people of our Pack know about your curse. You must maintain your authority as Alpha King. You cannot appear weak.”

I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. “What even is the point anymore, Roderick? I’m going to die anyway. Either I don’t have a fated mate, or she’s dead. I’ve searched far and wide for almost twelve years. Nothing. What good will this trip do?”

Roderick’s gaze softened. “I wish I could say, Alpha. But I’m sure Goddess Selene has a plan for you. You’ve been gloomy these days. If nothing else, perhaps a change of scenery will improve your mood.”

I sighed, long and heavy. “I doubt it. But you won’t let this go, will you?”

“No,” he said simply. “You’ve postponed multiple times already. All you have to do is make an appearance. Nothing more.”

Another sigh escaped me. My ribs ached with the weight of it. “Fine, then. Get the entourage ready. We’re going to the Red Moon Pack.”

***

And that was how I found myself being welcomed by Alpha Bryan of the Red Moon Pack.

The man practically tripped over himself to kiss my boots. His smile was too wide, his bow too deep, the kind of display that reeked of desperation rather than respect.

“Your Highness,” Bryan gushed, voice dripping with honey, “what an honor it is to finally have you grace our humble Pack with your presence. I cannot begin to describe how truly blessed we are. If there is anything you require—anything at all—you need only whisper it, and it shall be done. The Red Moon Pack lives to serve you.”

Before I could respond, he pressed on, words tumbling one over the other in a rush to impress me. “I must say, you look well and strong. It eases my heart to see you in such fine health, your highness. We have all heard whispers of your tireless efforts keeping peace among the Packs—how heavy the burden must be on your shoulders. You truly are the pillar that holds us all together.”

He glanced at me with practiced concern, tilting his head just so, like he was trying to peer into my soul. “But tell me, Your Highness… are you resting enough? Eating well? One such as you cannot afford to wear himself down. The Packs need you in your prime, after all.”

I kept my face blank, refusing to give him anything. His eyes flicked toward me again, quick and calculating, and for the briefest moment I saw the truth in them. There was definitely worry, not for me, but for what he wanted from me.

Ah. There it was.

Financial troubles, no doubt. He didn’t even need to spell it out. His tone already carried that subtle edge, the same way a merchant might flatter a wealthy man before haggling for coin.

I could smell the begging underneath all the flowery words. It was almost suffocating.

I tuned half of it out, my patience thinning. My mind was elsewhere, already aching to be back in my own Pack.

A maid stepped forward at Bryan’s signal, ready to escort me to the guestroom. But before I followed her, something tugged at my memory.

“If I recall correctly, Bryan,” I asked, my tone casual, “didn’t you have a Luna? Where is she?”

Bryan stiffened. A nervous laugh tumbled out of him. “Ah, yes. She… she isn’t feeling well. She’s resting in her room.”

I raised a brow, but didn’t press. If his Luna was sick, it was his problem. I let the maid lead me away.

We walked through the halls, my footsteps echoing softly. My thoughts drifted back to the curse, the approaching deadline, the hopelessness gnawing at me. But then—

It hit me.

A scent.

Subtle at first, then so overwhelming it almost knocked me off balance. Vanilla. Sweet, warm vanilla. And liquor, sharp and intoxicating. The two notes twined together and seeped into me, flooding my senses.

My heart jolted violently in my chest, beating so hard I thought it might break my ribs. My head grew light, fuzzy, like I was drunk without drinking. My breath came in sharp pulls as the scent coiled deeper into me.

Frite stirred immediately. My wolf growled, purred, pawed at the inside of my mind like a beast unleashed.

‘That scent…’ he rumbled. ‘It’s wonderful. It’s ours. We need it.’

“Control yourself, Frite,” I hissed inwardly. My hands curled into fists. “This isn’t our Pack.”

Frite snarled, pacing, restless, untamed. ‘The scent—it’s ours. It smells like mate. It’s our mate. Mate! Our mate is beyond that door. Let’s go to our mate!’

My stomach dropped. My vision swam. Could it really be? After twelve years of searching, could it be true? Could it really be that after all this time, my mate has been hiding here, in the Red Moon Pack?

Frite howled inside me. ‘What are you waiting for? She’s behind that door! Our mate! Go!’

I turned sharply to the maid. My voice was steady, but my blood thundered. “What’s behind this door?”

The girl froze. She fidgeted, her hands twisting in her apron. “Well, Your Highness, I…”

I narrowed my eyes. “Answer me.”

She stuttered, words tangling on her tongue. I let my Alpha command roll out, heavy and designed to subdue. “Tell me now. Who is behind that door?”

Her knees buckled under the weight of my voice. “It’s the Luna, Your Highness. She’s in the room. But please—please don’t go in there. The Alpha gave strict orders that nobody should enter, or the punishment would be severe.”

My lip curled. “His blasted rules don’t apply to me.”

I reached for the handle and threw the door open.

I froze at the sight before me.

The air in the room was thick with that intoxicating scent, stronger now, wrapping around me like chains. My eyes locked on the bed.

There she was.

The most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Blonde hair spilled like silk over the pillow, eyes the color of glacial blue staring back at me, wide with fear. Her doll-like features were flushed, her wrists and ankles bound cruelly like an animal, her mouth taped shut as she struggled against the ropes.

Frite roared in triumph, his voice deafening in my head. ‘Mate! Ours! Our mate!’

And I knew. Every fiber of me knew. She was mine. My fated. The one I had searched for across lands, across years.

But she was bound. Silenced.

And she was Bryan’s Luna.

My mate. My salvation. The woman I had been dying for.

How the hell could she belong to another man?!