CHAPTER 6: DEAR EX, YOU ARE MY MATE

Ty’s POV

Jax appeared just as I was hugging my dads and Tyra goodbye at the pack border.

“Happy Birthday, dog,” I smirked, pulling him into a solid bro hug.

He scoffed. “Who’s the dog here, you sarcastic snake?”

“Jeez,” I sighed dramatically, pulling back. “A simple ‘thank you’ would’ve done, Your Highness. So ungrateful.”

I bolted before his comeback could land.

Behind me, I heard the distinct snap of bones—Jax had shifted. His massive jet-black wolf tore after me through the forest.

Wrong move, pup.

My wolf was faster—deadly faster. Trained alongside elite vampires in the Academy, I’d molded him into a machine of speed, power, and stealth. The only wolves who could remotely keep up were those who’d trained for war.

Jax? He was Alpha-strong. But speed? That wasn’t his game.

I shifted mid-run, my powerful blackish-brown wolf bursting through the underbrush. My paws thundered across the earth, wind slicing through my fur like silver blades.

I left him in the dust and veered toward the lake.

He’ll give up. He knows I always come back.

Sucker.

Panting, I skidded to a halt at the lake’s edge and dipped my tongue into the cool water. My muscles relaxed. The wind calmed. For a brief moment... it was peace.

Then—

Suddenly, a scent hit me—sharp, intoxicating, primal.

Lemons and musk.

Clean and earthy, bright yet devastatingly masculine. It curled around my senses like a coil of fire, slithering into my lungs and igniting something deep inside my wolf.

I froze.

Every muscle locked. Every nerve lit up.

The smell grew stronger—closer—until it wasn't just around me… it was on me.

A pair of large, jet-black paws landed gently against my sides, pinning me down without force but with a possessiveness that made my wolf shudder. The weight, the warmth, the steady pressure—it wasn’t threatening. It was claiming.

And something in me, something ancient and instinctual, yielded.

Tingles sparked wherever he touched me, dancing down my spine, up my neck, curling deliciously behind my ears. His presence was overpowering—electric, intoxicating, a perfect storm of dominance and desire wrapped in fur.

My wolf didn’t fight.

He welcomed.

I felt the other wolf—this massive shadow of sleek muscle and raw power—lower his head, his snout gliding along my neck. He inhaled me like I was the finest scent he’d ever known, and then he began to explore. Slowly. Intimately. Playfully.

His tongue, warm and deliberate, licked just behind my ear—sending a violent shiver through my whole body.

My back arched beneath him.

Tingles turned into heat. Heat turned into pleasure. It wasn’t sexual—not yet—but it was sensual in every primal way. We were still wolves, driven by instinct, by scent, by energy. This was wolfplay, a flirtation through body language, touch, and tease.

He nuzzled me with firm, affectionate strokes of his muzzle. He traced circles against my fur with his tongue, brushing against every sensitive spot like he knew me. My tail flicked involuntarily. My breath came in soft huffs.

His weight never crushed, only covered—sheltering, claiming, playing.

It was so good. So overwhelming. So maddeningly familiar.

And I let it happen.

For a few seconds, I forgot where I was. Forgot who I was.

I simply existed in the bliss of being touched like I was wanted.

But then—

He nibbled behind my ear.

A grazing of his teeth, followed by a teasing tug that sent a jolt right through me.

Just. Like. He. Used. To.

That bite wasn’t playful. It was intimate. A secret gesture. One he used to give me whenever we curled up together in our dorm room after midnight sparring sessions. That one little nibble had always meant: Mine.

Fuck no.

Reality slammed back into me like a silver blade through the chest.

The comfort. The heat. The pleasure.

It all turned cold and sour and ugly.

I knew that touch. I knew that pattern. That exact blend of tenderness and teasing. That scent—lemon and musk—wasn’t just any wolf.

It was Kai.

We locked eyes, and in a blinding, searing explosion of silver sparks, our wolves echoed one word:

“Mate.”

I froze.

Then fury surged through me like wildfire.

NO.

No, no, no!

Not him.

Not this lying bastard. Not this selfish son of a bitch who let me shatter without a word. The fucking Moon Goddess had joked with me. This couldn’t be real.

I bared my canines, snarling, daring him to come closer.

He hesitated. Whimpered. Shifted into his human form, completely bare, hands raised in surrender.

“Ty, please—just let me explain. I—”

I cut him off with a furious growl, sharp enough to shake the ground.

He flinched.

It wasn’t just about what happened that day.

It was the silence after.

The way he let me leave. The way he didn’t chase. The way he carved out my soul with ten hours of nothing.

If love was a battlefield, Kai Stone had left me bleeding alone.

“Ty, I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

He started again.

He didn’t get it.

He didn’t fucking get it.

Did he think I’d fall into his arms, sigh into his chest, pretend like five years of torment never existed?

It was a miracle I hadn’t ripped his throat out the second I smelled him.

No words.

No mercy.

I turned and ran.

Through the forest, faster than the wind could catch, rage fueling every stride. But I knew—

He would come.

He always did. Too late. Too slow.

I sprinted toward the Cliff of Fires, the legendary battleground of dragons, the peaks constantly ablaze in hues of crimson, jade, and sapphire flame.

Kai’s thundering paws followed.

But I reached the summit first.

I halted at the edge. The winds howled. The flames below danced. Behind me, he skidded to a stop.

Our eyes met again.

His were glistening.

He whimpered, padded forward. Careful. Cautious.

My fury built to a scream inside my skull.

He took one more step.

I leapt.

The wind howled louder than his cry. His pain echoed off the burning cliffs as I fell.

But before gravity could claim me, wings exploded from my back. My body twisted midair and soared skyward, blazing through the sky in a glorious arc of scaled defiance.

I rose above the cliffs like a storm, my dragon form catching the light in a blaze of bronze and fire.

I looked down.

He was still there.

Watching me. Wanting me.

Too late.

And then—a scream.

Not a growl. Not a howl.

A scream.

High. Sharp. Agonized. A warning.

Something was wrong.

And it came from Kai.