FATED TO THE ALPHA MATED FOR ETERNITY

"It really shouldn't be that tough to find someone for him," Reese muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Yeah, well, the man would rather spend all day splitting firewood than even think about dating," David shot back with a grin.

"We gotta do something about it," Brian added, leaning against a tree. "It's not right for a guy to go this long without a woman in his life. Hell, how does he not crave someone to hold, to build a family with? I know I do."

Rowan overheard his pack mates easily enough. They weren't exactly whispering. He knew they were getting restless, pushing him to settle down and find a mate.

That was the old wolf curse talking: the alpha had to pair up first, claim his true mate before anyone else in the pack could. Until then, no one got their happy ending, no kids, no heirs. For wolves, passing on the bloodline was everything. His three guys were itching for it badly, and he couldn't fault them one bit. He understood the pull.

Once, a long time ago, he'd felt the same way. Dreamed about having a woman by his side. But now? Now he was content swinging an axe, stacking logs, living simple. No fairy-tale nonsense. He'd turned forty a while back shouldn't his supposed fated mate have shown up by then? He was done buying into all that ancient lore about one perfect woman waiting out there just for him.

He hefted the axe high and brought it down hard. The log split clean with a satisfying crack. Truth was, he didn't even need the tool. With his raw power, he could rip wood apart bare-handed. But doing it this way, the old-fashioned way, made him feel... ordinary. Grounded.

He was a big wolf, bigger than most, stronger too. For whatever reason, the fates had piled on extra, making him stand out in ways that weren't always good. Folks whispered about him being some kind of freak, too massive, too powerful an abomination.

Back in his birth pack, they'd feared him from the start. He'd been a huge kid, unusually strong even before his first shift. The night he turned, everything flipped. In just a couple months, the alpha booted him out, calling him a threat. Too risky for a young leader to handle in a growing pack.

Rowan had been scared shitless eighteen, kicked to the curb, no one to guide him through the chaos of new instincts. Hunger that never quits, urges for food, for fights, for sex. He bounced from town to town for two years, scraping by with day labor, fighting to keep control. Eventually, he found a kind of balance. But freedom? It didn't always feel that way.

Hard to believe that was twenty years ago now.

He set the last log aside and turned to face the three men lounging behind him. They were supposed to be checking the borders. Word was bears were pushing into wolf territories, stirring trouble. He hadn't seen any sign of them yet. Down the stream a way lived a coyote shifter quirky guy, always mumbling to himself, but harmless enough. Rowan kind of liked the oddball.

"You ladies done gawking?" he called out, voice gruff.

Reese straightened up. "Hey, Alpha, we heard a big storm rolling in. Figured we better stock up head into town for supplies."

Rowan snorted. No storm on the horizon that he could smell. "You mean head into town where the women are. Hoping I'll bump into someone worth noticing."

"What's the harm in looking?" David asked, shrugging.

"I've been to town plenty. Trust me, she's not there. This is wearing thin." He wasn't in the mood to hash out all the headaches women brought, or how they'd complicated things in the past. Not today. Maybe he was just getting cranky in his old age. I didn't care.

"People move in all the time," Brian said. "The town's growing. New faces showing up every week."

"You're serious?"

"Come on, boss. Let us nudge you a little."

He couldn't knock them for it. They were stuck waiting on him, dreaming of families, kids running around. By holding out, he was blocking the whole pack. But it wasn't about settling for anyone, it had to be the real deal, the fate.

"Alright, alright," Rowan relented. No point fighting it forever. He leaned the axe against the stump and tugged off his work gloves.

"You gonna clean up first?" Reese asked.

"Nope." Rowan smirked. "If there's a woman out there meant for me, she'll have to take me as I am sweaty and covered in sawdust."

He headed toward the house. It was more like a lodge, really big, sprawling, with ten rooms. He claimed the top-floor master for the view of the woods. The others had their pick downstairs. They were a small crew, just four, but tough. Outcasts, every one of them, pulled together to form something new.

He grabbed his keys from inside and walked to his truck. He wasn't big on enclosed spaces, but this beast was different. He'd rescued it from a scrap heap years ago, rebuilt it piece by piece until it ran smooth as silk. Dumb, maybe, but he loved the thing.

Buckling in, he waited while the guys scrambled for seats. Only room for two up front, so they wrestled it out. David lost and climbed into the bed.

Nothing beats the open air for a wolf. No rules, no cages, just the wind and the wild.

He fired up the engine and pulled out, savoring the rush of cool pine-scented breeze. Even without a full moon pulling at them, being out here felt right. Alive.

The town was a good twenty minutes by road. Faster on four paws, sure, but he stayed away from humans in wolf form unless absolutely necessary. Some folks hunted the woods for trophies, big game. No telling if they knew about shifters or just chased shadows. Either way, he played it safe. Kept the pack hidden.

Even that coyote down the way did the same. The last thing any of them needed was humans freaking out over men turning into beasts once a month. Fear like that turned ugly fast.