Chapter 4 –– Where is my mate?

Daemon's Point of View

As the Alpha of our pack, I carried a weighty responsibility on my shoulders. It wasn't just about maintaining order or ensuring the safety of our members; it extended to matters of lineage and tradition, including the somewhat archaic concept of finding a mate chosen by fate. Unfortunately.

My father wanted me to find my mate, and it would get problematic if I didn't at least look. He may have been the former Alpha. He may have believed it was time for me to seek out my mate to solidify our pack's future. But I wasn't convinced. I still didn't think I needed one yet, although my wolf Theo disagreed.

"I felt her about three months ago, and then she disappeared," he said. "I need to go find her soon." Theo had been unusually vocal about it ever since he sensed her presence months ago. Yes, Theo was able to talk to me. We could hold conversations in our heads, though sometimes it was like talking to a child. Talking to your wolf was a normal part of being a Wolf-Shifter Alpha, though it often felt like reasoning with a stubborn child.

In ranked Wolf-Shifters, their wolf aspects also spoke to their human counterparts, though they weren't as strong or as domineering as Alpha wolves. Alpha wolves held control over other pack members. It also meant that packs led by someone without the Alpha gene were at a disadvantage. Usually, an Alpha would come and take over. Some very harsh Alphas made a point of taking over others' territories, but I wasn't like that.

As for finding my Luna, Theo believed she was unusually strong—like an Alpha. The conviction in his voice when he spoke about her was unsettling, as though he had some insight that I didn't. Theo had always been sharp, his instincts rarely wrong, so I did as he suggested and looked around our pack for her. But no matter where I went, I didn't see her.

Given our pack's genetics, it didn't make sense. My sister, Christine, and I were the only ones here with the Alpha gene besides our parents. There were no other Alphas in the pack, not since my father took over. And while there were many strong she-wolves, none of them had the commanding presence Theo described. Honestly, I wasn't too impressed with the selection of possible mates.

My mother, now retired from her role as Luna, had been the daughter of another Alpha. She joined our pack after mating with my father, forging an alliance and strengthening our lineage. Their bond was one of power and equality—a partnership that led our pack to prosperity. That was the kind of connection I respected.

If I had to mate, I wasn't going to settle for anything less. I didn't want a non-Alpha mate, someone who would bow to me and go along with everything I said without question. I wanted a Luna who could stand at my side, challenge me when I was wrong, and rule with strength and wisdom. A submissive she-wolf wouldn't do. And Goddess forbid I ever end up with an Omega.

Omegas didn't even have wolves; they were just a step up from being human, though they had slightly better senses and healing, but still humans. They lived within the pack but didn't connect to it the same way we did. They chose their mates, decided with their human hearts rather than their instincts, and had no ties to the Moon Goddess. It was unthinkable to me, unthinkable and unfair.

If I were going to have a mate, it would be someone who matched me in strength and who could carry the weight of being a Luna without faltering. I wanted someone who would help continue the legacy I was building, not just sit back and reap its benefits.

But truthfully, I didn't want anyone right now. There was too much to do and too many responsibilities demanding my focus. The thought of adding a mate to that equation—a mate who would expect my time, attention, and resources—was a complication I couldn't afford. Not now, not when my pack needed me.

For now, the idea of a mate remained exactly that: an idea. And I intended to keep it that way.

What made me wonder was who my mate was and where she had disappeared. As far as I knew, there were no visitors in our pack at the time. If she had just turned 18, I would have met her when she officially joined the pack. If she had died, I would have known that too. We had one person die four months ago, and she was around my father's age, but no one since. Also, it was before Theo sensed my mate.

Wolf-Shifters didn't die from natural causes very often unless they were very old. There was some gossip about the woman who died. It was a woman from a pack that rogues had decimated. The rumours were that she wasn't an Omega, and she died because her mate died. It was said that she only stayed alive to deliver her daughter and raise her. She was too young to die from old age, and there wasn't anything that would be suspicious.

I also knew that the woman who was supposed to be my mate was not among those registered to work or live in the city. To appease Theo, I had gone and checked up on all of them. It stumped us both, but unlike Theo, I wasn't overly worried about it. He still goes on about it, and sometimes, I have to tell him to shut it, like now.

"You should listen to your sire. He is right, you know," Theo started his lecture.

"I'll say the same thing to you as I said to him," I replied snappily. "I am not weak, and I haven't needed a Luna yet!"

"But we do need one!" he argued. "Without a mate, we are weaker. I am weaker."

"I will decide when I need one, and it will be when I want one and not before," I responded angrily. Since sensing my mate, all Theo would talk about was her. It was like his only goal was to find his mate and mark her. All he could think about was sex with her, our mate. Lately, I have even found it an issue to look at other women. He didn't want me having sex with anyone who wasn't his mate. Thanks to him, I had been celibate since sensing her.

For now, Theo kept whingeing at me, so I blocked him. I could still feel him jumping around inside my head, but at least he wasn't annoying the hell out of me. I could concentrate on other matters. I had other important issues to deal with today. It was my Beta, Tyler's birthday, and I had an excellent idea of how to celebrate. He didn't want a huge party, so I made reservations for dinner at his favourite restaurant.

It was in the city outside the pack boundaries and called Luna. James, an old friend of mine, owned it. He lived in an apartment I owned in the city, as did most of his staff. All of his crew were Wolf-Shifters, which made a lot of sense. There was no problem with being overheard back of house by humans.

James decorated the restaurant with moons and wolves and a lot of gold paint and glitter. It was a bit gaudy for my tastes, but it was a hit with both Wolf-Shifters and humans alike. The menu was what made it worth going, and I hadn't been here for about six months, so I was looking forward to it.

It was often tricky to get a booking as it was usually booked out months in advance, but there are perks to being the Alpha. One of those was having a table available on call. If I didn't use it, Tyler, Adam (who was my Gamma), my parents, or my sister would often use it.