Chapter 14

Andrew

Mondays were useless.

I didn’t need to be here. The pack ran like a well-oiled machine under my dad’s leadership, but my desk was stacked with reports – all of them tests from dad to see if I understood pack business, wolfen laws, and everything in between. On top of that my father insisted I “connect with the younger generation” before taking full Alpha responsibilities. Translation: Sit through boring classes with barely-legal pups and pretend I care.

On top of being here my wolf was pacing in my mind giving me a headache before the first period.

What's with you?

I...I want to shift again. He replied with a growl.

You can tell that to my dad as he forced me to attend this human school. My wolf just growl back at me.

I thought back to the weekend and my birthday – sweet gifts, cheerful greetings, and of course, the main event: I finally shifted. And da.mn, that bitch hurt. I hadn’t expected to cry, but the tears came anyway as my body twisted and stretched into something entirely new. Thank the Goddess it didn’t hurt that bad the second time.

My wolf was jet black – classic, I know – but still, there was something undeniably thrilling about him. He wasn’t just powerful, he was a force of nature. Muscles rippled beneath his midnight coat, his senses razor-sharp, catching every scent, every whisper of movement in the forest. When he ran, he didn’t simply move – he devoured the ground beneath him, each stride a blur.

I sat at the back of his mind, a passenger in his body, and yet it was the most exhilarating thing I had ever felt. The wind tore past, cool and alive against his fur. The forest blurred into streaks of green and shadow, the earth’s heartbeat pounding through his paws. Every instinct screamed freedom.

In that moment, the world felt like it was mine – ours. No rules, no boundaries. Just raw power, unchained. We could go anywhere, take anything, do whatever we wanted. And for once, I wasn’t a shadow of my father, pressed against the glass of a world I couldn’t touch. I felt like the predator the world should fear.

My parents, of course, were more disappointed than they let on that I didn’t meet my mate at the party, as they even had invited neighbouring pack Alpha and Beta she-wolves. But personally? I was relieved. It meant the she-wolf wasn’t from my pack and who cares if she wasn't from the closest pack's either? Honestly, I’ve always dreamed my Luna would be an Alpha-blooded daughter from another pack – strong genetics, good business, and a guaranteed alliance. And the pups? Pure Alpha-blooded children could bring power, strength, and prosperity to the entire pack.

So, not finding her yet? It kind of worked in my favor. I figured I’d start visiting other packs soon as I've been confined in this smallness for way too long. I'll attend a few gatherings, sniff around a bit and explore the world, lettin myself enjoy the world and life at it's fullest. Maybe this wasn’t just wishful thinking. Maybe it was a gut instinct. A prophecy in disguise.

You think highly of yourself, boy, my wolf grumbled in the back of my mind. We don’t have those kinds of magical powers, he chuckled.

We’ll see, I replied. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t enjoy chasing down an Alpha she-wolf.

That… I would, he admitted without hesitation.

I was two seconds away from ditching next period when the scent hit me. It stopped me cold.

Charcoal and citrus. Earth after rain. A wild, untamed pull that wrapped around my spine and yanked hard.

Mate.

My wolf lunged forward with a soundless roar, clawing at my insides. My feet were already moving, tracking the scent like a bloodhound. I pushed through the cafeteria doors just in time to see her – back turned, head tilted slightly like she already knew I was watching.

Everything around her blurred. My world narrowed. She was magnetic. Messy ponytail. Combat boots. A figure that said "don’t mess with me" and "I dare you" all at once.

I inhaled deeper and froze.

No. Not her.

I hated her from the moment she stepped across the school’s threshold.

I hated that before she even arrived, my father had already gotten involved – called me straight into his office and said, “She’s off-limits. I don’t want to hear that even a single hair has fallen from her head because of you.” He knew exactly how I felt about lone wolves.

Her scent made me nauseous every time it drifted near – stale, wild, foreign. It clung to my nose like something rotten, and I hated her for it. I hated the sound of her laughter echoing through the halls as she made fast friends with a couple of clueless human girls. Of course – no wolf pack wolf would ever accept her. Not that bi.tch.

I even stopped eating in the cafeteria, just to avoid her stench. I ate outside instead. So the day she invaded my space out there? That was it. I snapped. I needed to put her in her place.

But she didn’t cower. She didn’t even blink. She talked back like I was nothing. Me. An Alpha. She mocked me with that smug mouth and matched my dominance play-for-play like she’d been trained for it. Like she was used to power.

The goddamn lone wolf. I hated her.

I even paid that idiot Tom to mess with her, but she was too da.mn clever for her own good. She flipped the whole thing on him so hard, the school buzzed about it for a week. Some of the things she said to him? They ended up on memes kids still pass around. It was humiliating – for him, not her.

So, I told Tom to step up his game. And what he came up with? I’ll admit – I liked it. That image of her, drenched and dusted in flour, was priceless. If I didn’t despise her so much, I might’ve framed that shot and kept it by my bed just to wake up smiling.

But a week later, Tom showed up red-eyed and desperate, demanding eight hundred bucks. Said that “psycho” ruined his life, destroyed his relationship with his parents. I still don’t know what she did to him – but whatever it was, it shattered him. He even threatened to out me, tell everyone I paid him unless I coughed up the cash. I probably shouldn’t have given in – it could bite me later – but something about him in that moment made me pity the guy. He looked genuinely wrecked.

And yet... no one knew what happened. Not really.

But none of that changes the bottom line – I hated her.

I clenched my fists. This had to be a mistake. The Moon Goddess wouldn’t pair me with her. Was this a cruel joke? I needed a Luna who was poised. Graceful. Strategic. Someone who fit the role – not someone who kicked first and asked questions never.

But my wolf didn’t care. He surged forward, tail wagging, tongue lolling like a fool. Ours, he growled, smug and insistent. I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. The bond was already snaking its roots through my blood.

Then she turned.

Smirk on her lips. Fire in her eyes. Confident. Stunning.

And dangerous.

She walked toward me slowly, hips swaying with the confidence of someone who knew exactly what she was doing to me. My breath caught. My wolf purred.

This was bad.

She stepped in close, eyes locked on mine. I couldn’t look away. I didn’t even want to. Her scent was dizzying. I noticed the moment her smile changed – playful, predatory. She licked her lips. My knees almost buckled.

Then–

Wham.

Pain exploded in my jaw. My head snapped to the side.

What the hell– ?

Before I could react, her knee drove into my groin. The world tilted. My wolf howled in pain, tail tucked between his legs.

Crunch.

Her knee crashed into my nose. The pain was white-hot, blinding. Blood rushed down my face, and my pride shattered right with it.

She leaned in, her breath brushing my ear.

“Next time you bully a girl… make sure she’s not your mate first.”

Then she walked away. Just like that.

The cafeteria was dead silent. I stayed crouched, panting, humiliated in front of everyone. My Beta was going to lose it when he found out.

My wolf whimpered, but still whispered, She’s perfect.

I growled, eyes glowing faintly.

This wasn’t over.

Not by a long shot.