Mated Twice: A Wolf’s Dilemma

The night air bit cold against Racheal Black’s skin as she stood on the cliff edge overlooking the valley. The wind carried the scent of pine, wet earth… and something new. Something unsettling.

She tightened her grip on the silver dagger strapped to her thigh, more out of habit than necessity. A beta didn’t usually need to defend herself on sacred land. But tonight wasn’t just any night. It was Ritual Night, and every eligible unmated wolf in the surrounding packs had gathered under the blood moon to find their destined mate.

Racheal hated it.

The Moon Goddess’s decree had always felt more like a curse than a blessing. Being chosen meant losing control. Losing choice. It meant giving yourself to fate—even if fate was cruel.

She turned to leave when a sharp heat spiked through her spine, spreading like wildfire across her nerves. Her breath hitched. Her heart slammed in her chest.

Something—no, someone—was close.

She spun, eyes scanning the shadows between the trees. And then she saw him.

Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed in midnight black. His silver eyes glowed like liquid mercury under the moonlight. Alpha Kade Thorn.

Her pulse quickened. Her wolf stirred.

“No…” she whispered, taking a step back. She had heard of him—ruthless, calculated, a pack leader known for his icy discipline. He wasn’t supposed to be here. His pack was on the far border. He hadn’t participated in a Ritual Night in years.

But now he was walking toward her, slow and deliberate, like a storm about to strike.

"You feel it too," he said, his voice deep and quiet. Not a question. A fact.

Racheal’s throat tightened. The heat inside her flared again—this time, laced with something dangerously intoxicating. Her knees nearly buckled.

The bond.

The mate bond.

“No,” she repeated, more to herself than him. “This can’t be happening.”

Kade stopped just feet away. "You’re mine," he said simply, like it had already been decided by the stars.

Racheal’s wolf howled inside her chest, torn between instinct and fear.

“I don’t belong to anyone,” she snapped.

Kade’s lips twitched—almost a smile, but not quite. “Then why does your heart race when I’m near?”

She hated that he was right. She hated that fate had touched her without warning, without permission.

Behind them, the first howl of the ritual rose into the night—one voice, then two, then dozens. The packs were beginning the ancient run, waiting for mates to be claimed. But Racheal stood frozen, caught in the space between fear and longing.

Kade took another step closer, his scent wrapping around her like smoke and cedar.

"Fight it if you want," he said. "But the Moon doesn’t make mistakes."

She met his eyes—and for a moment, she didn’t see a ruthless alpha. She saw a man just as bound, just as cursed by fate as she was.

But before she could speak, a new scent hit the wind.

Wild. Reckless. Untamed.

Another presence. Another heartbeat.

Another bond.

Racheal staggered back. Her eyes widened as she realized what her wolf was trying to tell her.

Not one.

Two.

She was mated again.