chapter 1

It really shouldn’t be this hard to find him a woman,” Reese said.

“Seriously? The guy would rather spend an entire day chopping wood than go looking for one,” David replied.

“We’ve got to do something. It’s not right for a man to be alone like that. How can he not want a woman he can love, build a life with—maybe even start a family? I know I do,” Brian added.

Caleb overheard his pack talking and understood their frustration. As alpha, the ancient wolf laws meant he had to find his mate first. Only then could the rest of the pack discover their own destined partners. Until that happened, no one could start families. And to wolves, having heirs meant everything. The desire to find love and have children was natural for his men. He didn’t blame them.

There was a time Caleb longed for the same things. But now? He just wanted to split logs and stay away from the myths and promises of fate. He had recently turned forty. If a mate was meant for him, wouldn’t she have shown up by now? The idea of a “fated” partner felt more like a cruel joke than a blessing.

With one strong swing, his axe cleaved a log in two. He didn’t actually need tools. His strength alone could break wood apart. But using the axe made him feel a little more grounded—more human.

Caleb wasn’t just strong. He was too strong. People whispered about him, calling him unnatural, even monstrous. In his old pack, they had feared him. Not because he did anything wrong—but because of his size and power.

Even as a child, he had been larger and stronger than most. When he first shifted into a wolf, everything changed. Within two months, his pack leader cast him out, calling him a threat. At just eighteen, he found himself alone, trying to make sense of his new life and the overwhelming urges that came with it—hunger, lust, loneliness.

He wandered for two years, drifting between towns, doing whatever work he could find, trying to keep himself under control. Eventually, he carved out a place for himself—a small sanctuary where he could be free. Still, some days didn’t feel like freedom at all.

It was hard to believe twenty years had passed since then.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and turned toward the three men behind him. They were supposed to be patrolling the borders. There had been talk that bears were encroaching on wolf lands. So far, he hadn’t seen any sign of them. A coyote lived a few miles downstream—odd guy, always muttering to himself—but he was friendly enough.

“You done watching?” Caleb called over his shoulder.

“We heard a storm’s coming, Alpha,” Reese said. “Thought we’d go into town and stock up.”

“No storm’s coming,” Caleb replied. “You just want to go where the women are. Hoping I’ll finally meet ‘the one,’ huh?”

“What harm would it do?” David asked.

“I’ve been to town plenty. I’d know if my mate was there. This is getting ridiculous.” He didn’t mention how complicated relationships could be—or how little patience he had for it lately. Was he becoming bitter? Probably. But he didn’t care.

“There are new women arriving every day,” Brian added. “The town’s growing.”

“You’re joking,” Caleb said, sighing. “Fine. We’ll go.”

He set the axe down by a tree stump and peeled off his gloves.

“You gonna clean up first?” Reese asked.

“Not a chance,” Caleb said. “If the woman who’s meant to be mine shows up, she’ll have to deal with the dirt. I’m not changing for anyone.”

His home wasn’t just a house—it was a lodge, really, with ten rooms. He took the master suite upstairs with a sweeping view of the valley. The rest of the pack had their own rooms. They were a small group, just four strong, but united by their shared pasts as outcasts. Together, they’d built something new.

He grabbed his keys and headed for his truck. Despite his dislike of confined spaces, he loved his truck. It had started out as a rusted wreck, but he’d fixed it up himself. Now it purred like a dream. It might seem silly to care so much about a vehicle, but he did. It was one thing in his life he could rely on.

As he buckled in, the others scrambled to join him. With only room for two inside, Reese and Brian raced for the passenger seat. David hopped into the truck bed, not bothered in the least. Wolves loved the open air, after all.

Out here, they were free. No rules. No one to hold them back.

The drive to town took about twenty minutes. Sure, it was faster in wolf form, but shifting near humans was risky. Some towns had hunting parties that scoured the woods for large animals. Caleb wasn’t sure if people knew about werewolves—or just suspected. Either way, he wouldn’t take the chance.

Even coyotes played it safe. The last thing they needed was humans discovering the truth and turning their kind into trophies. People feared what they didn’t understand. And if they ever found out that men could turn into beasts under the full moon? That fear would become something far more dangerous.

He parked near the diner and as he got out, Caleb paused. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to hide what he’d already detected.

Brian took in a deep breath. “She’s close,” he said.

Another little pesky problem—his pack could apparently detect his

mate.

They could be so fucking irritating. It was why one or more of them insisted on coming with him whenever he went to town. They believed he would purposefully avoid his mate. He wouldn’t dream of doing that. It had just never happened for him.

This scent though…

It was sugar and cinnamon and all things sweet. His mouth watered, not to mention how his dick reacted to it. He wanted her instantly and he didn’t even know who she was or what she looked like. It didn’t matter.

For all he knew, it was a damn good cinnamon roll. “Enough,” he said to his men.

He was drawn to the diner. Without waiting for his men, he stepped through the door and found a table right in the back.