Chapter two

ADRIAN POV

The scent hit me as I walked down the hallway.

Wild vanilla and warm honey.

It drifted through the air, soft and unfamiliar, yet powerful enough to make me slow down.

Where was that coming from?

Though I had a meeting with the pack council to attend, I found myself following the scent toward the kitchen, my steps carrying me forward before I could even make the decision.

A girl stood in front of the open refrigerator. ​She was small, looking far too delicate for my territory. Long, dark-brown hair fell past her waist, moving softly over her back as she reached for a water bottle. 

Everything about her looked soft and unfamiliar.

​My eyes moved to her waist before I could stop myself. Inside me, my wolf pushed against my chest, wanting to get closer.

She tipped a bottle of water to her lips, she turned and met my eyes.

The bottle slipped from her fingers. Water splashed across the front of her clothes and spread across the tiled floor.

Neither of us moved.

“Who are you?” I asked.

The moment my voice filled the room, something inside me shifted. My wolf, usually silent and controlled, suddenly stirred.

 ​‘She's here.’

​

My wolf had never sounded like that before.

​‘She's here!’ he growled again, his voice echoing through my mind.I clenched my jaw. 

That couldn't be right.

I had spent my entire life searching for my fated Luna, waiting for the day my wolf would finally recognize her. Just a few weeks ago, the elders had confirmed that Margaret was the one I'd been waiting for. Our wedding was already being planned.

So why was my wolf reacting to a stranger?

The girl took a cautious step backward, her foot slipping in the water.

“Whoa!” she screamed 

I moved before I could think. My arm shot around her waist, catching her before she hit the tile. Her small body slammed against my chest, her hands grabbing my jacket for support.

A sharp jolt tore through me. 

‘Mate’.

My wolf's roar shook through my mind.

‘Mate’.

Stop, I told him through clenched teeth.

He only growled louder.

I looked into her wide brown eyes, her vanilla and honey scent wrapping around me, making it difficult to think.

“Are you alright, Alpha?”

A servant stood at the entrance, staring in shock.

“I should have given her the water myself.”

The girl immediately stiffened, recognition spreading across her face as she realized who I was.

I released her. She stumbled back, and I caught myself staring at the empty space where her body had been.

What the hell was happening to me?

​I straightened my jacket, forcing my expression back into something cold and controlled. 

I stepped closer, unleashing the full, heavy weight of my aura.

​“Who sent you?”

​I laced the words with my Alpha Command—a force so heavy it could break a rogue's will in seconds.

​Maya’s breath hitched. For a fraction of a second, she wavered under the invisible weight, but instead of breaking, she simply raised her chin and stared straight into my eyes.

​

Shock hit me like a cold wave. No ordinary wolf could resist an Alpha Command. Even high-ranking wolves were expected to bow under the full force of it.

 ​Inside me, my wolf went deathly quiet, as if stunned by her absolute refusal to submit.

​“Who are you?” I asked again, this time without the command.

Before she could answer, hurried footsteps approached from the hallway.

Margaret appeared in the doorway, her eyes moving from me to the girl, then to the spilled water.

“Oh.”

“Margaret,” I said, turning away from the stranger.

Margaret swallowed and quickly walked into the kitchen.

“Her name is Maya,” she said softly. “She's a human I decided to help. Her parents passed away recently, and she had nowhere else to go. I couldn't just turn her away, so I offered her a place to stay.”

Maya's lips pressed together. She looked away, and the confidence she'd carried moments ago disappeared. 

“She doesn't have anyone,” Margaret continued. “I thought it would be better to let her stay here until she figures out what she's going to do.”

Maya lowered her eyes and folded her arms across her damp shirt.

My brows pinched together.

“You never mentioned her.”

Margaret gave me a small, apologetic smile.

“It came unexpected. I only wanted to help her.”

Human?

Then why hadn't my Alpha Command affected her?

“I looked at Maya one last time, I studied her under close scrutiny. Until she shifted uncomfortably under my gaze.

“Since she has no one, she can stay as long as she needs.”

“Thank you, Adrian,” Margaret replied with a smile.

I gave a small nod and turned toward the doorway.

As I left the kitchen, the scent of vanilla and honey followed me down the hallway, along with a question that refused to leave my mind.

If Margaret was truly my fated Luna, why did my wolf react to Maya—and why did Margaret look so terrified when I questioned who Maya really was?

I need to check Maya's background.