THE FESTIVAL OF UNITY

The scent of roasted meat, pine sap, and crushed wildflowers drifted through the air like an intoxicating perfume. The central clearing of the Moonfang Pack had been transformed overnight into a mosaic of banners, lanterns, and ceremonial fire pits. Wolves from neighboring territories—some bitter rivals, others cautious allies—had gathered for the annual Festival of Unity, a political dance cloaked in smiling faces and carefully chosen words.

Veyra Hale watched from the safety of the tree line, her hood drawn low, her heart pounding. She wasn't supposed to be here. She'd promised Jon and her parents she would stay hidden during the festival. The stakes were too high—too many strangers, too many risks. But curiosity had always been her undoing, and the call of the world beyond her isolation had grown louder since her strange encounter with Kael.

Now, as twilight bled across the sky, she stood cloaked in anonymity, the festival glowing before her like a dream she'd never been allowed to touch.

Music floated across the clearing, a blend of ancient drums and stringed melodies. Wolves mingled in their human forms, dressed in ceremonial leathers or elegant robes, their voices a low hum of laughter, argument, and negotiation. Veyra moved through the outskirts like a ghost, slipping between shadows, keeping her head down.

She shouldn't be here.

But the part of her that had touched Kael's hand—the part that had felt her soul ignite—was changing. Something inside her had begun to stir, and it refused to be caged any longer.

She wandered closer to the main circle where diplomats and pack leaders gathered beneath a sprawling oak draped in moonlight. That's when she saw him.

Lioren.

He stood a little apart from the others, his presence commanding without being loud. He wore a long ash-gray cloak trimmed in silver, the symbol of Ashfang sewn into the leather at his shoulder. His dark eyes scanned the crowd, cold and calculated, his jaw sharp, his posture perfect. There was a quiet power about him, like the calm before a blizzard.

And then his gaze landed on her.

For a heartbeat, everything stopped. Veyra's breath hitched. It was different from Kael. With Kael, it had felt like a wildfire roaring through her. With Lioren, it was ice-water—a sudden, silencing clarity that slowed her heart and stilled the world around her. The bond stirred beneath her skin like frost climbing glass.

Lioren tilted his head slightly. He had seen her. Seen through her.

Veyra spun and disappeared into the crowd, her cloak flaring like wings.

She shouldn't have come. Damn it, she shouldn't have come.

She slipped behind the merchant tents, weaving through the darker edges of the gathering. Her heart pounded in her ears. Two bonds now. Two. Her mother had said once the first was formed, the others would follow, but so soon? And with Kael still fresh in her mind?

Behind her, footsteps.

She froze.

"I won't hurt you," came a voice—calm, velvet-smooth, but firm.

Veyra turned slowly. Lioren stood a few paces away, one hand lifted slightly in peace. His eyes—dark as riverstone—watched her with quiet intensity.

"You don't have to say anything," he said. "I felt it. That's enough."

Veyra's voice was caught somewhere between her ribs. Her throat tightened. She wanted to run, to scream, to deny everything—but her wolf purred with recognition, curling in her chest.

"You're... Ashfang," she managed, barely above a whisper.

Lioren gave a slight nod. "Beta of the Ashfang Pack."

Beta. Just like Kael was a warrior from Ironhowl. Different roles, different packs—rival packs.

"Who are you?" he asked, softly. "I can't sense your scent clearly. It's... hidden."

Her heartbeat surged. The enchantment. Her mother's magic must still be masking her fully.

"I can't say," she murmured.

"You don't trust me," he said, not as a question, but a statement. "Wise. But I'll find out. I'm very good at finding things."

His voice was even, not threatening. But something in his tone—an edge of dangerous curiosity—unnerved her.

Veyra stepped back.

"Wait," he said, and for the first time, a flicker of emotion touched his face. "I don't want to scare you. I just— I felt it. Like the first breath of winter after a long summer. I've never... felt anything like that before."

Her eyes widened.

Kael had said something similar—about the roar in his blood.

This one, though... this one was quiet. A stillness that could turn deadly if disturbed.

"I shouldn't be here," she whispered.

"Then go," he said, stepping aside. "But know this—I will see you again. The bond doesn't lie."

She hesitated, then turned and vanished into the night.

Lioren watched her go, narrowing his eyes. Something was off. Not just about the strength of the bond or the way her scent danced like mist—almost undetectable—but the way she moved, like someone trained to disappear.

He turned back toward the crowd, but he was already cataloging everything—her height, the edge of her voice, the wildness in her eyes.

She was hiding something.

And Lioren Ashfang did not like unanswered questions.

Back in the woods, Veyra ran until her lungs burned. The sound of the festival grew distant behind her.

She collapsed beneath an ancient willow, the branches draping around her like a sanctuary. Her chest rose and fell in ragged breaths. Two bonds. Two.

Kael and now... Lioren.

She clenched her hands, staring at her fingers as if they might glow with the power inside her. But nothing happened. Just the thundering of her pulse.

She wasn't ready.

Her mind screamed it.

But her wolf?

Her wolf was singing.

And it sounded like the beginning of everything she'd feared—and everything she'd longed for.

________

My my my..... we finally get to meet our second mate.

If I were Veyra I'll be dying of excitement to be honest.

Having two hot mates damn.

Do y'all have someone you're rooting for already? Well I don't.

It's still too soon and we have many more to come you guys.

More hot mehn phew.

Let me know your thoughts in the comment.

Don't forget to vote and recommend to your friends and family.

Until next time,

xoxo