Chapter 5

Aiden POV

“This isn’t right. You know our fated mate should be our Luna. It will make us stronger.”

I had been arguing with Ronan, my wolf for our entire walk through the forest. I decided to take the scenic route on my way to my… proposal. The truth of it was I wasn’t only trying to convince Ronan, I was trying to convince myself.

I didn’t love Ciara, that much was certain, but I never necessarily thought love a vital component in a strong partnership. She was of a good bloodline and would produce strong pups. I knew her, we had shared each other’s bed many times. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was making this decision so difficult.

“Maybe because you know our fated mate is out there. What will we do when she finds us, bound to another?”

“Ronan, the Moon Goddess has had 10 years to bless me with my fated mate. We would have found her by now.”

“We did find her, you’re just too stubborn to admit it.”

“The mystery girl from the harvest? You’ve got to be kidding.”

“We share a soul Aiden, I know you’ve thought of little but her since that night….”

He was right. I’d been turning the pack inside out trying to catch any whiff of her. Anyone who might have some memory of her other than me. But every lead was coming up short. No one remembers the way the unmated males circled and chased her into the woods like a pack of crazed mutts. How they walked blindly past their potential mates intoxicated by her scent. Goddess, even the knucklehead she punched in the face had no memory of her. If I couldn’t recreate every line of her perfect face in my mind, I’d be convinced she didn’t exist at all.

I paused as I realised we were nearing the edge of the forest. Ciara’s residence was about half a kilometre from where I was.

“How about a run? You know, to take the edge off?”

“Alright, wolf. But then we must fulfil our duty, are we clear?”

“Crystal…”

Ronan’s voice echoed through my mind as I let him take control. It’s a risk, not maintaining control in wolf form, but one I often took with Ronan. He was far less animal than many of the other wolves, he rarely let his instincts interfere with his logic, and I could comfortably take a back seat and let him have free reign on our runs, or in a fight.

It didn’t take me long to realise Ronan was taking us into unfamiliar territory. We’d never been to this corner of the forest before. He was running at warp speed and felt eerily determined.

He came to a halt at a ledge overlooking a crystal blue pool below. The water cascading down from the river in a waterfall on the other side.

Then I saw her, sneaking out from behind the curtain of water. At least the way she looked nervously over her shoulder made her look like she was sneaking….

In our wolf form, her scent was overpowering. I wasn’t sure if it was through Ronan’s eyes alone, but she looked different. Her hair was platinum and fell in long braids down her back and her skin was luminous, pale and perfect, almost as though she was glowing.

“You knew where to find her?” I scolded Ronan.

“No. I had a hunch my senses might lead us to her if you let me have control though. It was a gamble that appears to have paid off.” He admitted a little too much pride in his tone.

“And what exactly do you propose we do now? Thanks to you not letting me in on your little theory, we are now in unknown territory, in wolf form and I don’t have any clothes. Shall we just shift back and approach her from nowhere like some kind of crazy naked stalker?”

“I’m sure she’s seen a naked man before. Besides, she is our mate.”

I rolled my eyes internally at his use of the word mate. But I couldn’t help but notice the flare of jealousy that ignited when he mentioned her seeing another man naked.

In any case, I was going to have to think fast. As I looked down, a pair of piercing sapphire eyes were staring directly at me.