Chapter 1: The Restless Wolf

Nathan's POV 

“You know, for an Alpha,” Oliver said from across the table, that cocky smile playing along his lips as always, “you’ve got this entire region on your shoulders and somehow you still make time to play winemaker.”

I smiled, leaning back in my chair, swirling a glass of freshly brewed wine... it was one of the few things I actually enjoyed making myself. It kept my hands busy when my thoughts ran wild.

I raised a brow at him. “Better than trying to flirt with the healer’s daughter and failing every damn time,” I smirked, still playing with the wine in the cup.

He laughed out loud. “Fair enough. But still, Nathan, when was the last time you did something that wasn’t paperwork, or winemaking, or brooding?”

“Hm...” I took a sip from my glass, letting the liquid rest on my tongue before answering. “Maybe brooding is all I have left.”

Oliver didn’t reply to that. He just watched me. He knew me better than anyone, and no matter how I tried to hide it... it felt like he could see through me. He saw the emptiness I felt. My wolf paced restlessly in my head, demanding the one thing the Moon Goddess refused to bless me with.

My Luna.

I tried masking the thought quickly with another drink, but Oliver wasn’t stupid. He saw right through me as usual.

“It’s eating you up, isn’t it?” he asked, the smile on his face gone.

I didn’t respond.

“You need a distraction, Nathan,” he said. “We should be going hunting tonight. Get your mind off all this for a couple of hours. Believe me, it would do you some good.”

My wolf growled low inside me immediately the words left his mouth, the sound vibrating through my entire body.

‘No…’ his voice was dangerously low. ‘Don’t go out tonight.’

I gripped the glass so hard it almost shattered. “No,” I said out loud, cutting Oliver off before he could continue. “I’m not going.”

Oliver frowned, searching my face for goddess knows what. “What’s happening to you, Nathan? You loved hunting. It usually calms you down.”

“Not this time,” I said, my eyes locked on his. “My wolf doesn’t want to leave. It senses danger. I feel it too... like there’s something waiting out there. And if he’s this agitated...” I trailed off, dragging in a slow breath.

Oliver leaned forward, his eyes studying me before he finally spoke. “Nathan... you can’t keep locking yourself away in here. I get it, your wolf is restless, so are you. But Nathan, if you keep this up, you will lose yourself completely. Staying in here isn’t fixing anything. You need to run, you need to do your usual hunt.”

“I told you...”

“You told me you feel danger,” he cut me off sharply. “But when has danger ever really scared you? You are the Alpha. We don’t run from danger, we handle it. Together. Like always.”

I sighed in defeat because he wasn’t wrong. He knew exactly how to push me.

Inside, Zade, my wolf, growled, trying to stop me, but my mind was already made up and I was going. But that feeling never left me, that feeling of something bad about to happen.

“I don’t like this,” I murmured to Oliver.

That cheeky smile returned to his face as he stood up. “You never like anything until it’s done. You are coming with me, and we better get going. The night isn’t going to wait for you.”

I sighed slowly, setting the glass down. My wolf pressed harder, restless under my skin. I just ignored him. With a reluctant front, I followed Oliver into the night.

The forest welcomed us with a silence that could either soothe or suffocate. My paws itched, Zade clawed at me from the inside. He wanted to get out.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Oliver said as we got deeper and deeper into the woods.

I didn’t answer. It felt like my wolf was getting out of control.

‘Stop playing games, Nathan. Faster,’ Zade said. Something’s here. ‘Can’t you feel it?’

I came to a halt, senses sharper now, my eyes glowed. That was when the scent hit me. It was metallic. My chest instantly tightened.

“Blood.”

“Oliver?” I called, scanning the darkness. “Do you smell that?”

He sniffed, then his expression hardened. “Yeah... I think someone is bleeding. Bad. Real bad.”

We rushed forward, branches snapping underneath our feet. The scent grew thick as we got closer with every step. Then... I saw her.

A body covered in blood, almost lifeless, lying at the root of a tree. A girl.

I rushed forward, dropping to my knees, my heart hammering so hard through my chest it felt like it would rip out any moment.

Her skin was covered in bruises... It looked like she had been brutally beaten. Her clothes torn, her skin smeared with dirt and blood. Whoever was responsible for this didn’t want her to survive.

Her breathing was shallow as she gasped painfully. Her lips swollen, her face battered, but beneath it all... she was beautiful.

“Moon Goddess,” Oliver said as he kneeled beside me. “Who the hell—”

“Quiet,” I snapped. My hands slowly but gently moving the hair that covered her face. I felt rage like never before, my body trembling with anger. I wanted them to pay. Whoever was responsible for what happened to her... they will pay. I’d make sure of that.

But it wasn’t only rage I felt... there was something else.

Her eyes opened weakly. “Help... help me,” she said, her voice so small it was like a whisper. But a spark shot through my entire body as my eyes met hers. It felt like my heart was about to explode. This was like nothing I’d ever felt.

Then Zade roared through me, the sound capable of shaking the entire woods.

“Mate.”

The word left my mouth without me acknowledging it. I’d never felt so drawn to someone the way I felt drawn to this girl.

I stared at her, broken and bleeding, but she was mine... it felt like the emptiness I’d felt for so long just melted into nothingness.

“This is her,” I whispered, pulling her closer. “Our Luna.”

Zade howled in triumph and rage, ready to tear whoever was responsible for this into tiny bits. But right now... she needed a healer.

“I’ve got you,” I said gently, lifting her against my chest. “I won’t let you go.”

H

er head rested on my shoulder, her heartbeat so faint it terrified me. But our bond, it was alive.