Chapter 2

NIKOLAI

Forty. That's how many pack members were left in Severnaya Zvezda Pack, including me. A nice, even forty. Our pack had never been particularly large. As opposed to some packs in Russia and other post-Soviet states, where numbers could climb to ten thousand, ours had always maintained a balance of around a thousand. Now only scraps remained of what we had been.

After months of coordinating with my late beta’s aunt, Julia Tikaani (née Yulia Vovchenko), we had finally arrived at her pack. When we first fled our war-torn home, we traveled in our wolf forms, carrying only what we could carry as we crossed into Moldova. From there, it took nearly three days by air to reach Alaska.

We had left just about everything behind, and a sliver of hope remained.

As generous as Luna Yulia’s invitation was, we couldn’t depend on her hospitality forever. Our pack needed stability—a place to truly call home. With my newly elected beta, Sasha, at my side—a man as ruthless in battle as I was—I set out to survey the terrain, searching for the perfect location to rebuild. It had to be remote yet sustainable, a stretch of untamed wilderness where we could endure for years if necessary, even without electricity or running water, until we had the means to establish proper infrastructure.

From what I’d gathered, Alaska seemed largely lawless, which worked to our advantage. Not being a citizen would make legally purchasing land difficult, if not impossible, so we’d have no choice but to squat.

Sasha and I traveled in our wolf forms for weeks, enduring the relentless darkness and brutal cold, temperatures plunging between negative thirty and negative forty degrees Celsius. The wind howled through the barren landscape, slicing through our fur like icy blades, but we kept moving, driven by necessity.

At night, we sought out whatever shelter we could find. Survival demanded efficiency, and warmth was scarce. We huddled together as we slept, pressed against each other to keep warm. It was a strange shift. We had always been friends, but never this close. Before the war, our interactions had been limited to a firm handshake, a nod of respect, a high five. We had never touched beyond that.

But war and survival didn’t care for social norms.

When we returned to civilization, I wasted no time stepping into a hot shower, savoring the way the steaming water soothed my exhausted muscles. After weeks of surviving on raw game, the thought of a warm meal was just as enticing. How I longed for a banya, the social center for warriors back home. There was nothing I'd have liked more at that moment than the lash of a birch venik on my back. But the days of simple pleasures were now over.

"Ah! Alpha! You're home!" Luna Yulia greeted me at the bottom of the stairs. "I must introduce you to my daughter, Theresa. She's finally home from school for winter break. I told you what a good cook she is of course?"

"Yes, you've mentioned," I responded, annoyed by this bombardment. It was common for mothers to boast about their daughters to me. Fruitless, as I'd never entertain anyone as my mate except my fated one. Perhaps I'd entertain them in other ways—ways their mothers certainly didn't have in mind. In the past, I'd found amusement in the game, but now it was just a grating irritation. I no longer had time for female company. I was too busy with leading what was left of my pack.

"I’ll have her cook you a meal after the full moon passes."

"Thank you but there is no need. Your cook Tasha does a sufficient job. I am thankful for the hospitality your pack has offered me and my pack. No reason to go out of your way for me." I tried to say it as politely as possible. The last thing I needed was the alpha's sister fawning all over me. It would put me in an uncomfortable spot with the family that was hosting us. I was not in a position to be making more enemies.

"She will make you our family's borscht recipe," Luna Yulia responded and turned away, heading out of the room. I let out a breath and headed into the kitchen.

"Alpha," Tasha greeted me. She was a courteous middle-aged woman with chestnut hair that was always pulled back into a tight bun. Her manner of speaking was straightforward, and she never offered any sort of polite conversation, which I appreciated. While in the past there were things to laugh and joke about, these days I preferred solitude, with minimal social interaction. "Yulia asked me to make chicken with buckwheat for you today.”

Tasha had been the daughter of the cook in my pack when Luna Yulia lived there and had made her way over here soon after Yulia did. I understood that they were lifelong friends. "Thank you," I grunted out.

"It's been a long time since she's asked me to make buckwheat or any of her other favorite Ukrainian foods. She must be trying to impress you."

I nodded. More like to seduce me on behalf of her daughter. I had known her family well growing up. And if she were anything like the rest of them, she was an opportunist. A good quality, but also one to be aware of.

***

That evening, the entire Jade Moon Pack gathered in front of the packhouse. The excitement penetrated the air and almost forced itself into my frozen heart. Almost. Many wolf packs that lived in highly isolated areas partook in the great hunt the night before the full moon, including mine. And there was a point in time when I'd looked forward to this every month. It was something we dreamt about as young pups. Our fathers would show off their kill to us, and tell us stories of how they tackled wild beasts with their buddies.

But now I couldn't bring myself to feel pleasure even in my previously favorite activity.

“How's it going, Volkov?” Sasha’s heavy palm landed on my shoulder.

I shrugged, offering no real response. He gave me a knowing look.

“Let’s take it out on the animals tonight,” he said, attempting to hype me up.

“You act like that's not what we’ve been doing for the past two weeks,” I replied flatly.

“Tah, but that was for survival. Tonight is the great hunt. Plus, I have some vodka to look forward to after.”

“Mudak!” I scoffed. “Wasting money on booze.”

“Relax. It was a gift from my host family. We deserve a drink after what we’ve been through. Now, go out there and bloody some bears—show them what a real alpha is made of.”

Before I could reply, Alpha Lance approached, his presence as overbearing as ever.

“Alpha Nikolai!” he greeted, offering his hand. I took it, returning a firm shake.

“Ready for tonight?” he continued. “If you’re anything like me, I’m sure you can’t wait to sink your teeth into some meat. There’s nothing like the taste of warm blood when you first bite into Bambi’s neck.”

I offered him a curt nod.

From behind him, Luna Yulia’s voice rang out over the crowd. “Where’s Terri?”

Lance barely spared her a glance. “Who knows. That girl’s been strange ever since she got home.” Then his gaze landed back on me. “Have you met Terri yet?”

“Not yet.”

“She’s supposed to be here tonight. But if not, there’s always tomorrow at the full moon ceremony.” His tone was casual, but as soon as Yulia was out of earshot, his demeanor shifted. His grip tightened around my forearm and his eyes narrowed, glinting with unspoken warning.

“You’re going to be living in close quarters with her for the next month," he said, his voice low, firm. “And you better stay the fuck away from my daughter if you know what’s good for you. My hospitality only extends so far.”

I met his gaze, unwavering. “Understood. I have no time for women anyway.”

His expression relaxed into something that almost resembled approval. “Good. Then we’ll get along just fine.” He clapped me on the back with what would seem like camaraderie to an outsider. “Now go fuck some animals up.”

With that, he walked away.

“Want some company tonight?” Sasha asked as we lingered at the edge of the crowd.

“I need to be alone,” I replied.

He nodded in understanding. "Ni pukha!"

"K chortu," I muttered, accepting his good wish.

Alpha Lance called for silence and led the pack in a series of religious chants, the words reverberating in the cold night air. When he dismissed them, the group dispersed, bodies twisting and bones snapping as they shifted into their beast forms.

Sasha gave me one last pat on the back before following the others.

I waited until most of the group had disappeared before I headed out, finding a safe spot to dump my clothes before I shifted. While it had been good to be human again, there was something so satisfying about succumbing to my animal brain. Everything was so much simpler. I ran on instinct, with all my human thoughts and trauma fading into the background.

I swiped my blade-like claws through the snow, cutting through ice easily. The frosty air ruffled my fur. I inhaled the crisp Alaskan air, and then I was off.

My instincts took over as I brought my snout to the ground, chasing the scent

 of fresh game. While tracking didn't give me the same thrill it used to anymore, I was still fully invested, especially in this form. I couldn't return to my host pack without bringing something back for their full moon ceremony. It would just be wrong. And I intended to make it good. Not just a couple of rabbits. It was all or nothing.

I headed further out, further than I imagined anyone from the pack going. I must have traveled for an hour when I finally saw it. A huge caribou in the distance. My claws were already tingling with bloodlust, my incisors watering. While I may have not vocalized my agreement with Alpha Lance, I certainly felt exactly as he did. There was nothing more satisfying than tearing into the throat of unsuspecting prey.

I got into my attack position, readying myself for the tackle. I took a deep breath, and inhaled something unexpected. It was something I'd never scented before, and my first thought was it must be some sort of plant that was capable of blossoming in the dead of winter—the nectar of its flower being carried by the wind. But while the scent was slightly sweet it was also carnal, like the damp, glistening skin of an aroused woman. But no, this was not any woman. This was the type of woman I could have lusted after for months, to finally indulge in the satisfaction of kissing her soft skin, inhaling the scent between her thighs. This was the kind of scent that, if it made a sound, it would be a siren pulling me to my death. I'd risk everything for that scent.

During those seconds that I lost my concentration and found myself distracted, I saw her. The most stunning wolf I'd ever seen. While I couldn't quite make out the color of her fur, I knew it was dark and thick, glowing under the moonlight. I was captivated, watching every piece of fur flowing back against the wind as she leaped into the air in the most elegant and deadly way. It was almost cat-like in how she made it seem so effortless, as if she were simply dancing. Her claws tore into the body of the hapless caribou, and in nanoseconds, she was tearing its throat out. Just as quickly as the prey had become aware of its demise it was gone.

I was about to step forward and offer to carry her kill back for her. But she was too quick. She flipped the humongous beast onto her back, and sprinted back into the darkness of the night as if she was merely carrying a hare. Whoever she was, I had to know.

I crept closer, circling the red stain left behind in the snow. Beyond the pungent smell of blood that filled my nostrils, that slightly sweet, lascivious smell lingered. Had that been hers? Was it possible for someone to smell so fucking good?

Knowing I couldn't return empty-handed, I turned back to continue on my trail. But I just couldn't get her off my mind. All I knew was that, whoever she was, I had to stay away. That was exactly the distraction I didn't need in my life right now. Not while I had thirty-nine pack members depending on me to help them through their grief and getting resettled.