Aiden POV
“So, you’re telling me you don’t remember anything?”
“Nothing, no one does. The whole night is a God damn blur. Must have been some good whiskey”
My Beta Blake was one of the unmated wolves affected last night. But as was the case with each of them, he had no memory of the beautiful she-wolf that seemed to cast some kind of spell over every unmated male in the vicinity. Every unmated male that is, except me. Don’t get me wrong. She was the most striking she-wolf I had ever seen, and when I saw that Neanderthal groping her body without her consent, I wanted to tear his throat out. I wanted her alright, but I didn’t turn into a rabid animal like the others.
I was beginning to think I was going mad. But she was real. Of that much I was certain. And I couldn’t get her out of my head. Before I could continue questioning Blake, we were interrupted as my father burst through my office door.
“What the hell happened last night? That was the least matings we have seen come from any harvest in centuries?”
She happened. But I wasn’t going to tell him that. My father was the Alpha of the Druid Pack. One of the most ancient packs in Ireland, spanning back to the Celts themselves. We had the pleasure of hosting the harvest on our territory this year, and now the questions surrounding what strange occurrence had derailed it.
“I’m endeavouring to find the answers, Father.”
“Still no mate then, son?”
“No such luck…” I feigned disappointment. In truth, I’d never really cared about the whole mate-bond thing. I was a future Alpha, the last thing I needed was a woman clouding my thoughts. But, it is well-known amongst wolves that a lone Alpha is vulnerable. A Luna makes us strong. And if the Luna is our fated mate, we are able to reach the pinnacle of our powers as Alpha. If we were to take a chosen mate, it would still make us stronger, but nothing compared to our fated mate. At 29, it was almost unheard of to be an Alpha heir and unmated. But I had attended every harvest since I turned 18, and a mate was never delivered to me by the Moon Goddess.
“Have you thought about what we discussed before the festival?”
“No, I haven’t Father. I suppose I thought I may find her…”
“I am an old Alpha son. As the years pass by I grow weaker and therefore the pack grows more vulnerable. I had thought you would have inherited the position long before now. I think it is time you consider taking a chosen mate. For the good of the pack.”
He was right. It was selfish of me to put it off for this long. He knew as well as I did Ciara would accept me. She was of Beta blood and had rejected her fated mate in the hope of becoming Luna. A promise I never made her and yet a guilt I have long carried. They say rejecting the mate bond is the most painful thing a wolf can do, aside from their fated mate dying.
It’s a common misconception that fated mates are soulmates to werewolves. This is not quite accurate. Our soulmates are actually our wolves, we are connected through two halves of the same soul. One wolf and one human. Fated mates are our perfect match, our physical and mental equals. Our bodies and minds are designed to perfectly complement each other. It is our hearts that bond, rather than our souls. So, when we reject the bond, or our mate dies, it is the true definition of a broken heart.
“Alright…” I sighed, dejectedly. “I will ask her…”
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
Selene POVAs I slipped through the portal to the mortal realm, I was careful to ensure I wasn’t followed. It had been a few days since the events of the harvest and I had been able to think of little else. Despite my best efforts my mind kept drifting back to the green-eyed wolf. I couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t affected in the same way as the other wolves. I knew I wasn’t going to get any answers in my realm, so I had to risk punishment and venture back to the mortal realm.It was easy to find the portals that lead to Ireland. The land was coated in magic and the fabric that separated the gods from men was flimsy at best. There was once a time when the two worlds weren’t separate at all. Gods and magical beings lived amongst the mortals freely. Now there are only traces of the ancient world left here, werewolves, vampires and the occasional demon, all the species closer to humans than the gods, elves or fae
Selene POVWe apparated in what appeared to be the living room of a cabin. We stood in silence both staring at our connected hands. The sparks running through our bodies from our touch had confirmed what Liana had said. This wolf was my mate.“So… pants?” I said awkwardly as I broke contact and turned away from him. I pretended to look around the room while he headed upstairs. The truth is, I needed to not be looking at him in order to make any sense of my thoughts. My head was racing with questions, many of which I’m sure he shared and neither of us held answers to. The thing that made me the most nervous was how intense my need to be near him had become at the slightest touch. Our wolves and our bodies responded instantly to the mate bond. Thankfully, my willpower was still intact… so far.I heard the sound of his footsteps as he made his way back down the stairs, I turned to face him an
Aiden POV “I can’t believe you just implied she is a witch, you know she is a wolf, we have seen her in wolf form” Ronan was incredibly unimpressed with me, but what did he expect? She just filled the kettle with water and lit the fire with a flick of her wrist. Granted, I hadn’t responded well, but she had just used actual magic. “Yes, like the magic she used to get us here. You are a damn fool at times Aiden.” Ronan was right. I could be a real idiot at times. I had no idea the impact my idiotic ways were about to have though. “Ok… I believe you’ve heard of the Moon Goddess?” That question caught my attention. Of course, I had heard of the Mood Goddess. She was the mother of all wolves. The Goddess who we served and who blessed us with our wolf-forms and our mates. And she was asking if I’d heard of her? “Oh, she’
Blake POV“What do you mean missing?!”Alpha Donal was a fearsome man at the best of times. I had been doing my best to keep the fact that no one had seen Aiden since he left to propose to Ciara under wraps. But it had been 3 days now with no sign of him. As Aiden’s future Beta, it was my duty to break the news to Alpha Donal.“I’m afraid that’s all the information we have Alpha. Aiden was last seen 3 days ago, by me, before departing to issue his proposal to Ciara as his chosen mate and future Luna. According to her, he never arrived and no one has seen or heard from him since.”I flinched but tried to remain calm as Alpha Donal’s fist collided with the wall dangerously close to my face. I was a competent warrior, but no match for an Alpha, even an aging one. He moved in close, his menacing expression fixed directly at me.“Find him pup. D
Selene POV“I think we should go back…”“And say what to him Liana? Sorry I freaked you out with my magic, and then disappeared into thin air like a crazy person?”“It’s a start… he’s our mate, he will forgive us.”“He shouldn’t have to… I handled that whole thing terribly.”I rubbed my temples and stared down into the pool. I’d apparated back to the portal entrance, but had been procrastinating about going back. The truth is, I didn’t think any of it was a mistake, and I didn’t want to leave Aiden. Liana was angry with me and I can’t blame her. I’d acted rashly and now I was alone, embarrassed and with no idea what my mate thought of me.“Selene…”I looked up to see a very naked Aiden, breathing heavily. He was starin
Aiden POVI kissed her feverishly. I knew we needed to talk, but that could wait. I wanted her more than I could stand.My eyes grew wide as she took a step back from me and unwrapped her dress, letting it fall to the floor and exposing her body to me. Every inch of her was perfect. Her full breasts rose and fell with her shallow breaths. Her arousal flooding my senses.As we collided again, I was doing my best to keep Ronan at bay. He wanted us to mate and mark her as soon as possible, but the human side of me wanted to pleasure her. I wanted to take my time exploring her body before completing the mate-bond. As my hand started to roam south, almost at her folds, my attention was torn from her at the sound of a familiar voice bellowing through the cave.“Aiden! What the devil are you doing!?”“Blake? What the devil am I doing? What the devil are you doing!?&rdq
Selene POVI suppose it was a good thing Aiden and I were interrupted before we could complete the mate bond. Obviously, there was much to consider, and the intrusion of the highlander was conveniently timed.I wanted Aiden more than I’d ever wanted anything before. But when Blake mentioned us going back to the pack and me being introduced as Luna, reality came crashing down around me. I was a deity, practically a goddess. Immortal. Aiden was a werewolf, a powerful one, but his life was as mortal as any human. We hadn’t even begun to consider what this union would mean for either of us.Was I to remain young and beautiful only to watch him grow old and eventually die? My heart ached at the thought of it. Or, if I completed the bond, would the gods force me to relinquish my immortality?There was too much unknown.Then there was Blake; he seemed completely oblivious to