The Wolf Within
Mate.
I froze mid-step, Venom has never said that word before. I've suddenly forgotten the Rogues I was chasing, my whole attention now on the emotions I was feeling. My vision sharpened, focusing on the faint sound of labored breathing just ahead. My heart hammered in my chest as I walked closer, the bond pulling me forward with an urgency I hadnβt felt in decades.
The first thing I saw was her hair, a messy dark bun with strands of white, unusual yet unique. She sat curled up against the base of an old tree, arms wrapped tightly around her knees, shoulders trembling. Her thin, tattered sweater barely shielding her from the cold air. She looked... fragile, a word I never thought Iβd associate with my mate.
Arielβs life has been anything but easy. Orphaned as a child and left in the care of a cruel stepfather and stepbrother, sheβs endured years of emotional and physical abuse. Despite her circumstances, sheβs always felt something stirring beneath the surfaceβan unexplained restlessness, vivid dreams of running under the moonlight, and a deep connection to the forest around her.
Zayn, the alpha of the Shadowcrest pack, has spent years searching for his fated mate, the one who would complete him and stand by his side to no availβ¦he had finally given up on ever finding her. His pack thrives under his leadership, but his heart has grown weary, doubting the Moon Goddessβs promise of a mate. When a chance encounter leads him to Ariel, heβs stunned to discover that the fragile, broken girl is his destined partnerβand more than that, sheβs a wolf completely unaware of her true nature.