The scent caused his wolf to become restless. Hendrix was aware that having a mate at this time would be too dangerous, and he still has to be careful after being tricked by Helga.

'That's our mate Hendrix! I'm sure she's our mate!' His wolf exclaimed.

"Shut up Night, I have to think!" Hendrix hissed.

'Then switch with me and I'll do the thinking, so you won't have to use that little brain of yours, idiot!' Night, Hendrix's inner wolf exclaimed.

"F*cker, between the two of us, you're the one who's not thinking! Just a reminder that we got tricked before!" Hendrix retaliated.

'Because I was confused back then! She seemed to be our mate, but also seems not. However, I'm certain this tim, so switch with me or I won't let you shift for a month. I want to see our mate,' His wolf remarked.

Hendrix had no other choice but to let Night search and follow the scent of their mate. They ran tirelessly until they arrived at the source, which was in a nearby mountain within their territory.

There, they found rogues scattered around, bathing in their own blood, and most were burnt into ashes. Some didn't even shed blood; not even wounds can be seen; they looked perfectly healthy too, before they met their end.

As if they died in their sleep. . .

"Our mate seems strong," Night said proudly.

'This power. . . It's strange that even the scent it gives of, feels non-existent,' Hendrix remarked.

"Does that even matter? All I know is that she's strong," Night grinned.

'Fool. Of course it's important, she's our mate,' Hendrix hissed.

They stopped arguing as the strong scent they were inhaling grew stronger. His heart raced rapidly as they approached it.

There, he caught a glimpse of the back of a woman with ‌silver hair. He watched as she manipulated a blazing azure flame on her fingertips, only to make it disappear as soon as he came closer.

'Who is she really?' Hendrix pondered to himself. He then declared, "I'm going to shift, Night." Without waiting for his wolf to respond, he swiftly shifted to take control of his body.

"Mate. . ." He spoke with a baritone voice.

The woman didn't say a word and discarded the lifeless body of the rogue she's grasping in his neck and then wiped her hands in her night gown, causing the pristine dress to be stained with crimson due to the blood of the rogue she mercilessly killed.

"I'm not in the mood for introductions," she said, then started walking away.

Hendrix was stunned as he tried to chase her.

However, not even once did she turn to look at him, so Hendrix couldn't get a glimpse of his appearance.

"Why are you running?" Frustrated, he asked, but she remained silent. They abruptly stopped running as they reached a cliff with no place left to run. He stood, waiting for her to turn and look at him, but she didn't.

"Who are you?" He asked her with a dark expression on his face.

"Serene. . ." She mumbled. "That's my name," she added, causing his heart to pound.

"Serene. . ." He called her name.

"My name sounds so good when you call it," she laughed softly.

"Then—" Hendrix words were interrupted, when the woman suddenly jumped into the tall cliff. "Serene!" he shouted her name and jumped after her as he shifted in mid-air.

In all his thousands of years, he had never experienced such intense fear and trembling as he did now. He was terrified of losing her, but before he could even reach her, she disappeared in a flash of blue flame.

His eyes widened as he stood there in shock while stumbling under the cliff. "What the hell is this?" He mumbled while lying down on the rocks.

In a state of solitude, he sat still as the waves from the ocean hit him, where he fell from a deep cliff. Filled with frustration, he let out a heavy sigh and punched the large boulder next to him, instantly shattering it.

"F*ck," he cursed and laughed bitterly. "Hey Night, why aren't you talking? This is your fault, you know?" He hissed at his wolf.

"It's quite peculiar to me. . . I'm convinced those creatures were simply a myth," Night remarked.

"You're thinking the impossible," Hendrix 'tsked', before standing up and heading back to the pack.

***

"Are you sure, you're not dreaming back then?" With a furrowed brow, Aztec asked.

They were currently in his office, and Hendrix told him what had happened last night so he could ask him to observe the mountains outside their territory.

"I am not as delusional as you are," Hendrix hissed, causing Aztect to wince.

"Are you sure, your mate is not a ghost?" Aztec joked, stopping himself from laughing at his Alpha's situation.

Hendrix glared at him, so he chose to just zip his mouth before Hendrix finally lose it and strangle him.

"So, what does your mate look like? Give me an idea at least so I'll know who your mate is just by her features," Aztect shrugged.

Hendrix released a heavy breath, his fingers drumming against the table. "She has a striking silver eyes and flowing silver hair. I caught a fleeting glimpse of a glowing symbol on her back, but I couldn't discern its meaning," he recounted.

Aztect gazed at him without speaking, taking in the details of his mate's appearance.

"Why?" He asked the beta.

Aztec just blinked and shook his head while chuckling to himself. "N—Nothing! Just zoned out for a bit," he smiled.

Alpha's forehead furrowed by how odd Aztect's reaction is. The two of them stopped in their tracks upon hearing a noise outside.

"Focus, Lilith," they heard. It was Devon's voice, but Hendrix was stunned upon hearing it.

The sound of her voice is very familiar. It is, in fact, had a striking resemblance to that woman's voice—his mate's.

'Am I hallucinating?' He asked himself.

Hendrix then walked into the window to see what they're up to.

"You won't be able to keep up at this point," Devon remarked, then looked up, causing their gazes to meet.

He found himself inexplicably drawn to her silver gaze and quickly averted his gaze, upon realization.

"It's really similar to that woman's voice," he mumbled as his forehead creased, "even their eyes are very similar." Hendrix expressed his disbelief by shaking his head. 'What's so special with Devon then?' He couldn't help but think.

"Does she have to be that hard towards Lilith?" Aztect complained, while Hendrix remained dumbfounded.

"Do you know any light training that'd make you strong then?" Hendrix 'tsked' sarcastically.

"it's annoying since Lilith likes Devon more than me!" Aztec frowned.

"Because you're annoying," Hendrix hissed, earning a dramatic gasp from Aztect.

"Wow, you're being harsh on me, Alpha! It's almost as if we never had any history together. Just a while ago, you were the one changing my diapers and washing my bum—"

"Do you you want another vacation Beta?" He gave him a sharp look.

"Go ahead, try to scare me again, you're good at that. Do you think you can actually frighten me? Of course I'll just stay quiet," Aztect giggled and showed a hand gesture in the shape of a heart.

"This is why Lilith likes Devon more than you," Hendrix quipped.

Despite Aztect's continued complaints, Hendrix simply ignored him as he was preoccupied with watching the people below.

"You're right, why are they so close?" He frowned seeing the two—Lilith and Devon. "Just curious," he added.

Aztec, who's still pouting, answered, "Nobody is asking anyways."

Hendrix chose not to deal with the annoying Aztect anymore, especially now that his mind was preoccupied. However, at that very moment, he was surprised by someone who suddenly appeared in front of him. It was Devon, who had jumped up to the window from below.

It seemed as though he had experienced a heart attack all of a sudden, particularly when their gaze met. It was as if time stood still as he continued staring at her stunning silver eyes.

He called out, "Devon!" and her name, brought a grin to her face, nearly giving him another heart attack.

"What? It's like you saw a ghost, have your senses dulled?" she laughed and he despises himself for finding her attractive in that moment.

Devon stepped down from the window frame and looked down. Lilith followed suit and jumped, with Devon quickly assisting her. "Careful," she said gently.

Aztect and Hendrix couldn't help but wince at the sight.

"Thank you," Lilith responded with a sweet smile on her face.

"Why did you two even decided to pass through the window, when the door is widely open?!" Aztect glared at his cousin while pointing the door with both of his hands.

Devon lazily looked at her cousin. "That's a hassle. It's much faster to jump from below," she shrugged while still holding Lilith's hand.

"Let go of Lilith!" Aztect said irritably, earning a laugh from Devon.

"What? Are you jealous?" She replied with a grin, causing Aztect's face to crease.

Meanwhile, Hendrix was simply staring at Devon. He was taken aback when he felt Lilith's gaze, with a subtle smile on her lips. His cousin had a cryptic look on her face, as if she knew something he didn't.

"What?" He asked Lilith with a puzzled expression. She just shook her head in response.

"Nothing," Lilith nonchalantly shrugged, then turned to look at Devon. She gave him a gentle hug, which for some reason, irritated Hendrix.

"Get away from that woman, Lilith! She's stealing you from me!" Aztect said irritably.

"What the heck? I'm your cousin and I'm a female! Your mind is really messed up, isn't it?" Devon's question only worsened Aztect's mood.

"Devon," Hendrix called her attention.

Devon glanced at him, and for a brief moment, he caught a peculiar emotion in her eyes before it quickly reverted to her typical expressionless look.

"Yes Alpha?" She asked.

"I have a news regarding the gathering of forces, we've planned," Hendrix stated. "I've already contacted the Alpha of the Moon Valley Pack—ruler of the northern lands," he continued.

"Is that so? What was the alpha of the north's response?" Lilith asked while Devon remained silent, listening intently.

"I had someone covertly enter the other ruling packs and the northern kingdom was the first to give their approval," Hendrix remarked.

"North? isn't that where Farkas is residing, Devon? "Do you think he was the one who persuaded the ruling Alpha of the north?" Asked Aztect, causing Hendrix to furrow his brow.

"The Beta? You know him?" Hendrix inquired.

"In the past, I would often go to the fifth kingdom on behalf of my uncle. During that time, Devon was still young. It was there that I encountered Farkas. I was amazed to discover that he had become the beta under the leadership of the new alpha, Conri, a century ago, after his father retired. Though, it's not surprising since they trained under the same instructor since they were kids," Aztect shrugged.

"What is Devon like when she was a kid?" Hendrix asked.

Aztect's forehead furrowed. "Seriously? After I explained everything, that's what caught your attention?"

"You brought it up," he nonchalantly replied.

"Whatever, Devon is a one annoying child, I'm telling you. She used to chase me around and bite me. Then she'll laugh like some kind of devil! I tell you, every night, I still dream of those times," Aztec recalled, embracing himself.

Devon scoffed at him, causing a small smirk to form on Hendrix's lips.

"Yet, you still agreed to let me stay here. Such a drama queen," Devon remarked.

"It's different when you're forced to!" Aztect's expression turned into a frown.

"What? You're not gonna let your only cousin to roam around in this dangerous world alone with that f*cker chasing after her aren't you?" Devon grinned.

"Dangerous my ass! You're a fucking Dem—"

Devon glared at him.

"Altight, enough," Hendrix hissed. "We will determine a suitable time to meet with our allies. Also, my people will share some of our findings with other ruling packs who will agree to be our ally," Hendrix explained, meaning a nod from them.

"Understood, thank you," Devon responded with a stoic face and then turned to glance at Lilith. She grasped Lilith's hand to soothe her because she seemed anxious.

Following that, Devon departed to an unknown location. Hendrix was annoyed because she didn't even mention where she was headed.

"Why do you always stare at my cousin like that?" The Beta furrowed his brow as he asked.

"How do I look at her?" Hendrix asked with a puzzled expression.

Aztect just sighed in response. "Nothing, maybe my mind is really messed up," he grumbled and then took Lilith's hand. "We gotta go too, Alpha," he grinned, which Hendrix just acknowledged with a nod.

***

They proceeded with their day as usual. They intensified their training to further strengthen their troops and as part of their preparation.

Devon was the one who trained the warriors.

Hendrix was previously okay with it. However, seeing how the warriors stare at her or simply breathing the same air as her, makes his blood boil. He hated it for some reason, so he ended up being harsh on them.

If she hadn't intervened, the warriors may have perished at his hands instead of the enemy's. Hendrix let out a frustrated sigh. He couldn't take his eyes off her, and he couldn't resist longing for her touch.

It's peculiar because she is obviously not his mate, yet she has the ability to create a connection with him that even Helga couldn't replicate.

As the sun was setting, they finished their training. Suddenly, he noticed that the woman, messing his head, was already gone. "Where is Devon?" He asked Lilith, who stopped and turned to him.

"Devon said she'll just take a break and then she'll head to the lake," she shrugged in response.

He no longer paid attention to his cousin and left to search for Devon. Hendrix had intended to talk to her about something, but upon reaching the lake, he almost had a heart attack at the sight that greeted him.

It was Devon who emerged from the lake—wearing nothing; water flowing all over her slender body.

She caught a glimpse of him and was momentarily stunned, but the situation seemed to have no effect on her as she continued walking, naked. Hendrix on the other hand was left breathless, fixated on her gaze.

"What do you need from me, Alpha?"