A R I K

Why did she run from us? Kieran, my wolf, mutters. Did she not feel the pull? Did she not feel the bond?

​"I think that's exactly why she ran," I whisper back. Kieran grunts, his frustration vibrating through my chest. He hates the truth as much as I do.

​A second mate.

​It feels like a dream-one I'm not entirely sure I should be excited about. Seeing the horror written across her face the moment she realized who I was, and the way she fled as if I were a monster, leaves a sharp, stinging ache in my heart.

​A second mate. What am I supposed to do with this?

​"Alpha Arik?" A voice breaks through my thoughts, forcing me to mask my turmoil.

​I turn to see the man who had entered Alpha Haden's study only moments ago. Haden's Beta had introduced him as his son when the young man placed a box on the table-a box they claimed held a weapon powerful enough to finally take down the Rogue Queen.

​At first, I'd dismissed it as a desperate scam. Nothing has been proven to stop her. But during the heat of the discussion, Jacob had paged me, forcing me to excuse myself. That was when I stepped out and found... her.

​"Yes?" I say, my voice more clipped than I intended.

​"Oh-sorry to bother you, but did you see anyone out here?" he asks, his eyes darting down the empty hall.

​I clear my throat, trying to regain my composure. "A woman. Correct?"

​"Yes!" He exhales, a mix of relief and annoyance. He mutters under his breath, "April, why did you have to run off?"

​April. Kieran catches the name instantly, savoring the sound of it. Pretty name.

​"Is she your sister?" I ask, my heart rate spiking despite my efforts to remain indifferent.

​He nods. "Yes. We were supposed to leave together."

​Leave? No, Kieran whines, his claws scraping at my mind. She can't leave, Arik. You have to talk to her. Go after her!

​Kieran is growing more agitated by the second. He wants to see her again, to claim her, to understand why she smells of nothing. But what if she just runs again the moment our eyes meet?

​Didn't you notice something off? I ask him, trying to distract him with logic. She has no scent. Not a single trace of a wolf.

​Kieran hums, his energy shifting to curiosity. I noticed. Let's find her. Let's question her.

​After the meeting, I command. I cannot abandon the summit now.

​What if we never see her again?! He growls.

​Calm down. We will, I tell him, though the uncertainty gnaws at me, too. Her brother is the Beta's son. That means her father is right inside that room. We'll speak to Haden about it later.

​Kieran doesn't respond, retreating into the back of my mind in a sulky silence. He can be incredibly stubborn when he doesn't get his way.

​"Alright, thank you, Alpha." The man bows slightly and begins to walk away, already reaching for his phone to call her.

April.

​Repeating her name in my head again sends a chill down my spine. I want to hate the feeling. I want to push it away. Instead of the warmth a mate is supposed to bring, all this does is drag up the ghost of Lydia.

My phone buzzes, reminding me of the exact reason I stepped out of the meeting room in the first place.

​I pull it out. 'Found her. She's asleep now.'

​Jacob attached a picture of Reya, as if he understood exactly how worried I was. She is sleeping peacefully, her ragged doll tucked right next to her. A long sigh escapes me. I've been worried sick about her, constantly pleading with her to just stay in her room. I knew she'd get bored, so when one of Haden's packmates offered to look after her, I was grateful.

Reya isn't exactly friendly with the females in this pack. Actually, she detests it when any woman tries to talk to me.

​Kieran relaxes at the sight of our sleeping pup, and I slip the phone back into my pocket.

​"Sorry for the interruption," I apologize, breaking the tense silence. Alpha Haden stops his quiet discussion with his Beta and turns to me.

​He nods understandingly. "It's not a problem. Is she safely in her room?"

​"Yes." I don't even question how he knows the interruption was about Reya. Haden knows that any stress I carry outside of my own pack territory is usually centered around my daughter.

​"Good." Haden turns back to his second-in-command. "Arik, this is my Beta, Mr. Marrock."

​"But you can call me Rufus," the Beta suggests, offering a tight smile. Mr. Marrock is a better option. Kieran adds, like I don't already know that.

​I internally agree. "It's alright. Mr. Marrock it is," I say, dropping back into my leather chair. "So, what is this weapon you were explaining before I left?"

​Mr. Marrock's brow furrows. With my heightened Alpha senses, I catch the sudden, erratic spike in his heartbeat. Whatever this 'weapon' is, it is making him incredibly nervous. It must be violating a few sacred rules.

​The heavy wooden box his son brought in sits on the center of the table. Haden slides the box toward me and gestures for me to open it. I raise a brow, throwing him a questioning glance. He nods slowly.

​I reach out and unlock the padlocks.

​The bitter, toxic stench of wolfsbane hits me the exact second the lid lifts. Kieran groans in agony inside my head, instantly recoiling.

​"What is this?" I slam my hands on the table and stand up, taking a sharp step back. "This is your weapon?"

​A gun. A high-caliber human firearm is sitting inside a secured Alpha summit. How the hell did a piece of metal like this make it past the border patrol without detection?

​Alpha Haden clears his throat, maintaining his composure. "Calm down, Arik."

​"You knew about this, didn't you?" I demand, my gaze snapping between Haden and Mr. Marrock.

​Haden sighs, leaning back in his chair and folding his muscular arms over his chest. "I didn't know the exact nature of it until just now."

​I lock my eyes onto Mr. Marrock. "How did this go undetected?"

The moment his son arrived earlier tonight, I knew something felt off. My instincts had been clawing at me ever since. Still, this? This was far beyond what I expected.

"We can't use a gun," I state,."It goes against tradition."

My choice of words makes Haden clench his jaw. "You think I don't know that?" he snaps, exhaustion bleeding through his voice. "But I believe my Beta is onto something."

"We do not use human machinery to settle wolf business," I remind him, standing my ground. "The moment we start using firearms, we become no better than the hunters who once tried to wipe us out."

"The Rogue Queen doesn't care about the Accords," Mr. Marrock interjects. His words are careful, his expression deeply torn. It is obvious he feels the weight of violating our laws, but there is a desperate edge to him that almost rips me apart.

"Pups are dying because of this woman." His eyes harden. "I don't care what these weapons did to us in the past. We need them."

His voice lowers. "I won't let my loved ones die. I can't."

Silence settles heavily around us.

And the worst part is... I understand him. I have to. For a split second, I shut my eyes, and the terrifying thought of losing Reya to this war flashes through my mind.

I stare back down at the weapon. It is a cowardly thing, yet the memory of blood soaking the fields years ago flashes in my mind.

"You're thinking about it, too." Haden stares at me.

I let out a heavy sigh and sink back into my chair. "It's not the right choice, but..."

"It's a desperate choice," Haden finishes.

"The other Alphas won't like this," I warn. "Guns are forbidden for a reason. Wolfbane weakens us. Even its scent alone can cripple a wolf." I glance between them. "Are you sure this will even help us?"

Haden doesn't answer immediately.

Instead, he pushes himself to his feet.

"We'll continue this another time." He pats his Beta's shoulder once. "Thank you for bringing this here. I'll speak to the other Alphas during the next meeting."

Mr. Marrock gives a polite smile, though it never reaches his eyes. He closes the box carefully before lifting it into his arms and heading for the door.

Kieran paces restlessly in my mind, urging me to ask the one question he desperately needs answered.

"How did the gun get in here?" I ask just as Mr. Marrock's hand reaches the doorknob. He pauses before turning back toward us.

"My daughter brought it?"

My brows furrow slightly. "How?"

Sensing my confusion, Haden steps in to clarify. "She hasn't been able to shift, Arik. You know our packs differ when it comes to the age of the first transformation. My youngest daughter is going through her shift right now as we speak, but April..."

Again, a strange, spark of warmth sizzles through my chest at the mention of her name. Get it together, I command myself.

"...April hasn't been able to shift. We call them late bloomers. They are few like her in my pack."

"So she has no scent because of that?" I ask, needing to make sense of this.

"Yes," Mr. Marrock answers. "Or at least very little of one. Honestly, I'm still surprised she managed to hide something like this so well even If I pressured her to."

Haden looks just as confused as I feel.

Then both of us look back at Mr. Marrock.

"It happens with more than weapons," he says. "If she's carrying something-or even standing close enough-she can mask its scent too."

"Interesting," I mutter. "Do your pack doctors have a medical name for it?"

Mr. Marrock shakes his head. "No. My wife and I just see it as a blessing." A sad smile crosses his face. "At least the Moon Goddess gave her something."

The words linger longer than they should. A blessing.

Maybe to them it is.

I wonder if April feels the same way.

"So she's a wolf and not one at the same time," I mutter quietly. "That must be difficult."

"My April is stronger than most wolves I know."

Mr. Marrock says, a proud smile finally gracing his features. With a final nod, he exits the room.

As the door clicks shut, I catch Alpha Haden giving me a strange, calculating look.

"What?" I demand.

He shrugs, though amusement flickers in his eyes. "Nothing."

I groan, rubbing my temples. "Talk, old man"

"Why the sudden interest in April?" He goes straight for the throat.

"I'm not interested," I lie smoothly.

I am, Kieran snaps instantly. We are.

Haden smirks. "It certainly seems like you are."

"I just wanted to know how a prohibited weapon breached your security," I counter, crossing my arms. "My men would have alerted me the second they caught a whiff of wolfsbane. I was taken aback, that's all. I wanted details."

Haden narrows his eyes at me, studying my face like he's trying to pull the truth straight out of my skull.

"What do you think about her missing shift?" he asks instead, changing gears.

"It's the first time I'm hearing of such a case, honestly. Is she the only one in your pack who hasn't turned?"

"Most late shifters eventually turn by the time they hit twenty-one."

"How old is she now?"

Haden chuckles, leaning back. "I don't know, Arik. You should've asked Rufus. Want me to call him back so you can continue asking about his daughter's life story? Do you also want to know her favorite food, too?"

​I like this old man, Kieran chuckles in my mind.

These two are absolutely not helping my sanity right now.

"I'm going to bed," I mutter, pushing myself to my feet. "Reya's probably still waiting for her bedtime story."

The last time I forgot to give her a good story time, she turned into her wolf and refused to talk to me until I bought a new doll for her.

"Come on. Join the party a little," Haden suggests, gesturing toward the door where the muffled bass of the music still echoes. "There are a lot of people wanting to see your presence. Believe me, my pack is a fan of yours."

​"You mean the women?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

​"Exactly."

​"Then no."

​He frowns instantly, his disappointment transparent. I smirk, offering a sharp nod. "Good night, Haden."

With that, I close the door behind me and head off to see my daughter. As I walk down the dimly lit hallway of the residential wing, I figure she must still be awake, waiting for her usual bedtime story.

Instead, when I slip into the room, I find a completely different scene.

Jacob is at the edge of the bed, his focus on his phone till he looks up and smirks.

"A miracle, right?"

He gestures at Reya, whose sound asleep.

I walk in, shutting the door behind. "A big one. What happened?" I keep staring. Total disbelief because this is honestly a shocker. "I should pay you for this."

"Nah. I didn't do anything." He shakes his head. "She was waiting for you, then got all excited when I asked her about the woman who was with her."

"Which woman?"

"Yeah, there was this woman that was talking to her when I found her and get this... " He lowers his voice. "It's the same woman who saved her in the woods."

My brows pull together.

"She's showed up twice now," I say, a deep frown settling on my face as I think over the timeline. "Don't you think it's a coincidence that this unknown woman keeps appearing?"

"I don't think so," Jacob says, crossing his arms. He watches my expression closely. "Why? Don't tell me you're already thinking she's a spy or something."

"You can't blame me for considering it."

​"Well, don't. Reya won't like that." He glances back at the bed. "She really likes this woman. When I saw them together, I got a bit rude, and Reya was quite upset with me. She told me I should apologize to her."

I huff out a quiet laugh. "That serious, huh?"

Jacob nods once.

I lean against the door and more thoughts jumps in.

"Tell me more about the woman."

"In what way?"

I shrug. "Her appearance for a start."

Jacob thinks for a long moment, scratching his jaw. "Fierce."

​"Fierce?" I repeat, waiting for more.

He shrugs. "I'm not good at descriptions. It's more about the aura I perceived from her."

​"That's all you can think of?" I let out a heavy sigh, shaking my head. "This is why I know you'll stay single, my friend."

Jacob bursts out laughing, but quickly cuts himself off when he hears Reya turn in her sleep. He lowers his voice to a harsh whisper.

"What did I say wrong? I can't lie about what I sense. I will say the truth whether it displeases you or not, my friend. And who says that's why I'm single? If I have you know, a lot of women had a chat with me tonight-"

​"Were you interested?"

​"You know I wasn't," he states, his humor fading into something more grounded. "I value the mate bond too much for meaningless relationships. And I'd like to believe my mate feels the same way."

I nod slowly, understanding where he's coming from.

"And also..." He trails off, his expression softening with a heavy sadness. "I want to have what you and Lydia had."

Hearing her name makes me turn my gaze back to Reya. The ghost of my past always lingers, but looking at our daughter makes the memory bittersweet rather than blindingly painful.

​"Jacob."

​"Yes, Alpha?"

I glance back at him, hesitating longer than I should.

"Do you believe in second chances?"

His brows pull together slightly. "In what way?"

​"I mean..." I clear my throat, trying to find the words without completely exposing the chaotic storm Kieran is brewing inside me. "What's your take on second mates? Do you believe in the Moon Goddess gifting someone another fated bond?"

Jacob stares into space for a long moment. My question is heavy, and he treats it with the weight it deserves.

​"I believe it's incredibly rare for her to do that," he says carefully.

​"But what if it is possible?" I press.

"If it's possible," Jacob says, his eyes locking onto mine with fierce sincerity, "then he or she should be profoundly grateful. The Moon Goddess doesn't hand out fated bonds twice. If she does, I believe there's a vital reason for it."

A vital reason, huh.

"By the way how was the meeting with Alpha haden? You said it was important."

I step out from the door and pull off my shoes.

"It was. I'll tell you more if you do something for me."

"What?"

"Help me gather information about where Alpha Haden's Beta lives."

He tilts his head. "Why don't you ask Alpha Haden?"

I shake my head. "No. It's between you and I. It's important."

"How important."

"Very."

He stands up. "You got it, boss."