Alpha Zane realized that the girl found by his pack's Beta within their territory, was destined to be his mate.
But Mercedes was underage and originating from a neighbouring pack with an Alpha of questionable personality. Zane knew he had to wait until her eighteenth birthday before claiming her as his Luna. Eventually, Ahri, the Alpha of Silver Bow, permitted the mates to meet and form a bond. In the meantime, Zane ensured that Mercedes was properly trained for her role in his own pack. He regularly visited her in her pack, showering her with lavish gifts while teaching the young girl how to excel as his ideal mate.
The two became inseparable. Alpha Zane was the centre of the little girl's life as she blossomed into a beautiful, skilled woman. However, disaster struck them unexpectedly.
Jealousy overtook Glary, Alpha Ahri's son and he resorted to all kinds of malicious tactics, with the help of Mercedes' best friend Clarita, in an attempt to drive a wedge to the mates.
In response, Alpha Ahri abruptly terminated arrangements with Alpha Zane to gain access to his mate at Silver Bow. Consequently, Mercedes was confined within her home.
To force the girl to accept his son as her mate, Alpha Ahri went so far as to accuse his own Beta, Mercedes' father, of disloyalty and treachery towards their pack, accusations that carried a death sentence. Under pressure from the Alphas’ threats against her family's lives, she was forced into two unpleasant choices: either accept Glary or face losing those closest to her forever. And that was when Mercedes feared being at the mercy of the Alpha family.
========
'Alpha, quickly, you really need to check this out,' my Beta exclaimed in the mind link.
I snapped out of my concentration, becoming utterly annoyed by this sudden interruption that couldn't have come at a worse time. Damn it, I really don't need this, my desk was overflowing with weeks of backlog I needed to catch up on. I was still working myself to death here.
'What's up, Jace? I'm in the middle of some important paperwork,' I explained while trying to conceal my irritation. 'Is it something you could manage on your own?'
'Nah. You won't even be able to fathom what I'm about to tell you. This is something no pack has ever come across before,' he replied.
For the first time I heard shock, no, panic in Jace's voice. As pups, we literally took our first steps and spoke our first words at the same time. Later on, we went through combat training side by side as well. And never have I seen him afraid of anything before now. Jace was always fearless with a solution to any problem that arose and he never hesitated to take action.
His appearance was his biggest advantage, Jace radiated a commanding presence that nobody dared to test. No one had the balls to question or disregard him, his word can only be surpassed by mine. This dynamic had never been breached before now. Our friendship ran deep enough for him to feel confident in how to observe critical situations and handle accordingly. We are completely in sync.
The request for my presence in the field indicated that World War III may be approaching. In any case, he managed to get my full attention.
'Tell me about it. And it must be really worth it now that you've distracted me from my work,' grumbled, but still asked for details nonetheless.
'You won't believe it until you see it, man. This is the weirdest thing I've seen since living in a pack. And that's my entire life,' he continued, still overwhelmed by what's happening at his side.
As I gazed at the heap of documents cluttering my desk, All I could think about was killing that Beta if he was wasting my time. I slammed my fist down on the desk. 'Keep me in the dark one more minute and I swear to you, today is the last day your head is on top. I don't have time for nonsense,' I bellowed angrily into the mind link.
'Zane, a pup has crossed our pack borders. She said her name is Mercedes and Silver Moon is her pack,' he finally explained.
His words froze me in horror.
Damn it, Silver Moon was more than fifty miles from here, how in the world could one of their pups end up on my territory? It's impossible, someone must have brought her here. Was she banished by her own parents? This situation demanded my personal investigation, Jace was right. And once I'd gathered more information, it might be necessary to involve Alpha Ahri or even the Werewolf Council themselves... though I knew they wouldn't take kindly to this news.
'Keep her there, I'm on my way,' I instructed urgently before leaving my office with a sense of utmost priority to resolve the issue at hand. Once I was outside the packhouse, I swiftly stripped off my clothes and changed into my massive black wolf, Jax. Carrying my clothes in his snout, we headed towards the eastern border which was about five miles away. Utilizing all our speed available, we knew that it wouldn't take us much time to get there.
At a high speed, I zoomed past tall trees and jumped over bushes and stumps until I abruptly came to a halt. There was a peculiar, strange scent lingering in the area that didn't belong to any of my pack members. I traced it to a clearing deep within the woods where recent signs of human presence were evident from tire tracks left behind.
Inhaling deeply several times confirmed what I had suspected all along. Trespassers from Silver Moon, the girl's pack, they sneaked into my territory without permission or warning, I'm sure I haven't permitted any outsider to enter my pack in the last few months.
This served as evidence that someone intentionally brought the pup to my pack, rather than it being a mere coincidence of her getting lost.
Things are taking a strange turn. Over recent years, I haven't come across any discussions regarding human traffickers or abductions in the Alpha WhatsApp group chat. Additionally, there have been no inquiries about swapping pack members or surrendering trespassers either. Thanks to our united efforts in this area, rogues were no longer posing as much of a threat to packs anymore.
A quick assessment showed that members of Silver Moon entered my territory illegally and left a pup behind. I decided to continue on my way. As relayed by my Beta, the girl was still in high spirits and chatty despite her previous situation. Perhaps she can tell us more about those who left her here so that I can report back in full detail to Alpha Ahri.
As I approached the clearing where my Beta, the Head Warrior and two warriors were waiting for me, a shiver ran down my spine. Immediately, an alluring scent of honey-strawberry wafted towards me, urging me to seek it out. I picked up my pace, as I traced the scent trail that led directly to my pack members.
As I stood with them in wolf form, Jax's eyes started to glow.
'MATE! MINE!' he hollered.
I regained control of my wolf and started scanning and examining each man individually. No, none of them was my mate and I'm damn sure not gay.
No, definitely not me.
As I shifted my gaze downward, I caught sight of a small head peeping out from behind Jace's lengthy limbs. A girl was hiding there, but her curiosity got the best of her, causing her to bend to watch the scene. Our glances collided and instantly the girl's identity became clear to me.
My mate!
I stare into the most mesmerizing silver orbs that have ever captivated me throughout my twenty years on this earth. The girl's eyes are like polished marbles, they absorb every detail around her with intellect and eagerness. Her ponytail is neatly tied back without any stray strands, while her infectious smile beams brightly with joy.
'MATE!' roars Jax again.
Moon Goddess, seriously? Seriously, what does this mean?..
