Xander’s POV
I leaned back against the dark oak frame of the bed, my eyes fixed on the window as the late afternoon sun began to sink behind the Silver Moon Pack’s towering gates. This pack house felt as cold and unwelcoming as any foreign territory, yet I hadn’t come here for comfort. I was here to honor the alliance between all packs. But something else was making my pulse race, an unease that shook my usual calm.
It was her. The girl I’d seen within the castle compound , her scent still lingering in my senses.
From the moment I saw her… I’d felt a pull like nothing I’d known before. My wolf had been clawing at me, instincts screaming for me to find her, to mark her, to claim her as mine. But impulse had no place here, not when my wolf’s howls nearly drowned out every sense of reasoning within me.
She could already be with someone else, I reminded myself, trying to calm my wolf, Cain.
“She’s ours,” Cain growled, voice thick with longing. “You felt the bond, Xander. She’s ours, and we’re wasting precious time”
I clenched my fists, taking a slow, steadying breath. My wolf was right I’d felt that unmistakable spark. But claiming her without knowing her circumstances went against everything I believed in. If she was already with someone or if her life was rooted here, I couldn’t just walk in and tear it apart, after all I don’t think she felt the pull like I did.
The heavy sound of footsteps approaching my door broke into my thoughts. Luke, my Beta, entered, his usual serious expression carrying something darker beneath it.
“Did you find anything new?” I asked, calm but with an edge of urgency I couldn’t hide.
Luke’s gaze dropped before he met my eyes. “Yes Alpha. This time I have her name… I learnt her name is Alison.” He hesitated, reluctant to go on. “She’s believed to be an orphan rescued from rogues by Alpha Kendrick’s father. Also, she… turns eighteen today.”
My wolf snarled, the sound vibrating in my chest as I fought to keep control. Today’s her birthday? Yet she is spending it working in Kendrick’s Engagement dinner? I ground my teeth, each question that surfaced angered me than the last.
“That’s all you found?” I growled, my voice barely containing the fury brewing within.
Luke nodded, his expression tight with frustration. “I couldn’t get closer, she seemed a bit upset about something. But I could keep asking if you wish.”
I gave him a nod. “Thank you, Luke. Dismissed.”
Once he left, I was alone with my mounting frustration. I paced the room, my wolf’s yearning for Alison pressing against me, like an itch I couldn’t scratch. I forced myself to breathe through the wild urge, calming my wolf’s thrashing energy within.
“Patience,” I reminded myself. “Tonight, I’d be near her, close enough to meet her eyes, to speak to her.”
Time dragged and blurred as I waited, but finally, a knock sounded. A maid stood in the doorway, her gaze lowered. “Alpha, the dinner is about to begin.”
I rolled my shoulders, nodding before heading down the dim hallway. Each step sent my heart pounding with an anticipation that felt new. Tonight, I’d see her up close for the first time since I’d glimpsed her by the gate, and my wolf’s anticipation heightened my already restless energy.
In the grand dining hall, voices murmured, glasses clinked. Chandeliers cast a warm light over the crowd of Alphas and their Lunas, all dressed in their finest. I exchanged polite nods with a few I had come in contact with previously, maintaining a calm facade while my mind was wholly focused on searching for my Alison. Not seeing her around only made my wolf’s impatience worse.
Kendrick greeted me with a grin before extending his hand. I shook it, offering my congratulations once moreto the soon-to-be couple. He stood up and began introducing his fiancee, Priya, who gave everyone a polite smile, but my attention drifted as my senses picked up the unique addictive scent.
Then, I saw her, a figure weaving quietly through the crowd, a tray balanced in her hands. My Alison. Her clothing was simple, modest, yet her grace was unmistakable. My breath hitched when our eyes met for a fleeting second. It was as if the entire room faded into silence, leaving only her.
“There she is,” my wolf whispered, awe filling its tone.
Alison moved carefully, focused on her task, her movements precise and controlled. But each step she took closer felt like a magnetic pull, an invisible string binding me to her.
As she neared, I found myself captivated by details I hadn’t seen before,
the soft glow of her skin in the candlelight, the way her hair framed her face. My wolf was nearly growling with need, barely restrained, and I couldn’t look away.
She stopped beside me, her gaze downcast as she set a glass of water on the table before me. Her warmth was tangible, her scent flooding my senses with the intoxicating aroma of wildflowers and fresh rain.
I suppressed a shiver. Just as she turned to leave, our gazes locked again, her eyes meeting mine with a flicker of surprise. Her face remained unreadable, a mix of innocence and guarded caution. I wanted to say something, anything, to reach out and touch her, but I held back, not before the entire crowd of Alpha’s. I didn’t know how to express the storm brewing inside.
In that moment, nothing else mattered-the engagement dinner, the alliance, the gathered Alphas and Lunas. All that existed was her, the mate I’d been waiting for.
The conversations and noise around us faded. My world narrowed to the connection thrumming between us, the bond I felt coursing through me. My wolf nearly shook with anticipation, pushing me to claim her, to make her mine before anything or anyone could come between us.
Yet, I sensed her hesitancy, the way she had began avoiding being close, her eyes flickering away as soon as they met mine. An aura of uncertainty clung to her, sparking an ache within me to protect her, to shield her from whatever shadows haunted her. Moon Goddess, why would you place her here, of all places? I wondered, frustration tightening my chest.
“Alpha Xander?” Kendrick’s voice broke into my thoughts, and I realized I’d been staring at Alison longer than I should have.
“uhhh… Yes?” I replied, forcing myself to focus on Kendrick, who watched me with a calm expression.
“You seem lost in thought. Everything alright?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
I nodded, hiding my feelings beneath a calm mask. “Yes, just admiring the hospitality,” I answered smoothly.
As Kendrick turned to greet another guest, my attention drifted back to Alison. Every now and then, her gaze flitted in my direction, wary and curious, though she quickly looked away. Each time she neared, my heart raced, my wolf pacing with restlessness under my skin.
I managed polite exchanges with other Alphas and Lunas, but my mind was firmly on her, my eyes drawn back to her every movement. I watched her, unable to shake the question of how she’d ended up living this life.
Finally, as she approached to refill my goblet, I reached out, gently grazing my finger on her hand. She gasped softly, her gaze lifting to meet mine. In her eyes, I glimpsed surprise and something deeper-maybe even fear.
“Alison,” I murmured, savoring the way her name felt on my lips.
For a brief moment, the bond between us pulsed, a shared warmth spreading through me. But she pulled her hand back quickly, murmuring an apology before disappearing behind thr door.
I was left alone, my chest tight with a need I couldn’t fully understand. I’d found my mate, yet she seemed just out of reach, slipping away behind the walls of the Silver Moon Pack.
But I was an Alpha, and I wouldn’t let her go without an attempt.
Tonight had given me a taste of her presence, but I wanted more, One way or another, she would soon be by my side. The Moon Goddess had answered my prayers, and I would make sure Alison knew exactly what she meant to me.