Chapter 1: The Beginning

Asa POV

Asa’s eyes fluttered open as sunlight began to stream through his window. Today was the day! Today was the day of the mating run and the time had come for Asa to join the run.

Every shifter in the pack had been in the run. His parents met that way, and soon he too would find his true mate.

It was the day that a shifter looked forward to the most, and Asa was no different. He wanted so bad to meet the person who the Moon Goddess had made just for him. It was the most important day of his life.

Asa’s plan for the day involved spending his last day as an unmated shifter with his best friends. They planned to get the final touches for Asa’s outfit for tonight, a pretty purple shirt to highlight the lilac of his scent.

He wanted to look perfect for the night, to make it easy for his new mate to find him and pull them toward each other effortlessly.

The shifter would just look at Asa and know.

He also wanted to get new hairpins, something to make the moonlight sparkle and bounce off of him, maybe it would gain him favor with the Moon Goddess.

Maybe she would send his mate straight to him. He trusted Her judgment, but he couldn’t help the small part of him that wanted to make it even more special.

Felicity ran her hands through the ends of her long blonde hair before waving as she caught sight of Asa.

“Feef! Hey!” Asa called, running up to the girl. He gave her a hug, gingerly avoiding her swollen belly.

She participated in the run last year, and now she had mated with a pup on the way.

Felicity lived Asa’s dream.

Seeing Felicity’s happiness after the mating run really cemented just how much Asa looked forward to this day. Her mate took great care of her, doting over everything that she did. Xolo, older than her by 3 years, showed just how much he cared about Felicity at every turn. The Moon Goddess had seemingly made Xolo for Felicity, and he couldn’t wait for the Moon Goddess to do the same for him.

Skye found their mate last year as well, leaving Asa as the last in their friend group without a mate.

Well, not for long, because Asa would finally mate with someone if all went well tonight.

“The other pack is here,” Skye noted, pointing out a group of shifters that none of them recognized as they gathered around the food stall, grabbing a quick meal before they would go to get some items to prepare for the run that night.

Asa wanted to get some lilacs to weave through his hair, something that would accentuate his own lilac scent.

“Can you imagine, one of them could be your mate, and you don’t even know it yet,” Felicity said and Asa stared into the crowd, idly wondering if he could tell if his mate hid among them.

“I couldn’t imagine getting a mate from another pack, having to leave everything I know and love- I’m so lucky for Xolo,” Felicity said and Asa hummed.

He wouldn’t have to move, but if one of them were his mate, they would have to move with Asa.

They’d have to leave their home and pack forever.

Once you left your pack, you couldn’t come back

“It’s not bad, Miki is really good to me and doesn’t seem to miss her pack as much,” Skye explained before pausing.

“What’s your ideal mate?” Skye asked and Asa looked over at his friends.

“Only the Moon Goddess needs to know, not my nosy friends, now come on, we should head back, I need to get ready,” Asa said before walking away from the stall, his friends following.

***

“Tonight, as we have done since the dawn of time, we will again entrust the Moon Goddess to guide us. I call on the Goddess to bless each and every shifter as the run starts, to help them find the mate that they are destined for. Let every heart be pure and let each of you follow the Goddess’ divine call. I wish you all the best of luck.”

Asa clapped along as his mother stepped off of the pedestal.

Asa’s mother led their pack, the maverick pack, as the alpha and his father took the role of Luna. His mother’s ruthless but caring personality matched perfectly as the pack alpha, a fierce protector, while his father’s gentle and nurturing traits helped the pack grow. Tonight, once Asa had found his mate, they would take over the pack, ruling together as his parents had. Asa inherited his father’s nature and so he’d been born to fill in the role of a Luna, something that he’d always looked forward to.

He caught his Father’s eye and the man gave him a thumbs-up, encouraging. He would make his family proud and he’d find the mate of his dreams. Asa couldn’t wait for his perfect night to begin.

“Alright, You’ve been assigned into your groups for the run, the first group please line up at the mouth of the woods, so that we can begin the run,” The officiant called and the group began to move.

Asa took a deep breath, centering himself. He grabbed the last couple of lilacs, weaving them through his hair so that the purple would highlight his own fragrant skin. The excitement thrummed beneath his skin, answering the moon’s call.

The Moon Goddess’ favor shone on him, he could feel it. The moon goddess's favor burned bright on him, filling him with strange elation. Nothing could go wrong tonight. Nothing would go wrong.

Asa needed to join the group so that his perfect night could start.

He turned, heading towards the mouth of the woods where the rest of the shifters from group one lined up.

Asa would be one of the pursued. His mate would find him, and the lilacs would definitely help.

“Asa,” Asa heard someone call his name and he frowned, turning his head.

A faint whiskey scent began to waft through the air.

Asa tried to recall anything he could about this unknown shifter, he couldn’t remember a name or even an age. Asa had never really met the shifter, but he might have looked familiar?

Maybe Asa saw him on the envoys between the groups?

“How did you know my name?” He asked and the man gave him a smile.

Jacob towered over Asa, with stick-straight brown hair that fell into his eyes.

The whiskey scent got a bit stronger, the air thickening with it.

“Who doesn’t know your name? Your Mother is the Alpha of the Maverick pack,” He said as if it were no big deal.

Asa cleared his throat.

Asa could taste the shifter’s scent.

Whiskey.

It coated his tongue and plugged his nostrils as if Asa had taken a shot of it.

Just like the real stuff, it burned through Asa’s system, causing him to scrunch his nose in a hope to get away from it.

Instead, the scent worked its way deeper, sliding through his nerve endings and squeezing his brain stem. His head felt foggy and dazed.

He needed to get away from the scent.

Maybe that would put him back to normal.

“Right, well, I should head back, they’re going to get started soon,” Asa began and the man stepped into his path, pushing him with his large frame.

“Aren’t you going to ask my name?” The man asked and Asa looked back at where people from his group had begun to line up.

The run would start without him.

He had to go.

Asa tried to step around him, but he stepped into Asa’s path again.

“I should— He began and the man raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not going to be impolite, are you? Is it because I’m from the other pack?” He asked and Asa sighed.

Asa had to play diplomat.

He couldn’t come off as arrogant just because Asa would inherit the pack. Besides, he didn’t know who this man was; he could be someone important in the other pack and it would spell disaster if he snubbed someone like that.

“What is your name?” He asked with what he could only hope resembled a genuine-looking smile.

He couldn’t spare anything better than that.

“Jacob Kane, Mates should know each other's names,” He said confidently and Asa frowned.

“Mates?” He asked and Jacob nodded.

“I figure, we can just go ahead and let it be known right, easy,” He said and Asa took a step back.

“That’s not… That’s not how the run works, besides, we wouldn’t want a scandal, it’s probably best if we just head to our groups. I’ll go first,” Asa said and Jacob grabbed his waist.

Where their skin touched felt like a brand.

His claws dug into Asa’s flesh, holding him in place.

The pain clouded over though, the whiskey scent lulling and placating him.

“I’m offering you something easy, don’t be like that,” Jacob said and Asa tried to shake him off.

The grip tightened, holding him in place.

His limbs seemed out of his control.

Asa could have sworn he’d drank with the way he felt.

He’d tipped over from tipsy to drunk off of the whiskey scent.

“No thank you, let me go,” He said, pulling away from the other shifter.

“Hear me out,” Jacob began, his scent getting even more prominent in the clearing until it seemed so thick that Asa felt it on his skin.

Asa ripped himself away from the shifter, stumbling over his feet.

“I said no!” Asa yelled, running away from the shifter and to the group.

“There you are. Your mother would have killed me if I started without you. Come on! Let’s go,” The officiant said, grabbing Asa’s shoulders.

Asa couldn’t steady himself, still dazed from the encounter.

The foul whiskey scent seemed stuck in his nostrils.

“Go!” The officiant said, letting go of Asa and he turned, stumbling into the forest, a strange heat trickling down his side and into his pants.

Asa leaned against a tree, lifting his shirt, trying to figure out why he felt so strange as his senses returned gradually, rejecting the haze from earlier.

Out of his stupor, His eyes widened as he realized that he had claw marks going down his side and across his thigh.

He was bleeding.