2. She’s a stealer wolf!

A sudden sensation washed over Olivia—tingles skimming her skin and reaching deep into her soul. She could feel her mate's presence, yet they were nowhere in sight.

Anxiety coiled tight within her chest as she stood among the gathered crowd, her pulse a frantic drumbeat against her ribs. The air around her felt different—charged, almost electric. A shiver traced its way down her spine, and she rubbed her arms, trying to dispel the eerie sensation creeping over her.

Something was wrong.

A sudden hush fell over the room. The air thickened, heavy with an energy that made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Then, before her very eyes, the male wolves began to change.

A sickening crunch filled the air as bones snapped and bodies contorted. The men who had once stood before her with familiar faces twisted into something terrifying. Their eyes burned a deep, unnatural red, and their elongated fangs gleamed under the dim light. The shift was both mesmerizing and horrifying.

Olivia's breath caught. Her instincts screamed at her to run.

Then, as one, they turned to her.

"Mate," they growled in unison, voices guttural and thick with something possessive and primal.

Olivia stumbled back, her mind reeling. Her chest rose and fell in rapid succession as panic clawed its way up her throat. This wasn't right. This wasn't normal.

"What's happening?" she managed to gesture, her hands barely more than air.

The wolves closed in, their predatory gazes locking onto her like she was prey. Olivia spun on her heel, heart hammering, but before she could bolt, strong hands caught her.

"Mine."

Hands gripped her arms, her waist, tugging at her. A sharp tear split the silence—her dress ripping under their grasp.

A scream tore from her lips. Tears blurred her vision. Were they going to hurt her?

No. She wouldn't let this happen.

Summoning every ounce of strength she had, Olivia wrenched herself free and ran. She didn't look back. Her bare feet pounded against the cold floor, panic propelling her forward. But they were faster. Their growls and heavy footsteps grew closer, the heat of their pursuit brushing against her skin.

Just as fingers grazed her shoulder, a voice—deep, powerful, commanding—ripped through the chaos.

"LET HER GO!"

The room fell into a stunned silence.

Olivia's body trembled as she turned toward the voice.

The Alpha.

Dark eyes burned into hers, intense and unreadable, but beneath their weight, something deep within her shifted. A feeling foreign yet familiar, terrifying yet magnetic.

Recognition.

It slammed into her, stealing the breath from her lungs.

How could this be?

How could he be her mate?

****

She was the one—the one whose scent had clouded Devon's mind moments ago. His mate.

The realization sent a tremor through his body. He had scoured countless packs, roamed endless lands, and endured years of disappointment, yet here she was. The sweet, intoxicating scent that had ignited something primal in him led him straight to her.

"Mate!" Devon growled, his voice thick with possession as he strode forward, each step echoing his dominance.

The men surrounding her immediately shrank back, their eyes wide with terror. They knew better than to stand between an Alpha and his mate. Olivia, to his astonishment, did not hesitate. She ran straight into his arms, molding against him as if she had always belonged there. Devon stiffened in surprise before his arms instinctively wrapped around her, pulling her closer, inhaling her scent. She felt small against him, delicate, yet something about her presence set his wolf on edge.

But then, as if a sudden realization struck her, she pulled away.

Devon's sharp gaze locked onto her face. He tilted her chin, forcing her to meet his intense golden eyes. There was something different about her, something that defied logic. He exuded an aura that repelled others, a force so strong that weaker wolves avoided him, yet she had walked through it, untouched, unaffected.

She was breathtaking. Her dark brown eyes shimmered with unspoken emotions, and her soft lips trembled slightly. Despite her fragile frame, there was an air of quiet resilience about her.

"Are you okay?" he muttered, his voice softer now, laced with concern.

She hesitated before nodding, but her gaze remained downcast, avoiding his. It was as if she feared meeting his eyes—feared what she might see in them, or worse, what he might see in hers.

"Look at me!" he ordered, his voice sharp with barely restrained fury.

Startled, she obeyed. Her wide, haunted eyes locked onto his, and in that instant, he took in every wound, every bruise marring her skin. The scent of her pain clung to the air like a bitter curse. His heartbeat pounded violently in his chest, his rage rising like a storm, uncontrollable and lethal. His fangs lengthened, his vision tinged with red, his claws aching to tear flesh from bone.

They had hurt her.

They would pay.

A low, guttural growl rumbled through him, reverberating in the cave's hollow silence. Slowly, he turned his head, his fury settling upon the wolves who had dared to lay a hand on her.

"Alpha, have mercy!" One of them collapsed to his knees, his voice shaking. The others followed, bowing their heads, their bodies trembling beneath the weight of his wrath.

Cowards.

Outside the cave, the female wolves who had fled earlier now peeked in, their eyes wide with terror. The sight of their Alpha, his power crackling in the air like an impending storm, sent them scrambling away into the night.

But there would be no escape.

Not for those who had hurt her.

Not for those who had dared to defy him.

Tonight, the moon would witness vengeance.

"She is a Stealer Wolf, Alpha! That's why we were drawn to her!" One wolf blurted out, voice trembling.

"Alpha, you cannot mate a Stealer Wolf! And she's mute and weak!" another added desperately, trying to reason with him.

Devon's wolf snarled in defiance, but his mind reeled at their words.

Olivia dropped to her knees before him, her brown eyes wide with pleading. She shook her head vehemently, confusion clouding her face.

How could she be a Stealer Wolf? There had never been one in her lineage.