Emeric’s pov

The cold emptiness of my bed was my usual companion. As I rolled over to the other side, I felt nothing but the chilly fabric against my skin. It was a stark reminder of what had always eluded me.

Hhhhh.

The weight of it pressed down on me. The curse of being the most feared alpha in the world wasn't a title to wear lightly—it was a burden. My reputation preceded me wherever I went. Ruthless. Deadly. Unyielding. The mere mention of my name sent lesser wolves into submission. Packs would sooner submit than challenge my authority. But it was this very reputation that kept me alone.

 Perhaps that was why I still had no mate. Mates were supposed to be a gift from the MoonGoddess—a bond that transcended the flesh and embedded itself deep in the soul. Yet here I was, the most powerful alpha to have ever lived, unable to find my other half. It was something I had come to accept with time, even as I envied those around me. Especially my beta, Ken. Bastard was mated to my sister, Mya. They had something I didn't, and that truth gnawed at me.

I shook my head, dispelling the thoughts as I threw off the covers. There was no use dwelling on it. Not today. Pushing the feelings back down, I rose from the bed and padded across the room, brushing my teeth in silence. No mate. No love. Only power. That's how it had always been. Maybe it was what I deserved. After all, I had nearly killed my own beta before realizing he was my sister's mate. If Mya hadn't intervened that day, showing me the mark on her neck, I would have ripped him apart with my bare hands. That was three months ago. The memory haunted me sometimes, creeping in during the quiet moments. I still felt guilty for putting him through that. But it was the kind of guilt I had learned to live with—along with all the other mistakes.

After brushing my teeth, I went for a run, choosing not to shift into my wolf form. I needed to feel the burn in my muscles, the pounding of my feet against the earth. Thirty minutes passed before I turned back to the pack house, my mind clearer than before. The shower I took was brief but invigorating, and I stepped out feeling more like myself. Today was another day to lead, to fight, to rule. My responsibilities wouldn't wait.

As I sat in my office, poring over the paperwork that had accumulated from the night before, my phone kept buzzing on the desk. Ignoring it, I focused on the documents. There would be time for distractions later.

An hour passed before I finally put down my pen. The knock on my door was expected.

"Come in," I called out.

Eliza, my assistant, entered gracefully, her hands steady as she placed a cup of coffee on my desk.

"Good morning, Alpha," she greeted with a bow of respect. "Ms. Mya called earlier. She insisted that you check your texts. You have a meeting in an hour with the beta and gamma to discuss the rogue attacks. Also, there are two business proposals for you to review—alliances with companies interested in collaborating with the pack."

"Is that all?" I asked, not looking up from the papers.

"Yes, Alpha." She hesitated slightly before adding, "Ms. Mya was quite insistent."

"Very well. You can go now." I dismissed her with a wave of my hand.

The door clicked shut behind her as I picked up my phone. Several unread messages glared back at me, all from Mya. I sighed heavily, already knowing what they would contain.

Hey, asshole. We're going to the club tonight. You better be there. Also, you have to meet Hope. You remember her, right? She might be our mate. Don't even think about skipping, or I swear I'll kill you.

 My lips twitched into a faint smile as I rolled my eyes. Mya never gave up on trying to set me up with her friend. She seemed convinced that Hope, the girl she'd been lol raving about for weeks, was somehow destined to be my mate. I, however, wasn't so sure. The Moon Goddess hadn't been kind to me in that department, and frankly, I had given up hope. Still, Mya was persistent. Even after I'd gone through the trouble of convincing the pack council to let her friend become one of our doctors, she hadn't stopped pushing me to meet her. I dialed Mya's number, and she answered before the first ring had fully sounded.

"Hey, sweet sister," I greeted, leaning back in my chair.

"Don't you dare sweet-sister me, Emeric," she snapped, and I chuckled quietly. "I've been texting you since six in the morning, and you ignored me! What kind of brother does that?"

"I was busy," I lied smoothly, though she knew me too well to believe it. "You know I love you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she huffed, but I could hear the smile in her voice. "Just make sure you meet us at the club tonight. And Hope is coming with us, so you better be on your best behavior."

I frowned slightly at the mention of her name. "Hope? Really?"

"She's my best friend, so don't even think about being a pervert," Mya warned.

I laughed at her protectiveness. "Calm down. I'm not even interested."

"You'd better not be, or I'll kill you. And Emeric—don't miss tonight. I'm serious."

I sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll be there. I promise."

"Good. I love you."

"Love you too," I replied before hanging up.

The knock on the door interrupted my thoughts, and Eliza slipped back in, her face unreadable.

"Zoe is here to see you, sir," she said, her voice tight with something that resembled jealousy.

I suppressed a groan. Zoe was the last person I wanted to deal with right now, but maybe a distraction wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"Send her in," I replied curtly, setting aside the pile of papers on my desk.

Zoe sauntered in, her usual bravado evident in every step. Too much makeup caked on her face, her clothes too tight, too revealing. It was all too much. But then again, Zoe was never one for subtlety.

"Hey, baby," she cooed as she approached me. "How are you doing?"

I didn't bother to hide my irritation. "It's Alpha to you, Zoe," I corrected. "What do you want?"

She pouted, kneeling beside my chair and placing her hands on my thighs. "You never called me back, so I thought I'd help you… relieve some stress."

I felt nothing as she unbuckled my belt and tugged at the fabric. There was a time when her touch might have excited me, but those days were long gone. The knowledge that she had been with other alphas, that she used her body as currency, soured any pleasure I might have found in her presence. Still, a part of me needed this release, even if it was empty.

I grabbed her wrist, yanking her hands away. "Get on with it."

She blinked in surprise but quickly composed herself, taking my cock into her mouth with enthusiasm, even as she gagged halfway through. I sighed, feeling the familiar, fleeting pleasure rise within me. It didn't take long before I was spent, releasing into her mouth with a groan. Zoe swallowed obediently, her makeup smeared, her lips swollen.

"Are we meeting tonight?" she asked, wiping the corners of her mouth as if it would somehow restore her dignity.

I laughed internally. "I have plans with my sister," I said dismissively. "I'll call you when I need you."

Zoe's eyes flashed with anger, but she said nothing. Instead, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Just as it clicked shut, Ken and Lionel walked in, laughter on their lips.

"You weirdos are late," I muttered.

"No, we were just waiting for you to finish up with that," Ken teased, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk.

"Shut up. Let's get to work." I straightened, my tone all business. "What do you have on

the recent rogue attacks?"

Ken's expression shifted to one of seriousness. "We've tracked their current location, but according to our intel, they move every fourteen days. They're slippery bastards."

"And what are you waiting for?" I demanded.

"We only got the intel this morning," Lionel chimed in, his face grim. "But there's more. We suspect the rogues might be working with one of our rival packs. Maybe even together."

My fists clenched at my sides. A rogue alliance would be a serious threat, even to a pack as strong as ours. "And the mole?" I asked.

Ken nodded. "Still investigating. But it's likely."

I sighed heavily, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "Fine. No attack until we know more. In the meantime, we need to revisit our strategies. We can't afford another failure."

Both of them nodded in agreement. After another hour of planning and discussion, we left the office, and I ordered Eliza to cancel my afternoon appointments.

As we walked out, Lionel broke the silence. "So, have you met Hope yet?"

"Nope. I'm not holding my breath," I replied, my voice flat.

Lionel shrugged. "Well, I hope she's worth all the trouble."

Later that evening, after a meeting with a new business partner, I received an urgent mind-link from Ken.

Ken: Alpha, we've had a rogue attack. One dead, several injured. We've captured one of the rogues.

My heart sank. This was the last thing I needed. I shifted into my wolf form and raced to the scene. The forest path blurred as I ran, and I arrived at the packhouse in record time. Kennedy and Lionel were already on the scene. "How bad is it?" I demanded.

Kennedy met my gaze, his face grave. "One dead. A kid, shot with a silver bullet laced with

wolfsbane. The others are injured but not life-threatening."

"Show me the captive," I ordered.

In the cold, damp dungeons, the rogue was shackled to the wall, his wrists raw from the iron manacles digging into his skin. His face was a tapestry of bruises, a testament to the resistance he had foolishly tried to maintain. Despite it all, his eyes met mine with a smoldering defiance, a flicker of fear barely visible beneath the surface.

I stepped closer, the echo of my boots on the stone floor reverberating through the chamber. "You think you're strong, don't you?" I whispered, my voice barely audible but cutting through the silence like a blade. "You think you can outlast me? Outlast this?"

He didn't respond, his jaw clenched tight, but I could see the tremor in his hands, the slight twitch at the corner of his eye.

I smirked, leaning in so close he could feel my breath on his battered face. "Let me tell you something about strength," I hissed. "It's not about how long you can hold out. It's about what you're willing to sacrifice."

His eyes flickered, the fear growing more evident now. I could sense his walls beginning

to crumble. Time to strike.

"Do you know where your mate is right now?" I asked, my tone almost conversational. "Do

you know what they're doing to her as we speak?"

His eyes widened, the defiance giving way to dread. He tried to hide it, but I saw it. I felt it.

"They're not as gentle as I am," I continued, pacing slowly in front of him. "In fact, I heard she begged them to stop. Begged for you to save her. But you can't, can you? Not from here."

He swallowed hard, the reality of his helplessness sinking in. I could see the struggle in his eyes, the battle between protecting his secrets and the primal

instinct to save his mate.

"I wonder," I mused aloud, "how many bones they'll have to break before she gives up on

you. Or maybe… maybe she already has."

His breath hitched, a small but telling sign. He was close, so close to breaking.

"Tell me what I need to know," I demanded, my voice a low, menacing growl. "Or I will bring her here, and you will watch as they finish what they started."

His resolve shattered in an instant. The defiance drained from his eyes, replaced by a desperate, broken plea. He began to speak, the words tumbling out in a frantic rush, eager to save the one person who still mattered to him.

And just like that, I had him.

"They have my family," he croaked. "I only wanted to save them."

"Who are "they'?" I pressed, my voice cold. "Where are they holding them?"

He hesitated, then his voice broke. "I… I don't know. But they're demanding something from us. If we don't comply, they said they'd kill them."

I considered his words. If the rogues had innocent lives at stake, the situation was more complex than I'd anticipated.

"I'll find out more," I said, my tone final. "Until then, you stay here."

I left the dungeon, my mind racing with possibilities.

Later, Lionel found me after spending some time with Mya and Hope. "Hope's had a bit

too much to drink, so I took her to bed," he said with a tired smile.

"Thanks for handling that," I said, my mind still preoccupied with the rogue's revelation.

"I need you to look into the rogue's claim. We might be dealing with something bigger than we thought."

"Understood," Lionel replied. "I'll get on it first thing in the morning."

Finally, alone in my room, I let myself relax. The day had been long, and my mind wandered to the upcoming night, the club, and Mya's friend, Hope. The possibility of meeting my mate—a concept I had long since dismissed—was now a fluttering thought at the back of my mind. For now, the only certainty was the cold, empty bed beside me, a stark reminder of what I lacked.