Chapter : First Mate

The night trembled with the sound of distant howls.

Roo's breath came shallow as he stood between the triplets, their towering figures radiating dominance. The scent of danger, of something familiar yet buried deep in his past, clung to the air, sending a prickle of unease down his spine.

Ace moved first. His golden eyes gleamed, fangs peeking from his smirk as he stepped toward the shattered window, the cold breeze ruffling his dark hair. "Tsk. More pests?"

"They're not just rogues," Alexander murmured, his fingers curling into fists. "Listen."

The howls weren't wild, mindless.

They were coordinated.

Alec's brows furrowed. "An organized pack."

Roo stiffened.

Organized? Why did that terrify him more?

Alec turned to him, his grip firm on Roo's shoulder. "Piccolo, do you recognize the scent?"

Roo tried to focus.

The familiar scent was drenched in blood and aggression, but underneath—something stirred.

A memory.

Flashes of dark rooms, chains clinking, whispered threats.

And then—

His vision blurred.

His knees buckled.

But before he could hit the floor, warm arms caught him.

"Roo!" Alexander's voice was sharp, laced with something dangerously close to fear.

"Damn it," Ace cursed. "What the hell is happening?"

"His body remembers," Alec murmured. "Even if he doesn't."

Roo gritted his teeth. "I... I think... they're here for me."

The words barely left his lips before—

The front doors burst open.

A dozen wolves stormed in.

But they weren't like the rogues before.

These wolves were disciplined, their movements calculated.

And leading them—

A tall, silver-haired Alpha with piercing violet eyes.

His gaze locked onto Roo.

A slow smirk spread across his lips.

"Found you."

Silence fell over the grand hall, thick with tension. The triplets stood in front of Roo like an unbreakable wall, their golden eyes glowing with barely restrained violence.

The silver-haired Alpha took a slow step forward, his violet eyes never leaving Roo.

"It's been a long time, sweetheart," he murmured, his voice deep, rich with familiarity.

Roo's breath hitched.

That voice.

That voice.

His body reacted before his mind did—his muscles tensed, a shiver running down his spine.

Alexander's growl rumbled through the room. "Who the hell are you?"

The silver-haired Alpha smirked, tilting his head slightly. "Did he not tell you?" His eyes flickered to Roo, amusement and something darker playing in their depths. "Or perhaps... he doesn't remember?"

Ace took a step forward, blocking Roo from view entirely. "You're wasting your last words, bastardo."

"Tsk." The silver-haired Alpha let out a mocking sigh, shaking his head. "And here I thought you'd be more civilized. Then again..." His violet eyes darkened, filled with something dangerous. "You've always been the jealous type, Alexander."

A deadly silence.

Then—

The air snapped.

Alexander lunged, golden eyes blazing with unfiltered rage.

The silver-haired Alpha was ready.

They clashed—a thunderous collision of raw power.

Alec grabbed Roo, pulling him back before the shockwave from their impact could reach him. The entire room shook, chandeliers rattling, glass shattering as the two Alphas fought.

"Who the hell is he, Roo?" Alec whispered urgently against his ear.

Roo's hands trembled. His heartbeat pounded.

The memory was there—just beyond his grasp.

And then—

A voice.

A whispered promise from his past.

"Wait for me, sweetheart."

His chest tightened.

"No..." The word left his lips in a breathless whisper.

Alec stiffened beside him. "Roo?"

And as the memory hit—sharp, raw, undeniable—Roo's vision blurred.

Because he finally remembered.

The silver-haired Alpha wasn't just anyone.

He was—

His first mate.

The moment the words formed in Roo's mind, his breath hitched.

His first mate.

Impossible.

It had to be a mistake. A cruel trick. A lie.

But the way his body reacted—the way his heartbeat stumbled, the way his scent wavered in uncertainty—it betrayed him.

"Roo?" Alec's voice was sharp, urgent.

Ace, who had been watching the battle with narrowed eyes, turned abruptly. "Explain. Now."

Roo swallowed, his throat dry, words stuck somewhere deep inside him.

Because he couldn't explain.

Couldn't understand how this was happening.

How could he have a mate before the triplets?

How could he not remember?

But before he could form an answer—

The entire mansion trembled.

With a sickening crack, Alexander's fist collided with the silver-haired Alpha's jaw, sending him slamming through a marble pillar. Dust and debris exploded in all directions.

But even through the rubble, the silver-haired Alpha laughed.

Laughed.

Wiping the blood from his mouth, he pushed himself up, violet eyes flickering with something dangerous. "Still as violent as ever, Alexander."

Alexander's golden eyes burned like molten fire. "Shut your mouth and die."

"Such a warm welcome." The silver-haired Alpha's smirk widened as his eyes slowly moved back to Roo. "But I'm not here for you."

The moment their eyes locked—

Roo felt it.

A tug. A pull deep in his soul.

Something he shouldn't feel.

Because his bond belonged to the triplets.

Didn't it?

Ace's patience snapped. "Who the hell are you to him?" His voice was pure venom, his claws extending, shoulders stiff with restrained fury.

The silver-haired Alpha tilted his head, looking almost amused.

Then he said the words that shattered everything.

"I'm the mate he was taken from."

Silence.

A cold, ringing silence.

Alec's fingers dug into Roo's wrist. "That's not possible."

"Oh?" The silver-haired Alpha's smirk grew sharper. "And yet..." He inhaled deeply. "His scent still remembers me."

Ace's hands curled into fists. "Say another word and I'll rip your throat out."

Roo was trembling.

This wasn't real.

It couldn't be.

His bond with the triplets—it was everything.

So why...

Why did his body react?

Why did the scent of the silver-haired Alpha stir something buried deep within him?

Something before the triplets.

Something he had forgotten.

Roo couldn't move.

The moment those words left the silver-haired Alpha's lips, something inside him shattered.

I'm the mate he was taken from.

It wasn't possible. It shouldn't be possible.

But the way his body reacted—the trembling in his limbs, the strange pull in his chest—it felt too real.

Alec's grip on his wrist tightened painfully. "Lies." His voice was low, dangerous, barely restraining the storm raging inside him. "You expect us to believe this bullshit?"

"Believe what you want." The silver-haired Alpha shrugged, his violet eyes locked onto Roo with an intensity that made his breath hitch. "But I can feel it, sweetheart." His voice dropped lower, softer—familiar. "And so can you."

Roo's stomach twisted violently.

His heartbeat pounded too hard against his ribs. His lungs felt tight.

Because he could feel it.

He didn't want to.

But he could.

Ace's claws extended with a sharp snap. "You don't exist to him. You never did." His golden eyes burned with lethal fury. "And you never will."

"Oh?" The silver-haired Alpha's smirk widened, fangs flashing. "Then let's test that theory, shall we?"

And then—

The entire room darkened...

The scent of ancient blood filled the air.

A thick, suffocating pressure crashed down, twisting something deep inside Roo's chest. His knees buckled before Alec caught him, his body trembling violently.

Alexander snarled, stepping forward, but the silver-haired Alpha lifted a hand.

"Don't interfere." His violet eyes flickered with something deadly. "If he truly belongs to you..." His gaze darkened. "Then this will have no effect on him."

Ace stiffened. "What the hell are you doing—"

"Calling back what was stolen."

And then—

Roo's vision blurred.

A flash.

A voice—

"Wait for me, Sweetheart."

His breath hitched.

Another flash.

Arms around him. A scent he didn't recognize but felt too familiar. Laughter. A deep, rumbling chuckle.

"Mine."

Pain slammed into his skull.

Roo gasped.

And then—

He remembered.

The silver-haired Alpha.

His hands. His touch.

His mate.

Before the triplets.

Before everything.

Before he forgot.

His body collapsed.