Chapter 2

Luca's POV 

I stormed out of the pack house striding furiously with my fists clenched. My father was at it again. His constant yapping about me finding a mate who would—in his exact words—"stand by you" when I took his place as Alpha was already getting draining and bad for my mental health. I don't mean to paint him bad to look good, but we've had this conversation several times. 

All the females in the pack—as far as I know—had at least two glaring red flags that could be seen from miles away. Were they beautiful? Yeah, I mean most of them had bodies to die for, but I felt no connection. Besides, last time I checked, the moon goddess was still responsible for mating wolves. It's no fault of mine that someone failed at their fucking job!

"Don't let it bother you," my wolf, Zak purred. "Don't let the old man bother you. We have all the time in the world."

"If only that was true," I sighed as I strolled out of the compound, walking through the gate as the pack guards barked their salutes. I came onto the road leading to the forest, where I always let Zak take his run. This has proven to be therapeutic for me, as I always felt better after Zak had a good ass run. I let him rip out with a roar, my clothes turning to shreds as he emerged, and started darting between trees with utmost glee, as fast as he could, covering miles in minutes. 

It was Zak who first got the scent. He stopped running and took in the sweet scent that filled the serene night air. The scent of daisies that seemed like they'd been doused in sweet Arabian perfumes. It was too strong to not be noticed and seemed to draw me to itself, clouding my senses. It could only mean one thing.

"MATE!" we both exclaimed at the same time. I had never felt this way before, but Karl, the pack adviser, and my father's beta had told me all about it.

"You'll feel it when you feel it," he had said, "and you wouldn't be able to hold yourself back; try as you may." And he was absolutely right!

I could feel my heart race as Zak got to work, sniffing his way excitedly towards the scent. He stopped abruptly after covering some ground, and I immediately knew why. There was something else. The scent of another wolf nearby. We both listened and could hear the pattering of running footsteps and the unmistakable roar and growl of a wolf. This ignited a fire in me.

The night breeze brushed against Zak's face caressing his fur and the shrubbery zoomed past fast in a green blur as he darted through the forest around the trees towards our mate. The thought of her coming across harm's way was more than enough to make him bolt wildly like lightning, faster than he had ever run.

"If any harm comes her way, I swear to the goddess..." I cursed as Zak sprinted like our lives depended on it. 

I could see the hindside of the wolf as Zak eased up to where he crouched in a hunting stance, ready to pounce on my mate. It took every ounce of self-control in me to not pounce on the fucker who was already face close to my mate.

"Why is she sprawled on the floor like that?" I wondered as Zak gave way for me to take back the reins. The scent of fear—no, not fear. Terror—filled the air, but there was something else. I could smell blood. This wolf had laid his fucking hands on my mate!

"Leave her alone," I roared as the bile rose in my throat, my eyes burning with anger. I could feel my blood boil. How dare he?! How dare he draw blood from my mate?!

The wolf turned to me. He seemed to want to make a go for it and carry through with whatever twisted plan he had conjured. I could see the intent in his eyes.

I roared at him again, and to make a statement, I let Zak out, who was always more than happy with the idea of showing off his full strength. Standing tall on powerful long paws, he was a very large wolf who made other wolves look like pups. He glared at the wolf with bared teeth and fiery eyes. Like all other wolves always did when they saw him take his fighting stance, he walked away like the loser he was. "Fucking pussy."

My eyes settled lustfully on my mate as she lay there on the floor, her eyes wet with tears and her messy, long black hair resting gently on her face, glued to it by the tears she had been crying. Slowly, I shifted back to my human form as I approached her, ardent desire washing through my body, my senses getting heightened, making me want to mark her and make her mine there and then. Her wet hazel brown eyes stared at me as I approached. I could tell she wasn't afraid of me. Apprehensiveness coated her all around like a halo, but it didn't stop her from taking a peek at my member. I smiled inwardly as she looked away immediately, stammering a reply to my offer to get her to a healer. Her eyelids blinked fast as she struggled to keep her eyes open but lost the battle of wills as they shut on their own.

I picked her up, her hair swaying and dangling as I took in the sweet scent that enveloped her like mist. My body temperature rose, and the electricity passed through my body as our skins rubbed against each other's, her arms resting upon my bare shoulders. I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath as I accessed the mind link.

Zak purred restlessly, but I ignored him as my attention, whole and entire, was focused on my wounded mate.

"I can't feel her wolf," Zak whispered quietly.

"What?" I asked as my eyes ravaged the beautiful, luscious skin that was her body.

"I said she has NO WOLF!" Zak's voice rose in my head, drawing me out of my reverie.

"What?!" I exclaimed, peering into her face. "How can she have no wolf?" I asked, my racing heart sinking slowly.

How could my mate, the future Luna of the Nightmoon pack whom I've waited for all these years—27 fucking years—be wolfless? More so, how could the moon goddess mate me to a wolfless girl? The moon goddess certainly had a very weird sense of humour.

"No," I said as I felt Zak's coldness grow.

"I didn't even say anything."

"Yet," I replied as I held onto my mate walking out of the forest. "Sooner or later you'd say it."

The black Cadillac pulled into sight, its engine roaring as it sped down the road towards me. The tyres screeched to a stop directly in front of me, and my driver, Noah, wound down the tinted glass window, revealing his smug but compassionate face. I had requested for his service through the mind link, which was one of the numerous perks of being part of an Alpha family.

"I came as quickly as I could," he grunted, opening the door and stepping down, the car keys dangling in his hands and some clothes draped over his hunched shoulders. His eyes bore down on me then rested on the girl in my arms. My eyes followed his, and when his eyes caught mine, he muttered an apology and hastened to open the back seat.

"Luca, she's of no use to us if she's wolfless," Zak finally let it out as I placed her gently onto the shiny black leather seats of the Cadillac.

"I don't want to hear it, Zak," I snapped at him in a raspy voice as I placed her injured leg delicately on the seats to avoid any discomfort it would cause her. Not like it'd matter anyway since she was passed out like a dog that had been shot with a tranquilizer. I could feel Zak whine in exasperation.

"Where to, sir?" Noah asked as I clicked the door shut. He handed the clothes to me with a flourish and stepped back.

"Take her somewhere safe. To a hospital or a healer. Anyone. Don't let anything happen to her."

My eyes turned a bright gold as I peered through the tinted glass windows into the back seat one last time.

The engines of the Cadillac roared as Noah zoomed off into the night, disappearing quickly around a bend. I took in the night air deeply into my nostrils and proceeded to put on the clothes Noah had nicked from the pack house's exclusive clothes room. 

"What?" I asked as I felt Zak's cold, muzzled face stare at me in my head.

"Why then aren't you taking her to the pack house? We have the best doctors and healers there."

"I know," I muttered, wondering if I had made the right decision. Zak was right. I couldn't risk having a wolfless mate, no matter how much the mate bond pulled me. It wouldn't turn out well for me, and knowing how egocentric my father tended to be sometimes—especially with matters as sensitive as the future of our pack and don't get me wrong, this has helped him in no small way to effectively lead the pack and maintain its prestige and strength in Lupestone—this was seemingly the best way to handle this.

 "This is probably for the best," I muttered again, looking up into the sky.

It is for the best I said, but why did I feel like a huge chunk of me had been severed and dragged away towing the Cadillac speeding out of sight?