Found His Mate.

It's become unbearable.

Alpha Fenris grips the railing behind the pack house, cold wind stinging his face.

The land before him once felt like home, but now it feels distant like it no longer belongs to him.

Everything he's worked to protect is slipping away. Each day, the weight of failure grows heavier, and the whispers in the pack get louder.

He's close to giving up, and he knows the officials are waiting for him to admit that he's finished, ready to step down and let Callum take his place.

Callum, his stepbrother, already has everything: a mate carrying an heir, the trust of the pack, and the same Alpha blood. Many now believe Callum was always meant to lead, chosen by the goddess herself.

Fenris became Alpha because he was the firstborn, the rightful heir from the real bond.

But Callum was born from an affair, a truth no one dares mention anymore. All they see now is Callum's strength, his charm, and how easily people follow him.

No one believes in Fenris anymore. Because what does he have left?

Nothing.

It all started falling apart when he realized he was unmated. Twenty-six, and still without a bond.

He has never known heat, never felt the pull of the one meant for him. And when wolves like him reach thirty, their strength fades, instincts dull, until even an omega would be stronger.

Fenris feels it already how his bones ache, how his senses have slowed and even his wolf, once loyal and fierce, no longer obeys him.

He can't defend the pack like this. Other packs sense his weakness and press harder at their borders.

Fenris has fought back with everything he has left but it hasn't been enough.

Callum has done what Fenris could not: defended the pack, stood before the council and made choices that kept them safe.

Still, Fenris refuses to let go, not from pride but because he knows Callum. If power truly shifts to him, Fenris fears what will come next.

When the pressure builds too much to bear, he disappears into the city. He pulls on a thick jacket, shoves his hands into the pockets with a mask on and walks until the noise swallows him.

The city is alive with sound and lights, but none of it touches him. His thoughts drown out everything.

Near a packed pub as he walks by, something hard and sudden crashes into him from the inside. His steps falter and breath stops mid-chest.

His wolf lifts its head fully alert after a very long time of being dormant, wide-eyed, urgent in a way Fenris has never felt before. A single word slams through him like a command.

Mate.

It doesn't feel like curiosity or wonder but like an instinct. His heart hammers as heat rushes through his spine, every part of him responds to the call without question.

His thoughts fades as he moves unconsciously toward the door.

The moment he pushes it open, the air inside hits him like a wave.. Sweat, Alcohol, Noise.

Music pounds from every corner, and bodies move in a wild rhythm under flashing lights. The scent thickens the air, clogging his senses, yet one thread cuts through everything.

His wolf pushes forward, desperate to get closer.

Strangers reach out to him, hands brush his arm, voices call for his attention but he ignores them all.

He searches inside the place like he is so sure of the face he's looking for.

But the fact is that he doesn't know where the mate is, only that they're close, he can feel the pull coming from just around him, steady and unrelenting. His nerves spark, his blood heating up.

He closes his eyes, lets the bond guide him, and unconsciously... he turns moving forward, then his eyes snap open.

A red light spills across the stage.

There, a slim figure moves with the music, every step flowing into the next with deliberate control.

Long, colorful hair cascades over bare shoulders. A tiny top clings tightly across the chest, the straps gleaming faintly beneath the lights.

The shorts they wear sit dangerously low on their hips, revealing more than they hide.

Fenris doesn't realize he's moving until he's in the crowd, heat burning through his chest as his hand reaches out before his mind catches up. He grabs a slender wrist and pulls the dancer down from the stage.

The moment their skin touches, fire races through his blood. His wolf lets out a low, guttural howl that only he can hear, the sound of victory and desperate want.

A surge of strength rushes through him, and his body jolts as if it had forgotten what it felt like to be strong and feel this alive.

This is it. He thinks, ..This is really his mate. There's no doubt, just being this close, just the slightest touch, and he can already feel his power returning.

He pulls the dancer through the crowd toward the exit.

A shout comes from the crowd. "What the hell?! Where are you taking her?!"

But Fenris doesn't stop, and the dancer doesn't resist either, following without hesitation.

Outside, the night air is cool and sharp, but it does nothing to calm the heat building in Fenris's body.

When the dancer turns to him, there's already a smile on their face.. slow, sly, as if this moment has played out before.

"Couldn't wait till I was done... Mmh?" The voice is low and velvety, thick with casual heat. A hand glides up Fenris's chest, fingers trailing over his jacket without hesitation. "You want a quiet place now, or do you wanna…"

Fenris grabs the hand and pushes it away sharply. A sour taste rises in his throat.

Is this truly his mate?

Shame, disbelief and frustration twists deep inside him. He remembers the vow he made long ago. The promise to the moon goddess that he would honor his mate, cherish them, protect them above all.

But now that the moment is here, all he feels is frustration.

And yet… his body tells a different truth.

His strength is already returning, his skin hums with heat, his senses sharpen and his wolf has gone restless with need, satisfied by the nearness of what it has longed for.

He knows what he needs, if he marks this one, he can survive. He can fight again. He can be the same powerful alpha again. And he can't afford to lose this opportunity.

Immediately he decides to take what the goddess gave and reshape it into something worthy. No one can know what kind of a mate he was given, or else his reputation will collapse completly.

At the pack house, he moves swiftly through the dark halls. When they reach his room, he locks the door.

Only then does he truly look at the figure in front of him glowing in the soft light, every movement seductive and unashamed.

The heat in Fenris ignites all over again, his wolf growls low beneath his skin, aching to close the distance.

"You're not the talking type, huh?" the dancer murmurs, voice slow and teasing. "That's fine. I'm the action type too."

The words slice through his temper. How many others have she said that to? He wonders.

Still, he moves, and he doesn't even realize it until he has the dancer beneath him, body pinned against the bed, his hands on either side.

But without warning, the dancer shifts beneath him, a small bottle slips from a pocket, and a sharp spray hits Fenris's face.

He recoils instantly, blinking through the sting.

When his vision clears, everything sharpens.

"What kind of rat are you?" he growls.

The eyes staring up at him are wide, startled, blinking fast. Panic sets in. "What the hell! Why didn't it work on him!?" The voice comes in a Punic.

Fenris doesn't answer, he grabs the bottle and throws it away, his hand slides back up warm skin, instinct already drowning out logic. The scent and heat blinding his senses.

He leans in, one palm pressing against their chest, but he freezes after feeling it. Only for the fake breasts to fall out of the tiny top. His eyes widen with shock.

His fingers move again, lower. His eyes following the curve of the hips as if to confirm.

His fingers brush over the dancers bulge, only for it to harden more under his touch.

Fenris's hands jerk away as if burned. He stumbles back from the bed.

This isn't a woman.

He stands there, chest heaving, his mind crashes under the weight of what he sees, unable to process it.

But even now, his wolf pushes forward, restless and hurting from the sudden distance. Like it wants to go back, wants to feel again.

His body still trembles with the need to go back but his mind screams to throw him out.

Because this... this can't be his mate.

And if it is, then what the hell did he do to the moon goddess to deserve this!?