The Alpha's Call

LYLA

As soon as Caius’s howl ripped through the night, all of the wolves present scattered into the woods.

The strength of my wolf propelled me like a missile through the darkness as I soared through the wilderness around me.

This was a part of the ceremony as well.

We were supposed to wander alone through the darkness of the woods, away from the light of the moon.

When we could bear the loneliness no longer, we would howl, and we would hope that our call would be answered.

It was all very dramatic.

I couldn’t help but wonder why we couldn’t just howl when we were all together in the clearing... it would make the whole ceremony much quicker.

There would be less waiting... less uncertainty.

I guess the Moon Goddess is a drama queen.

I wandered through the brush, and I actually found that I was taking comfort in the silence.

Wolves were social creatures. We moved in packs. It was in our nature.

But being away from everyone and everything here in the darkness... away from expectations and guilt and decisions...

It was strangely comforting.

My mind wandered back to when Alpha Hugo had warned us about the rogue attack a few days ago.

Is this what it’s like to be a rogue?

Is this peace why wolves decide to run away from their packs?

A twig shifted high above me, and I flinched as I looked upwards, checking for threats.

An owl had landed on a branch above me, its large eyes staring at me in the darkness.

I shook my head ruefully.

Being alone might have been nice in the moment, but I knew I wasn’t cut out for this kind of life.

I could never live the life of a rogue.

And I was honestly terrified of being alone.

A howl cut through my thoughts, one that was surprisingly close. Not a moment sooner, a howl answered, and a swell of happiness surged through me.

Someone found their mate.

Curious, I padded forward toward the sound.

I sneaked through the underbrush, taking great care not to make myself known and interrupt their special moment.

I pushed my face through some bushes, and there they were.

The new happy couple.

Teresa!

She was nipping and nuzzling at a wolf that I’d never seen before. He must have been a member of a different pack.

The way they stared into each other’s eyes felt so intimate and private that I felt wrong for coming to sneak a peek.

They bounded off together for the clearing, ready to solidify their new bond underneath the light of the moon.

I could see now that the ritual wasn’t just some stupid tradition.

It held true power over us.

Teresa would never have met her mate if it weren’t for the Summit.

Now, hopefully, my true mate is closer to home…

Another howl sounded out into the night.

And then another.

It was a chain reaction as wolves let out their own calls, filling the night with earth-shattering howls.

I listened carefully, my heart pounding in my throat.

But my mate’s howls weren’t a part of the crowd.

Some calls were met with an answer.

Others repeated themselves over and over, their desperation becoming more and more apparent.

Their howls went unanswered.

They would not find their true mate tonight.

Yet again the Moon Goddess had seemed to curse the packs, leaving far too many behind to try and continue a life of solitude while their friends and family started anew.

A spike of fear stabbed through me.

Would that be me?

Would I have to live the rest of my life alone?

The uncertainty and loneliness became unbearable.

I could feel a howl bubbling up within me, unable to be suppressed.

I belted out my own call into the night, hoping it would be met with a reply. I put my soul in it, howling so all the wolves in the world could hear.

Will I receive a call in return?

Will it be Caspian’s?

I waited for a breath.

Two.

I counted the heartbeats until I would hear my mate calling out to me.

But my only reply was the cold silence of the night.

My mate wasn’t Caspian.

My mate wasn’t even here.

I shook my head. Maybe they just didn’t hear me.

I gathered my strength to howl again, but I could only let out a faltering whimper.

I was kidding myself. There was no way my mate wouldn’t have heard my call.

Depressed, tired, and uncertain, I let my head drop. Tonight had only strengthened my belief that I would never find a mate.

There would be other rituals, but would I even want to make the trek year after year, searching for love only to be humbled by the silence that followed my call…

At least I still had my family and Teresa—but I worried her new mate would replace every role in her life, especially the role of best friend.

I was just about to give up and shift back into my human form when I finally heard it…

A piercing howl…

It was more powerful than I could have ever imagined—it shook me deeper than any other call.

Out of instinct, I howled in return, my voice stronger than I realized.

The howl came once more, and hope flared to life within me. The despair I was feeling melted away into pure joy.

I wasn’t imagining it. That was my mate.

And they were waiting for me.

I sprinted through the woods, my body moving purely on instinct. I ran faster than I ever had in my entire life. I dodged trees and leaped over bushes. I was a heat-seeking missile about to connect with my target.

Who is it?

My mind raced.

Is it Caspian?

Another man’s face flashed into my mind, and my eyes widened.

Is it…someone else?

I broke through the trees into another, smaller clearing and dug my paws into the ground to halt my progress.

There he was.

My mate.

Waiting for me.

And I couldn’t believe who I was looking at.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

I looked at my mate, my eyes wide with shock.

I could only see his back, but the color of his fur was unmistakable… Black like the night enveloping us.

But this couldn’t be right… The wolf before me surely wasn’t my real mate.

He turned around, and my heart skipped several beats.

My fears were compounded as I noticed the white patch of fur above his right eye.

He was my complete opposite.

My wolf had white fur, and a black patch over my left eye.

I was the yin to his yang.

Our eyes met, and in that moment, I began to understand…

The ritual had worked.

And because of it, my life and everything I had ever known would never again be the same.

Sebastian, the royal alpha.

Leader of the werewolves.

He was no longer just the royal alpha…

From that moment on, he was my mate.

The royal alpha looked me up and down, his nose twitching as he took in my scent.

We had not yet shifted into our human forms, and for that I was grateful. The world seemed to whip around us at light speed.

My whole being felt out of balance and perfectly aligned all at once.

Even as a wolf, my mate was gorgeous to look at, and the new scent that I had picked up was sending my nose into overdrive.

I wondered what he thought of me as I watched his nose twitch.

Before I could worry about it too much, Sebastian shifted into his human form, completely naked.

I tried to turn my gaze from him, but it was impossible.

As a man, he was sculpted like a Greek statue, muscles chiseled as if formed from marble.

“Shift,” he said to me, his voice deep and husky.

I did as he said, the desire to speak to my new mate in human form overpowering.

I began to shift, and the white fur that covered my body disappeared, exposing my pale skin.

My arms and hands immediately covered my breasts and sex, my gaze downcast.

I could feel his hungry eyes roaming my body.

Does he like what he sees?

“Look at me,” he commanded.

My eyes snapped up to meet his, and I was knocked breathless.

Somehow, he looked even better up close.

His amazing blue eyes burned with as much unmatched intensity as they had in wolf form.

His facial hair was trimmed short, giving just enough stubble to accentuate his high cheekbones and narrow nose.

His blond hair swept up and back, highlighting the sharp line of his jaw.

“I don’t believe it,” he said softly.

“Th-that’s my line,” I stammered.

His eyes roamed up and down my body, and his gaze left a trail of goosebumps along my skin.

When I’d met the Royal Alpha at the dinner party, never in my wildest dreams would I have expected him to be my mate.

His gaze settled on my hands, which were covering the most intimate parts of me.

“Why are you hiding from me, Lyla?”

“Sorry. I’m not used to being naked in front of others…,” I admitted.

He smiled, showing a set of pearly teeth. “You’re a werewolf. There’s always the possibility we’ll be naked.”

Brazenly, my gaze swept down, past his muscled torso.

I swallowed thickly, and a flutter that originated in my stomach moved down my body.

A blush warmed my cheeks as a sudden wetness spread between my legs, only increasing my desire for clothes.

It was bad enough being exposed, but to be exposed and aroused was something I was not entirely ready to handle…

Surely he can scent my desire?

The grin that spread across his face confirmed my worry.

I wasn’t expecting our first meeting as mates to be so intense.

And by the way Sebastian’s eyes devoured me…

I gulped.

Things were about to get a lot wilder.