Prologue

Caleb's POV

A soft, floral note with a hinge of fresh citrus.

The unfamiliar scent hit me with the force of a sledgehammer. It was unlike anything I had ever smelt before, a scent so heavenly it was beyond imagination. My heart began to wildly pound in my chest as my paws all but flew over the forest floor, eager to get to the source of this otherworldly scent that called to the very core of my soul. There was only one person on this whole planet that could have such an impact on me, whose scent was all it took to turn my emotions upside down in the blink of an eye. The moon goddesses’ greatest gift to werewolf kind: My mate. 

Thousand thoughts rushed trough my mind. Who was she? Why had she come to my territory? What pack was she from? Why couldn’t I smell a male wolf close by? How would she look like? How would her voice sound? But most of all: Why hadn’t she attended any of the countless Fetchings I had been to?

For a wolf, being without mate was a punishment worse than death, even more so for an Alpha. Ten times, I had traveled all the way to the Carpathian Mountains, desperately praying to finally meet my predestined other half. Ten long years, I had hoped in vain to claim what was rightfully mine and proudly return to my pack with my Luna at my side. Over and over, I had asked myself what I had done to deserve being left out again, and again, and again, and again, to deserve such a cruel fate. And now, when I had already lost all faith, here she was.

Strangely enough, my mate was still in her human form when I finally reached her, her beautiful green eyes wide open in terror as she met my gaze. Her clothes were painfully human as well: a tight, short black dress that left little to the imagination and shoes with the highest heels I had ever seen. A waterfall of breathtaking, bright red hair tied into a lose tail fell down her back.

I reached out to connect my mind with hers, something that came as natural to a wolf as breathing.

What is it you are so afraid of, my mate?

Contrary to everything I had ever been told, to everything I knew, my call wasn’t answered. It was as if her mind was hidden behind a thick wall, an impenetrable barrier that hindered her from answering even if she wanted to.

An alarming suspicion invaded my thoughts. Human form. Human clothes. Her fear upon laying eyes on my wolf. My inability to connect my mind with hers. Could it be … Had my mate been raised amongst humans, unaware of her true nature? Was something like that even possible?

Breathing accelerated and eyes still wide open in sheer terror, my mate stumbled a step backwards. She wanted to flee. She wanted to get away from me.

Never!

Human or not, I didn’t care. For over a century, I had waited for her, and now that I had finally found her, nothing would take her from me again!

Suddenly, the animal inside of me stirred, demanded full control. Guided by its instincts that were driven by the experiences of generations upon generations of wolves, it knew what needed to be done. Forsaking all rational thoughts, I met its demand and fully gave into my animalistic nature. I bared my teeth at my mate – and went straight for her neck.

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