~Alaric~
The forest was alive beneath my paws.Damp earth pressed cool against my pads as I moved along the stream, muscles loose, senses razor-sharp. It was my turn to hunt, and I didn't mind—solitude had always been my favorite companion. Back at the den, the noise never stopped. Too many voices. Too many restless bodies. Out here, though, the world belonged to me.
We hunted deep—far past where humans dared to tread. They used to follow us once, chasing fables of immortality and fortune. But after a few packs went feral when their mates or pups were killed, the hunters learned. A few mangled bodies later, they decided our kind wasn't worth the price of our blood. Werewolves weren't rare enough, and there were easier ways to cheat death.
I trotted through the underbrush, nose close to the ground, following the faint musk of a deer trail. My wolf was focused, steady—until the wind shifted.
Then everything changed.
Something—someone—flew past so fast the air crackled.A sound. Laughter. Bright, untamed.And then that smell.
Honey.
It hit me like lightning to the chest. My whole body locked, heart slamming against my ribs as the bond roared awake inside me.
MATE!
The voice thundered through my skull, raw and instinctual. In the next instant, I was running—not for prey, but for destiny itself. Every nerve in my body screamed for her. The scent of honey and warmth and sunlight wrapped around me, and I tore through the forest, faster than I'd ever moved in my life.
She was ahead of me—glimpses of motion between the trees. Human in shape, but moving too fast, too fluid. My wolf growled his approval.Ours.
I pushed harder, until I was close enough for her to sense me. She stopped dead in her tracks, dust spiraling around her in a golden storm. I shifted mid-stride, bones cracking, fur receding, my body reshaping into human form as her voice sliced through the haze.
"Show yourself now, or I'll kill you before you know which way is up!"
That voice.Commanding, sharp, but laced with curiosity. I grinned. She was fierce, my mate—brave enough to threaten what she didn't understand. My wolf rumbled in amusement, impatient to see her up close.
I moved before she could blink, crossing the space between us in a heartbeat. The air shimmered, and then I was behind her—close enough to feel the heat radiating from her skin.
"Now why would my beautiful mate want to harm me?" I whispered against her ear, letting my breath brush her neck.
Her skin prickled beneath my touch as I trailed a hand down her arm, slow, deliberate. The bond sizzled. Then I stepped back, letting the dust settle so I could see her—really see her.
And gods, she was magnificent.
Sunlight filtered through the canopy, painting her skin in bronze and gold. Her curls—blonde and brown intertwined like spun sunlight—framed her face in wild perfection. But it was her eyes that ruined me. The green of deep forests, alive and ancient. When they locked onto mine, everything else—breath, reason, the world itself—fell away.
The scent of honey wrapped around us again, dizzying, consuming. I almost went to her—almost forgot everything except the pull that demanded I close the distance between us.
Then the barking started.
The sharp sound of dogs snapped through the woods, shattering the fragile stillness between us. Hunters. The M.H.C. was close—too close.
She bolted.
"Protect her!" my wolf bellowed inside my skull, and I didn't hesitate. I shifted mid-stride, bones snapping and realigning as fur rippled over my skin. In seconds, I was on four legs again, racing after her.
Come this way, I pushed through the bond, my mind reaching for hers. I'll keep you safe. I can mask your scent if we stay close together.
To my relief—she heard me.Her head turned, eyes wide but unafraid. She saw me—my wolf—and she smiled. The sight nearly stopped my heart.
But then her smile faltered. Her scent shifted, tinged with jealousy so sharp I nearly laughed. Even running for her life, my mate had fire.
I let the amusement roll through our connection, my thoughts brushing hers with teasing warmth.Oh, my mate is a jealous one, I see. I suppose I'll just have to prove my eyes are for you alone—once this little run is over.
She shot me a glare so fierce it made my wolf rumble in delight. The expression only made her more beautiful. Heat and embarrassment radiated from her, mingling with a faint hint of arousal she probably didn't even realize she was projecting.
I would've laughed if I'd had a human throat to do it with. Instead, I huffed out a sound that came close enough. She turned her gaze forward again, cheeks burning crimson.
My mate liked what she saw.My wolf and I were both very pleased by that.
We ran together then—side by side, in rhythm. Her bare feet barely touched the ground; my paws moved silently through the leaves. I could feel the tether tightening between us with every stride, pulling us closer, binding us. Whatever she was, whoever she was, she belonged to me now. Not as a possession, but as something I'd been missing my entire life.
The bond flared, warm and solid in my chest. Home.That's what she felt like.
The facility, the humans, the noise—all of it faded into nothing behind us. I didn't care who she was running from. The only thing that mattered was that she was running toward me now.
And I would never let anyone touch her again.