Kade point if view:
I woke up to sunlight cutting through the half-closed blinds and the smell of vanilla body lotion....Luna's signature scent that had seeped into my sheets over time. She was curled against my side, with one arm draped across my chest, as she breathed softly.
My wolf was silent. Not absent—just silent like he dose most times—retreating to some distant corner of my mind where he wouldn't have to acknowledge her presence.
I stared at the ceiling, counting the cracks in the plaster. For as long as I could remember I have counted them many times before, lying here exactly like this, trying to feel something—anything—hoping to see if I could feel the mate bond for Luna.
Two years of dating, sleeping in the same bed, planning a future together—if Luna were my mate, my wolf would have claimed her a thousand times over. Instead, there was just this hollow space where destiny should have lived.
Luna moved a little, making a happy sound as she snuggled closer. Her hand traced lazy patterns on my bare chest, and I forced myself not to pull away.
"Morning," She murmured with her voice still thick with sleep.
"Morning."
She lifted her face up, expecting a kiss. I gave her one—it was a short, simple kiss, the kind you'd give a sister. She didn't seem to notice the difference anymore. Maybe she had stopped looking for passion a long time ago, settling for consistency instead.
"What time is patrol?" She asked.
"Six." I glanced at the clock. 5:23. "I need to get moving."
Luna made a small noise of protest but released me. I slid out of bed, my body already desperate to escape. My wolf stretched inside me, anxious and restless. He had been like this since last night....pacing, whining, searching for that Jasmine scent that had turned our world inside out.
Where is she? he kept asking. Why did you leave? Why didn't you fight harder to look for her?
Because I'm a fucking coward just like Jack said, I told him.
I pulled on Jeans and a T-shirt, trying not to think about the ceremony, about that devastating moment when everything had clicked into place. My mate was out there close. And I was not able to find her without destroying everything I'd built with Luna.
"Kade?" Luna sat up with the blanket falling around her waist. "Are you okay? You have been acting strange since last night."
"Am fine. Just tired."
"You said that yesterday. " Her blue eyes narrowed with concern. "Are you getting sick? Maybe you should skip patrol."
"I can't. Jack's counting on me."
Lying was easier than the truth. How could I tell her that my wolf had finally awakened—but not for her? That every second I spent here felt like a betrayal of something secred I didn't fully understand yet?.
I grabbed my keys and headed for the door.
"Text me later?" Luna called after me as I was about to step through the door.
"yeah. sure." I replied, with the words tasting like ash as It left my mouth.
The morning air outside hit me like a blessing. I sucked in deep breaths, trying to clear Luna's scent from my lungs, trying to find even a trace of Jasmine and moonlight. But there was nothing—just pine, earth, and the familiar muck of pack territory.
Jack was already at the northern border checkpoint, leaning against his truck with two cups of coffee in his hands. When he saw my face, he winced.
"That bad?"
"Worse." I muttered while taking the coffee from his hand, burning myself on the first sip. "She stayed over."
"And?"
"And nothing. That's the problem." I scrubbed a hand over my face. "Jack, I don't think I can keep doing this any more. Last night, I caught a scent. My true mate. She was right there, somewhere in the ceremony, and I let Luna drag me away like an idiot.
Jack didn't speak for a long moment after hearing that. Until finally he asked, "Did you see her?"
"No. Too many people." I shook my head. "But I know she was there....my wolf could sense her presence. He's been losing his mind ever since, men."
"So what are you going to do now?"
"I don't know." The words made me felt like a failure. "I can't exactly go door to door asking every unmated female if they smell like jasmine."
"Why not?" I turned to look at him upon the stupid question, but I soon realized the serious expression on his face. "Kade, this is your mate we're talking about. Your one true bond. You think Luna's going to be less hurt if you keep stringing her alone while you search for someone else?"
He was right. I knew he was right. But the thought of hurting Luna—kind, loyal Luna, who had never done anything wrong except not being my destined mate—made my chest tight.
"Let's just do patrol," I muttered. I need to clear my head."
We shifted and ran the borders, checking scent markers. My wolf wasn't focused at all—he kept sniffing the air, hoping to catch even a small trace of that perfect scent from last night. But there was nothing. Just the ordinary smells of pack territory that now felt somehow suffocating.
By the time we shifted back and returned to the main compound, the sun was already high and hot. Training would start in an hour. I had just enough time to shower and pretend I was functional.
My phone buzzed. Luna.
Morning! Love, How was patrol?
I stared at the text, with my thumb hovering over the keyboard. Some time ago, I would have responded immediately. But now, every conversation with her feels like a lie.
Fine. Quiet.
Another message came right away.
Want to grab lunch? I'm on break at 1.
Can't. Training the juniors until 3.
Dinner then? I can cook. she texted again this time adding a smiling emoji.
Maybe. Long day.
I watched the three dots appear and disappear twice before her response came.
Okay. Love you.
I didn't reply. Couldn't. Those words she just said had stopped feeling true somewhere along the way. And I had only just realized it.
****
The Junior wolves gathered in the training yard—fifteen teenagers, all eager and uncoordinated, their wolves are still learning the basics of pack hierarchy and control. I taught them the usual lessons....how to stand in a defensive position, how to read another Wolf's body language in Wolf's form, and how to show dominance without starting a real fight.
Halfway through the lesson, a thin boy named Ethan raised his hand.
"Beta kade? How do you know when you've found your mate?"
The question hit me like a physical blow. Other juniors perked up, interested. These kids were all between sixteen and eighteen—the age when mate bonds typically manifested. Of course they were curious.
I cleared my throat before answering the question. "You will know. Trust me. Your wolf will recognize them instantly."
"But what does it feel like? a girl named Sophie asked. " My sister said it was like lighting. My mom said it was like coming home."
"It's Both," I answered before I could stop myself. "It feels like everything at the same time. You smell them, and your wolf goes wild. Not aggressive—just certain. Absolutely certain that this person is yours, and you're theirs, and nothing else in the world matters."
My wolf howled mournfully in agreement. Yes. Yes. That's exactly what it was. And you LEFT.
"Doe's it always work out?" Ethan asked quietly. "Like, do you always end up together?"
His eyes looked too old for his age—like he already knew what heartbreak felt like.
"Sometimes... life gets complicated," I said carefully. "But a true-mate bond is sacred. If you find yours, you fight for it. You don't let anything stand in your way."
"What if you've been with someone else for a long time?" Sophie asked. "What if you're dating someone, and then you meet your real mate?"
A sound escaped me—a growl, a sigh, I wasn't sure—because several kids looked at me with concern.
"You follow your destiny," I said firmly, as much to myself as to them. "Anything else is just... delaying the inevitable."
After the training ended, I stayed behind to reset the equipment, the simple physical work helped keep my mind quiet. My phone buzzed constantly—Luna checking in, asking about dinner, sending me pictures of the new curtains she'd bought for "our" apartment.
When did it become our apartment? I had never asked her to move in, but her things had accumulated over time. Toothbrush. Change of clothes. Her shoes are in the corner. Half my closet is filled. Kitchen supplies I didn't recognize. She had been building a nest without me noticing, and I had been too numb to stop her.
My responses got shorter with each text.
Nice.
Busy.
Later.
Finally, she sent: are you mad at me?
No. just extra tired from today. I replied.
But in the evening, when I returned to my apartment planning to make an excuse. Like telling Luna I needed space, needed time alone, needed anything that would give me room to breathe and think and figure out what the hell I was going to do.
But when I opened the door, the smell of home-cooked food hit me instantly. I found Luna in the kitchen, wearing one of my t-shirts with a bright smile on her face as she stirred a pot on the stove.
"Surprise!" She said, "I know you saidJust maybe about dinner, but I thought you might be too tired to cook, so I let myself in. I made your favorite—pot roast with those little potatoes you like."
My wolf recoiled. Not in disgust—Luna had done nothing wrong. But the warm home feeling, the cozy cooking, the way she's taking over my space... It felt like a collar tightening around my throat.
"Luna, I..."
"Wait, before you say anything—I have news!" She practically bounced over to me, grabbing my hands. "My mother finally came home. She's been in Europe for six months handling pack business, remember? Well, she's back, and she wants to meet you. Officially, I mean. As my chosen mate."
My stomach tightened upon hearing her words.
"This Friday," Luna continued, not noticing the panic expression on my face. "Dinner at our estate. My whole family will be there—it's a big deal, kade. My mother doesn't usually take such a personal interest in pack members' relationships, but she wants to know the man who's going to be her son-in-law."
Son-in-law. The words changed in my head like a death knell.
"I... Friday is..."
"Please don't say you have plans." Luna said, her smile wavered a little. "I already told her yes. She's so excited. And honestly. It's past time, don't you think? We've been together for two years. Everyone's wondering when we're going to make it official."
She was right—and so was everyone else, even my own parents. Every time I came for dinner, they asked the same question: When are you going to mark Luna?
Her friends no longer asked if we were mates. They asked when the ceremony would happen.
Even the pack elders looked at us with those knowing smiles, as if our bond was already real—just something private we were waiting to make official.
Everyone had stopped caring about whether we were true mates a long time ago. Now, the only thing anyone worried about was when we would finally tie the knot.
"Kade?" Luna's voice had gone small, uncertain. "You do want to meet her, right? You want us to move forward and finally take this relationship to the next level?"
I looked at her—really looked at her. Luna Whitmore, with her perfect face and her generous heart and her desperate hope that I would eventually love her the way she deserved. She'd built her entire future around me, and I'd let her do it because I'd been too weak to admit the truth.
Because I had been waiting to feel something for her that hadn't existed.
Something I thought I would never find. At least not until last night.
"Of course," I heard myself say. "Friday I'll be there."
Her smile returned back, brighter and full of relief. She hugged me tightly, and I held her, feeling like the worst kind of monster.
"Thank you," She whispered against my chest. "I know you've been stressed. But this is good for us, kade. This is us moving forward. Everything's going to be perfect."