Three

Eva had been feeling strange since she woke that morning. A flurry of anxiety had settled in her chest for much of the day like she had drank too much coffee. It wasn't overwhelming but the feeling did grow slowly as the hours ticked by. She eventually chalked it up to needing a good run, something she wouldn't be able to do until after their guests had arrived so she buried herself in making sure everything would be ready for when the Hellhounds rolled in that evening. 

When it had been time to meet downstairs, Eva had cleaned herself up in her mother's office. She had wanted to wear her uniform as a sign of her place with the other warriors but Nora had insisted on something a little less military looking so instead she pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans and a long sleeved tee. She didn't see the point in getting dressed up, the main gathering would be tomorrow. Tonight was about welcoming the guests and getting them settled. 

The welcome committee was already outside when Eva left the office and she could hear her father's booming voice as she slipped quietly through the lobby and into the dining hall where the other aides were waiting. 

It was then a scent hit her. A swirl of cardamom, lavender and vanilla. It was oddly masculine and yet calming all at the same time. The fluttering in her chest increased momentarily before being washed away by the scent that wrapped around her, teasing her, coaxing and wooing her. 

It was near impossible to concentrate and she had to shake her head to try and straighten her thoughts. 

But any hope of thinking straight went out of the window the moment he walked into the room and her gaze landed on him. 

It was as if time slowed down the moment Daniel locked eyes on her. The first thing she noticed was his attire. He was definitely a biker with his heavy biker boots, faded and well worn jeans and a vest with his Pack's patch on it. His eyes were dark blue, stormy and deep like the sea that flanked Silver Moon pack's territory. There was something in the intensity of his eyes that bordered on a darkness that Eva had no desire in being on the wrong end of. His dark brown hair was short on the sides and longer on top but was messed due to the heavy winds blasting through the village. Full soft pink lips were clearly framed by stubble dusted between a sharp jawline and cheekbones.

Before Eva could comprehend what was happening, this mysterious man was latching onto her, staking his claim. She felt the bond solidify and strengthen from their eyes meeting. His eyes dilated and she knew hers had done the same as their primal halves, their wolves accepted the bond. 

"You're the one." Daniel muttered in a low voice but was clear as day to anyone with werewolf senses. 

Eva felt her wolf wanting to respond. Kalla was pushing for Eva to acknowledge the bond. The she-wolf whimpered and paced feverishly in Eva's mind. The red and grey wolf had never been this restless before. 

Yes. 

The word nearly slipped from her mouth, Eva felt the three-letter word forming on the tip of her tongue and tingling like sour apple sherbet. Her mouth opened, prepared to accept the fate that waited for her by accepting the bond but in that split second Eshe spoke, her voice warm like toffee as it cast out over the crowd. 

"Your gift from the goddess herself." 

Eva felt herself sober, reality crashing into like a punch to the chest. Daniel was her destined mate. The goddess saw fit that Eva was made for Daniel and Daniel was made for her which meant that Noah was a mistake. Her child that had never been born was a mistake. The goddess had declared her intention with no care for what Eva had wanted or for the love she has nurtured with Noah. 

"No." She gasped, ripping herself from Daniel's grasp and backing away, her eyes wide. "I am not your mate!"

She turned on her heel, pushing through her colleagues who wore the same bewildered mask as everyone else. Eva didn't stop when she heard her mother call after her. She didn't stop when Kalla howled and tried to turn Eva back to the man who was supposed to be her mate. 

He's not my mate! I chose Noah! 

Eva ran through the pack house, avoiding making eye contact. She found the doors to the back of the pack house and burst through them, walking quickly then running as if she was being chased. She ran and ran, taking herself further and further away from the pack house and the events that just unfolded but Daniel's scent clung to her, taunting her, mocking her love for Noah. 

She stumbled into the house she shared with her parents and headed for the stairs not caring to turn any lights on. She didn't want people to know where she was, feeling like a fugitive amongst her own people. Once in her room she locked the door and collapsed onto her bed, shuddering as she felt the mating bond roll around inside of her like some living thing. It filled a space that Eva hadn't realised existed but at the same time felt alien and unwelcome. 

Her phone buzzed on her pocket and while Eva dreaded looking at the damned thing, she still pulled it from her pocket and stared at the screen. 

Missed calls and text messages. Some were from her mum and some from colleagues. Maria had messaged last. 

Maria: Eva what the hell is going on? Everyone is freaking out

Mum: Eva, sweetie please pick up! 

Whimpering, Eva threw the phone away, the small device clattering to the floor and confusing to buzz and flash as more messages and calls came flooding in. 

She couldn't stay here. This was the first place anyone would look and the. She'd be dragged back like a naughty child to accept her fate. 

Cursing, Eva threw herself off the bed, stumbling to grab her backpack, shoving a few clothes in along with some cash and a waterproof coat. She wasn't sure where she would go but wherever it was she hoped it would keep her hidden long enough until this whole mess blew over and hopefully Daniel went back to wherever the hell he came from. 

Changing into something more appropriate and warmer, Eva gave no thought to her phone still on the floor as she ran out of her room and practically flew down the stairs miraculously not breaking an ankle in the process. Her intention was to head out the front door but as she took a step forward the sounds of voices coming up the small garden path forced to freeze. She could make out her mother's pleading voice against others. 

"Please just listen to me for a moment…"

"With all sure respect Mrs Larson she might be my mate but I don't appreciate being embarrassed like that!"

Fuck!

Thank goddess for back doors. 

Hearing the key fighting with the front door lock, Eva doubled back, practically ripping the back door open and bursting into the cold night. She didn't stop as she ran out of the back garden, silently thankful that Axl still hadn't fixed the broken wooden fence as she slipped through a gap and stumbled onto the border of the Moors. In full health a fence wouldn't have been an issue but Eva wasn't sure if she would have managed the jump now. 

Not that it mattered now anyway because she was free, her mind on one thing as she ran into the darkness…

Disappearing.

---

[Two weeks later]

To say Daniel was angry was an understatement. 

Never had he been disrespected in such a manner. It was only made worse by the fact that it was his own mate that had caused such a scene and then had the audacity to disappear, to run from him without a word. 

If it weren't for the fact Silver Moon was an ally of the Hellhounds, he would have torn the pack apart just as retaliation. But he didn't. Instead, he kept his rage bottled up as he calmly sent men out to look for the girl. It was infuriating but Daniel had to remind himself that the primary purpose being here wasn't because of his runaway mate but because of business. 

What had meant to be a three day trip had now stretched into two weeks. Slade had returned to the Hellhound territory for a few days but had returned since business with the Ouma still hadn't been sorted. In fact, since the whole disaster of the first night, Daniel had barely seen the woman which only led Daniel to believe that this whole trip had been a waste of time. 

Then, that morning (and completely out of the blue) the Ouma had requested Daniel and Slade join her in her office that afternoon. 

Finally they were getting down to business. 

Pulling his phone out, he hit dial on Kade's number, waiting for the other man to pick up. 

"What?" 

"Any news?" Daniel grumbled. 

"Not yet." Kade replied. "I'll let you know if I hear different from the others." 

Daniel clenched his jaw, counting silently to avoid taking his anger out on the wall of his room. 

"I'm about to go into a meeting. If there are no clues by tonight I'm thinking of heading back." 

"Alright." 

Like that the call ended and Daniel was left no less frustrated. Grabbing his jacket, he left his room, pulling the denim jacket on as he jogged down the stairs to meet his father in the lobby.

"Did you find her?" Slade asked.

"Nope." 

"Fuck." Slade grunted as they walked towards Eshe's office. "She's definitely her father's daughter."

"How do you know Axl anyway?" Daniel frowned. 

"You're too young to remember but he was a Hellhound until he met Nora. He decided to move here because the place appealed to him and they needed someone not scared to do what had to be done." Slade shrugged and stopped when they reached the door. "If he had stayed he would have been my beta." 

That surprised Daniel, his eyes widening a little. If Axl and Nora had moved to Hellhound instead of Silver Moon then Eva would have been next in line to be the beta. It would also have meant they would have found each other a lot sooner. Daniel wondered what Eve would have been like had she grown up as a Hellhound. Would she come out just like Daniel? Cold, calculated, willing to do anything to come out on top?

He didn't have a chance to ask more questions though as the door to the office opened and Eshe looked out at them with a welcoming smile.

"Come in, come in." She ushered them in. "I have been looking forward to speaking with you both. This is Inga, my Beta and head of security." 

Eshe introduced the tall woman dressed in the black uniform the warriors here seemed to wear. Inga looked to be around the same age as Daniel's own mother with light golden blonde hair pulled into a tight ponytail and serious grey eyes. She watched every movement with the intensity of a seasoned soldier. Her face gave away nothing. 

"It's been a long time since we last spoke." Slade started once everyone was seated. "I didn't think we would ever hear from you again." 

"Everything happens for a reason." Eshe smiled, looking at the two men from her seat behind a large black desk with gold detail. "If the Goddess willed it, we would have stayed as we were forever." 

"But she didn't." Daniel tilted his head a little, his eyes never leaving Eshe as he tried to gauge her intentions. "What happened?" 

"You happened." The elder replied, her obsidian eyes twinkling as she regarded Daniel with a soft smile. "A few months ago the Goddess sent me a message. She told me about you and her gift for you, Eva. She showed me that this was the future of our packs." 

Daniel frowned. He wasn't following. Eshe wasn't saying anything new to what she had already disclosed the previous evening. It frustrated him. He didn't like riddles or mind games. Just say it how it was and move on. 

"Okay but why now? Why not when I was eighteen or twenty-one?"

"Because you weren't ready and neither was Eva." Eshe replied simply. 

"I am almost 50 years old." Eshe carried on. "My husband lives in Ghana with our children. They have their own families to oversee. I gave up seeing them grow because the Goddess told me that I needed to be here, leading Silver Moon. My family never complained, they never regretted it but we sacrificed so much to ensure the prosperity of not just Silver Moon but all packs across the world.

"But now my time here is coming to an end. It's time for me to step down as Alpha of this pack and go home to my family. Ordinarily I would pick a replacement. That is how it works with other packs but we aren't other packs. The Goddess guides us. The Goddess shows us the way like she has done for packs across the world for thousands of years. 

"Daniel, the Goddess sent me a message telling me about you and Eva but she also told me something much more important than all of that. Something that will ensure the existence of our kind for years to come.

"We asked you here because we would like to ask you, the Hellhounds, to merge with Silver Moon and take over as Alpha for both packs."