Chapter One

As the weight of responsibility pressed down on my shoulders, I sifted through the files of my pack's affairs, feeling the burden of leadership heavy upon me.

But when the urgent call of danger echoed in my mind, my tranquil office transformed into a battleground of decisions.

“Attack! There’s an attack at the pack borders!” The urgent words were frantically conveyed to me through a mind link, sending a shiver down my spine.

Fear gripped my heart as I realized the gravity of the situation. I knew that every stroke of my pen would pale in comparison to the impending clash at the borders, and a sense of dread washed over me.

“What’s the situation over there?” With a start, I stood up, my pulse quickening, and dashed out of the office, leaving the pack house behind.

“We are outnumbered, Alpha, and the borders would be breached soon,” the anxious voice of my second-in-command of the pack warriors reported, their tone filled with urgency.

“Try to hold on, I’ll be there in a jiffy.” Running into the woods, I leaped into the air, feeling a surge of adrenaline coursing through me as I landed back on the ground transformed into a red ginger wolf.

With determination in my heart, I shook my fur and sprinted at the speed of light toward the pack borders, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

As I reached the borders, my senses were assaulted by a fetid smell.

My eyes scanned the areas, and sighted my men both in their wolf and human forms clashed viciously, blood and limbs strewn across the ground in a gruesome tableau of battle.

My warriors who guarded the borders were overwhelmed with dread as the intruders slowly broke through their defenses, each breach fueling their despair.

“Don’t give up! Don’t give these bastards the chance to claim victory over us!” I heard Diego, the second-in-command of the warriors, exclaiming, his voice strained with urgency as he tried to bolster the morale of his men.

“How did this happen?” I questioned myself, and glanced at the bodies of my fallen men littered on the ground, their breaths shallow and labored, teetering on the brink of death.

My eyes returned back to the dirty wolves outnumbering my men, and bile rushed up my throat. How dare they?!

“Rogues…” I hissed, leaping into the middle of the fight.

Standing tall, with my alpha aura growing strong from anger, I growled at the rogues, causing them to take a few steps backward, shrinking back in fear.

“Everybody!!!” I roared into the mind links of the pack warriors. “Transform back into your human forms now, form a triangle shield, and pick your weapons,” I continued.

Following my instructions, every warrior who had transformed into their wolf form shifted back to their human form. Closing together and picking up their weapons, they quickly formed a human shield, stunning the rogues.

“Attack!!!” I roared, and the moment the command was given, the warriors attacked, not once breaking their formation.

With the encouragement from me, I led them into a fierce attack, leaving the ground littered with blood and the bodies of the rogues.

*****

“How could you not sense the rogues until they attacked?” I slammed the table, frustration and concern evident in my voice as I questioned.

Rogues were deranged wolves with no pack. They weren't coordinated and gave off a foul stench, even if they were miles away and could easily be sensed.

Recently, many packs had been receiving warnings about their attacks, and discussions about how they were infiltrating and how to defend our territories were ongoing.

“We couldn’t sense them until they were in our presence. And even then, their scents were very faint,” Diego explained, his head bowed low, a mixture of shame and worry coloring his words.

“You mean you couldn’t sense them from afar?” I asked, sitting down with my fingers tapping on the table, trying to mask my growing unease.

“Yes, alpha,” replied Diego, his tone filled with regret.

How is that possible? Rogues reeked strongly. Thoughts whirled around in my head.

“Arrange the strongest pack warriors to guard and scan the entire pack borders, and another set of warriors to guard the pack residents,” I ordered, standing up to look out the window, feeling a sense of urgency wash over me.

“What about the rogues we captured?” inquired Diego, his voice tinged with apprehension.

“I’ll interrogate them myself,” I replied, not turning back to look at him.

Bowing low in respect, Diego left the office to carry out the orders given to him, leaving me to my ceaseless thoughts.

Staring out at the tall trees outside, my eyes cold and my face expressionless, I stood there lost in thoughts.

When the Alpha and Luna of our pack died, I was not given enough time to mourn their deaths. As my parents had no male heir, I had to immediately take charge of the affairs of the pack, even though many of the elders were against it, since I was unmated and also a she-wolf.

But that never dimmed my will to lead and protect the pack like my parents did. Thinking about them, my eyes filled with unfathomable emotion.

The phone in the office rang, distracting me from my thoughts. Turning away from the window, I grabbed the phone.

“Hello, Eva Grey speaking,” I said as soon as the call connected.

“Alpha, Greg here,” the person on the other end of the phone spoke.

“What’s the situation over there?” I asked, going back to face the window with the phone against my ear.

“It looks like a trap, because every pack whose commander is here has been attacked,” Greg spoke, his tone hard.

Greg Doorman was the chief commander of the warriors of my pack. After packs were warned about the rogue attacks, different commanders from packs all over the country were summoned to discuss strategies to combat them, but now se know it was trap.

“I thought as much. A few minutes ago, the borders were attacked but they couldn’t breach it,” I said, my eyes turning cold.

“Round up everything that you have to do there and return to the pack immediately, and also try to keep safe as much as possible.” With that spoken, I hung up, and with large and powerful strides, I walked out of the office and toward the pack dungeon.

Halfway to the dungeon, something thick lingered in the air, and it whispered on my neck, devouring my arms with goosebumps.

I was pulled to a stop, my eyes dilating as I looked around me, confusion filling my previously expressionless face. But within the confusion, excitement bloomed.

Sniffing the air, I tried to confirm my suspicions, and it hit me again—the scent of lavender and sandalwood.

Within me, my wolf was jumping in joy, screaming one word to me over and over again, “MATE!! MATE!!!”

Sprinting on my heels, I ran towards the source of the smell, my heart pounding with anticipation and anxiety, my brain spinning with questions.

“How could my mate be in this pack?” I asked in my head. “Who is he?”

Will I finally get the approval of the pack elders? Will I be able to feel loved now?

Most of all, the thought that rang loudly in my head was how it was possible to find my mate in my own pack.

Years ago, when my parents died, the pack elders had organized a pack gathering where all unmated males from within and other packs were in attendance for me to find my mate. But for the three days in which the event lasted, I never found him.

Stopping in front of a residential building, I stared at the closed door, sniffing the air. The smell was stronger, and with shaky legs, I knocked at the door.

“Yes!!” A hoarse voice came from inside, followed by heavy footsteps.

As I stood at the door, waiting for it to be opened, my whole being began to feel dread. My once excited wolf was now alert, and immediately I sensed the source of my dread.