His mate

The low lights in the theater dimmed further, and before I could process it, we were introduced to the Mayor's wife and ushered into his private seats. The show was about to start, but my focus had already shifted to something far more captivating.

My mate! 

I was still looking for her.

I could feel the tension in my body, a deep, primal stir that only the blood of an Alpha could recognize. My wolf was currently so restless.

The temptation was near but I wasn’t seeing it.

My mind was so far away so I allowed my uncle Logan to take full control, whispering the pack's plans to the mayor as the performance began. My head throbbed in time with the music, an unusual irritant in my senses. My body shifted in my seat, my wolf became more restless, and I couldn’t place why.

The lights on stage were brilliant, the view was magnificent, but I couldn’t bring myself to care about the performance. Ballet didn’t interest me. I wanted my mate.

We were in prime seats, close to the action, but I couldn't care less about ballet. At least, I hadn't thought I did. Not until she stepped onto the stage.

But then she appeared.

The moment she appeared, everything changed. The air around me shifted i'mmediately. It wasn't only me but every body in the theatre held their breath and my wolf growled in annoyance. 

She was the one.

The air thickened, and a chilling current danced across my skin. My wolf howled in my chest. My gaze snapped to her, and for the first time in my life, I understood what it meant to be struck by fate.

The world around me faded as if I’d been hit by a sudden, powerful force. She was here. The woman, the one I’d been waiting for without even knowing it.

The temperature dropped, and my skin tingled more as I watched her. She moved with a fluidity that defied human capabilities, like a creature born of moonlight and shadows, as if the earth itself bowed to her. She wasn’t just performing; she was the embodiment of something ancient, something other. I could feel it in my blood she was no ordinary dancer. She was mine.

She was Odette. She was my mate. This was the one my wolf had been waiting for. The one I’d never known I was meant to claim. She was a human but I no longer cared. I wanted her.

Her blue eyes, like pale crystal, met mine for the briefest moment, and it was as if a spark shot through the air. However it only happened to me. She was just a human and she just went on with dancing.

The way she danced, the grace and elegance, it spoke to something primal within me. I leaned forward, my breath slow, my heart racing. This was not a mere performance; this was a call to me.

When she collapsed in her mock death, her tears glistening in the light, a wave of desire, deep and uncontrollable, rolled through me. I felt an intense, almost painful need to be close to her. To touch her, to protect her. My wolf growled low in my chest. It was the first time in a long while that I couldn’t contain the hunger inside me.

“Are you enjoying the show, my Alpha?” Logan's voice broke through the haze of my thoughts, his chuckle sending a shiver down my spine. I snapped my attention back to him, leaning back into the cushioned seat.

Straightening my tie, I forced a chuckle. I had to force myself to focus, to remember that I was not some animal overcome by instinct. But the heat in my chest, the pounding of my heart , it was hard to ignore.

“That ballerina... caught my attention,” I said, trying to sound casual. “She dances like a devil, tempting a man to do wicked things.” I couldn’t hide the hunger in my voice.

My uncle raised an eyebrow, looking at the stage as the performers took their bows and the audience erupted into applause around us. “Devilish things, you say?” he teased, glancing at me with an understanding smirk.

“She’s beautiful,” I muttered, my gaze fixed on her now as she disappeared from the stage. But I couldn’t tear my thoughts away. I wanted her, no, I needed her. And I knew I’d have her.

She is more than beautiful. She is mine. I’d known the moment I laid eyes on her. My wolf stirred again, eager to claim what was his.

“Well, lucky for you, the mayor invited us to the after-party. All the performers will be there, and I know a man who has connections to the New York ballet. If you want her... he can make it happen.” Logan's voice lowered as he spoke, and I could sense there was something more he wasn’t saying.

We were in a human world and I couldn't just kidnap their odette. The disappearance of New York’s Odette would be quickly known and as wolves we didn't want any trouble with the mayor.

“What exactly are you telling me, old man?” I growled low, my gaze narrowing as the crimson curtains closed, taking her from my view. My body ached at the loss, the need to be near her nearly overwhelming.

“If you want the ballerina, I’ll talk to my contact. We might be able to make a deal,” Logan said quietly, his voice just above a whisper. I caught the shift in his tone, making sure the mayor and his wife couldn’t hear.

My pulse quickened at the thought of what he was offering. The air in the room felt too hot, suffocating, as I tried to control the heat rising in my body. “What do you mean by ‘deal’?” I growled softly, my wolf itching to take control. I needed her.

“If she’s on the menu....” Logan's grin was wicked. "You will have to buy her", His words only fed the fire burning in my chest.I could barely suppress the growl that rose in my throat. 

What the hell did he mean by buying her?! 

The thought of buying her irritated me but I ignored it.

The thought of having her in my grasp, of claiming her as my mate, made everything about buying her fade into the background. I could already picture her, beneath me, surrendered to me, my mark on her skin. The anticipation coursed through me like wildfire. There was no price too high.

We followed the mayor out of the theater, and I tried to focus on the business conversation, but my thoughts kept circling back to her. Her face. Her body. The way she moved, no, she was mine.

The limo ride to the after-party felt endless. The heat in the car rose with every passing second. If I didn’t get control over my urges, I’d be forced to hide the evidence of my desire before the night was through.

I badly wanted her.