Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting golden streaks onto the young woman strolling through the ancient forest. Her jet-black hair flowed down her back like a waterfall, swaying gently with each step. Her gray-blue eyes, deep and mysterious, shimmered like fragments of stars scattered across the night sky. The rough animal-hide dress she wore barely covered the graceful curves of her figure.
She was Cara, a lone wolf in the depths of Gloomwood Forest. No pack, no family. She had grown up alone in this vast wilderness. From the fragmented memories of her childhood, she only knew her name was Cara. She once had a mother, but her mother had died when she was too young to even remember her face. If she had been part of a pack like other werewolves, she would have been an omega - the weakest rank. She could barely shift a few times a month, and each transformation lasted no more than half an hour. An omega thrown into the wild? There was no doubt, it would be torn apart by the claws of savage beasts. But Cara was different. In this boundless forest, she moved with the lightness of a wildcat, her body agile and attuned to the rugged terrain. Thorny branches couldn’t stop her, because she was a child raised by the wilderness. She belonged to the wild, and she had long since become one with its untamed mysteries. A gentle breeze swept through, carrying a scent that was unfamiliar, not the damp earth or the decaying leaves of Gloomwood. It was something else… masculine, strong, with hints of wood and pine resin. A scent completely different, yet strangely intoxicating. Cara stopped in her tracks, her sharp gray-blue eyes scanning the surroundings. She could feel a presence lingering in the air - powerful, yet not that of a wild beast. No, this was something more mysterious, more compelling. And to her, it was irresistibly alluring. Her heart pounded wildly, a strange feeling rising from deep within, both fear and anticipation tangled together. Her blood burned in her veins, her most primal instincts awakening, urging her to find the source of that scent. The closer she got, the louder the sound of rushing water became, drowning out every other noise in the forest, including the frantic beating of her own heart. And then, she saw it. Beneath the waterfall, sprawled on a rocky ledge, was a massive gray figure, the very thing she had been searching for. A wolf. Or rather, a werewolf. Cara’s eyes widened in shock. This was the first time in her life she had ever seen another of her kind, aside from the mother she barely remembered. The gray wolf was gravely injured. It lay on the rock, its presence turning the white, frothing water around it into a vivid shade of crimson. Cara guessed it must have fallen from the top of the waterfall, crashing onto the jagged rocks below, leaving its body battered and broken. The wolf’s strong, masculine scent continued to fill Cara’s senses, but now it was mixed with the sharp tang of blood, making the yearning deep inside her even stronger. As a lone wolf with no one to teach her, Cara had no idea that this feeling only appeared when a werewolf met their fated mate. And when that person appeared, they would become each other’s missing piece, completing their long existence. Seeing the water stained bright red, Cara’s heart clenched. She didn’t understand why, but right now, the only thought in her mind was to bring this wounded wolf back to her den and protect him. Without hesitation, she jumped into the water and swam toward the rock. The closer she got, the more intense the emotions surging inside her became. When she finally reached him, she saw a deep wound on the back of his neck, still bleeding. A sharp pain shot through her chest, as if she could feel his injury on her own body. It seemed the gray wolf had sensed her presence, too. His amber eyes slowly opened, looking at her, not with caution, not with resistance. His throat vibrated weakly as he let out a faint growl before speaking in a low, hoarse voice: “Mate…” And with that, he closed his eyes and lost consciousness. In that moment, as their eyes met, Cara felt something unseen wrapping around them—something mysterious, sacred, and impossible to explain. But she had no time to think about it. Her entire attention was on the gray wolf in front of her. The wound on the back of his neck… was healing right before her eyes. Cara stared in shock. She had never seen a werewolf heal this fast. Then again, besides him, she had never seen another werewolf before! Still, it caught her completely off guard. Even when she was injured, and despite using the healing sap of the horseshoe plant, her wounds never closed this quickly. What she didn’t realize was that, as an omega, she belonged to the weakest rank in a pack—the ones with the frailest bodies and slowest healing. There was no way she could compare to the powerful Alpha lying before her. The wound on the gray wolf’s neck had fully closed, the bleeding had stopped, but he still hadn’t opened his eyes. Through the strange bond that had just formed between them, Cara could sense the turmoil raging inside him. She couldn’t explain it, but something in his body felt blocked, his energy couldn’t flow properly. It clouded his mind, keeping him from waking up, and it also prevented him from shifting back into his human form. There wasn’t enough time to figure out what was causing it, but she knew one thing, she could help him wake up. At her waist, she carried a small leather pouch filled with medicinal powders. Relying on her sense of smell, she quickly picked out the right one and poured the entire packet into the gray wolf’s mouth. It was a fine powder made from dried purple mint leaves, known for clearing the mind. The gray wolf felt something cool trickling down his throat. Not long after, the chaos in his mind faded, and clarity returned. His eyes snapped open, and the first thing he saw was a breathtaking pair of gray-blue eyes, set in a face so beautiful it looked as if the Moon Goddess herself had carved it. He could feel the deep connection between them. Her presence made him whole, sped up his healing, and filled his heart with a sense of completeness he had never known before. He sat up, looked at her, and asked, “Mate, who are you?” But Cara didn’t understand. Having never interacted with another werewolf before, she had no concept of their language. She simply tilted her head, gazing at the massive wolf in front of her with curiosity. A moment later, a voice resonated in her mind through their bond, ‘Mate, who are you?’ This time, she understood. On a rocky ledge above a vast lake, with the thundering waterfall crashing down beside them, a massive gray wolf and a slender, delicate figure sat facing each other. At that moment, the spark of fate was lit, the beginning of a bond that would change everything.Cara felt like she was drowning in liquid amber. She had never imagined that eyes could be so captivating. She stared at him, completely mesmerized, until a deep, masculine voice echoed in her mind,‘Mate, who are you?’He wanted to know who she was. And she wanted to know who he was too. So she reached out to him, forming a mind link of her own,‘Who... are you?’It was her first time communicating with someone like this, and her thoughts felt clumsy. But this strange way of speaking fascinated her.Gray Wolf understood her meaning. He froze for a moment, realizing he didn’t know who he was, where he came from, or why he was here. His mind was blank, holding nothing but the beautiful image of her.Then he said, “I am your mate.”Cara tilted her head, looking at him with wide, innocent eyes, like a lost fawn.It took her a long moment before she hesitantly sounded out her words,"M…mate?" Her voice carried confusion.She thought “Mate” was the name of the gray wolf in front of her. So
Gray Wolf woke to find that night had already fallen. He noticed that Cara had been awake for some time, yet she remained curled up against him, nestled in his thick gray fur. Her gaze was distant, as if she were lost in serious thought.As soon as she realized he was awake, Cara sent him a mind link,‘Mate, poisoned.’Gray Wolf’s eyes widened. He didn’t know what had happened to his body, only that he was trapped in his wolf form and unable to shift back. But what puzzled him even more was how Cara knew this when he hadn’t said a word.Curious, he asked her.Cara wasn’t sure how to explain. She had simply sensed it through their mate bond. The feeling was vague, and she could only describe it in the simplest way,‘I can feel it.’The most important thing now was to identify the toxin in Gray Wolf’s body before figuring out how to cure him.Cara sat up and hurried to her shelf of bottles and jars. She grabbed an empty bowl and a knife made from sharpened animal bone, then returned to
Outside the cave, the moon hung high in the sky,full, round, and unusually large. The entire Gloomwood Forest was bathed in a layer of silver light, making everything appear both mysterious and magical.Cara stood at the entrance of her cave, tilting her head back to gaze up at the steep cliffside. About fifteen or sixteen feet above her, a strange plant clung to the rock face. It was a grass-like herb with long, lance-shaped leaves sprouting directly from the stone.But what truly caught her attention was the pair of flowers growing from it. One was still a tightly closed bud, while the other had fully bloomed. The open blossom was as large as the fist of a full-grown werewolf, resembling a lily in shape, except its petals were a deep, blood-red hue.Even more astonishing, under the pale moonlight, the flower shimmered as if sprinkled with stardust, glowing with an ethereal beauty beyond words.‘Mate, bloomed!’ Cara sent an excited mind link to Grey Wolf.She had lived in this cave f
The powerful wolf stood before her like a true king of the wild, and Cara’s eyes lit up with admiration and excitement. She was a child raised by the forest, respecting strength was an instinct woven into her very being.“Mate, amazing!” she gasped in awe.Her words were the greatest reward the Grey Wolf could receive, filling him with deep satisfaction.He let out a low growl as his body began to shift. Silver-gray fur slowly receded into his skin, bones cracked and reshaped, muscles stretched and expanded with raw power. In mere moments, the mighty beast was gone, replaced by a towering man.Under the moonlight, his bare body looked like a masterpiece sculpted from marble, every muscle perfectly carved, radiating primal strength. His bronzed skin shimmered with a silvery glow, making him even more breathtaking. Broad shoulders, a tapered waist, a firm chest, and long, powerful legs.His silver-gray hair was slightly tousled, catching the faint glow of the night, adding to his air of
The night was still long, and their pleasure had only just begun. As two inexperienced wolves tasting the forbidden fruit for the first time, they reveled in the overwhelming joy of intimacy and naturally had no intention of stopping.From the cliffside to the depths of the cave, they clung to each other, instinctively exploring countless positions to make their union even more exhilarating. It wasn’t until dawn approached that Cara, completely spent, nestled into Gray Wolf’s arms and drifted into a deep sleep.The next morning, as sunlight streamed through the leaves, the two of them woke up to a gnawing hunger. After last night’s intense activities, their energy had been drained quickly. Even though they hadn’t gotten enough sleep, their empty stomachs still pulled them from their slumber.Cara sleepily opened her eyes and found herself nestled in a warm embrace. Instead of sitting up, she instinctively snuggled closer against his strong, heat-radiating body. Waking up with someone
They spent the whole afternoon working with the pile of stink bug leaves. By the time they were done, the sun was already setting. Cara pulled Gray Wolf toward the stream again to wash up.This wasn’t the same spot where they had caught the moose that morning. This section was upstream, closer to the cave, and much wider.Cara loved soaking in the stream during summer. The cool water refreshed her and eased away the fatigue of a long day.Without hesitation, she slipped off her dress, hung it on a branch by the shore, and jumped straight into the water.Gray Wolf stood by the edge, staring at her bare, flawless body, completely entranced.A splash of water hit him square in the face, snapping him back to reality.‘Mate, come in!’ Cara sent him a mind link, her hands playfully flicking water at him.Gray Wolf chuckled, took off his leather wrap, and jumped in after her.Cara was thrilled. She dove underwater, swam a circle around him, then suddenly surfaced beside him, sending a spray
Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, Gray Wolf and Cara had been together for two months. This was perhaps the happiest time in Cara’s once-lonely life. Each day, Gray Wolf would wake up early to hunt, while Cara stayed home, happily tinkering with her herbs. Sometimes, she brewed poisons; other times, she made tonics to strengthen the body. Occasionally, she experimented with spices to make roasted meat even more delicious. In short, their days were always busy yet filled with joy. Of course, for newly bonded mates, mating was an essential part of their lives. But despite being with Gray Wolf for two months, Cara couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed, they still hadn’t had any pups. She wanted to give birth to many, raising a strong and thriving pack, but so far, there had been no sign of change in her body. Cara knew that Gray Wolf’s bloodline was incredibly noble. Even as his mate, she could still feel the natural dominance he carried, the unmistakable presence of
As the potion slid down his throat, Gray Wolf felt a surge of heat rushing through his body. His heartbeat pounded faster, every muscle tensing as if an immense power inside him was about to break free. Then, a wave of searing pain hit him. Unable to withstand it, he collapsed to the ground, his handsome face twisting in agony.Cara was worried, but she held her ground, watching without stepping in. Any transformation came with pain. If her Mate could endure this, he would become the strongest wolf in the forest.He had no idea how much time had passed. Just when he thought he would be crushed by the unbearable pain, something inside him shifted. His amber eyes gleamed sharply, his ears picking up even the faintest sounds in the forest. Even his sense of smell became incredibly sharp, catching the subtlest scents lingering in the air.He pressed his hands against the ground, his back arching as his nails grew long and razor-sharp, as lethal as metal. A thick, glossy coat
Cara had always been clear-headed. The burning pain on her back made sleep impossible, so she’d noticed Raven’s presence in her shabby little room long ago.Raven knew she was aware, but what of it? Right now, she didn’t want to see him. So she shut her eyes tight, refusing to acknowledge him.He asked why she didn’t just heal herself. What a laughable question. She didn’t even bother answering. He talked as if everyone were some kind of monster like him, able to close wounds in an instant.If she were truly that strong, she would’ve already healed herself and vanished into the deep woods. She wouldn’t be lying here, bearing this physical pain.In the end, he showed a sliver of pity and had someone tend to her bloody back. The cleaning and the ointment stung, but thanks to the Moon Goddess, once it was all bandaged up, she felt much better. At least the medicated areas were cool now, no longer burning like before.Myra and the two maids had just left, but Cara co
Evelyn left the pack house. Although her clothes and hair were drenched, making her look a bit disheveled, she still carried herself with grace and composure.It was only when the door to her private quarters closed behind her that the anger twisted her face into a dark, bitter expression.After bathing and fixing her hair, she went straight to find her mother, Amanda Dermot.Mrs. Amanda was having afternoon tea by the living room window. When she saw her daughter approaching, she didn’t seem surprised.“You ran into trouble at the pack house, didn’t you?” Her tone was calm, as if everything had played out just as she expected.Evelyn didn’t answer immediately. She paused for a few seconds, collecting her thoughts, then said with unwavering determination,“I want to be Luna.”Amanda raised an eyebrow slightly. She set her cup of herbal tea down and turned to look at her daughter.“But Raven isn’t your fated mate. And he doesn’t love you either.”H
Raven stood motionless, watching as Cara was dragged away. He lowered his eyes, masking the urgency and restlessness in their depths. As the Alpha of the pack, he couldn’t afford to be soft or let his feelings override his judgment.Only after Cara disappeared from view did he turn to see Evelyn, trembling in her drenched dress.Noticing his gaze, Evelyn stepped forward as if wanting to say something—l, but he cut her off immediately, his voice cold,“Miss Dermot, go back.”Evelyn froze, her tear-streaked face twisting for a split second, then quickly shifting to a look of wounded innocence.“Alpha…” she choked out.“This is my private space. You shouldn’t come and go as you please, it’ll cause misunderstandings.” Raven didn’t let her say another word.Because she was Aunt Amanda’s daughter, he had shown her some leniency. But that didn’t mean he welcomed her wandering freely into his territory.The cold indifference in his voice struck Evelyn like a
Cara’s new day began with unwanted drama. Overnight, the entire pack house somehow found out that the Alpha had gone to her room and shown her favor, an honor so great, most wouldn’t even dare to dream of it.Cara hadn’t gone around bragging, but her mere presence, along with the Alpha’s scent still clinging to her, was more than enough to confirm it all.The moment she stepped into the communal dining hall, it was as if someone had hit the mute button. Every head turned in her direction. Some raised their brows, some smirked knowingly, but most wore twisted looks of envy. Then came the whispers behind her back.“Tsk tsk, she’s a wolf, sure, but she looks more like a sly little fox. Seducing others is what she’s best at.”“What’s so great about her? In the end, she’s just a toy. You really think the Alpha would let Genaro’s daughter become Luna?”“She’s just a lowly she-wolf. How could she ever be worthy of being the Alpha’s mate?”Cara thought she had grown
Cara's movements were awkward, yet filled with urgency.She fumbled for a while before finally managing to undo Raven's belt. He watched her patiently, his gaze calm, the corners of his lips lifting into a faint smile.With his quiet cooperation, she quickly stripped off the rest of his clothes. His massive erection stood tall, pressing up against her stomach, demanding her attention.Cara dropped to her knees, took him into her mouth, and began to lick and suck with growing eagerness.Raven was completely consumed. He had to lean back against the wall just to keep himself steady. His fingers tangled in her silky black hair, gently massaging her scalp. Hatred, pride, self-control, none of it mattered anymore. In this moment, all he could see was the beautiful she-wolf kneeling before him.Time seemed to slow, and Raven grew more and more impatient with Cara’s pace, while her jaw was already aching, begging for a break.Suddenly, Raven pulled out, yanked
That night, after dealing with a pile of documents stacked high in the main hall, Raven returned to his room, his body heavy with exhaustion. He sank into a chair, took off his cloak, and his eyes unintentionally landed on the small scented pouch hanging at his waist.He’d been so busy all day that he hadn’t paid it much attention, but thinking about it now, the thing really did work wonders. It was the change of seasons, bugs were everywhere, yet not a single mosquito had bitten him all day.Raven turned the pouch over in his hand, and a faint, indescribable warmth stirred in his chest. After a brief moment of thought, he sent a servant to call Cara.He was only calling her to ask how to make the pouch, definitely not because he missed her.Cara was still sulking over the she-wolf who had shown up that morning. So when Myra came to pass along the Alpha’s message, she immediately refused.“I'm not going.”“Cara, this is an order from the Alpha. We don’t have
Raven came to a stop, his sharp brows slightly furrowed at Evelyn’s sudden appearance.“Miss Dermot, what brings you here?” he asked. His voice was a little less cold than usual, but still far from warm.Evelyn was the daughter of Amanda Dermot, a respected council member and once a close friend of his late mother. So even though Raven didn’t particularly like Evelyn, he still gave her a certain level of courtesy.Evelyn smiled gently and replied,“My mother heard you’ve been at the military camp all week. She was worried you were overworking yourself, so she asked me to check on you.”At her words, a flicker of softness passed through Raven’s heart. Ever since his mother passed away from illness, Aunt Amanda had always shown concern for him. Her care never crossed the line, but it was just enough for him to feel a hint of warmth.“I’m fine. Please tell Aunt Amanda she doesn’t need to worry.”Cara immediately noticed that Raven’s attitude toward the she-w
At that moment, a clear yet slightly timid voice echoed in his mind,‘Mate, that herbal pouch repels insects. If you keep it with you, you won’t have to worry about getting bitten anymore.’The last time Cara saw Raven, she had noticed a mosquito bite on his neck. As it happened, there were a few common insect-repelling herbs growing in the backyard, so she took the time to gather and prepare them. The torn dress Raven had ripped was still lying in the room. It felt like a waste to throw it away, so she used it to sew the pouch for him. Her sewing skills weren’t great, after she finished, the stitches were crooked and uneven. It didn’t look pretty, but she believed it would work well. Compared to animal hide, the thin fabric was more breathable, which helped the herbs release their effects more effectively.That night, as soon as Raven approached the pack house, Cara immediately sensed his presence. It had been a while since she last saw him, and she realized how much sh
Cara remained frozen on the steps, the bouquet in her hands crushed into pieces. Her hands trembled, eyes brimming with tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall in front of everyone.She couldn’t cry. She couldn’t show weakness now.Once Raven disappeared completely behind the curve of the corridor, the whispers and mocking laughter from the nearby maids grew clearer, more blatant.“She actually dared to seduce the Alpha. Serves her right to be punished.”“She’s gone crazy trying to become Luna, willing to pull any stunt.”“Those flowers were planted by the Alpha’s father in memory of his mother. She dared to pick them, going hungry for a meal is already too light a punishment.”Cara bit down hard on her lip, the taste of blood spreading in her mouth, but it still didn’t hurt as much as their scornful words. She lowered her head and began picking up the fallen petals, one by one, as if trying to piece back together the last shreds of her dignity.