CHAPTER 1

ETHAN'S POV

Adrenaline pumps in my veins as I jump on a wolf and slash his back with my claws. He howls and tries to push me off him but I sink my teeth in the skin of his neck until he can no longer breathe. I leave the dead wolf and attack the others that are trying to make their way into our pack.

"They are going towards the pack." Aaron, the beta's son yelled to me through the mind link.

"Stay here, I'll take care of it." I ran after the four wolves going toward the pack house.

Increasing my speed, I catch up with them and jump on the black wolf at the back. We roll on the ground, trying to gain dominance which he lost. I slash his chest with my claws before chasing after the others that are still running toward the pack. I overtake them and stop in front of them.

They come to a stop, taking a fighting stance. My eyes look back and forth between the three of them, waiting for them to make a move. The black wolf in the middle which is the biggest among them but smaller compared to my 6ft white wolf charge at me. With a fast reflex, I dodge his attack, making him fall to the ground. I jump on him, sinking my teeth in his skin as the other two attack me from behind.

One of them bites down on my leg, causing me to kick him off me with all my strength. The wolf under me is still struggling to get out of my hold but I waste no time in slashing a deep cut in his stomach with my claws. I pushed the last one away before pouncing on him to bite down on his neck. The other one I kicked, take off into the forest and I decided to postpone his death to another day.

"How is it going over there?" I ask Aaron through the mind link.

"They are all dead, you?"

"All sorted." My wolf gaze at the three wolves covered in blood.

There is discomfort in my heart that I am killing my pack members. But for some reason, they turn into bloodthirsty monsters threatening the lives of the werewolf clan. Killing them is the only way to keep the other pack members safe, so I have to stop feeling guilty about it.

"I think that's all of them," he said.

"Retreat," I announced to all our warriors through the mind link at the same time which I can do because of the alpha blood running through me.

We meet up and speed through the forest going toward the pack house as the sun slowly sets, giving the sky a golden glow. We arrive at the pack house and shift back to our human forms.

My porcelain skin is covered in mud and blood, and my dark raven hair is filled with dirt and grasses. Someone hand me a short which I put on before walking into the alpha's house.

"How did it go?" My father asks upon seeing me. He has his back turned to me on the cream-colored couch he was sitting on.

"All the wolves have been taken care of," I answered, remaining in my spot behind him.

"Good." He rises from his seat to turn to me with his forest green eyes boring into mine which is the same color as his. "Get cleaned up and join us for dinner, your mother and I have something important to discuss with you."

With a slight bow, I respond before making my way up the stairs. I walk through the dark hallway and stop in front of my room which is located at the end of the hall. I step inside and went straight to the bathroom to wash off all the blood and dirt on my body.

When I finish cleaning up and getting dressed, I descend the stairs to join my parent in the dining room. My father is sitting at the head of the table with a poker face, making me wonder what he wants to talk to me about. I guess what it might be but I hope it's not it because I don't want to go through that episode again.

I take my seat on my dad's left just in time for my mom to emerge from the kitchen with her dark raven hair tied in a bun and her porcelain skin glowing under the lights. I am a carbon copy of my mom except that I inherit my dad's eyes and cold personality. Two of our workers follow behind her with two dishes each in their hands. They place it on the dining table as my mom takes her seat on my dad's right.

After they serve us the food, my mother dismiss them to give us some privacy. I wait for my dad to take the first bite before I dig in. I am halfway through with my dinner when my father clears his throat to get our attention.

"Ethan," he called, making me out down my cutlery and giving me my full attention. "How is it going about finding your mate?"

'My guess was right.' I thought in my head.

"I still haven't found her."

At the age of 18, most werewolf have their first shift and find their mates. But mine is different in the sense that I had my first shift when I was sixteen and I have been looking for my mate ever since. I am thirty-two years of age and most pack members believe that my mate is already dead.

Believing in that rumor, my parents try to push me to take another she-wolf and mark her as my mate but I refuse every time which ends up in a heated argument between me and my parent.

The fact that I'm their only child did not help my situation as their attention is solely on me.

The burden of being the future alpha has been on my shoulder since I was ten. My father started training me in combat and self-defense at an early age when other children of my age were busy having fun and enjoying life. I never got to enjoy my childhood which is the one reason I become cold-blooded. Though my father is not complaining because that is what he wants.

He sighs and leans into his seat. "The moonlight festival is approaching and your mother is planning to let you take over as the alpha. You need to rule this pack with your Luna by your side."

"I will find her before the moonlight festival," I reply and pick up my fork.

"You have been saying that for a long time now and still, she's nowhere to be found. Why not just take our advice and marry someone else instead of wasting your time waiting for her?" My mom interfered with her deep blue eyes full of concern.

I dropped my fork out of frustration. "Mom, we've talked about this. I'm not taking another she-wolf as my mate. My mate is still out there and I'm going to find her."

"What if she's already dead like they say?" Dad narrowed his eyes at me.

I pause for a moment, thinking of the possibility that my mate could be dead. Raising my head to glance at my dad, I said, "I will only believe she's dead until I see her dead body with my eyes."

My dad bangs his hand on the table and stands up. "I'm tired of your nonsense. I won't sit back and let my generation die with you," he yelled. "I'm going to talk to Micheal tomorrow, you are going to marry his daughter and mark her as your mate."

"I will do no such thing." I stand up to match his stares.

Amelia is the beta's daughter who also hasn't found her mate. She's only twenty-six years old which is four years younger than I am. Though Amelia is a beautiful girl and we have messed around a few times but I don't want to mark her as my mate. What happens when my mate shows up later when I'm already mated to her? The drama is not going to be interesting to watch especially for me.

"You have no choice. I'm your alpha and you will do as I say." He marches out, leaving me and my mother in the dining room as we listen to his echoing footsteps on the stairs until they completely fade away.

Running my fingers through my hair, I pace the dining room before I stop to look at my mom.

"Why is he being so difficult? What will he do when my mate shows up after I'm mated to Amelia?"

"I have no idea but we can't keep waiting for her." She stands up and pushes her chair back.

"Listen to your father, that's the only advice I can give you." She follow in the same direction my dad left in.

With anger coursing through my system, I storm out of the house, running into the forest. As I increase my speed, I shift into my wolf form weaving my way past the trees. After running for almost 10 minutes, I stopped at a clearing as all the anger in me subside.

I gaze up at the moon illuminating the bright sky and howl out of frustration. As I put my head down and turn around to go back to the pack a sweet smell of vanilla hit my nose bud, making me stop in my track. All my senses heightened as I follow the direction of the scent before it register in my brain.

Mate!!!