Pull and Attract

Galen’s Point of View

I hadn’t stopped moving for days. The air was thick with the scent of battle, of blood, and the faint lingering trail of her. Kaelen. Her name burned in my mind, gnawing at me like a hunger I couldn’t feed. She was out there—somewhere—and I was getting closer. I could feel it in my bones, the pull drawing me toward her. I didn’t understand it, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was finding her before anyone else could.

I had heard whispers, stories about the girl with dangerous blood. The Silvermoon Pack had tried to hide her away, but nothing could stay hidden forever. Not from me.

My pack, the Nightshade Pack, had been in a tense standoff with Silvermoon for weeks. Territory lines were becoming blurry, and I had no patience for weak leaders or compromised borders. As their Alpha, I had the power to protect my people, and I would. I knew I had to find her. Kaelen was the key.

That day, the border had erupted in chaos. The Silvermoon Pack had sent a group of warriors to assert their claim on our territory. My pack wasn’t about to back down. We clashed hard—teeth snapping, claws tearing at fur, the stench of sweat and blood suffocating the air. I fought fiercely, my wolf roaring with power, pushing through the battle like I was born for it.

But my mind wasn’t entirely on the fight.

Every time I saw the bodies of the Silvermoon wolves fall, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Kaelen was close. Very close.

The battle ended, and though we had won, something still gnawed at me. I felt that pull again. Something in the south—beyond our borders—was calling me. It wasn’t just the hunt. It was her.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “I’m going south. Stay here and clean up the mess,” I told Collin, my Beta. He gave me a look that was a mix of concern and frustration.

“You can’t be serious,” Collin replied, his voice tight. “After all this? You’re just going to wander off? The rogues are still a threat.”

“I’m not wandering,” I snapped, ignoring the sting in my tone. “There’s something I need to check. I’ll be back soon.”

But the weight of his gaze stayed with me as I shifted into my wolf form, my muscles stretching, bones cracking as I became the creature I was born to be. My black fur bristled against the wind, and my senses heightened. My wolf's nose twitched, picking up the familiar smells of battle, of death, but also… something else.

That pull. The feeling I couldn’t ignore.

I ran, the wind tearing at my fur, the ground beneath me a blur. I knew my borders better than anyone, but the further I ran, the more foreign the land began to feel. The familiar smells of my pack started to fade, replaced by the sharp, biting scent of unfamiliar territory.

I didn’t know what I was searching for, but instinct pushed me forward.

I reached the southern border. The trees were dense here, the underbrush thick with shadows. There was nothing, no sign of Kaelen, no sign of anything. I stood still, my ears twitching, my nose sniffing the air.

“Nothing,” I muttered to myself, my heart sinking for a moment.

I turned around to head back when I heard the faintest rustle in the bushes behind me. I immediately spun, crouching low, ready to attack. The scent was strange—faint but still fresh. Something was off.

My instincts screamed at me to be careful, but I didn’t sense an immediate threat. Not from the direction I was facing. But something was definitely here.

“Galen.”

I froze. That voice—it was deep, gravelly, like it had been through hell. A familiar sound, yet it sent a chill down my spine. I turned to see Collin standing behind me, his expression serious.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I growled, irritation spiking. “I told you to stay at the pack.”

“You didn’t listen,” he muttered. “You’re letting this obsession with her cloud your judgment.”

I clenched my jaw, but before I could respond, the air shifted. Something in the wind changed. I felt it, and so did Collin. His posture stiffened as he sniffed the air.

“What is that?” he asked, his voice lower than usual.

I turned my head, focusing. The scent was faint but undeniable. Blood. A lot of blood. The smell was sharp, tangy, like copper mixed with earth. And there, beneath the blood, was something else. Something I couldn’t quite place.

“Stay here,” I ordered, my voice cold, even though every instinct in me screamed to go. I couldn’t explain it, but I had to go alone.

Collin tried to protest, but I was already in motion, sprinting towards the source of the scent. The air was thick with the smell of death as I drew closer. My claws dug into the dirt beneath me as I pushed faster, the wind tearing at my fur.

Finally, I broke through the last line of trees. And what I saw nearly stopped my heart.

Rogues. Dead rogues. They were scattered across the ground, their bodies twisted in unnatural ways, eyes staring blankly at the sky. Blood pooled around them, soaking into the earth.

And there, in the middle of the massacre, was a girl.

She was covered in blood from head to toe. Her skin was pale, her face fierce with concentration as she stood tall, like she was daring anyone else to come at her. Her hair was dark, matted with blood, but her eyes—her eyes were alive with something I couldn’t quite place.

She was small. So small. But she stood in the middle of the battlefield as though she had taken down each and every one of the rogues herself. And somehow, I believed it.

I should’ve been cautious, should’ve waited, but I didn’t. My feet carried me forward before I could stop myself.

Her eyes flicked up and locked onto mine.

Everything inside me stopped. The world around me faded to nothing but the intensity of her gaze.

And then, at the exact same time, we both spoke.

“Mate.”

The word hung in the air, heavy, overwhelming, and right.

I froze, unable to move, unable to breathe. This was not how it was supposed to happen. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. She wasn’t supposed to be the one.

Her posture shifted, her legs slightly bent, her arms raised in a defensive stance. She was ready for a fight, and yet… I couldn’t bring myself to attack.

My wolf howled in my chest, demanding that I go to her, claim her, but I didn’t move.

She took a step toward me, eyes narrowed, waiting for me to make the first move.

“Kaelen,” I whispered, the name tasting like fire on my tongue.

Her lip curled, her eyes flashing with something dangerous. “Galen.”

I took a step forward, my wolf on edge. “You killed them.”

She didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate. “They attacked me.”

I couldn’t argue with that. I could smell the anger and desperation in her scent. She’d fought them, and she had won. “But you’re covered in their blood. You don’t even—”

“I don’t need your judgment,” she snapped. “I’m not here for you.”

Her words stung, but something in me wanted to step closer, to wipe the coldness from her eyes. I fought the urge, holding my ground.

“Then why are you here?” I asked, my voice low.

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she took another step forward, closing the distance between us, until her scent filled the air—wild, untamed, and so fucking right.

“I’m here because the blood you’re after is more dangerous than you think.”

My heart raced in my chest, my instincts screaming that this wasn’t over. It was only just beginning.