Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jake

I almost overlooked our typical get-together with my entire pack this evening. But the moment I stepped out of the car, I knew that the evening at diner was going to be special. I had an indescribable feeling that something was going to happen here, something extraordinary.

I was in the middle of my conversation with my friends, discussing future plans, when my heart skipped a beat. Perplex about the physical reaction I suddenly had, I looked outside through the window. I stopped in my tracks as I watched a woman step out of the car. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her golden locks cascaded down her back, her curves just right. She looked like a goddess—one I would gladly worship. I was mesmerized. As if the surrounding air had become thick. I couldn't breathe. My heart was beating widely. She was the one. The one for me. It was something out of a fairytale; me finding her here.

My heart raced as I watched her, my palms already sweating. I could tell even from across the parking lot she was special, that she was the one I had been waiting for. My mate, the one the moon goodness paired me with. I wanted to make my way to her side, but my feet were rooted to the ground. The feelings she brought up in me, a mix of excitement and fear, overwhelmed me. My wolf's side and my human side were wrestling to comprehend the situation before me. My mate was standing here. Not in a dream, but here. It was everything I have wished for all my life.

I trembled with a combination of excitement and desire. My fangs elongate and my nostrils flare as I caught a whiff of her scent from outside. Our smell was extraordinary. I had heard tales of wolves being able to sense the presence of their mate from miles away. All the stories I heard about finding your true love seemed like a fantasy, since our packs had suddenly stopped being able to find their mates for some unknown reason about twenty years ago.

Everything around me vanished—when the scent of my mate, the golden-haired beauty striding towards the restaurant, reached me. She was here with me. I was about to meet her face-to-face for the first time.

The moment she stepped through the door of the diner, all eyes in the room were on her. Lightning must have had struck me, and my breath caught in my throat as I found myself unable to move or speak. She glided gracefully through the space, looking around with wide eyes as though searching for something.

Through my disorientated state, it became obvious that her beauty and manners affected not only me. Subtle gasps, too low for a human to hear but loud for a werewolf’s hearing, filled the room. She was indeed a goodness, my goodness.

My heart pounded in my chest, and a strange sense of strength come over me. The rest of the pack was just as entranced; even our alpha had stopped what he was saying mid-sentence to gaze at this woman. Her beauty was undeniable, and it was clear that everyone could feel her power. It was common knowledge that I would become the Alpha after my father and my pack mates were all looking at the woman who would be their future Luna.

Their future queen. My queen.

Strawberry and wildflowers made me inhale deeply and my nostrils flare. It reached me from across the room, sweet and alluring—a reminder of what it meant to be alive and deeply connected with another human being. She seemed unaware of the effect she had on us all.

I took another deep breath and forced myself to step forward, not sure what I was doing. As I crept closer, my heart started beating faster. I couldn’t contain my wolf any longer. All my pent-up energy flew free, and I lost the last straw of my self-control.

With no regard for the consequences, I flung my body towards the entrance.

My brothers caught me just in time, their hands stopping me from stumbling into the entrance and scaring away my true love. I was nervous, my human side barely overpowering the animal instincts that threatened to take over. My brothers had been beside me every step of the way, their hands on my shoulders, their eyes filled with understanding and patience. I could hardly contain the animalistic force within me, threatening to take over and destroy any chance of me ever seeing my true love again.

The wolf inside me was howling, clawing, and demanding to be set free. Its power pulsing through my veins and threatening to unleash itself upon the world. My brothers sensed the danger and grabbed hold of me.

“Mine” I scream. “Mine,” I yell, clutching at the air, struggling against my brother's grip. I watch as my father comes closer to her. I can smell her sweet scent, pure and enchanting. My desire for her to be mine is overpowering.

She is mine. My brothers are holding me down. Her scent is so divine, pure, and utterly magic. I want her now and forever. I need her to be mine. One of my brothers is whispering calming things in my ear.

"This is not the time or the place for this. Be strong Jake."

Finally, my wolf subsided, retreating into the depths of my soul. It left me shaking, my human side barely overpowering the animal instincts that threatened to take over. I glanced over at my brothers, their faces full of knowledge. I managed a weak smile and took a deep breath before I stopped resisting my brother’s hold on me.

As my urges die down, I exhale and let reason overcome me once again. I have never seen this stunning woman before in my life. I have never scented a scent like this before. Even though we can only smell our true mate after a certain age, normally 16, we save every scent in our memory, a way of knowing if we have met our mate before we come of age. And I realize that my mate is a stranger to this town.

When my father demanded me to halt, I immediately complied. While he addressed my mate, I sensed that his queries were aimed at discovering what I had been seeking to uncover.

What is her purpose here in Bluehills? Is she a visitor or a resident?

Her scent is human, and this is not the time or place to tell her about us being mates; hell, I don’t even know if she knows about werewolves and true mates. But when she looks straight at me gives me hope she feels the mate bond.

The tension in the air, thick and heavy, like a fog that threatened to suffocate me. I inhaled, not once, or twice, but multiple times to get my bearing. I was grateful when Sandy, ever the astute diner owner, noticed my distress and subtly acted upon it by lowering the temperature in the diner to below-average, the result being that a chill crept through the room, my hair on my arms standing. My mate shivered, her t-shirt no match for the sudden cold, her arm covered in goosebumps.

Without her noticing, Sandy grabbed my hoodie and winked at me. It’s common knowledge that a mate’s scent will bring you comfort. My mate was clearly in distress; she could tell that something was off. I sighed of content when she put it on. The surrounding air seemed to be charged with electricity, as if a storm was brewing in the distance.

My brothers were ecstatic that I had found my mate and wanted to celebrate. But nothing was decided yet—I had seen her but not even spoken to her. There was no telling if she would accept me. While they tried to contain their exuberance, I was satisfied at the idea that this event could shift things for the other pack members. If I had found my mate, then there was a possibility that the others could, too.

When Mr. Black entered the diner. It was one of those moments where every nerve in my body seemed to be on high alert. His presence threatened to crumble the walls of comfort I had just found.

Dread replaced my newfound joy when I caught a whiff of Mr. Black. A scent that was embedded in our DNA, like primal instinct and urges. He was the leader of all leaders and none of us had ever seen him in person. We only heard about him through stories and pictures. The fragrance was powerful, like a predator. Powerful, demanding and all-consuming.

His scent was off the charts. Some claimed his scent was because he was the most prominent man of all, others claimed it was uncertain why he had the power to demand others to obey. One thing was certain: he was no werewolf.

The pack mates all bowed their heads in deference to Mr. Black, the leader of the group. A heated debate broke out between him and my father Gareth, and my father urged me not to intervene through our mind- link. I followed his advice; If I challenged Mr. Black, what would Evelyn think of me?

My heart ached when I watched them leave. I feel it pull, even from across the diner. My heart had found its home and then it was suddenly yanked away without warning. My wolf was demanding me to stay close. The urge to be with her was so powerful and demanding.

So, I did what most werewolves do when they meet their mate; I followed her to their house.

Without thinking, I dashed out of the diner and ran after them. The wind whipped against my face and my muscles ached, yet my feet kept moving relentlessly forward. I let my wild wolf take charge, transforming to my black best, running in pursuit of something that seemed impossibly remote and yet also tantalizingly close. I wasn't sure of the path I was going down, but I realized it didn't matter. I would follow her to the end of the world.

"Son, behave." My father demanded through our mind-link.

"I-I need my mate." I rasped in reply. My voice filled with thick emotion. Thicker than blood. Thicker than anything. I needed my mate and the comfort of her smell, her ethereal beauty.

When the car turned into small village roads, I was hot on their heels. My paws thumping hard on the road. I realized I was too close; I didn’t want to scare Evelyn.

I took off in a sprint, leaving the road behind me, but not so far behind that I was out of sight. The trees and shrubs provided me with plenty of cover in my wolf form, and with the sun going down, I was barely noticeable. Soon enough, I let my inner wolf take the reins and I opened myself up to the forest's energy. The sun was setting, and I was confident that I had vanished from view.

It heightened all my senses as I raced along with the rhythm of the earth beneath my feet. My quarry seemed within reach, and yet ever-so-far away. If I kept running, I’d eventually be able to catch up. My wolf was faster than almost any car, twice the size of a normal wild wolf.

The sound of their voices vibrates in my mind, driving me forward with a deep sense of purpose. Soon I found myself standing before the house, courage and apprehension rising together inside me. I took a deep breath but resolved not to retreat. I had come this far, and I would not waste this opportunity. Bracing myself, I advanced into the cottage, ready to make my plea for my mate.

Mr. Black apparently sensed me standing there, and I watched as they pulled the window curtain to one side. My heart filled with warmth when I laid eyes on my mate again.

I would never let her out of my sight. Never.