CHAPTER 1: AINAR

“Are you sure about this?” his father asked for the nth time that day. He’s busy sharpening the blade of his arrow.

He sighed before putting it down and turning to look at him.

He looked up at his father, taking notes of the lines marring his face now. The youthful glow he once had now fading. It’s the result of leading a pack, he knows, it’s exhausting. Aside from that is the constant nagging of their pack elders, putting pressure on his father to finally let him take over the reign. And Ainar, he’s ready, he grew up watching his father lead the pack, he knows he’s ready. But something a pack leader should have to be taken seriously is a mate. And Ainar doesn’t have that yet. So here they are, on their way to look for one.

“I am, Father,” he replied.

He heard his father sigh.

“Do you really not want to just choose from—”

“No,” he replied firmly. Putting his arrow down to face his father properly.

“I told you. I see no potential mates here. I can’t feel it.”

“But the elders—”

“The elders can go screw their selves—”

“Ainar!”

“I am serious, Father,” he added after the scolding.

“I don’t care if they see a potential mate for me here. I don’t. And the decision is final.”

His father stared at him, eye to eye. He did not let it waver him, he bravely met his gaze. After a while, his father smiled, warm and fatherly.

“I’m proud of you, Ainar.”

"Thank you, Father.”

--

Ainar sighed at another fail. This is the third pack they’ve visited for the last week and it’s another fail. He just can’t feel it. He knows, many beautiful alphas, betas and omegas alike were presented to him, but the connection he was looking for just isn’t there.

His father clapped him on the back, a small gesture of encouragement. He’s grateful for it.

“We are only tiring ourselves out with this pointless journey,” an elder, Delta Emmanuel—Emman, hissed. Ainar shut his eyes tightly at that. The man has been loud about his disapproval for this journey from the start, even when it hasn’t even started.

“I told you, Ainar, you can just choose among your peers in the pack. There are so many potential mates there. There is Grace, Keane or better yet, Celestine.”

He shut his eyes tightly. He has heard this more times than he can count and it’s already getting old. He had told them countless times too that he doesn’t want anyone in their pack.

“Let’s just trust Ainar, shall we?” his father said, trying to defuse the situation.

“He knows what’s good for him.”

He smiled at his father, grateful. Emman only rolled his eyes and talked under his breath, undoubtingly still his rants about this journey but Ainar did not pay any more attention to it.

And because he failed to find a mate in this pack, it means they still have to visit more. There are two packs they haven’t visited yet, and Ainar desperately hopes he finds his mate in one of them.

He sheds his clothes, taking off his tunic and pants. Everyone with him did the same. They need to shift to travel easier.

He carefully folded his clothes and put it in a small sack his mother had insisted him to take. He called for his wolf and in a split second, his bones started cracking, morphing into his other form. It always feels refreshing, it’s their original form after all.

He shook his whole body, shaking off the slight discomfort. It never goes away, especially if he doesn’t shift often, but it’s nothing bad.

He grabbed the bag containing his clothes, biting it between his canines. He looked at his other pack members who have all finished shifting too. His father positioned himself in front of their line, he walked behind him. All the elders are positioned at the middle, and Rodel, their strongest hunter stood behind all of them. When the pack alpha deemed everyone ready, he howled, signaling the start of another journey. They all howled in reply before leaving.

--

They had been travelling for two days, going south. They stopped twice already, one to rest for the night and the other one to quickly hunt for their meal. While walking, his father slowed down his steps to walk alongside him. He looked at him questioningly, as much as he can in his wolf form. Since they cannot communicate verbally like this, they still understand each other, it’s a form of communication in their pack where they communicate using their minds. It’s not quite telepathy, more of a feeling rather than communicating with words like they do in their human forms.

His father only stopped him to nuzzle onto his neck. It’s a reassurance. He bared his neck, to allow him more room to scent him. It’s an act of affection among family members, and mates. Alphas only bare their necks to their pack alpha and their mate. Baring yourself to an alpha of equal rank is an act of submission, a shame, and a display of dominance from the alpha you submitted to.

His father produced a gentle rumble from deep in his chest, to which he responded with a sound of his own. After that, they wordlessly continue their journey.

--

Ainar prepared himself for another onslaught of rants from the elders as their journey is yet another failed attempt.

“How many packs are we still going to visit before you listen to me?!” their delta exclaimed. Ainar sighed tiredly.

“We still have one last pack we can visit. Other packs are too far away and we can’t risk the pack alpha being away for too long from his pack,” another elder who mostly stayed silent during their journey said.

“Another pack, let’s not! We should just head back!”

“Emman,” his father called.

“If you do not want to go further, you can always go back on your own. No one is stopping you.”

That seemed to make him angrier as he let out a loud growl. Wrong move. The pack alpha growled louder, dominating, tackling him down. Everyone is tensed as they watched them battle for dominance, no one moves, all afraid to meddle with the pack alpha, until the pack alpha’s eyes turned gold.

“Submit.”

Emmanuel tried to fight but it was futile, eventually he stopped fighting and sagged on the ground. The pack alpha didn’t let go of him immediately despite the fact that the man cannot fight anymore. When he did let go of him, he made sure to shoot the man a glare before shifting his gaze to Ainar.

“Let’s move.”

The delta slowly stood up, head down in shame but his lips are downturned in rage. They all move to shift, cannot wait any longer to continue their journey.

It was two days later when they reached the last pack. Ainar is in his wolf form so his instincts are heightened. He can smell something, someone, although it’s faint. He tilted his nose up in the air, trying to sniff more of the scent but it eventually disappears.

They all shift into their human form, the pack alpha waving to a wolf in charge of guarding the pack territory to announce their presence. Ainar continued to look around, still trying to get ahold of the scent.

“Are you okay?” his father turned to him.

“Yes. I just thought I smelled something,” he answered, eyes busy looking around. He eventually turned to meet his father’s eyes.

“What did you say the name of this pack again?”

“The Midnight Pack.”