4

~Arsen Storm~

The door flew open and my Beta Costa entered my bedchamber. "Get dressed and then come. We're late," he said, looking at me blankly. Nobody was supposed to talk to me like that, but Costa was my beta and my best friend. He was the only one who let it go. I don't make exceptions with others.

Savanna, who had previously been sitting on me with her legs apart, jumped down from me and rushed to her things. Embarrassed, she grabbed them and quickly pulled them on before walking out of my room, past Costa.

After she was out, Costa's emotionless face turned into a grin and he threw me my boxer shorts, which I then put on after I removed the condom.

"Really? You're shagging Savanna?" he said amused.

"Yes, for a month now. Savanna is good in bed and someone has to meet my needs." I replied. But Costa just started to shake his head.

He used to be like that before he met his mate Inala. So he doesn't have to give me moral lectures. In addition, a lot of sex with werewolves is quite normal. Everything is amplified with us, our emotions, our senses and also our sex drive.

"How about you look for your mate? The pack needs a Luna!" he said with a more serious expression on his face. "If you finally found your mate, then you wouldn't always have to hop into bed with the next best wolf. Besides, if you bonded with her, you would finally find yours get full alpha powers."

"If you know that much about Mates, then tell me where I can find them. I'm already 26 and I've been looking for her for many years." I've been in every damn pack in the world to find her but I didn't. And to be honest my hope of ever finding her is dying. Maybe I have "Didn't the moon goddess give me mate? Maybe that was punishment? Or she's no longer among the living? That thought made my heart ache. Who knew, but Costa was right. The pack needs a Luna and soon. And if I can't find her, I'll have to find someone else, willy-nilly, which might be difficult because I haven't felt anything like love in ages, I don't even know what it feels like.

"Maybe you just didn't search thoroughly," Costa tried, but all he got from me was an annoyed groan.

"OUT. I have to get dressed!" I snapped at him, using my alpha voice. Shortly thereafter, Costa disappeared through the door. The topic of mate just pissed me off. If I had a mate, I would have had it long ago found.

Most werewolves find their mate between the ages of 16 and 18, as the moon goddess unconsciously brings the partners together. Not me. Not only is the pack pushing for a Luna, no, it was also my duty to provide offspring to maintain my alpha line. But I didn't want that with just any she-wolf. No. What if I bond with another she-wolf and then find my mate? I did not want to extinguish this last spark of hope so quickly. So the pack had to be patient.

I got dressed and ran out of my room. And found Costa there, who had been waiting for me outside the door.

"Can we go?" he asked. I just gave him an irritated look. "You know the monthly meeting with the Summers is today."

Oh yes, I had almost forgotten that, on this wild night. The day after the full moon is always the day when we meet our - I call them 'spies'. They live like normal citizens in the city and observe the people. If the humans have any suspicions about werewolves, they must ensure that these humans are eliminated and that no one suspects anything. Because keeping the secret of the werewolves is our highest law. Because nobody, nobody, was allowed to find out about us. The risk is far too high that hunters will find us again. And then history would repeat itself.

I just gave a quick "Yep" and off we went to my matte black Mercedes. The drive to town takes a couple of hours, so we're on our way now because the meeting isn't until the afternoon.

---

When we finally arrived in the small town, which was somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Minnesota, it was already getting dark. We got to the Summers' house and Costa rang the bell while I stood next to him, arms folded.

This monthly meeting was starting to annoy me, but I shouldn't say anything, after all it had been my idea to send werewolves among the humans to keep an eye on them.

Jacob Summers opened the door for us and first bare his neck in front of me to pay his respects.

"Alpha," he said a little nervously, which made me suspicious. "Come in."

Sure, my packmates respected me, but they usually only got that nervous or scared when I threatened with my alpha voice.

I walked in and the youngest son, I believe his name is Steven, was just coming down the stairs. When he saw me he stood in front of me and exposed his neck as well. I could see nervousness in him too. Something was wrong here.

I can literally smell the fear... But there was something else. A sweet smell hit my nose and I would have liked to follow it immediately, but Jacob led me into the living room. Here, however, he first looked around in shock and then tried to steer me out of the living room again. But I held my hand up and he didn't dare to move. Instead he watched me and tried to smile.

I frown at the chaos before me. In the living room it looked like there had been a fight and a piece of furniture lay broken on the floor. What are the Summers trying to hide from me?

"What happened here?" I asked in a stern tone.

All Jacob Summers got out was, "My sons were fighting."

But I only partially bought that, and then Costa drew my attention to something. "Do you smell that? It smells like a human!" And I actually didn't notice it at first, but under the sweet scent of vanilla I could also smell a human.

There's a human in this house. A human who might know about werewolves. A person who goes public with the information and draws hunters' attention to it!

I got angry and rushed to get rid of this person. No risk. When it came to people and whether they were allowed to know about us, I was strict. My past was enough to know that they hate the impossible for them and try to eliminate it. Because people just can't stand it if they aren't the strongest beings on earth.

I leisurely walked up the stairs and could hear the little human heart beating louder. It was afraid. I like it when they're scared. Then at least they know what it's like for us werewolves, an actually peaceful race, when they are attacked unnecessarily and families are torn apart.

I stopped in front of a door. The scent came from this room and I could hear the heart beating so loud. Soon it will stop making noise and find eternal rest.

Then I slowly opened the door and looked into the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. They shimmered as blue as the ocean itself. Now it was my heart itself that stopped for a few seconds as I looked into her fear filled eyes. But in addition to the fear there was also deep sadness in them, which made me sad too.

I didn't want her to be scared or sad.

It hit me all at once and I knew it. "Mate," I whispered so softly that even she couldn't hear. But instead of the usual joy when meeting your mate, she seemed even more frightened.

And the bigger her eyes got when I looked at her, the more my heart ached. Because all I could see in her eyes was fear. My mate is afraid of me. Not an ounce of knowledge or love.

Then my memories came back from a few minutes ago. She is human. But how is that even possible? As far as I know there has never been a werewolf with a human mate. Does she even feel this connection? Does she feel how much my heart longs for her?

I wanted you.

But I couldn't have her.

She was afraid. She didn't know what was going on and I was also completely overwhelmed with this situation, so I turned around and disappeared back downstairs. That's probably for the best. Just act like that didn't happen. Only with the conscience that I will not find another mate.

"Costa, let's go!" was all I said.

I had to get away from her. Put as much distance between us as possible. She was human and by the rules of werewolves if she knew of our existence she would have to be killed, but I didn't want to do that to her, I couldn't do that to her.

So it was better that way.

"How? you want to go? Alpha, what are we supposed to do with the girl now?" Jacob asked me.

I stayed where I was. What if they kill her now that I didn't? She's still my mate. I could never be responsible for her death.

"Does she know about werewolves?" I asked a counter question.

"No, b-but she might suspect something and find out," he brought out hesitantly.

"If she doesn't know, let her go home." I said that in my alpha voice to make sure they didn't hurt her. If anything happened to her, I could never forgive myself.

She's human, but still my mate.

"Yes Alpha," Mr. Summers said before closing the front door behind us and Costa and I made our way back to my car.

"What was that?" Costa asked now. He asked because it was unusual for me to spare someone. But if it knew who she is, he would understand me. But I can't tell anyone.

What would that look like? A powerful alpha with a human companion. Other packs would immediately exploit this weakness.

All I could say to Costa was "I don't know".

And I really didn't know that...