Chapter 3 Zane

The midnight breeze swept my face and my wolf howled in excitement. The pressure of today was almost suffocating and Spark, my wolf, he was itching to get out. "Alpha Zane" the tall blond man started, proceeding with caution. "You and I know you need to find a Luna. You need heirs if we are to grow in the future." Grant, my Beta and second in command placed his proposal. "I know we can't bring back Lila but we can keep your legacy alive" he tried but failed miserably at hiding the sadness in his voice when the previous Luna's name was mentioned.

He had been trying to get me to find a new mate. But I wasn't sure I was ready to forget about Lila so soon. She was the only one who understood me. She saw through the tough exterior I put up. Her warmth spread through my cold walls, melting them away. I knew he was saying this for the good of the pack but the death of a fated mate could deal great damage. I grunted without saying a word. My pack knew me to be a man of little words, succeeding my father at just nineteen. I learnt over the years that it was better to act than talk. "I'll think about it Grant" I finally gave a reply. I also knew half of the reason he was insisting on this was because his daughter was coming of age. She was a suitable match for me on paper but something was missing. In no time I shifted and Spark let out a liberating howl, strong enough to shake the ground. He ran through the forest with lightning speed and halted at the edge of a cliff. We stayed there for a while till he picked up a scent. It was sweat but it smelled delicious making me groan inwardly. He took a bigger whiff of it and he wagged his tail in excitement. I could tell he was curious about where it was coming from. Whenever Spark got excited it never ended well. "Spark?" I warned him with our mind link but knowing him, he darted straight for the trees ignoring me. He ran through the forest, stopping a few feet away from a lake. The dark veil of night was brightened by the moonlight and I saw her... The sweat glistened on her pale skin and her black hair fell gracefully to her back, damp strands sticking to her forehead Her luscious chest was heaving as she stared at the reflection of the moon dancing on the lake. Mate Spark was so riled up that he took a step closer to see her properly but stepped on a twig earning a head turn in our direction. Before I could protest he lunged out from the shadows pinning her to the ground. The shock on her face was evident as she trashed under his hold but it was a wasted effort. I was about to caution him again when we felt a surge of electricity. At initial contact it burned making Spark to finally jump back but after a while we missed the lingering feeling. Run. That would be the reaction of anyone who saw a ten foot wolf, werewolves included, but she came closer and her tiny hands reached for the back of his neck. Spark lowered himself a bit for her to touch him. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. She was petting him like he was a home groomed dog. The contact was intense with every stroke and he let out a low growl. I could hear the violent pounding of her heart. She was afraid but held her position. The proximity was getting to Spark, her savoury smell intoxicated us and I had to shift before he did anything extreme. I thought things would be better in my human form but my body moved on it's own and before I realized I was holding her. "Mine" I almost didn't recognize my own voice. It was laced with raw desire and my vision blurred with need and the next minute my lips found hers The kiss was desperate. I was desperate. I hadn't felt anything like this. Even with Lila. It was infuriating. Spark's voice was writhing in my head. His need seemed to surpass mine "Mark her!" His voice growing louder as my head was buried at the crook of her neck. I would have done it. Without hesitation. I would have made her mine... if she didn't just knee me in the damn nuts. But thankfully that did the trick and I snapped out of the trance. Guilt washed over me as I watched her pick up a frail branch and pointed it at my direction. Fuck. Nice going Spark. "I-I'm sorry" "Yeah dude... you should be" Her voice sounded like a sweet melody in my ears even as they trembled "You almost marked me... I don't even know you" An amused chuckle escaped me. "You didn't seem to be complaining when you were kissing me" "Are you serious?" she almost screamed her voice going up an octave. The face she made was adorable as she stood there gaping at me in disbelief but she didn't appreciate my reaction much as she turned to leave. Whiney Spark made a sound of protest. "Wait... wait I'm sorry" "I don't know what came over me" I grabbed her hand stopping her mid action. I couldn't help but glance at her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. "It's fine" she said but her face told a different story. She wiggled out of my hold and ran into the trees. Follow her. No Spark. Most of this was your fault. And I knew that it wouldn't do us any good. She needed to process whatever just happened... alone. So did I. I ran back to where I shifted initially and picked up my clothes from the ground before returning to my house. As Alpha, I made sure our kind lived closer to the woods where we could shift without being seen by the humans. But you could never be too careful, precautions were still put in place. I ran my hands over my hair and tried to push away the feelings gnawing at me. Another fated bond? I've never heard of anyone having more than one mate... In the instance where your mate rejects you or dies, you stay alone till you die. There were no two ways about it. But considering what just happened, I started doubting everything I had ever known. I shook my head... mostly at myself since Spark decided to give me the silent treatment for not marking her quicker. As I entered my room a sharp movement caught my eye and I instinctively pulled out the dagger I always kept in my boot. In a flash it was on the neck of the intruder but his blue eyes just shined with excitement back at me. I lowered the weapon and let out a disapproving grunt "What are you doing here Brent" "Is that anyway to treat your brother?" his crooked smile always found a way to ruin my mood.