Chapter 4 .

Tyler

I came back from the bathroom to find the werewolf I just slept with still lying on my bed.

"Leave!" I said. My tone made it clear there was no room for argument. She looked displeased but didn't dare defy me. Without a mate to share real intimacy with, I spent my nights with random females, making sure they understand it's nothing more than pleasurable sex.

On her way out, Lena barged into the room without knocking, shooting the woman whose name I couldn't even remember a sharp glare.

Ziti, my wolf, was immediately on edge.

"She's been disrespecting us lately. And that's because you can't keep it in your pants." He growled.

"Shut it and let me handle her, grumpy!" I shot back.

"Your Majesty," Lena said in a sickly sweet voice that stopped working on me a long time ago. "I waited for you downstairs and thought I'd check your room."

Lena and I had a thing once. Not serious. Until she started hinting that if I didn't find my mate in time, I should make her my Luna.

She used to be attractive to me, but her desperation for the title killed any interest I had. My wolf never liked her anyway, so I ended it before she took it too far. That was a hundred years ago, and she still hasn't found her mate.

I don't know if she's cursed too, but even if I remain unmated, I'll never take Lena as mine.

"Don't ever come to my room without my permission. Let this be the last time." I said, my voice low with warning.

"I'm sorry." She replied, though her face didn't match her words.

"Leave!" I commanded.

I headed downstairs to my office and found her already there with Declan.

"I've got trackers on the borders, ready for anyone who tries to step into our territory. Good morning, Alpha." Declan said as I took my seat. He is my friend and Beta, we grew up together. Calling me Your Majesty feels awkward, so he sticks with Alpha.

"We will come back to that," I said.

"I want to know why the elders decided to give me an ultimatum to marry before the year ends." I looked at Lena. Her mother sits on the council, so she'd know.

"It's about the prophecy and breaking the curse." Declan said. "I think we should take them seriously and start looking for your mate."

"For over three hundred years, I've searched for her. My wolf yearns for her.

I have crossed countless borders, scoured different countries. And now the elders think some ridiculous deadline will make me find her in a few months? Their stupidity amazes me."

"Maybe we didn't search hard enough." Lena suggested. "We could try a new strategy."

"Well, good luck finding her on my behalf, because I'm done searching. And as for their threats, I'd love to see them try."

"Maybe a powerful witch or seer could tell us where to start looking, or if she's even alive," she added.

Ziti growled at her last words, refusing to accept the idea of our mate being dead.

"I wish we could find Celeste," Declan said. "She's the only one capable of that kind of spell." Celeste, the South Pack's most powerful witch, vanished years ago and hasn't been seen since.

"Your Majesty, we'll find another witch," Lena said. "But this is a journey you have to take yourself."

I hated the elder's threats, but my responsibility is to keep my people safe. More than that, I need to protect my little sister. She's been under the curse for five years, and I had to get a witch to bind her soul to keep her from going mad.

"I can't leave Bella alone, I need to know she's safe."

"I could call Dr. Chase, have him send his best doctor to care for her," Lena offered.

At least then I could focus on finding my mate. The thought of her stirred my wolf, pushing toward the surface.

"Call him now! Tell him I'll come to the hospital myself to meet this stay-in doctor and have a word." I watched her leave to make the call.

"I'm glad you're finally listening to the elders," Declan said with a smirk. "In the end, you'll be the one to benefit, you'll get the healer and your true mate."

"Wipe that smirk off your face, the next time they think about threatening me, I'll have their graves dug that day."

I stood to check on Bella. She's my only surviving family since our parents died. When the curse hit her, it destroyed her wolf first before madness took over.

Most in her condition are killed, since there's no cure. But I couldn't do it, lose my only family.

So I had a witch trap her soul in her body until we found the healer. No matter how long it takes, even if it takes centuries. I'm willing to wait. I won't lose my sister.