Moonlight Run

Alpha Celeste Rivers had survived rogue ambushes, pack disputes, and even a night of tequila-fueled karaoke that ended in a full moon howl-off with her

But nothing, absolutely nothing, had prepared her for what was be to come.

Her fated mate, and what was worse than that? It was him. Hunter - Freaking - Blackwood.

Celeste gagged out loud. Right in the middle of the Annual Alpha Summit, where the most powerful leaders of the werewolf world had gathered to discuss alliances, treaties, and the usual complaints about rogue attacks.

The scent hit her first, a deep, woodsy scent that was irritatingly enticing. Like pine trees after a fresh rainstorm, and it was mixed with leather and just a hint of arrogance.

"No. No, no, n," she tried to protest.

Her wolf, Luna, practically did cartwheels in her head. "Mate! Finally! Look at him! Our perfect..."

"Absolutely not," Celeste muttered, shutting down her wolf's enthusiasm. She already knew exactly who the scent belonged to.

And the moment she turned her head, her worst fears were confirmed.

Alpha Hunter Blackwood stood across the room, looking just as horrified as she felt.

Their eyes met, and the mating bond slammed into place like a cosmic anvil dropping from the heavens.

For one brief second, neither of them moved. The entire Summit hall had gone silent, every Alpha turning to watch. This was what they lived for, a fated mate drama.

Hunter's mouth opened, then shut, then opened again.

Celeste narrowed her eyes, daring him to say something stupid.

Then he did exactly what she should have expected.

He recoiled. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Oh, trust me, I wish I was," Celeste snapped back.

A collective gasp rippled through the room. Someone in the background muttered, "Oof, that's rough."

Celeste couldn't have agreed more.

Hunter Blackwood was everything she did not want in a mate. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and unfairly good-looking. He had that whole rugged, broody Alpha thing going on, with his dark hair, intense grey eyes, and a perpetual scowl, like he was always two seconds away from ripping someone's throat out.

And okay, fine, maybe he was devastatingly handsome, but that was beside the point, because he was also Hunter Blackwood. Who was arrogant, so infuriating and extremely dramatic. And, oh, right, he was the alpha of the Shadow Fang Pack, her biggest rival.

Celeste groaned. "Nope. Nope. This isn't happening."

Hunter ran a hand through his hair, looking like he was going through the five stages of grief. "This has to be some kind of mistake."

"Uh-huh. Why don't you go ahead and take that up with the Moon Goddess?" Celeste shot back.

Hunter crossed his arms. "I don't have time for this."

"Oh, please, like I do?"

Their wolves, however, had entirely different opinions.

Luna was howling in joy. "He's strong! He's perfect! Let's go rub against him!"

Hunter's wolf, Rogue, was just as bad.

Celeste could tell by the way Hunter's jaw twitched, like he was physically restraining himself from lunging at her. She could tell he was restraining his wolf.

"He wants to mark us already," Luna purred. "We should let him."

Celeste mentally shoved her wolf into a corner. "Sit. Stay."

Hunter must have been struggling just as much because he looked seconds away from fleeing.

Then, just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, her Beta, bless his meddling soul, shouted it for the entire room to hear.

"Holy shit, Celeste found her mate! And it's Hunter!" That's when chaos erupted. Every Alpha in the room lost their minds.

"Oh, this is good."

"Did anyone place bets on this?"

"I give them a week before they kill each other."

"Two days, tops."

Celeste wanted to die.

Hunter, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to shift and sprint for the nearest exit.

"This isn't happening," he muttered again.

Celeste, ever the problem solver, decided there was only one way to handle this situation.

She turned back to the room, took a deep breath, and declared: "I reject this mate bond."

The room fell silent. You could have heard a pin fall.

Then Hunter exhaled, relieved. "Oh, thank the Goddess."

But the thing about fate was that it had its own sense of humour.

The moment the words left her mouth, her wolf howled in outrage, and, just to make matters worse, Celeste's knees buckled.

Pain. Sharp, searing, mate-rejection pain.

Hunter's reaction was immediate, his scowl disappeared, and his alpha instincts kicked in full force. Before Celeste even had time to hit the floor, Hunter lunged forward, catching her effortlessly in his arms.

"Whoa, hey," His voice was rough with something that wasn't quite concern but definitely wasn't indifference. "Careful."

Celeste groaned. "Get off."

Hunter, who, just five seconds ago, had been thrilled about their rejection, did not let go. In fact, his grip tightened. His jaw clenched. His scent wrapped around her like a damn safety blanket.

A low growl rumbled in his chest.

Celeste blinked. "Are you? Are you growling at me right now?"

Hunter frowned, like he hadn't even realized. "No."

Celeste arched an eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe," he admitted.

Celeste wanted to laugh, scream, and headbutt him just a little bit.

The Moon Goddess was really out here playing games.

And, Hunter Blackwood, her mortal enemy, her rival, her fated mate, was still holding her like he didn't want to let go.

Her scent was something wild and intoxicating, like honey and fresh rain, wrapped around him - and for a single, horrifying moment, he didn't hate it.

Then she shoved him. Hard. "Hands. Off," she snapped, planting her feet firmly on the ground. "I don't need you catching me."

Hunter held up his hands in mock surrender. "Well excuse me for not letting you faceplant in front of every Alpha in America."

"Maybe I wanted to faceplant."

"Oh, sure. Real Alpha behaviour."

Celeste narrowed her eyes. "Listen, Blackwood, I don't know what kind of weird hero complex you have, but you can drop it. This? Us? It's not happening."

Hunter smirked. "You already rejected me. There is no need to keep flirting."

Celeste let out a very undignified squawk. "I was not flirting!"

"Could've fooled me."

She took a step forward, jabbing a finger into his chest. "The day I flirt with you is the day the Moon Goddess herself comes down and apologizes for this cosmic disaster."

Hunter looked far, too entertained. "Careful, Rivers. You keep touching me like that. People might think you like me."

Celeste yanked her hand back like he'd burned her.

The room was still watching. Bets were being exchanged, drinks were being passed around, and some jerk in the back yelled, "Kiss already!"

Celeste and Hunter turned on him at the same time, simultaneously growling.

That was when the worst possible thing happened. Their wolves took over.

Luna was still furious about the rejection, and Rogue, Hunter's equally stubborn wolf, had had enough.

A surge of pure instinct swept through both Alphas, and before they could stop it, they lunged.

Not to fight. Not to attack. To claim.

Celeste collided with Hunter, chest to chest, face to face, and then their lips brushed.

It wasn't a real kiss. Not really. Just a whisper of a touch, an accident, a colossal mistake.

But it was enough for the mate bond to flare up like wildfire. Enough for electricity to shoot through Celeste's veins, leaving her lightheaded. Enough to make the entire room explode into cheers and wolf whistles.

Celeste and Hunter launched away from each other like they'd been burned.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Then Celeste, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, proud and fierce leader, did the only thing she could think of.

She turned on her heel and ran.

Hunter cursed. "Oh, for f-" but ran after her, doing exactly what his wolf wanted.

Celeste had never run from a fight in her life.

But this? This was different. This wasn't a battle with claws and teeth. This wasn't a rogue invasion or a political dispute between Alphas.

No, this was a full-on mate bond disaster that had just played out in front of every single important werewolf leader in America. And she? She had been part of it.

So yes, for Celeste, this was her only option. Her boots pounded against the grand marble floors of the Summit hall as she shoved past a very confused waiter carrying a tray of champagne.

"Excuse me-"

"Move!" Celeste barked, dodging the drinks just in time.

Behind her, she heard footsteps. Big, fast, and very determined, Alpha footsteps.

"Oh, come on, Rivers! You can't run forever!" Hunter's voice rang out, too amused for her liking.

"Watch me!" she shouted over her shoulder.

She didn't stop. Not when she passed a group of snickering beta wolves. Not when she heard someone call out, "Five bucks says he catches her before she reaches the parking lot!" And definitely not when Hunter growled low and deep, like the damn predator he was.

Her wolf, Luna, was no help. "He's fast. Strong. Go back. Let him catch us." she rumbled in her head.

"Shut up, Luna!" she said in her head to her wolf, who was now frustrating her.

Celeste reached the grand staircase of the Alpha Summit venue-a ridiculously lavish mansion that someone, somewhere, had decided was the perfect place for a gathering of wolves

She took the stairs two at a time, her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest, her mind racing as if she were on a race track, and her instincts screaming.

"What's your plan?" Luna irritated with her.

"To get to the car and get out of here. Pretend this night never happened."

It seemed like a solid plan. A good plan. But then,

a strong arm grabbed her waist, and just like that, her escape was over.

Hunter had caught her, and quite honestly, he didn't even feel bad about it.

Celeste squirmed in his grip, cursing and threatening bodily harm, but Hunter had years of dealing with stubborn wolves under his belt.

"I swear to the Moon Goddess, if you don't let me go, I will-"

"Will what?" Hunter asked, hoisting her over his shoulder.

Celeste screeched. "You did not just-PUT ME DOWN, BLACKWOOD!"

He grinned, fully enjoying himself. "Nah, I think I like you up here."

Celeste flailed. "You are a dead man, HUNTER BLACKWOOD."

He let out a chuckle. "I'll take my chances."

The Summit hall had erupted into chaos at this point, with betas, warriors, even a few Elders watching in absolute delight as one of the most powerful Alphas in the country was currently slung over another Alpha's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Someone whistled. "That's Alpha strength for you!"

Hunter smirked. "You hear that, Rivers? Alpha strength."

Celeste kicked his stomach hard.

Hunter grunted. "Okay, maybe I deserved that." But did he put her down? No.

Why? Because Hunter Blackwood was nothing if not a man of petty revenge.

And Celeste? She was sputtering with rage.

"This is humiliating!"she screamed low-key.

"Yup."

"Unacceptable!"

"Probably."

"LET. ME. GO!"

Hunter sighed dramatically. "Fine."

Then,"because he was feeling especially mischievous, and because he was Hunter Blackwood, he spun her around, right before dropping her, landing directly into his arms, bridal style.

The crowd went absolutely wild.

"Celeste?" his grin more mischievous than ever.

Celeste lost it. "BLACKWOOD, I SWEAR TO-"

"Careful, sweetheart," Hunter said, grinning down at her. "People might think you like this."

Celeste's face turned beet-red, and without hesitation, she headbutted him.

Hunter stumbled back, cursing.

"Are you insane?" he growled, rubbing his forehead.

Celeste finally freed herself, stepping back and glaring daggers. "Oh, I'm sorry, did that hurt? Here, let me do it again."

Hunter exhaled sharply.

And then, just because the universe was feeling especially cruel, the mate bond flared again. The crowd sensed it immediately, and the air thickened as the tension shifted.

Hunter noticed it the second Celeste's breathing changed, the way her pupils dilated, the way her body tensed like she was fighting herself.

He knew it because he was feeling the same damn thing. That undeniable, uncontrollable pull.

His wolf, Rogue, growled. She's ours, and for the first time that night, Hunter didn't fight it, didn't fight his wolf.

Interestingly enough, neither did Celeste.

They stared at each other. The entire room held its breath.

Then, just as something could of, or may have happened, BOOM - The lights flickered, and the walls shook.

An alarm blared through the hall, and the crowd scattered instantly.

Hunter snapped out of it. "What the hell-"

"Rogues," Celeste muttered, all humour gone.

Hunter's instincts sharpened. "Where?"

Celeste closed her eyes, listening. As she opened her eyes, she said, "the north gate. There's a lot of them."

Hunter didn't hesitate. "Let's go."

Celeste was already shifting into action. Whatever mate bond drama was happening between them, would have to wait

Right now, there was a fight to win, and Alphas like them never backed down.

"Stay close," Hunter guarded, a protectiveness covering over like a blanket.

"Just do what you need to Hunter. I'm quite capable," she commanded.

In truth, Celeste was more than capable. She'd been fighting off Rogues for a while now, but She'd also had combat training.

Celeste took a deep breath, shaking off the last remnants of the mate bond haze. The alarm continued to wail, a sharp, urgent sound that sent wolves into motion. Warriors shouted orders. Beta wolves corralled the more inexperienced pack members toward safety.

Hunter was already scanning the room, his entire posture shifting from smug Alpha to battle-ready leader.

Celeste rolled her shoulders, forcing herself to focus. The adrenaline pumping through her veins had nothing to do with Hunter anymor, this was the kind of fight she knew. This was what she was built for.

She locked eyes with her Beta, Marcus, who had appeared out of the crowd, his expression tight with concern. "The northern gate?" he asked, already anticipating her answer.

She nodded. "Yep, Rogues."

Marcus swore. "Security caught anything on the perimeter cams?"

Hunter answered before Celeste could. "No. If they had, the Elders would have been alerted sooner. Either they snuck past the patrols, or-"

"They had inside help," Celeste finished grimly.

The weight of that realization settled over them like a cold shadow. A rogue attack on a normal pack was bad enough, but an ambush at the Alpha Summit? That meant someone had orchestrated this. Someone who wanted chaos.

Celeste had never been more grateful for an interruption in her life, even though she still had to deal with Hunter Blackwood and the utterly humiliating mate bond situation.

As well as the entire Alpha Summit that had witnessed her getting manhandled like a stuffed toy in the paws of a toddler.

She was adamant that she was still going to murder Hunter the first chance she got. But for now, the Rogues were attacking, and that meant punching something.

Which, honestly, was way better than standing there, staring at Hunter and wondering what his lips tasted like.

(Probably trouble. Absolute trouble.)

She shoved those thoughts aside as she bolted toward the north gate, Hunter running at her side.

"Try to keep up, Blackwood," she muttered, shifting into her wolf form mid-stride.

Hunter barked a laugh and followed suit, his wolf, Rogue,"emerging in a flash of thick black fur and deadly strength.

The moment they hit the courtyard, chaos exploded. It was one Messy, Blood-Filled Battle Later...

Celeste panted, shaking the blood off her fur.

The attack had been short and brutal, but between the combined forces of the Alphas present at the Summit, the rogues hadn't stood a chance.

Most had been eliminated. The rest fled, running for their lives.

"I got three," Hunter called out, shifting back into his human form beside her, looking infuriatingly attractive for someone covered in dirt and rogue blood.

She shifted back as well, rolling her eyes. "Four."

Hunter grinned. "Oh? Are we keeping score now?"

She gave him a mocking smirk. "I mean, if it helps your ego, I can let you think you won."

Before he could respond, a Beta warrior ran up to them.

"Alphas! There's-uh-an issue."

Celeste groaned. "Of course there is."

Hunter cracked his knuckles. "What kind of issue?"

The Beta hesitated, then, with an expression of deep regret, he said, "We lost one."

Celeste blinked. "Lost one? What do you mean lost-"

The Beta winced. "A rogue escaped... and, uh... he climbed onto the roof."

Silence filled the air.

Celeste and Hunter both stared at him. Then, in perfect sync, they both said: "He WHAT?"

The problem wasn't just that a rogue had escaped. It was more of a problem as to how he had escaped.

Instead of running into the forest like a normal rogue, this one had somehow scaled the damn Alpha Summit mansion like Spider-Wolf.

Now, he was perched on the highest peak of the roof, snarling like a lunatic while an entire squad of warriors stood below, absolutely baffled.

"I don't get it," one muttered. "Why go up there?"

"Maybe he wanted a better view?" another offered.

Celeste pinched the bridge of her nose. She did not have time for this.

"I'll handle it," she muttered.

Hunter snorted. "No way. I'm handling it."

Celeste turned to him, crossing her arms. "And what exactly is your brilliant plan, Blackwood?"

Hunter grinned. "Simple. I climb up, drag him down, and-"

"Absolutely not," Celeste cut in. "You'll fall and break your dumb face."

Hunter put a hand to his chest. "Are you worried about me, Rivers?"

She scoffed. "Worried? No. I just don't want to explain to the Summit why I let the great Alpha Blackwood launch himself off a building like an idiot."

Hunter laughed. "Sounds like a personal problem."

Before she could protest, he stripped off his shirt and started stretching.

For a second, Celeste forgot how to breathe, as she stared, because, even though she'd seen many Alpha's shirtless before, this was Hunter Blackwood, and he had no business being that attractive.

His muscles were ridiculously sculpted, his shoulders broad, his abs sharp, and his strong arms that definitely looked like they could hold her-

Wait. No. What was she thinking. "Pull yourself together and focus Celeste, this is Hunter Blackwood."

"Enjoying the view?" Hunter teased.

Celeste snapped back to reality. "No."

Hunter smirked. "Liar."

She was going to kill him, but first, she was going to watch him fall off that damn roof.

Hunter attempted to climb the roof but did not make it to the top.

Oh, he tried. He really did. But halfway up, the rogue snarled and hurled a loose shingle straight at his face. Hitting him hard, causing him to lose balance.

Then, with the grace of a man who had made several bad decisions in his life, Hunter lost his footing and plummeted straight back down.

Celeste did not laugh.

(That was a lie. She laughed so hard she almost cried.)

Hunter groaned from the ground. "I hate this guy."

Celeste grinned down at him. "Want me to handle it now?"

Hunter sighed. "Yeah. Fine."

She winked. "Try not to miss me too much."

Then, before he could get in a snarky comeback, she shifted into her wolf, dug her claws into the wall, and scaled the mansion like a pro.

Hunter, who was still flat on his back, grumbled. "Show-off."

Celeste hadn't heard his comment. She reached the peak of the mansion in less than a minute.

The rogue whipped around, his eyes wild. "Stay back!" he snarled. "I'll jump!"

Celeste blinked. She was so done with this night.

"You're threatening to... jump?" she repeated, deadpan.

The rogue hesitated. "Uh. Yeah?"

Celeste tilted her head. "From... what? The roof?"

"YES."

She stared at him, then, at the very, very soft bushes below, then turned back to him and said, unimpressed, "Okay, go for it. Don't mind me."

The rogue froze. "Wait. What?"

"I mean, if that's your plan, I won't stop you." She shrugged. "But fair warning? It's, like, a six-foot drop. You'll be totally fine."

The rogue glanced over the edge, and slowly, realization dawned.

"...Oh," he muttered.

"Yeah," Celeste said, crossing her arms. "Not exactly dramatic, huh?"

The rogue sighed. "This is embarrassing."

She patted his shoulder. "A little bit, yeah."

Hunter's voice drifted up from below. "Are we done? Or is he still contemplating his life choices?"

Celeste rolled her eyes. "We're done."

The rogue grumbled but allowed himself to be dragged down.

The moment they hit the ground, Hunter grinned.

"So, uh..." Who handled it better?"

Celeste smirked. "Me. Obviously."

Hunter chuckled. "Fine. I'll give you this one."

Celeste raised an eyebrow. "This one? Oh, Blackwood. I handle everything better."

Hunter leaned in, voice low. "We'll see about that, mate."

Celeste's heart skipp a beat, damn this man, damn the mate bond, and damn the way her wolf wanted to melt every time he got this close.

She huffed. "Go fall off another roof."

Hunter laughed.

And Celeste?

Celeste pretended she wasn't enjoying this way too much.