The True Mate

How did love turn me from the daughter of an alpha into a slave on the run...?

This is my story-and none of it was ever my choice.

Before I can tell you how I lost everything, you need to know how it all began.

My father was a respected and well-known figure, even outside our tribe.

Everyone said he was the greatest alpha in a very long time.

With the help of his friend, Draven, he united our pack. Under his leadership, we became one of the most powerful tribes.

But Draven always believed he should be the alpha.

His ego and brute strength consumed him.

My father knew this, and to keep our village from tearing itself apart, he chose to keep Draven on his side.

When I was still a child, he promised that I-his only daughter-would marry Draven's only son, Jax,

and that Jax would one day lead us as the alpha of our village.

But I couldn't honor my father's promise.

Jax was not very different from his father.

In fact, he was even worse.

He was nothing but an animal, with no manners at all.

And like his father, he believed power was everything.

The idea of being with him always made me feel sick.

Then one day, I overheard Draven talking to my father.

I froze in place, my heart pounding, as I realized they were talking about me.

"Steve, Nora has grown up and become a beautiful bride.

I think it's time we set a date for her marriage to Jax."

Steve laughed.

"Come on, Draven. Let's leave this to the kids. They should decide for themselves."

Anger flashed across Draven's face as he replied,

"Steve, my son feels that your daughter is avoiding him.

To be honest... I feel the same way."

Steve's expression grew more serious.

"Draven, that's not true," he said firmly.

"My daughter, Nora, has known since she was a child that she belongs to Jax.

She will not be with anyone else.

There's no need to create conflict over an idea that isn't real."

Draven's jaw tightened, anger burning in his eyes.

"Then talk to your daughter," he snapped.

"And come back to me with a clear date.

I don't have patience for girls' childish behavior."

A mix of fear and anger crashed over me.

I turned and left the house before they could notice.

Outside, I jumped onto my horse's back.

But two unfamiliar men blocked my path.

One of them had a long scar cutting across his blind eye.

"Where are you going, princess?" he demanded, a mocking smirk on his lips.

I ignored them and kicked the horse.

As it shot forward like an arrow, I rode through the forest without purpose.

My mind was crowded with a flood of thoughts.

I didn't want to face them.

And I couldn't marry Jax.

But I knew very well what my decision would lead to.

Refusing him would tear the village apart.

It could even start a war.

Then a strange sensation pulled me out of my thoughts.

I felt the world slow down around me.

Confused, I didn't understand what was happening-until it hit me.

The scent.

It wrapped around my senses without warning.

Wild. Warm.

A sharp shock went through my chest, stealing the air from my lungs.

An idea suddenly hit me.

My friend Samar once told me how her mate's scent affected her, before she ever saw him.

Is this what I think it is?

Could this be my mate's scent?

That warm pressure in my chest...

Could this be the same feeling?

My hands tightened in my horse's mane as my heart skipped violently.

I felt my hole body ignite.

I slowly turned my head toward the source of the scent.

He stood not far ahead-tall and handsome, his presence impossible to ignore.

His powerful body moved with effortless strength as he swung an axe into the trees.

And wore only worn trousers, his bare body shining with sweat.

Sunlight touched his skin, highlighting the strong muscles of his stomach.

My breath caught painfully.

My wolf raged inside me-restless, alert, and drawn to him against my will.

As my hands pulled tighter on my horse's mane, the horse spooked and drifting off the path.

I lost my balance, fell off.

My body slammed against a tree.

And pain shot through me.

Suddenly...

Before I could even catch my breath, I felt a hand reaching toward me.

"Are you okay? Do you need help?" he asked, concern in his voice.

For a moment, I froze.

My eyes were lost in the lines of his face, the dark intensity in his eyes.

His messy hair, from swinging the axe, somehow looked perfect.

I felt my cheeks burn.

Embarrassment and confusion crashed over me.

Trying to hide my feelings, I shoved his hand away.

"Mind your own business. I don't need any help," I shouted.

Then sprang to my feet and ran toward my horse.

I resisted the urge to look back and rode off.

But as soon as I took off on my horse, a sense of danger crawled up my spine.

Glancing toward the trees, i saw shadow moved swiftly between the trunks.

Then I saw them more clearly.

The man with the scar across his blind eye-

and his companion.

The same two men who had crossed my path when I left home.

Why are they here?

I kicked my horse, forcing it to run faster.

Behind me, a low, inhuman growl rolled through the forest.

My heart pounded violently as one terrifying truth hit me-

I'm no longer just running.

I'm being hunted.

Did she just shove my hand away and run?

I froze in my place, recalling what had just happened.

One moment, I was busy cutting some wood near my cabin.

Suddenly, I felt a surge of unease I couldn't explain.

I felt my very soul being pulled.

Then I found myself looking in her direction.

She was riding a horse, her long black hair moving up and down with the motion.

Drawn to her like a magnet, my eyes were lost in her beauty, tracing every small detail as she looked at me.

Suddenly, she fell from the horse.

I was certain I felt her pain the moment she hit the tree trunk!

Without thinking, I threw the axe aside and ran toward her.

But when I stretched my arm to help her up,

she shoved my hand away and left!

...

What's that?

A sound in the forest pulled me out of my thoughts.

Then i saw a shadow sprinting behind her-something was following her.

I had lived alone long enough to recognize danger when it crept this close.

And I know that scent.

The aggressive scent of wolves on the hunt.

Suddenly, a deep voice echoed in my head:

SAVE HER...

Who... who is there?

MOVE... the voice demanded.

It came from inside me!...

...Could it be my wolf? It can't be.

No matter how hard I tried, the wolf inside me had never awakened.

I can't explain what that voice is, but there is no time for that.

If she is in danger, I have to do something.

So i started running.

But my speed is nothing compared to her horse-or to the wolves behind her.

I can hear it, the growl of a wolf stalking its prey, ready to strike.

Even this far behind, somehow I can hear it.

SAVE HERE...

The strange voice repeated inside my head, sharper this time.

And with it, I felt my muscles pulse, thickening with raw, unfamiliar power.

I have to reach her.

I have to make sure she's safe.

My legs propelled me forward at a speed I didn't think was possible.

Then a sharp scream rang out-it was hers.

A roar ripped from my chest in response.

"Noooooo!"

My voice echoed through the trees as my speed doubled.

Some how, i could feel her...

Why do I feel her fear?

When did she start meaning this much to me?

Not used to the unnatural speed, a large branch flashed in front of me.

So fast there was no time to dodge.

I instinctively took cover behind my shoulder, crashing through it as the branch exploded into splinters.

And just beyond it, I finally arrived.

She was there, lying on the ground.

Her horse lay dead beside her, claw marks torn deep across its body.

In front of her two wolves stood coiled and tense, their eyes locked on me after my dramatic entrance.

One of them was bigger and stronger, with claws marks in one blind eye.

Logic screamed that I can't win.

That I should run.

That this isn't my fight.

But seeing the fear in her eyes made my veins burn with rage.

My usual calm was replaced by a fury I had never known.

"Stay away from her," I shouted.

Then one of the wolves lunged at me, claws flashing.

My body reacted on its own, and I leaned aside just in time-the claws missed me by a hair.

The wind of its strike grazed my skin.

I found myself off balance and nearly fell, but as I stumbled, my hand closed around a heavy branch on the ground.

As the wolf returned with another attack, I pushed myself upright, swinging the branch with everything I had.

The branch shattered against its jaw, sending the wolf crashing into a tree.

But the other wolf attacked me from behind.

I screamed, pain tearing through my shoulder as its fangs sank deep into my flesh.

Desperately, I tried to shake the wolf off my back.

Then I saw her looking at me-worry and rage replacing the fear in her eyes as she moved, running straight toward me, bones shifting, claws ripping into the earth.

She transformed mid-stride.

For a heartbeat, I forgot the fight.

She could have run.

She should have run.

Her wolf was fast and strong enough to escape this place.

So why wasn't she running?

Why was she charging straight at me?

But the wolf I had smashed with the trunk wasn't finished.

It lunged at her before she could help me.

The impact sent her crashing to the ground.

And the wolf slammed down on top of her, fangs glistening and dripping with saliva, hovering just inches from her neck, a low growl rumbling from his throat.

As i saw that something inside me snapped.

A faint silver gleam flashed across my vision.

With a roar, I twisted the wolf biting my shoulder-

ripping it off me and slamming it into the ground.

I didn't feel its fangs tearing into my arm,

didn't feel its claws raking across my skin as it fought back.

None of it mattered.

Blinded by rage,

my fists crashed into its ribs again and again-

and at the edge of my vision, she was fighting the other wolf.

Who is this man?

Why did he follow me, and why is he risking his life like that to help me?

Questions I couldn't explain as I felt the wolf inside me take over with rage.

But on my way to him, the other wolf lunged at me, and I fell aside with him.

And then, I was surprised by my own strength.

Being the daughter of the alpha, I was always safe.

That was my first fight, and I was winning.

It was... very exciting.

My wolf form was special. Rare. Something they called the Black Wolf.

I had never understood how special I was... until today.

In my rage, my power was overwhelming. The wolf attacking me had no chance.

In a few seconds, it was gravely wounded and running away.

Then I looked to the side.

The mysterious man who was trying to help me-he was on the ground, full of blood, on top of a dead wolf.

"Hey... are you okay?" I asked as i transformed back to my human form.

No answer...

He was alive, but unconscious.

It must be because he lost too much blood.

His body was full of bites and claw marks.

Under him, the wolf lay dead, with shattered ribs and broken bones.

Did he do all that in his human form?!

That was hard to believe!

I took my time bandaging him up and taking care of his wounds.

But then I heard them...

A pack of angry wolves,

growling as they slowly appeared between the trees.

Two? No. Four, or maybe more.

The wounded wolf who fought with me was behind them.

I shouldn't have let him escape.

Looking around in fear,

Black wolf or not, I can't fight them all.

I glanced at my mysterious hero.

He should be safe. I already stopped his bleeding,

And they are hunting me, not him.

So I left him and started running in the direction of my village,

And I could hear them after me.

Winning that fight made me more confident.

I can do this...

I dashed between the trees, trying to lose them.

Come on, just a few more miles and I will reach the border of my village.

They can't follow me there.

Suddenly, I heard more wolves.

No... I'm surrounded.

Two more wolves appeared from the sides,

They just ran next to me.

But they didn't attack!

Suddenly, I stopped.

There was a man standing in front of me, cutting off my path.

with three more wolves behind him.

I knew that man... It's Ray the Red Fang,

Alpha of the Red Moon Tribe.

Trying to catch my breath, I yelled at him,

"What do you want? Are you trying to start a war with us again?"

Ray smiled.

"Little princess, the war never stopped."

He started walking toward me.

"But if you want, you can stop the war forever."

I stiffened.

"Me? What do you mean?"

"First, I have to apologize. We are sorry. We didn't mean to scare you.

We just had to be sure the rumors were true."

"Rumors?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

"We heard that the alpha of the Thunderhowl Tribe has a rare breed.

That behind your beautiful, innocent face...

you hide the legendary Black Wolf."

He looked at me coldly.

"To be honest, my first thought was to kill you."

But my son changed my mind.

Suddenly, I felt another presence behind me.

With a soft touch on my shoulder,

my skin shivered... When did he get there?

He was a handsome young man, trying to cover my shoulder with a tall, soft robe.

Then he whispered in my ears,

"Don't worry, I will not let anyone hurt you, nor force you into a marriage you don't want."

I stepped away, confused, looking at him with eyes full of questions.

"I know they want to force you into marriage" he said "and I also know what it's like to feel alone in this world."

He had a reassuring smile on his face, walking around me slowly.

I could feel his eyes studying me carefully.

Then he continued,

"I felt alone knowing that I'm the only Black Wolf in this world, but when I learned about you, I felt it was fate."

Before I could object, he grabbed my hand.

"Go back to your village now. You are free to do whatever you want,

but I humbly ask you for a chance.

Let us know each other better."

I stared at him, trying to understand what he just said.

He grabbed my hand and continued, "For more than twenty years, people thought the Black Wolf bloodline was lost forever.

And now there are two of us.

Maybe it's not a coincidence.

Maybe we were meant to be together.

Just think about it."

Then he gently kissed my hand and left.

And they all followed him.

I found myself alone in the forest, speechless.

What was all that about?

I felt the soft material of the well-made robe hugging my body.

Compared to Jax, this young man is surely an upgrade, bit i wonder what his true intentions are...

And on my way to the village, my mind kept drifting to that mysterious man who fought a wolf with his bare hands for me.

But i didnt know that Jax had his spies watching from afar the whole time...

___

A while later, in Draven's house, Jax was listening to his spy,

"Yes sir, I'm sure. The son of Ray, Alpha of the Red Moon Tribe. And they are waiting for her decision."

Jax stood, anger clear on his face, his fist clenched tight, "And that strange man-are you sure she was alone with him in the forest, personally tending to his wounds?"

The spy answered "Yes sir."

Jax clenched his teeth and said in a deep, frightening voice, "Bring him to me."