peak of her, and you will find yourself strung up on a flagpole,” I growl at him, “Smy voice foreign even to me.

I barely recognize my anger or the things I say before spitting them out. His face turns purple, and Donnie tries to take over when I unclench my hands, letting him go. I step away as he gasps for breath, clutching his throat and coughing.

“They can go,” I spit at him, walking off and toward the forest behind the packhouse.

I roam the forest aimlessly, wasting hours searching for rogues, looking for any sign of them. However, word seems to be getting out that people are going missing near my borders. Definitely not anything that will work to my advantage.

As the veil of darkness falls over the land, I still find nothing, not even a whiff of their rotten stench. I turn around, getting closer to the direction of home, I catch something from the corner of my eye. I can barely make out the burning scent of a fire, but it's enough to keep my attention focused on it. I walk to the clearing to see if I can spot smoke polluting the air.

“Uncharted,” Donnie says when we realize it is coming from the other side of the mountain. It is usually off-limits because it borders a human town. Wolves usually steer clear in case of hunters, yet it is the only sign we have had in days. We decide to chance it, and trek our way around the mountain only to come to the river. “Let's go home,” Donnie whines all of a sudden.

A little too late to change my mind as I have already pushed through the water to the other side and got washed downstream before reaching the other side.

“How are we meant to force a rogue through the water, Andrei? We would lose them in the stream,” Donnie points out before receding.

I just want to check it out and find out where this camp is. How is that a crime? It’s a simple hike around the place and some sightseeing experience, that’s all.

Since the moon is high in the sky, I can pick out most movements in the forest. The smell of the campfire grows stronger as I move closer.

“Fuck Donnie, shift,” I tell him when he doesn’t.

“No, this is stupid. We can’t even get them home.” he snaps, refusing to shift. I can’t believe this stubbornness. How is he changing his mind every couple of minutes? Just a while ago, he was on the same wavelength as me, and now, he’s acting like a stubborn child.

Fine, I don’t need him anyway. I watch carefully for movement, but it is obvious when they pick up my scent because the forest falls silent, except for the crackling of the burning fire.

As I step into their camp, I quickly scan the surroundings. Three men sit around the campfire, holding out their hands to warm up. One in wolf form lies on the ground just a few feet away from the campfire.

The wolf’s fur is a beautiful gray color. Her fur reminds me of the color of gunmetal. No other color, not even a speck of white or black, just the gray and blue eyes that stare ahead, unseeing like there’s no life left behind them.

The she-wolf’s eyes are sad. Full of so much sorrow and pain it almost feels real. But no, that isn’t accurate enough. Staring at her, I get a feeling that I’m gazing into the eyes of the dead.

When the men finally notice my presence, they jump up from their seats. Despite their stance, I can’t take my eyes off the wolf that lies by the tree.

Unexpectedly, Donnie pushes forward. I stand frozen on the spot, confused beyond my ability to understand. I face rogues all the time, I hunt after them to get my next distraction, but I can’t move.

The stench of the rogues mixes with what is the most mouth-watering scent I have smelt since Angie. Cinnamon and vanilla invades my senses, taking over, and freezing me in place. But that’s not all - what it freezes, it sets it on fire just a moment after, and my chest burns with a feeling I can’t understand.

I stare, stunned for a second. I must be imagining it, there is no such thing as second chance mates, yet Donnie screams the word in my head before I notice one of the men run at me with a blade in his hand. In my shock, Donnie shoves forward and rips into his arm, making him drop the knife.

His screams pierce the quiet forest and bounce off the trees. The other two take off into the woods. The she-wolf gets to her feet from the corner of my eye, probably wanting to escape.

But Donnie is too overtaken by the mission on hand. He tears into the rogue's stomach, spilling his intestines onto the ground. In the meantime, the man clutches them, trying to stuff them back inside his body as if that will somehow work. We lunge at his throat. Our teeth sink into his flesh before shaking our head.

His blood sprays everywhere, all over our fur, turning the scene from a simple camping spot to a vile murder scene. The rogue gurgles as he takes his last breath, and we hear a yelp that turns into a whimper.

Donnie shifts back, and I turn around to find the wolf still by the tree. She is struggling to remove the collar around her neck. My eyes follow the chain that is attached to a tree and back to her.

She is no longer in her wolf form. Gone is the captivating gray wolf. Long, blonde hair falls to her waist and over her ass as she crouches low to the ground, trying to undo it.

As she hears the sound of my footsteps near her, she growls and shifts back to her wolf, but even that doesn't help as she struggles to get the chain undone before I approach her.

She turns on me, baring her teeth and snapping them at me. As scary as she thinks she looks, I can feel the stench of her desperation and fear as if she has bathed in it for years.

“Stop, I won’t hurt you,” I promise, but that just makes her growl louder as she steps back. Her fur hackles up, and I bend down, keeping my eyes trained on her, just in case she risks it and goes for my throat. I drop the long chain, step back and put my hands up.

“Why is she chained?” Donnie asks me worriedly as he peers back at this wolf, which appears to be ours, though I can't understand how that is possible.

“I don’t know,” I answer. I don't really want to think of why they have her chained. Just want to get it off her. First and foremost, I need to release her, and then I can try to figure out this impossible mess.

“I will unchain you. Just don’t bite me,” I warn her as I kneel down and reach for the chain. My movements are slow, just to ensure I won’t startle or scare her.

She keeps growling, her eyes not leaving me as I wrap my hand around the thick chain. I try to break it, but it is far too thick even for me to snap. Finally, I get up, moving too quickly, and she lunges at me, her teeth sinking into my arm.

That’s on me. It is my mistake to move faster than I should, but I act on instinct, and I shove her off harder than I intend. She hits the tree before scrambling back to her feet. I scramble backward on my hands and feet as the chain forces her back, yanking her backward when she lunges at my face.

I growl at her, getting to my feet, and walk over to the dead rogue by the campfire and rummaging through his pockets. There is no key on him, which means one of the other two must have it.

I look around until I find an old, worn ax stuck into a fallen tree where they are sitting. I pull it from the log and slowly turn back to the she-wolf.

Her blue eyes widen in shock and fear. I don’t get to explain my intention as she starts jerking on the chain with all her might, desperate to break it and get away from me.

“Wait, you are only hurting yourself. Stop it!” I snap at her.

My words clearly mean nothing to her, and neither does the warning I’m trying to give her. As I get closer, she continues to yank on it with more strength.

She growls at me and tries to bite me again, so I grab the scruff of her neck and shove her head down on the dirt. Carefully, not to hurt her, I step over her and squeeze her body between my legs to keep her calm.

She thrashes, and I lift the ax. I focus on the spot I need to break and bring down the ax on the chain. She yelps and my ears ring from clinking the ax. It is so blunt it takes three hits on the chain before it snaps.

Like the wind, she takes off as soon as she gets a chance, nearly knocking me over as she pulls backward between my legs and darts for the trees. I watch her disappear and scoff at how loud she’s being.

“Oh, little wolf, you don’t want to make me chase you,” I growl before shifting, gladly giving Donnie his moment to shine.

Andrei

As soon as Donnie takes full control of my body, we follow in her footsteps, letting her intoxicating scent lead us closer to our frightened little wolf.

Donnie focuses on our surroundings, looking for any sign of the she-wolf. She might be light on her feet and quick, but that isn’t enough to get away from us. We're pros at hunting.

After all, she witnessed us gutting a rogue right in front of her. That should be enough to understand that we don’t mess around.

I’m positive she would have been hard to find, except for the clink of the chain that is still attached to her neck, hitting the ground as she runs from us.

We make our way around the mountain, passing every tree, giving it a sniff to ensure we don’t lose her scent around here. She is heading in the direction of home, but when we finally reach the river, all noise she makes is drowned out by the damn waterfall.

Smart. No, she is brilliant. She knows her scent won’t be hard to follow, yet now that we have reached such a noisy place, I can't hear the chain anymore. She’s using the advantages the forest and water can give her.

"Maybe she stopped," Donnie whines, sniffing the ground and following the river. His heart desperately pounds against his ribcage as he refuses to give up. If she is what I think she might be, I can’t let her go that easily. And Donnie wouldn’t forgive me if I tried.

My eyes scan the surroundings again. What would I do if I were in her place? Where would I go, and where would I hide to get away from someone who clearly could overpower and outrun me?

"She might have jumped in to be washed downstream," I suggest to my wolf.

"Get the pack out here," Donnie suggests, still sniffing the ground and trying to find any trace she might have left behind.

I agree with his idea, the search will go more successfully if we have more eyes on the task.

Opening the mind link, I feel for what is left of my pack. I hate feeling their sadness, fear, and how tired they are. I’m well aware that I have done nothing to make things better either. Too lost in my own grief, and as much as I wish I can make it better, I can’t.

That’s why I barely use the pack mindlink these days. I am the Alpha of the pack, the leader and protector, but I fail at every task that should be a part of my nature. I have failed to protect them and ensure their safety. Just like I failed her.

"There is a gray she-wolf along the border somewhere. I need help to find her. The more men, the better. All you have to do is to track her down. No one, I repeat, no one is to touch her.” I command my pack.

As soon as the link settles and everyone has heard the order, I receive a chorus of ‘Yes Alpha.’ and cut off the link.

"What if she steps into one of the traps?" Donnie asks. He is worried about her safety and so am I. She’s scared and lost, there’s no saying how far she might go to escape.

A moment later, Donnie’s words finally sink in, and my heart stops for a second.

"Shit, I didn't think of that!" I blurt, shifting back.

My pack knows where the bear traps are. They know where the ground will swallow them, but she wouldn't have a clue. I wade through the river before climbing out. I can hear my men running through the forest. "No one touches her," I remind them as they near me.

"Exactly how do you expect them to catch her if they can't touch her?" Donnie asks.

"They don't need to touch her to catch her," I scoff. Donnie growls as I pick up a stick. "We can check the motion sensors at home, and at least then, we will know if she has crossed the river."

As we head back home, Donnie keeps whining and complaining about every little thing that invades his mind. I try to ignore him as I focus on the traps on our way home. I hit any bear trap I notice, setting them off on the way. Then, I uncover one of the holes that are placed to catch anyone not watching their step.

A loud, frustrated sigh leaves me as I ponder the aftermath. All these traps and holes are here for a reason, and once I get the gray she-wolf, resetting the traps will be an absolute pain in my ass.

When I finally approach the house, a massive weight falls off my shoulders as I rush towards the main door and enter the building, greeting some of the pack members in my way as I bolt upstairs.

I unlock the door before I walk into my surveillance room to check the wildlife cameras. Sitting in the massive chair in front of the screens, I scan all the scenes before me. I can see my men surveying the area, searching for my little lost gray wolf.

My eyebrows furrow as I notice something. "Colten, set off the traps near you in case she stumbles across them," I mindlink him the moment I see his frame appearing on one of the various screens.

"Alpha, is there a reason we are searching for this wolf?" He asks while shifting his weight from one leg to another, and staring up at the camera. I watch as he grabs a stick, setting some traps off.

"I will explain later when I know for sure," I offer him a brief excuse.

"Know for sure? I didn't imagine it. Andrei, she is our mate! Do you understand what this means? We have a second chance, mate! The Moon Goddess actually took pity on our misery and is doing this for us!" Donnie cheers in my head. I can practically feel him wiggling his tail in excitement.

Second-chance mates are unheard of. A fairytale that has never happened before. It makes me wonder if I have truly lost my mind. Perhaps all that pain, the sleepless nights, and the things I have done to rogues are backfiring on my insanity?

Hours of me staring at the screen and camera footage passes by. I almost give up on finding her until I catch sight of something coming into focus.

I quickly glance at the other cameras to see my men have also picked up something. I can barely make her out stepping into some foliage. The chain drags behind her as she crouches down low. She can sense them too.

Even from the glow of the screen, I can make out the intense panic and fear in her eyes. Her body looks like she’s shaking, and all of a sudden, I can’t understand if I’m angrier at my men for scaring her or the possibility that she might be cold.

"Got her," one of my men mindlinks me right when she takes off, heading back toward the river. This has to be the moment she realizes she has stepped on claimed territory.

"No one touches her." I remind them.

"Yep, we know," someone agrees, and I hurry into my room to grab some shorts. Now that they have an idea where the gray beauty is hiding, they don’t need me at the cameras and I can take a quick breather.

Not for too long, though, because as soon as I grab the shorts, I get another update via mindlink. "She has gone into a cave behind the waterfall," Colten tells me.

"Stand guard; I will be there soon," I order, pulling on the shorts.

I lock the house up and head toward the trees.

"The cave doesn't lead anywhere, does it?" I ask, making sure she can't escape. I might lose my shit to tromp all the way down there just to find out that she found a way to escape me again. That would not be in her best interest, it is hard enough to swallow the fact she is a rogue, let alone have her send me on a wild goose chase.

"No, it is a small dead-end cave. She won't get past us, Alpha, " he replies, and I pick up my pace.

I blame it on Donnie and his foolish eagerness to get to her, making me move faster. I am eager too, but for other reasons. I need to make sure it isn't a trick my mind is playing on me. Make sure she is real and not some figment of my imagination.

I follow the river to their location toward the base of the mountain. As soon as I reach the place, I look at my men and nod. "You can go," I tell the seven pack members staring at the cave entrance.

Water obscures the cave as it rolls down the mountain. I take in the almost fairytale-like view until the realization hits me harder than a wall of bricks. This must be where she had been hiding, and we walked straight past her.

My men leave, and I step into the water, gripping the rocks, so I don’t lose balance and slip, forcing myself through the waterfall. The weight of the pressure forces me under before I come out to a hollow in the mountain.

I step inside the small cave. The air smells damp and moldy. It is dark, and if I were human, it would be impossible to see anything inside.

Her alluring, irresistible scent instantly invades my senses. A growl erupts from her even before I notice her hiding. I walk about halfway in, and finally, I spot where she is cowering at the back.

Her head is cast down as she bares her teeth and a low growl tears out of her.

Her eyes are crazed with her fear, fight or flight has kicked in, and I can tell she is willing to try to fight her way out. Instead of provoking any immediate reaction, I sit down.

She is quiet, not taking her eyes off me, patiently waiting to see what I will do next. "I have no intentions of hurting you," I tell her, but she doesn't relax. She is acting as

any caged animal would act. I have no doubt she will attack me if I try getting closer.

"Just wait her out. She will settle when she realizes we mean no harm," Donnie suggests.

He sounds sad, defeated even. He isn’t just excited about this, Donnie is desperate to have her. He peers at her through my eyes, yet it’s clear that he doesn't want to scare her, hence why he’s holding himself back so much.

Hours pass, and she doesn’t move closer, just stands there, watching us like a statue. Her eyes never dart away from us, as if she is afraid that if she looks away, even for a second, we will attack her.

I wonder what her life has been like before we happened to stumble upon her in that camp. Obviously, she was a prisoner to those vile fucking monsters. But before that, who was she? The men who got away, have signed their death warrants for hurting her. I’ll ensure they die slowly and more painfully than any of my rogue victims have before.

I shake my head to get rid of the thoughts and focus. "Can you speak to her wolf or her human counterpart?" I ask Donnie.

"Tried. She doesn't reply, just growls at me," Donnie sighs in defeat.

"Colten, bring me a shirt, some food, and water," I mind-link.

"Yes, Alpha," he replies, and I focus my gaze back on her.

My eyebrows furrow once I notice she has finally moved. Not much, but at least there are some signs of actual life. She lies with her head on her paws, yet her eyes are still alert.

"What's your name?" I ask her. My voice echoes in the small cave, and I hate it because it does nothing but make me sound louder, I can feel a headache coming on from all this stress.

No answer.

"Well, my name is Andrei, little mate. You can shift back. There is no need to stay in your wolf form. I won't harm you. I just want to talk," I tell her.