On the roof of one of the tall mansions in the the Qinn's territory, surrounded by the ocean of the hidden island, was a man.
Not just any man.
Supreme Alpha Riven Qinn. Alpha King of Dark Creek Pack, Supreme Alpha of all other packs. Strongest and most powerful lycan ever. His domain stretched forth over the entire island that was hidden by the Fae. The Qinn legacy was known to be the wealthiest and strongest bloodline through out the entire realm of the supernatural creatures.
Riven Qinn had everything. Wealth. Power. Dominance. Immortality.
But one thing remained absent in his entire life. A mate. Mates were what completed the life of the shifters. It didn't matter how long you've lived. If you didn't have your mate beside you, it was all for nothing.
After living for centuries, Riven had begun giving up hope of ever finding his one true mate. As the years went passed, so did his hope. And he wondered what crime he had committed to make the moon goddess Selene punish him that way.
Right now he stood at the roof of his mansion, looking round his territory. It was a full moon night and it reminded him of another day without his mate. The clear sky and silver glow of the moon made him yearn for a run.
Right on top of the roof, he shifted. Bones crunched and popped, breaking down and rebuilding as his body slowly gave way to the form of his beast. Fair skin receded and golden coloured fur emerged, the colour of the Qinn family. His eyes slowly changed from light brown to bright gold. His golden coloured hair receded as his transformation completed.
Right there on the roof was Riven in his lycan form, a golden coloured beast, crouching low with his back hunched. It was such a beautiful and terrifying sight. Riven raised his head to the sky and a long howl emitted from his mouth.
He bounded down the side of the building and leaped into the forest. The air was sweet on his nostrils and the feel of the earth underneath his paws made him giddy. He raced through the trees, howling to the moon and enjoying the thrill of being out in the open.
Suddenly he stopped.
A strange scent wafted through his nose. It was the sweetest scent he had ever perceived. It wrapped around him, soothing him, soothing his wolf. It calmed him totally. The scent was divine. This scent was what he had been searching for.
Riven followed that sweet scent, tracing it to where it was coming from. His heart boomed wildly in his ears and he was antsy with anticipation. Could it be? Did the moon goddess finally decide to have pity on him? So many possibilities went through his mind as he raced through the trees towards the ocean. He bust out from the front of the island where the scent was thicker.
And then he saw her.
Lying so still on the ground that he almost thought she was dead. But under the glow of the moonlight, her chest moved rhythmically. She was alive. She was almost buried underneath the wet sand.
As he moved cautiously towards her, he could see her clearly. She was dressed in a sack material that was plastered to her body. Her feet were bare and her hair was matted to her face, leaving just her eyes exposed. Her hands were buried under the sand on either sides. She was breathing but so still.
Riven felt his blood humming. The scent was unmistakable. It was glorious, a sweet mixture of roses and apples. It called to him, pulling him closer until he was crouching beside her. One furry arm lifted tentatively and he touched the side of her face that was exposed.
An electrifying tingle went up his hand and moved over his body, tingling his fur and making him go mad with excitement. After so many centuries, his search was finally over.
MATE.
The word resounded repeatedly in his head. He had found her finally.
...
Layla slowly gained consciousness as she felt a soft breeze caress her body. She was laying on a soft bed, cool and soothing to her back. She could hear the roar of the ocean as the waves crashed against the shore. Was this heaven? Were there oceans in heaven? Questions roamed through her head as her eyes fluttered and opened slowly.
At first all she saw was blurriness. She blinked repeatedly until her vision was clear. And the first thing she saw was a pair of golden eyes staring back at her.
Who was this? Angels? Did angels have such beautiful eyes? Was this heaven? Then why couldn't she move? Why did she feel so weak and weighed down? Or maybe this was hell. And she was staring into the eyes of the great Lucifer himself.
Nah. If it were truly Lucifer, he would have dragged her to his flaming pool of fire. Besides, she hadn't done a single wrong thing in her entire life. Lucifer would have nothing to hold her down. Then who was this?
As she stared back at the pair of mesmerizing eyes, something strange happened. The bearer of the eyes seemed to melt and reform. The eyes changed from the hypnotizing golden hue to a calm light brown. Golden hair fell over his face and he stared at her intently.
She had to be dreaming. Did this person just change from a strange being to a human? Maybe she was mad. Maybe the entire world had gone mad. Maybe this was what happened after death, after you took your own life.
"It's okay. I won't hurt you". His smooth deep voice caressed her ears and she watched him curiously. He won't hurt her? Of course he won't. This had to be heaven where everyone loved one another.
"I'm going to take you with me now. Don't be scared my love".
Love? Layla was definitely sure that she had gone crazy. She was sure she was imagining things. Hearing things. This handsome stranger was surely a figment of her imaginations. She kept staring at him as he spoke softly to her, telling her that she would be fine. That she was safe.
And then the darkness began to pull her under again. Her eyes closed gradually and the stranger faded from her sight. Goodbye handsome stranger, she thought as she drifted into unconsciousness.
Riven watched her pass out again. He gently pulled her from under the sand and rested her on his knees. He pulled back the thick strands of dark hair from her head and turned her face towards him.
She was perfect. Even in her disheveled state, she was perfect in his eyes. Her cold pale body was enough for him to know that she had been in the ocean for too long. He had a thousand questions waiting for her but he pushed it to the back of his mind. Right now he needed to make his mate feel better.
Riven lifted her light body up and cradled her in his arms. Her head was cradled in the crook of his neck and he adjusted her so she would be comfortable. The sparks of the mate bond flowed through his body as he began to run, moving at a swift speed towards his mansion.
He arrived there in a matter of minutes and kicked the door open with his legs.
His beta and gamma looked up sharply from the couch as Riven marched in with Layla in his arms.
"Alpha?". Cade's voice was filled with questions as Riven marched passed him without a word. He looked towards the gamma and the two exchanged confused looks. Riven never showed the slightest interest in women so it was a deep shock to see him holding one so close to him.
"Who do you think the girl is?",Caleb whispered to Cade.
Riven's order was enough answer to their burning curiosity.
"Get me Henrietta. Tell her she is needed immediately. She needs to heal my mate". And Riven walked up the stairs with Layla in his arms, leaving the beta and gamma staring after him with wide eyes.
Cade, Riven's beta rushed to get the witch while Caleb went around the mansion spreading the news.
The Alpha King's mate had been found!