Leonel’s POV
“I can’t believe we had to come all the way here,” I heard Brian grumble from beside me as the two of us walked down the long winding hallways of the Blue Moon Pack’s main house. I couldn’t help but agree with him when he looked at me exasperatedly.
The two of us, along with some other members of our pack, had been on the road for almost three months going back and forth between the packs and collecting their Betas for the training program that was due to start soon. The program had been something my predecessors had created to ensure loyalty from the smaller packs that surrounded us.
I couldn’t begrudge the system, it was what had kept us in the lead for so many years and kept my pack safe. But d*mn if the process wasn’t an arduous experience in and of itself gathering the Betas and getting them back to Avondale.
“We’re almost done, at least, then we can start getting ready to—”
I froze mid-sentence. Something in the air caught my attention and pulled it completely away from my Beta. I didn’t know what it was at first; the feeling shot through me like a bolt of lightning, completely knocking me off my feet. I stumbled back a bit before I regained my balance.
“Are you alright, man?” Brian asked me as he walked toward me, but I could only take a large gulp as I stared at him with wide eyes and my body turned around immediately. I didn’t know where I was going, but I felt like I knew exactly where to go.
That was the first sign that told me I had found my mate.
I had heard about the experience from other wolves before, some in passing, some from my tutors who had explained all that I needed to know to me. But no one could ever truly prepare me for how hard-hitting and jostling the entire experience truly was. If someone had tried to explain it to me truthfully, I would have called them dramatic.
My nose led me to a small area of the training grounds where I found her—lip-locked with some random mutt I didn’t know. And the anger in my slipped through my lips in a taunt before I could even stop myself.
“Are you that weak little Beta?” Nice, Leonel, really smooth. I heard myself taunt her more before I had time to stop myself, and I tried not to cringe as I said the things I did. I couldn’t help the frustration that was pouring out of me, my eyes no longer on her but on the man that was at her side.
He was a boy, really. I could sense he was strong, but he wasn’t stronger than me. H*ll, he didn’t even feel stronger than her. Then again, she did have quite the reputation that preceded her. I heard her ask me something; her soft and melodious voice whipped sharp as she talked to me.
She was attacking me before I had the chance to answer, and I was just in time to stop her first attack and dodge it. Her second one, however–luck was what had saved me there. She struck down on me with her nails protruded, sharp claws merely inches from my face as she snarled at me.
I thought as quickly as I could, my body doing most of the work for me as it went on auto-pilot and twisted her around. I folded her arms over her head as I crossed them at her front, then pressed her against my chest. I watched as the boy in front of us moved forward, but I could tell he didn’t know what to do.
In this position, I had her completely restrained, my own claws so close to her neck that the boy who was with her didn’t chance anything. But I wasn’t concerned with claws or fangs or snarls. Instead, her scent overtook my senses and I was completely immobilized.
I physically felt my entire body relax at how calming it was, my muscles and bones completely succumbing to her as I breathed her in. She, like the predator her reputation made her out to be, witnessed this small glimpse of an opportunity from my end and managed to get herself out of the situation with little struggle from her side. I released her, but my eyes never strayed from her face.
I watched, instead, every twitch and movement of her facial muscles as she stared back at me with those beautiful blue eyes, those eyes more stunning than I’d seen in any photograph of her. The look she gave me no doubt replicated the one I was giving her—did she feel it too? Did she know?
A part of me wished she did. A part of me wanted her to recognize me in every way I was now recognising her. It wanted to kiss her and claim her and wipe away every atom of that other wolf who had even dared to touch her, to touch what was mine.
I had to restrain myself. Killing another wolf on his own territory, no matter the titles between us, and the cause of the attack could mean bad news for me. Then again, maybe I could get away with it, maybe they wouldn’t punish me when I claimed her as my mate and they saw that I had every right and reason to do so.
I didn’t have time to think about it much, because the idiot boy gave me exactly what I was looking for. He attacked me first, and it was little to no effort on my part to dodge and punch him back. As the fight continued, I began to feel bored and tired of the situation. It was no use beating someone who clearly held so little power compared to my own.
No matter how badly I wanted to hurt him.
I pulled back and lifted my hands up in defense, showing the two of them that I didn’t want to fight.
“We will see each other again soon,” I assured her as I took a step back from the boy in front of me and walked back toward the way I had come.
Brian was still standing where I had left him, just on the edge of their courtyard that had led off to where I found the two of them—kissing.
“What happened?”
I grumbled as he took in my appearance. My shirt was slightly crinkled from the fight between the two of them. I didn’t know how to explain, exactly, that I had met my mate in a compromising situation with another male. But no–it wasn’t that that I was angry about. She was a beautiful woman; I couldn’t begrudge her for indulging slightly.
I found later the more I thought about it that the reason I was angry was not that she was kissing someone else, but that she seemed not to recognize me as her mate. Why had she not recognized me? Surely she must have felt something; I could hear her heartbeat when she looked at me.
I stayed deep in my own head until I reached the office of the Alpha of Blue Moon, contented with the fact that at the very least my mate seemed to find me pleasing to look at. But I wasn’t going to let our story end there. I was going to see her again and find out exactly why her wolf didn’t recognize mine.
And as I walked into the office of the Alpha, a plan began forming in my mind about how exactly I was going to get that to happen.
“Alpha Leonel,” the Alpha of Blue Moon greeted me as I stepped into his office and he stood up. “You’ve traveled a long way here. I’m sure you must be tired.”
“I have no time for menial chatter, Oswald. We both know why I’m here.”
The Alpha in front of me sighed and nodded his head. “Yes, and it seems that we both have much to discuss.” I raised my brow at the older man in front of me.
Surely he wasn’t going to do what I thought he intended….