PROLOGUE

I am not fast enough.

Running through the woods, I know the others are not far behind, as they trail my scent. My wounded leg is slowing me down, bleeding and broken.

I know they are close when my beating heart constricts and the all too familiar feeling of fear grips my entire body. They cannot catch me, because if they do, I am going to die tonight.

They will kill me for sure and it will not be a quick painless death. They will make me feel every second of it, torture and abuse me until I slip away. Then wake me up and when they have had enough, only will they let me die this time.

The howls ring all around me and I know I am surrounded. The only way to escape them is to try to get away from the pack territory and reach the highway. Perhaps I will be safe among the humans, as my kind is too cruel to me.

But I know luck has never been on my side. The moon goddess doesn't favor me, as I am a wolfless omega, meant to be a slave and plaything for the whole pack. Surely, how can tonight be any different than any other night, where it all ends in pain?

I know I am crying when the cold air stings my face. But I am not crying because of the pain I feel in my physical body. I am just so tired.

Seeing the road makes me whimper as I run, dragging the damaged leg behind me and I stumble in the middle of the road.

I hear a horn and tires screeching from afar, but my ears are ringing. When I look up, I a blinded by the white lights of headlights and I immediately feel myself airborne for five seconds, before crashing down hard on the asphalt surface.

Everything dulls and eventually quietens. I can feel myself dying, and that makes me smile a little.

Finally, peace.

***

KINGSLEY

"I said I am not interested in any more introductions. I should be having a say in this," I shout at the other person on the other end of the call.

"You are an alpha now, and father expects you to have a Luna, make babies, and be a proper family Liam," my brother chuckles, not at all fazed by my outburst.

I sigh tiredly, tugging the tie and unbuttoning the first buttons of my shirt. Today was hectic; the business meeting in Michigan was a success and all I want to do now is get home, shower, and sleep.

My father, former alpha of the phoenix pack has been pestering me to take a mate. When he couldn't get me to say yes he had to bring in my younger brother who is also my beta to convince me to pick a female who would be my mate and Luna.

"Why don't you take my place then, Reece, as you seem to be more than willing to indulge Father," I mutter and he is quiet.

"Don't even joke about that. I am happy and fulfilled where I am. No need to pile up more responsibility on me, what I have and who I am is enough."

I don't blame him. Being the eldest son, I took all the responsibility of being the future alpha from a very young age. Schooled in top-notch schools and got trained so vigorously for the position. Being the alpha of the most powerful pack of the whole of the western and northern continent meant that we had to maintain our position and titles.

A lot of rogue packs were eyeing us, and being ruthless from a young age was ingrained in me. So when I was officially an alpha, I was immediately faced with other responsibilities of being an alpha.

Including having a Luna and siring future leaders of the pack.

"At this moment, I wish you were the firstborn. Then maybe I too can take a backseat on some matters," I say and I can hear his smile as he responds.

"No, you don't. You love being an alpha and take pride in it. You are just pissed you haven't found a mate and wonder if the moon goddess will favor you and bring you one, possibly a very busty female at that."

"Yeah right. I wish that was the case, but I am unlucky and not interested in romantic endeavors."

I have always wondered if my family knew about my sexual history and if they did, why they never spoke to me about it. I have never been interested in female sexual partners and having a mate who is a female is what is making my gut twist because then I won't have a choice in the matter.

But being who I am has made me cut off any romantic life I might have because of my title. I don't know if my pack would accept me if they knew I preferred men, what my father would think if he knew I wouldn't be siring future pack leaders.

"Because you haven't met the right one. When you meet her-"

I am so lost in my thoughts and my brother's voice droning in the background that I don't see the figure in the middle of the road until it's too late.

My car hits them and a body flies over the car and falls, as I brake and turn the wheel so hard and fast, but I am not fast enough.

Fuck!

"What happened!" my brother asks as I rush outside the car, running towards the body that is twisted in all the wrong ways, unmoving.

"Please don't be dead," I whisper as I kneel and realize it's a boy.

Checking his heartbeat, I realize he is alive, but it's weak. His breathing is so weak too that he will be dead in minutes if I don't do something.

"Fuck!"

Just as I am about to carry the boy, I hear wolves running in my direction, but they are still at a distance. That's when I scent the boy still on the ground and realize that he is a werewolf, but a very weak one. The others must be his pack.

But if I wait for them to come, he will be dead by then

I touch him, to pick him up and I freeze.

Mate!

No, it can't be! I have always dreamt of blue eyes that are so dark they look like a raging storm and midnight black curls hair. I have been having that dream ever since I turned eighteen and I couldn't find a mate on my red blood moon.

It has been four years now, and still, I haven't seen the one I dream about.

But seeing the bleeding unconscious boy in my hands with his wild unruly curly hair and my wolf shouting mate, I know that I have found him.

 I just hit my mate with a car and he is dying in my arms.

That thought snaps me out of the freeze mode and I act suddenly. I carry him to my car, laying him in the backseat.

"Don't die on me, not tonight," I whisper to him, as I slip in my driver's seat and drive off as fast as I can.

"Liam! Are you there? What happened?" Reece asks and I snap out of the haze I am in, as I look at the rearview mirror and the unconscious bleeding boy, on the brink of death.

"I hit someone, I wasn't looking. I need to heal him."

I don't know why I don't tell him I'm just my mate. It all feels unreal and like a nightmare, because he is dying in my backseat.

"Is he okay?"

"No, but I am going to make sure he is. I am going to heal him because I am too far from any hospital."

"No! No, you can't! You don't know if he is human or not," Reece immediately objects like I expected him to but I have already made up my mind.

"I am driving away from his pack because I can't have witnesses, I need to keep him alive, he is dying and his blood will be on me."

"But your healing ability only makes the one you have healed attached to you! What will happen when he wakes up?"

"He can't die. Not tonight," I shout as I hang up the phone and look at the boy.

"I am going to save you."