The smell hit me first.

It was unlike anything I'd ever smelled, sharp, wild, electric-a storm blowing in. I felt it wrap around me like a cocoon and it stirred my wolf in a way that sent ripples down my spine. My instincts stirred restless and true, warning me that something huge was about to happen. I squeezed my eyes shut and refocused on the sound of the gym, but the smell persisted, tugging for my attention. My breathing caught, and my eyes instinctively scanned the room.

The inter-pack high school event was an annual occurrence that was always such a chore. Just one big show-and-tell for Alphas to parade their kids in front of one another, each trying to outdo all the others with meaningless feats of strength and prestige. I could normally get through it just fine, faking disinterest as the situation called for it. Today was different, though. There was an electric tingle in the air, carried on whispers that my world was going to shift.

First, I didn't see it-the parting of the crowd, too ensnared by the weight of the atmosphere. Then, the whispers began: low, hushed, with tones of awe and just a hint of fear. My gaze followed theirs.

Xander.

Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack. His presence dominated the room: tall and broad-shouldered, every inch the embodiment of the fearsome leader the rumors made him out to be. He moved with a confidence certain of a place in this world-at the top. His dark eyes scanned the gym like a predator surveying his prey, uncaring of the people around him, as if they were mere obstacles in his way to somewhere. Barely, he glanced at them, and they shrank under his aura.

In an instant, he entered, and the air seemed to writhe, buckling to his whim. Whispers of his name rippled through the crowd- **Xander Stormclaw**-a name uttered with respect and fear. His reputation preceded him. His pack was known for ruthlessness, their equal unknown upon the battlefield. And now, his gaze was fixed on me.

When our eyes met, it was as if the world tilted. My wolf surged in a low growl that rumbled in my chest, and in that moment, I felt it-a bond snap into place, electric and undeniable, leaving me lightheaded. My heart raced as my body hummed with recognition. **Mate.**

No. This couldn't be happening.

I tried to steady my thoughts, but my wolf had already made her decision. Xander—Alpha of the most feared pack, the one my family had warned me about all my life—was my mate.

My heart thundered in my chest, and panic began to claw at me. I wanted to move, to run, but I was stuck where I stood, pinned under the weight of his gaze. He strode through the crowd, each movement calculated and unhurried, with a confidence only a man like him could pull off. The smooth, predatory grace of his steps made me feel just like a little ball of injured prey just begging to be hunted. My wolf strained at the leash, desperate to go to him, to give into the tug of the bond and follow him anywhere. I wasn't ready. How could I be?

Xander stopped mere inches from me, his presence overwhelming. His dark eyes bored into mine, intense, unyielding, and my heart stuttered a beat. My wolf howled in recognition; every part of me screamed that he was the one. But I couldn't accept it. Not here. Not now.

"Lena," he said, his voice deep, authoritative, like he already owned me, like he had every right to speak my name as if the name belonged to him.

How did he know my name?

I stared up at him; my brain racing to find a response, but all I could feel was the smothering weight of the bond. Strong, overwhelming, and screaming loudly in my ears, this was **Xander Stormclaw**—Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack, our long-standing rival pack.

"You feel it, don't you?" His voice was a challenge that seemed to almost defy me to deny the truth.

I couldn't ignore it, though-the bond, a wildfire burning its way through me; my wolf practically purred in satisfaction as I was aware of every fibre of my being being drawn to him, the connection between us unbreakable. Yet I couldn't allow it. I was the future Alpha of the **Silver Ridge Pack**. This wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to be mated to him-of all people.

"I—" The words choked in my throat; my brain frantically searched for an out.

"You're mine," Xander said, as though that were the most natural thing in the world, ordained by the moon itself.

His words hit me like a physical blow. **Mine.** The word came low and husky, and the way he said it sent a shiver down my spine even as a weird thrill ran through my veins. I should have fought back, pushed him away. I didn't. The bond pulled at me, relentless, and I couldn't think.

I don't belong to anyone, I managed to whisper, but even as the words left my mouth my wolf rebelled, pushing me toward him.

Xander's lips curled into a slight, knowing smirk. He leaned in closer and his scent-wild and intoxicating-wrapped around me, making it hard to breathe. "We both know that's not true, Lena. The bond has already chosen.

My heart betrayed me, racing wildly in my chest no matter how hard I tried to fight the reaction of him being so close. The mate bond didn't care about rivalries, didn't care about my fears or the warnings from my family. It only cared about one thing-**fate**.

"We're from rival packs," I said, grasping for anything that would make this not feel so inevitable. "This can't happen.

His eyes darkened, a flicker of something dangerous crossing his face. "It already has."

Before I could respond, his hand brushed against my arm. A jolt of electricity shot through me, and my wolf howled in approval. I gasped, stepping back, but the bond yanked me toward him, stronger than ever.

"Don't fight it, Lena," he said softly, though his voice carried a command that left no room for argument.

I stared at him, the muscles of my chest clenching with the force of a thousand confused fears. How could this be real? How could I be mated to **Xander Stormclaw**, the Alpha of the pack we had fought against for years? But there was no denying the fact. The bond had been sealed, unbreakable and eternal.

"I need time," I said, my voice shaking.

Xander's gaze went soft, but not the intensity. After a long-drawn-out pause, he nodded. "Take all the time you need. But let me make one thing very clear-the bond won't change. You are mine."

The words reverberated in my mind as he turned and strode away, leaving me still standing there, shook right to my core.

I had been mated into the most dangerous Alpha of our region, and there was nothing to be done to escape it.

Watching him disappear into the crowd, my world had tilted, and I knew down to my very bones that everything was different. This was only the beginning, and I wasn't ready for what came next.