Damien sat in his car, parked along the path where the Anglo's Sign tree stood. He was waiting for his best friend, Grey, who had gone to fetch water from the well. Damien could see him talking to three girls, one of whom was holding a water bottle.
Damien hated coming to isolated areas like this. The lack of resources always bothered him. He wasn't even supposed to be here in Greenwood Village. His original plan was to head straight to Anglo's Sign City for a four-week stay, overseeing the development projects for his company. As the head of his company, he had to manage these kinds of things personally, but this detour to the village was an unexpected inconvenience. They were supposed to be heading directly to the city, but now, with no water left and a pregnant woman on their team, they had no choice but to stop here.
He watched Grey interact with the three girls. But even as he observed the situation, his eyes kept drifting back to one of the girl with dark hair. He couldn't make out much from the distance, but there was something about her that pulled at him. Maybe it was simply that it had been so long since he'd been with any woman.
He briefly considered the brothel in the city. He hadn't planned on visiting it, but the thought crossed his mind. It had been a while since he'd had any company, and the way his body reacted to the girl with dark hair told him it had been too long. He would be staying in the city for a month, so maybe, just maybe, he would visit the brothel. But for now, there was something about the scene before him that kept him fixated on the girl. Something he couldn't quite shake.
The city of Anglo's Sign, Greenwood Village, and the forest are the only inhabited areas in the desert. These places are like ancient cities surrounded by fortifications, with walls and barriers protecting them from the vast desert beyond. The forest, which lies near the village, plays an essential role in the survival of the people and animals in the area. Outside of these three regions, the desert stretches endlessly, with only one road leading out of it.
He watched as the three girls started walking toward the village after tossing the bottle at Gray. Gray, in turn, began walking toward them. His eyes, however, were fixated on girl with dark hair. Perhaps the girls didn't realize what kind of creatures they were dealing with, which is why they thought to help him. People who understand their true nature would never dare cross their path. That's the thing about humans—they believe the world is only what they can see. They never stop to consider that there are ideas or realities beyond their imagination. Just like them.
Just as the girls reached a safe distance, one where they could no longer see Gray, he shifted into his wolf form, the large water bottle clenched between his jaws. With a swift motion, he started running toward the car. When Gray shifted into his wolf form, Damien could catch the strange yet sweet scent in the air. His thoughts raced, confused by the source of the fragrance. A sudden surge of jealousy and annoyance sparked in his chest, leaving him baffled. Where was this feeling coming from? As Gray ran toward him, the scent grew stronger, and Damien's wolf stirred uneasily inside him, agitated and eager to experience the scent more intensely.
As Gray stopped in front of the car, Damien got out and began scanning the air, trying to pinpoint the source of the scent. It didn't take long before he realized that the bottle was the source. Without hesitation, he snatched it from Gray and began running his nose along the surface, inhaling deeply. From inside the car, Caroline, sitting in the back seat, quickly reached out and snatched the bottle from his hands, earning a low growl from Damien. She instantly dropped it, muttering an apology.
He had never smelled anything like it before. What was it? What was he thinking? Was she the one? Gray was just as confused as Caroline, who was thirsty but too scared to snatch the water bottle from the alpha again.
MATE!! MATE!!!" Suddenly, the words began ringing in Damien's head. Mate—she was his mate. His eyes quickly darted in the direction where the girls had walked. It was then that he noticed the scent of his mate lingering on Gray. Without thinking, Damien grabbed Gray by the neck, forcing him to shift into his human form.
"Which one was that?" Damien demanded.
Gray looked confused. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, trying to pull away.
Damien repeated his question, his tone growing more urgent. "My mate. Which one was that? You have her scent on you".
"I don't know," Gray answered truthfully, his voice calm but confused.
Damien's frustration flared. He knew he couldn't just beat Gray over something like this, but the feeling bubbling inside him was almost unbearable.
Gray, sensing his alpha's agitation, cautiously asked, "What kind of smell are you looking for, my alpha?"
Damien's voice was low and filled with longing as he replied, "I'm looking for a smell... delicious, like something I want to breathe in for the rest of my life.
Damien released his grip on Gray's neck, his frustration simmering beneath the surface. "Do you know their names? Any of their names? Tell me."
Gray hesitated for a moment, his mind working through the questions. He could sense the weight of his alpha's words and the intense longing behind them. A realization seemed to dawn on him. He understood. Damien had found his mate.
"I don't know for sure," Gray answered, his tone cautious. "There were three of them, and they were wary of me. They didn't want to help at first, but then… they just gave me the water."
Understanding the situation quickly, Gray added, "But they are the residents of Greenwood Village. It's good."
Behind them, Caroline spoke up, her voice polite but tinged with impatience. "My alpha, could I please get the water?"
Gray nodded, taking the bottle from Damien's hand and handing it to Caroline. He then turned to Damien, continuing, "My alpha, they are from Greenwood Village. It's good because we'll be here for the next four weeks, and you'll have time to meet her, to find her."
With a sense of desperation, Damien asked Gray, "Tell me, how did each of them look? How did the girls look?"
But after a moment of thought, Damien's voice softened, and he quickly corrected himself. "No... just tell me about the girl with dark hair. What did she look like? Her appearance, everything."
Gray hesitated, knowing full well that the slightest wrong word could end in disaster. The alpha's question burned into him, but his mind raced for a safe answer. The dark-haired girl—she was beautiful, of course. But he couldn't afford to admit that. Not to Damien, not to the alpha, who might interpret it as a challenge. Gray cleared his throat, his eyes darting briefly toward the ground, then up at Damien.
"She was fine," he replied, his voice carefully neutral, his heart racing in his chest. He couldn't afford to say more. Not if he wanted to keep breathing.
Damien's frustration grew as he glared at Gray. "Fine?" he repeated, his voice edged with disbelief. "How can you just say 'fine'? How does she look? I need details. If I'm going to find her, I need to know exactly what I'm looking for."
Gray swallowed hard, his gaze flicking to the ground before meeting Damien's. He could feel the weight of his alpha's anger pressing down on him, but he couldn't afford to overstep. He needed to be careful.
"Alpha," Gray said, his tone neutral, though the slight tremor in his voice betrayed the tension. "If you just go to her village, you'll find her. The scent... it'll lead you to her. You won't miss it."
He made sure his voice didn't carry any challenge or impatience. It was important to remain respectful and to keep his position clear. He could feel his alpha's eyes burning into him, but he said nothing more, not daring to risk angering him further.
Damien knew he was taking his anger out on his beta, Gray, but he couldn't let it go. He had just discovered his mate, and she had slipped through his grasp without him even getting a good look at her. The thought gnawed at him, a raw, unsettled feeling deep in his chest. He knew he was being unfair to Gray, but what could possibly matter more than the mate bond?
Still, Gray's words rang true. If he just walked into the village, he'd be able to smell her, follow the trail of her scent, and find her—no questions asked.
Just the thought of getting closer to her, even from a distance, stirred something strange in his body. His wolf felt it, too—this pull, this undeniable connection. He couldn't explain it, but deep down, Damien had a gut feeling that the dark-haired girl was the one.
The feeling was too strong to ignore. Just as Damien made up his mind to go after her, Caroline spoke up, "Alpha, it's getting dark. I think you should go in the morning."
Damien looked at her, his gaze sharp, as if she were asking him to stay away from his mate. His human side knew she was right—it was too late to venture out now. But the other side of him, the side driven by the fierce bond, felt a surge of frustration. It was as if Caroline was trying to keep him from what was his, and he couldn't shake the feeling that she was standing between him and his mate.
Gray timidly added, "She's right, Alpha. We need to find a place to stay for the night. It's getting late, and Caroline is pregnant. We should head to the city, book a hotel, and then you can go after her in the morning."
Damien paused, feeling the weight of his frustration, but he knew Gray was right. His mind raced with the desire to find his mate, but logic prevailed. He couldn't risk the exhaustion of travel and the uncertainty of nightfall. Reluctantly, he nodded, knowing that the sooner they settled in, the better prepared he would be to search for her in the morning. Tonight, though, he would wait—his mate would be there, and he would find her when the world slept.