Today marks 4 years since my mysterious return after disappearing for four years.
I still don't know what happened during that time; all I remember is waking up adrift on the ocean. I found myself in the far east, in the Sunset Empire, far from my territory. My wolf, Astha, and I had no idea why we were there, and we were incredibly weak. It took four months for us to regain our strength and finally return to my territory, the Lunar Empire—though others call it the Rogue Kingdom.
My beta, Fredrick, has been flooding our mindlink with reports needing my signature and pleading for me to return to the pack house, as he hadn't seen me in over a week.
Now, I'm in the Sunset Empire with nothing but my bike. I've always felt like something was missing from my life, and I know that not having found my mate at 28 might be part of it, but I sense there's something more to it. It feels like a part of me was left behind here, a feeling that's been disturbing both Astha and me more intensely over the past week.
The Sunset Empire is unique—it isn't ruled by anyone. It serves as a business hub where all creatures, including vampires, werewolves, humans, and witches, coexist. But here, no one can use their supernatural abilities. Legend says that Selene and other gods created this place with the hope that all races could interact peacefully. While I can't shift here, I can still communicate with Astha.
Today, I was at my information-gathering hub, Scroll, a place where secrets were bought and sold, where whispers and rumors held value. The bustling noise of the trade center faded into the background as I focused on the sight before me. Samuel, my shopkeeper and a man who could negotiate with even the most stubborn of alphas, stood in front of two young boys, clearly nervous. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man with sharp blue eyes and a mop of blonde hair that looked like it hadn't seen a comb in days. He wiped sweat from his brow, his usual confidence slipping.
The boys were around 6 years old but carried themselves with a presence that made the entire room seem smaller. One of them, Rowan, with chocolate-brown hair and eyes, stood with a defiant energy, his fists clenched as he argued with Samuel. His voice was sharp, and anger radiated off him like heat waves. The other, Riven, had jet-black hair and eyes that glowed with a fierce purple hue. He stood slightly apart, with a thoughtful expression that made him seem older than his years. The two shared the same striking features, but even at a glance, their temperaments were like night and day.
Something deep inside me stirred at the sight of them. It was as if my soul recognized them, as if they were carved from a part of me that I couldn't name. The primal instinct surged, fierce and undeniable—I wanted to protect them, love them, shield them from everything. No, I already loved them, a love that felt ancient, eternal, and inexplicably fierce. The realization sent a shock through me, making my thoughts spin, but I forced myself to stay grounded. I took a deep breath, sat at the nearby counter, and ordered a cup of coffee, my hands trembling slightly.
As I watched them, I couldn't shake the sense of familiarity that washed over me. Their voices carried a melodic tone that felt familiar but was lost in the recesses of my memory. Their movements, their expressions, tugged at something deep inside me, something primal and instinctive. What was it about them that made my chest ache with longing and an inexplicable joy?
I forced myself to focus, reining in my wolf as I turned to John, Samuel's assistant, who had approached with a look of concern. "What's going on?" I asked, my voice steady but sharp.
John hesitated, casting a quick glance at the boys before answering. "About a week ago, they filed a request for information regarding their mother, Moraiella. They're looking for her; she's been missing for two years."
The name sent a jolt through me. Moraiella, the mate of Kaelan and Kyric Nightshade, the alphas of the NightShade pack, the largest and most powerful pack in the land, a force that could rival my own, the Lunar Empire—known as the Rogue Kingdom. Moraiella had no wolf, but her presence had changed the pack in ways that still echoed today. She had developed educational systems, organized the pack, and advocated for fair treatment of omegas, her ideas a mirror of my own beliefs about pack development. But she had disappeared two years ago, leaving the NightShade alphas to search for her endlessly. My pack had once been asked to assist in the search, but the power rivalry between our packs had kept us from a true collaboration.
Samuel's voice brought me back to the present. "I told them we hadn't found any trace of her in any of the packs. Rowan was furious, but Riven…" Samuel paused, glancing at the boys. "Riven spoke up, saying maybe we'd been searching in the wrong direction."