Still Alpha Zane's POV
Desperately, I break the door open.
I can't believe what Claw is telling me, we're mates and she needs to be with me. I need her, my pack needs her.
"Eric, Claw says she's not here anymore, she's gone." I can't keep the frustration out of my voice. We run inside. The bed is neatly made, probably by the cleaners. In the walk-in closet were two complete sets of official clothes and shoes. When I opened the drawers, I saw underwear lying around.
I take a blazer off the hanger and smell it. Yes, this is the scent I've been craving, she's my mate. Back in the bedroom, her toiletries are still on the dressing table, as well as a small jewelry box.
"Eric, she is definitely my mate. But I don't understand how I could pick up her scent so strongly when she's already mated to Gorgio. I can't imagine that she hasn't waited for me and accepted to be someone else's chosen mate," I explain pained.
"She left everything behind. Maybe she just went for a walk to think about how to deal with the situation and will be back soon," Eric notes, still unconvinced.
"The warrior she came with must still be here somewhere. Bring him to the business center, I want to talk to him". Eric's eyes get misty, he orders our warriors to fetch the man. We leave the room and go back to the lobby. The same receptionist is still there, but this time she is more formal.
"Has Luna checked Ariel out?" I ask her. She quickly scans the list and shakes her head.
"No, Alpha. Besides, the conference is not over yet. Her reservation is valid until the last day." I cast a sharp glance at her and turn to Eric. Together we walk to the business center not far from the lobby. We have just taken our seats when the Eclipse Howl Warrior is ushered in.
"Alpha, Beta. You wanted me to meet you. But perhaps we can wait until Luna Ariel returns. I am only here for her safety, I have no mandate to discuss anything with you," he indicates. I quickly peek at Eric.
"Then do you have any idea where your Luna is? She is not attending the conference, I saw her leaving. So what are you here for anyway?" The man shifts uncomfortably.
"She would never leave without me. She was not feeling well when we entered the hall, and when I came back with a glass of water, she was gone. I think she just went out for some fresh air," he says, a little worried.
"Mind link her to let her know that you are here with us and ask her to come back," I instruct him. And then he starts to shake slightly. His eyes become misty, he tries several times. His shoulders slump as he gives up. "I can't reach her. I've been trying all the time, but she has her wall down," he cries in panic. "Alpha Gorgio will skin me alive if I return to the pack without her. The Luna is his most precious possession. I must find her."
It stings my heart to hear another Alpha thinks he owns her. Claw doesn't like to share, and I want my mate all to myself. If she is Gorgio's chosen mate, I will find a witch to break their bond. Besides, the bond of a fated is much stronger than that of a chosen one.
"We inspected her rooms. All her belongings are still there," I indicate thoughtfully. "Let's go to the car park and show me the vehicle you arrived in." We all get up and leave the hotel. The parking lot is full, we have to walk past several queues.
And then the warrior stops at a clearing and stares at it bewildered. "Luna's vehicle should be here. We came with four vehicles. The other three had more warriors. Luna Ariel drove herself this time". The man looks like he is about to burst into tears.
"Moon Goddess, we are so dead. We had to follow her every step. I am the Head Warrior, if I cannot explain to the Alpha where she is, I can start digging my own grave," he wails. "Where is she now? If she left in her car and closed the link, that is a bad sign".
In no time, all of Eclipse Howl's warriors are surrounding us. The Head Warrior briefs them of what is going on. They, too, try their best to mind link the Luna, but to no avail.
"I will have to alert Alpha Gorgio about what has happened. I suggest you do the same, Alpha Zane," the Head Warrior says. "He may well suspect that you have taken the Luna hostage to avenge the past and start a war."
"And we should also notify the Council. Goddess, let's hope this ends well and she turns up tonight," Eric sighs. "Otherwise, we have to organize a search party. We can only do that if she has been missed for twenty-four hours and has had no contact with anyone.
I go back inside with Eric, straight to the conference room. Thank goodness the break has just started. I make my way over to the table where the members of the Council gathered.
"Alpha King, sorry to interrupt but something serious has happened,” I tell them in a low tone so as not to attract the attention of the other Alphas. Alpha King Petric's head jerks my way, alarmed, as if he senses his family's demise.
"What is it, Alpha Zane? Don't keep us waiting too long."
"Alpha King, it's your daughter. She has suddenly disappeared. The Head Warrior of Eclipse Moon is trying to mind link her but she has her mind wall closed," I answer. "She was supposed to participate in this meeting and present a grand investment plan. But we can find no trace of her, her car is gone too".
Slowly, the man gets up from his chair, radiating his authority "My daughter? Eclipse Howl's Luna? No way. Gorgio always keeps her safe. I hope this is not one of your stunts, Alpha Zane, I warn you".
The King and Queen walk towards us while the protocol staff escorts the guests into the restaurant to allow us privacy. By now everyone realizes that something is up.
"Alpha Zane, tell the whole story now," King Jasper urges. And I explain to them what the Head Warrior reported to me.
"You have an old feud with Eclipse Howl, aren’t you? Do you have anything to do with his disappearance, Alpha Zane?" the Queen asks sternly. I look up, the only way to convince them of my innocence is to reveal the truth. There’s no other way out of this. My eyes sweep over the members of the council and the Royal couple.
"The truth is that when Luna Ariel stepped into the conference room, we recognized each other as destined mates. I think she is upset about that, her behavior was strange. Then again, she is Alpha Gorgio's chosen mate. The situation may have caught her off guard".
Alpha King Petric growls low. "Gorgio is Ariel's fated mate. Are you telling the truth, Zane?"..
Still Alpha Zane's POVWith the breath of the Council now on my neck, my position within my own pack is becoming increasingly stark.Never before in the history of werewolves has a fully mated wolf appeared to have a second mate. Once marked and mated, it should be final. But the Moon Goddess has clearly decided otherwise today, and everyone in this room will have to come to terms with that. Because if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that I'm not giving up on Ariel. Gorgio will just have to find another mate, but Ariel is mine, marked or not.So here I am, with the Council and the King and Queen surrounding me."She went missing from your pack, so it is your duty to inform Alpha Gorgio of what has happened. And avoid escalation, this conversation will not be easy," warns the Council President, Alpha King Petric, who is also Ariel's father. I put my phone on speaker and dial Gorgio's number. We have never been friends, even though the Council forced us to sign a
Stubborn AlphaStill Alpha Zane's POVI am by no means a coward. Gorgio will find in me a formidable opponent.But I cannot make the same mistake he did. In fact, I am taking advantage of his grave miscalculation to declare war on me now that the King and Queen are in my pack.And judging by the look on King Jasper's face, the Alpha will not get away with this shown disrespect so easily. I bolt from my seat and walk out of the hotel with great strides. I leap behind the wheel and Eric quickly throws himself in the passenger seat. At high speed, I race to the gates of my pack. Behind me, I see the Limousine with the Royal couple and some Council members, followed by the Alpha King in his Maserati.As I arrive at the gate, I see my Head Warrior Kensley waiting there. Concerned, he comes over to me, obviously unaware of what has happened in the conference room. "Alpha! Thank God you're here! There is increased activity just outside our border. It looks lik
Again from Alpha Zane's POV "You're a liar!"Gorgio yells in my face, hurling all sorts of accusations at me. Since we arrived in my office, his temper has been all over the place. He seems unable to control himself, and his wolf often gets the upper hand. It is the King's Lycan aura that keeps him from shifting. "You've been eyeing my mate for a long time, it seems. You're jealous of our relationship because you can't find a fated yourself. And this is your trick to steal her from me," he shouts furiously. "You know my wolf will weaken without her. And then you think this is your way into my land. But you are in for a surprise, Alpha Zane. Promised!"My confession that Luna Ariel is also my fated mate only meets with resistance from the man.He cannot fathom that he must now share his Luna with me. Many of my attempts to come to an arrangement as grown men failed. Alpha Gorgio continues to grumble, and the Alpha King and King Jasper become despondent. Qu
Alpha Gorgio's POVI can't believe an Alpha is trying to steal my mate.I cannot allow this, it must never happen. There must be something this scum has pulled out to manipulate my Ariel. Maybe he even hired a witch to take her away from me to weaken me.Never before has a fully mated wolf, still active in the relationship, been paired with another wolf. There are cases of up to three males having to share a she-wolf, but they were all unmated. Damn sure, Alpha Zane is playing dirty here. And I won't let it go on, I'll go to war if I have to. In any case, I feel that the King is not unwilling to understand me, he also loves his woman with all that is in him. Ariel! My only love.No man will ever touch her as I do. She is mine, all of her. Her heart, soul and body. The Moon Goddess sanctioned our bond at our joining ceremony and I will hold her to it. And I am sure Ariel will never deceive me, we are one body and soul and there is no room for a third mate. We don't need
Luna Ariel's POV Tears blur my vision as I make my way through the heavy traffic. I’m so unhappy. My betrayal of Gorgio holds my heart in a painful grip. How could I have allowed a bond to form between Alpha Zane and myself? This strong attraction, which I could hardly resist, I should only feel for my mate. And my mate is Gorgio and him alone. Just a few hours after I swore to him that my heart belonged only to him and that I would love him forever, I start to have feelings for another man. And not just any man, but Gorgio's arch-enemy, the Alpha who constantly challenges our pack. I have never met him before because my mate protects me from the evil world. Midnight Moon is bad news. Gorgio only allowed me to represent him at the council meeting because it was important for our pack. The deals I had to offer were lucrative, and it took a lot of persuading to get Gorgio to agree to let me go. And look where that got u
Luna Ariel's POV "Dad! I'm so sorry I let you down." Once again, tears streamed down my face in buckets. The feeling of shame is overwhelming, I am the daughter of the honored Alpha King and I have only caused him trouble. I must be the most talked about she-wolf in the werewolf community by now, and not everyone will sympathize with me. Dad was overjoyed when Gorgio turned out to be my mate, proudly giving his approval at our joining ceremony and expressing his deep appreciation for my mate in his speech. And what daughter is not happy to bring her father nothing but joy? I was also proud of myself at the time. Now I had entirely ruined that. My run must have embarrassed him, and now that it turns out that I have more than one mate, even enemies, I know that his life has hit rock bottom. And then it all happened in front of the King and Queen. "No, no, my daughter. There is nothing to apologize for. This is the will of the Moon Goddess. And she do
Luna Ariel's POV still The bus arrives in Miami and I get off. I look around, I've never been here before and I don't know where to go. Then I notice a yellow taxicab approaching and I get in. "Miss, where can I take you?" the driver asks politely. For a moment I hesitated, but then I was confident. "To a hotel near the beach." The man nods and looks at me in the rearview mirror as he drives off. "First time in Miami? Your accent is not from here," he smiles kindly at me. "You guessed right. I'm here for a holiday. Sun and fun are all I need. Can you please advise me on a few places?" He pulls a leaflet out of his cupboard. "There are plenty of things to do here. The nightlife is great, but you can also do some sightseeing. Even cruise ships dock here," he says, holding the leaflet out to me. And indeed, I read all kinds of sights and activities to distract and make me relax me. Once I find a place to stay, I will plan ev
Luna Ariel's POV still She's human, but I don't know what it is about her that attracts me so much. Clarita James is her name, and she caught her husband red-handed with his secretary when she wanted to surprise him with lunch. She has been in a relationship with Matt since she was 18 and they have been married for three years. He has always taken care of her, even though she holds a degree in business. And she confessed that she was happy in their relationship, felt fulfilled in her role as a homemaker. Doing the housework, cooking great meals and advising her husband on his business was all she wanted out of life. To me, that sounds like the perfect Luna alongside a strong Alpha, but to humans, she would be a complete loser. We werewolves don't really believe in feminism, she-wolves are owned by their mate and we have no problem with that. We are supposed to be protected by them, we are part of a pack. Getting involved with strangers