The moon hung full in the sky. Its light was barely cutting through the dense, towering pines that surrounded our pack house. I stood in the back, hoping to disappear into the shadows during the monthly wolf meeting. It was mandatory, even for me—the werewolf without a mate.

At 23, I was the only one left unbonded. Everyone else had found their other half. And their lives were celebrated with grand ceremonies. I was the odd one out. And I was labeled as the pack’s spinster. The jokes and whispers stopped trying to be subtle long ago.

“Ysabel, waiting for a unicorn instead of a mate?” Kara’s voice pierced the air, followed by laughter from her circle.

I clenched my fists. The sting of their words was like an old wound. But I refused to react. By now, I’d accepted my place. Living on the edge of the forest kept me away from their cruelty. But sometimes, like tonight, the loneliness crept in too deeply.

A gentle hand touched my arm. “Ignore them, Ysabel. They’re idiots,” said Emma. She and Maria were my only real friends who always defended me.

“They only pick on someone they think is weaker,” Maria added. Her fiery temper was barely contained.

“I’m fine,” I murmured, offering a weak smile. “Thank you.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Emma suggested. “How about some coffee?”

I hesitated, but then nodded. We left the suffocating atmosphere of the meeting and headed to the café in town. The warmth inside was contrary to the chill of the pack house. Emma and Maria chatted, trying to cheer me up. But my mind kept drifting back.

“I don’t know how you deal with them,” Maria muttered. “If I were you, I’d tell Kara exactly where to shove it.”

I forced a laugh. “It’s easier to ignore them. Besides, I’ve accepted it. Without you two, I would’ve cut ties with the pack by now.”

“You could leave,” Emma suggested, cautiously. “Start fresh somewhere else.”

I shook my head. “No. Leaving would prove them right. I’m fine.”

After an hour, I excused myself. The walk back to my isolated cabin at the forest’s edge was long but peaceful. As I reached my home, the silence comforted me. The life I had here was mine. However, it could be lonely.

I opened the door and stepped inside, greeted by the warmth of the fire. I was about to settle into the couch when a strange feeling washed over me, like something was about to change. I shook it off and closed my eyes, letting the silence wrap around me.

***

Sebastian POV

The storm outside the mansion battered the windows. The wind was screaming through the trees. I adjusted the collar of my jacket. My reflection stared back at me from the dark glass. The chaos outside felt like an extension of the storm inside me—volatile, barely contained.

“Where are you going?” Summer’s voice cut through the room. She stood in the doorway. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

I didn’t bother to turn. “It’s none of your concern.”

“You’re going after her, aren’t you?” Her voice grew shrill. She knew. She had always known.

Her. Ysabel. The one I’d searched for tirelessly. The one I was destined to find.

I finally turned to face her. My patience wore thin. “Stay in your lane, Summer,” I retorted coldly. “You knew what this was from the start. You are my fake Luna, nothing more.”

Summer’s eyes flared with anger. But beneath it was the fear she could never hide. “You can’t just toss me aside, Sebastian.”

I stepped closer. “It’s over.”

I turned away. Her angry protests fell on deaf ears. My mind was already elsewhere. In my pocket, I felt the slip of paper with the name I had hunted for years.

Ysabel Newman.

I had met her once. Briefly. But that moment had been enough to seal her fate. She was mine. And this time, there would be no escape. I had scoured every pack, every corner of the world, searching for her. She had vanished like smoke, slipping through my grasp, but no longer.

This time, I would bring her back.

I clenched the paper in my fist, feeling the surge of power and anticipation course through me. Ysabel had no idea what was coming, no idea that her life was about to change forever. She was mine, and nothing would keep her from me.

The storm outside roared louder. But it was nothing compared to the hunger gnawing inside me. Soon, I would stand before her again. And by that time, she would have no choice but to accept the bond between us.

The game was over.

I was coming for her.

Ysabel’s POV

The storm outside raged on. The wind whipped against the cabin walls, sending a flurry of rain against the windows. I was in the middle of preparing a cup of tea, trying to shake off the remnants of the terrible meeting earlier that evening. The storm seemed to match my mood—angry, unsettled, but inevitable.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed from the front of the house, making me jump. Startled, I rushed toward the window, my heart pounding in my chest. The shutters on one side had blown open, letting in the rain. I quickly reached out to close it but froze when I noticed something—or rather, someone—on my front porch.

Through the storm’s chaos, I saw a figure, barely moving, lying in a heap on the wooden steps. My mind raced with disbelief. No one ever came here. I lived alone at the edge of the forest for a reason. No one was supposed to be on that trail, especially not in the middle of the night, during a storm like this.

Fear gripped me for a brief second, but it quickly morphed into concern. The person on my porch was hurt badly. I could see the outline of his body, soaked from the rain, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. He needed help.

I grabbed my coat, threw it on, and rushed out the door, bracing myself against the wind and rain. The moment I got closer, I could see the extent of his injuries. His clothes were soaked with blood. And his breathing was faint, labored.

“Hey! Are you okay?” I knelt beside him, gently shaking his shoulder, but he didn’t respond.

He was barely alive.

Without thinking twice, I hooked my arms under his and dragged him inside. It wasn’t easy since he was heavy. And the rain had made everything slick. I was gasping for breath by the time I laid him down on my couch. His clothes soaked my cushions. But I didn’t care.

I rushed to my first-aid kit and quickly began tending to his wounds. The gashes across his body were deep, like he had been mauled by something. I couldn’t imagine what had happened to him out there in the storm. He groaned as I pressed a cloth to his side. Then his eyes fluttered open.

“Who did this to you?” I asked, not expecting an answer, but to my surprise, he managed to whisper something.

“I’m Sebastian… Gregory.”

The name sent a chill down my spine. I’d heard that name before, though I couldn’t place where. I hesitated, the cloth still pressed against his wound. Sebastian Gregory… It echoed in my mind, but no matter how hard I tried to remember, the connection was lost in the fog of my thoughts.

He passed out again. I let out a shaky breath. I finished cleaning his wounds. My hands moved mechanically as my mind raced. I should call for help. I should take him to the hospital. But before I could reach for the phone, his voice, weak and hoarse, cut through the silence.

“Don’t… please,” he rasped, eyes barely open. “Whoever attacked me… They’ll find me again. They’ll finish the job.”

I froze as I was hovering over the phone. His words made me pause. Something about his voice, the fear in it, made me believe him.

Against my better judgement, I pulled my hand back from the phone and returned to his side. The idea of sending him out there, vulnerable and half-dead, seemed impossible. My instincts told me to help, even if something about this situation felt off.

Days passed, and I nursed him back to health. His wounds began to heal under my care. And despite the strangeness of it all, I found myself drawn to him. Sebastian was reserved, yet there was a certain charm in his quiet strength. The man, with his piercing gaze and commanding presence, slowly started infiltrating my once peaceful, solitary life. I could feel myself being pulled into his orbit, unable to resist.

He refused to leave, claiming it was too dangerous. And I, against my own sense of reason, let him stay. His presence filled the quiet of my cabin. And soon, I found myself looking forward to our conversations, to the way he watched me when he thought I wasn’t looking. There was something magnetic about him, something I couldn’t quite explain.

I didn’t know who he really was, not until one afternoon when Emma, one of my only friends, dropped by for a surprise visit. Her reaction when she saw Sebastian told me everything I needed to know. Her eyes widened in shock. And her mouth dropped open as she whispered, "Sebastian Gregory? The Alpha?"

My heart sank. All the stories I’d heard rushed back to me. Stories about the world’s strongest Alpha, the one with a dangerous reputation.

Summer’s POV

The phone buzzed in my hand. And the moment I answered, my worst fears were confirmed. The man I had hired to follow Sebastian told me what I already suspected. He was with another woman. Rage surged through me. And I could barely hear the man’s words over the sound of my pulse pounding in my ears.

“Are you sure it’s her?” I asked sharply as I gripped the phone tightly.

“Yes, Miss Summer,” the voice replied. “He’s been staying at her house for days now.”

I ended the call without another word, throwing the phone across the room in a fit of anger.

How could he do this to me?

After everything, he was still chasing her.

Ysabel.

The name made my blood boil.

I had been loyal and patient even when I knew I was just a placeholder. But this… this was different. This time, he’d gone too far.

My father walked in just as I let out a frustrated scream. He rushed to my side immediately. “What’s wrong, Summer?” he asked. His brows furrowed with concern. I barely registered the look on his face, too consumed by my own fury.

“It’s Sebastian,” I spat, pacing the room. “He’s with her. That stupid, lowborn girl.”

My father tried to console me, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Summer, calm down. We can figure this out.”

But his words only stoked the fire in me. “No, Dad. I’m not calming down. You have to help me. You WILL help me.”

He hesitated. I saw the worry flash in his eyes. My father was a powerful and influential man. But even he knew better than to meddle in Sebastian’s affairs. Yet, I was his only daughter. And he’d always given me everything I asked for.

I stepped closer. “Promise me, Dad. Promise me you’ll support whatever I plan next. No matter what.”

He sighed, looking conflicted. But as always, he was blinded by his love for me. “I promise, Summer,” he replied softly. “I’ll do whatever you need.”

That was enough for now. I smiled, though I could see the unease on his face. He might not want to get involved in Sebastian’s business, but he wouldn’t deny me. I would make sure of that.

**

Ysabel’s POV

I finally mustered the courage to ask Sebastian the question that had been bothering me for days.

“Sebastian, please,” I begged him, trying to meet his eyes. “I need to know the truth. What’s really going on?”

He looked at me for a moment. I couldn’t read what he was thinking. The tension between us had been thick since the day he arrived. And though I had nursed him back to health, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to his story than he let on. I valued my peace. And the last thing I wanted was to be dragged into another wolf’s problems.

He sighed and finally spoke. “You deserve the truth, Ysabel. I’ve been searching for you for years. You’re my true mate.”

The words hung in the air. And I felt a strange pull in my chest. It was as if something deep inside me clicked into place. But before I could process it, Sebastian stepped closer. And I could feel how intense his gaze was.

“I knew it the moment I saw you again,” he continued. “You were always meant to be mine.”

Then, without warning, he kissed me. The moment our lips met, it felt like the world shifted. A warmth spread through me, so intense and all-consuming that I could hardly breathe. I didn’t understand what was happening. But I knew one thing for sure. I felt a deep, undeniable connection to him, something beyond anything I’d ever experienced.

Before things could go any further, a loud banging on the door shattered the moment. Startled, I pulled away. My heart raced. Sebastian’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed.

Word had apparently spread about Sebastian’s presence when a group of wolves from my pack had come to test his reputation as the strongest Alpha. I tried to reason with them, to stop the madness before it escalated.

“Please, don’t do this,” I pleaded, stepping in front of Sebastian. “He doesn’t need to prove anything.”

One of the men sneered at me. “Your opinions don’t matter, Ysabel. You’re nothing in this pack.”

The words stung. But before I could respond, Sebastian stepped forward. His voice thundered in the room. “If I win this duel, no one will ever disrespect Ysabel again. Do you understand?”

The challenge was set. I stood there as Sebastian faced them. He didn’t hesitate. And within minutes, he had defeated them all, leaving no room for doubt.

When it was over, I couldn’t help but feel something changed within me. He had stood up for me, fought for my honor in a way no one ever had. I swore to myself that if Sebastian made another move, I wouldn’t resist. I would be more than willing to accept what was meant to be.