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I should keep walking.
I tell myself that the moment I catch her scentβwarm strawberries and something sharper underneath, like cinnamon and lightning. The kind of smell that makes my wolf stir, lifting his head for the first time in weeks.
I slow down, steps light, blending into the crowd. I have no business being here. No mission. No blood to spill.
And yet⦠there she is.
Standing in front of a fruit stall, arguing with a vendor like the world isnβt full of monsters in human skin. Her coat hangs off one shoulder, a stray strand of hair falling into her face as she waves a coin in the air, clearly unimpressed with the price.
Something about her postureβthe fire in her stance, the curve of her mouth when she smirksβshifts the air.
Mine.
The word shoots through me before I can strangle it.
What the hell?
My wolf huffs, tail twitching like a pup. The bastardβs excited. Over her?
I step closer, not realizing how near Iβve gotten until she stiffens and turns around.
Brown eyes. Noβdazzling brown eyes. Bright, like they already know too much.
βYou lost or just stalking me for fun?β she asks, her voice sweet with a sharp edge.
I blink.
d@mn.
Iβve been caught red-handed, and I donβt even care.
βWould it kill you to believe I just happened to be passing by?β I say, letting my mouth curve into a smirk.
She scoffs. βYouβve been standing there for, like, two minutes. Thatβs commitment, stalker.β
I tilt my head, studying her like a puzzle I suddenly want to spend hours solving.
βMaybe I was hypnotized.β
βBy fruit?β she arches a brow.
βNo.β I let my eyes trail lazily over her. βBy you.β
Her lips part for just a secondβnot enough to count as shock, but enough to tell me Iβve rattled her composure. She covers it well.
βWow. Thatβs the best youβve got?β she asks. βYou follow girls around and throw lines at them like youβre starring in some cheesy romance novel?β
βI donβt follow girls around.β
βRight. Just me.β
She crosses her arms, and I swear itβs not just the attitudeβitβs the heat radiating off her skin. Her pulse thuds in the air between us, and my d@mn wolf is pacing now.
Sheβs human. Ordinary. Mortal. I can smell it.
And yetβmy fingers itch to brush that curl behind her ear. My wolf growls when she turns her back to me for even a second.
βAre you always this charming with strangers?β she asks, glancing back over her shoulder.
βOnly the ones who smell like trouble.β
She laughsβa soft, surprised kind of laugh, the kind I havenβt heard in years.
βI donβt even know your name, stalker.β
βEldric.β
She looks at me for a beat, then smiles.
βSounds like a fake name, but fine. Iβm Ruby. And this is the part where I say goodbye.β
Ruby.
Of course her name would be something rich, bold, and dangerous.
I watch her walk offβheels clicking, hips swaying like a challengeβand I donβt move. Not for a long time.
My wolf is still pacing.
Mate? he whispers, voice ragged with hope.
I clench my jaw.
Thatβs impossible.
Sheβs human. She canβt be my mate.
But my soul already knows the truth.
And itβs laughing.
ππππ
Iβm elbow-deep in reports when the door bursts open like itβs got a personal vendetta against peace. Only one wolf in the realm dares enter my house like thatβand still lives to brag about it.
Eldric.
He struts in like he owns the placeβmessy hair, ΓOΓ§ky grin, and that familiar glint in his eyes that usually means trouble or heartbreakβ¦ usually both. His energy buzzes, more restless than usual.
βEvening, Alphaβ he says, dropping into the armchair across from mine without waiting for permission.
βDo you ever knock?β I mutter without looking up.
βOnly when Iβm in a mood to be ignoredβ he replies.
My jaw ticks. βYou have five minutes.β
He laughs, leans forward, and rubs his hands together like a boy about to confess a crime.
βI think I found herβ he announces.
βFound who?β I raise a brow.
βMy mate.β
I stare at him.
He stares back, dead serious.
Then I laughβloud and unfiltered.
βNo, you didnβt.β
βYou donβt even know the story yetβ his face twitches.
βDonβt need to. You say that every time a girl looks in your direction for more than three seconds.β
βThis one is different, Kaneβ he says, almost reverently. βHuman. Bold. Smells like strawberries and thunder. And her mouthβgods, Kane, she talks back. Called me a stalker to my face.β
βSounds about right.β
βNo, I mean itβ he insists, leaning in like heβs about to reveal a prophecy. βSheβsβ¦ literally something else. Sheβs got this fire about her. I swearβmy wolf was pacing. Agitated. Heβs never reacted like that to anyone before.β
I swirl the whiskey in my glass. βYouβre known for mistaking lust for fate.β
βI know the differenceβ he snaps, more defensive than usual. βIβve had lust. I swam in it. This? This is like getting punched in the soul.β
That draws a pause from me.
But I still donβt buy it.
βYour wolfβs been bored and half-feral for months. Heβd react the same way to a well-cooked steak if it blinked at you.β
βYou think this is a joke?β Eldric scowls.
βI think youβre impulsiveβ I reply coolly. βAnd romantic when it suits your appetite.β
His jaw works, like he wants to argue. Then he sinks back into his chair and sighs.
βHer nameβs Rubyβ he says after a beat. βMet her at the market. I donβt know why I followed her, but I did. Talked for barely five minutes. And ever since, I canβt stop thinking about her.β
The name stirs nothing in me.
But his sincerity? Thatβs new.
Still, I donβt indulge him.
βYou think the Moon Goddess tied your soul to a human?β I ask dryly. βThat would be a cruel twistβeven for her.β
βI donβt know what I think. But if youβd seen herβfelt what I feltββ
Before he can finish, footsteps pad softly down the staircase behind us. I donβt need to turn to know who it is. I feel her presence the way a blind man feels the sun.
Nevaeh.
She appears in the entryway of the parlor, wrapped in a hoodie, her hair in a messy bun, cheeks kissed pink by sleep. Her eyes, still half-lidded, scan the room before landing on Eldric. He straightens like heβs just been hit with a jolt of lightning.
βWell, wellβ Eldric murmurs. βNow this is a beauty worth keeping.β
My eyes snap to him, and my voice turns razor-sharp.
βWatch it.β
βUhβ¦ am I interrupting something?β Nevaeh blinks.
βJust my evening peaceβ I retort.
βFriend of yours?β she asks, nodding toward Eldric.
βCousin, unfortunatelyβ I reply flatly.
Eldric stands and offers her a hand with that roguish grin Iβve seen melt hearts and destroy logic.
βEldric. Former Beta. Current threat to sanity.β
Nevaeh laughs softly as she shakes his hand.
βNevaeh. Not a threat, but I do biteβ she responds.
His smile widens. βNoted.β
βDonβt test herβ I warn, already regretting not locking the d@mn door.
They chat for a momentβlight stuff. Weather. The packhouse. How Iβm allegedly βa lot more charming when Iβm not in Alpha mode.β Eldric looks way too entertained.
I stay silent, watching. Thereβs no spark between themβat least, not the one he claims to feel for Ruby. Just mutual curiosity and respect.
Good.
Eldric eventually flops back into the armchair and shoots me a knowing smirk.
βAt least now I know the goddess gave you taste.β
I ignore him.
Nevaeh yawns. βIβll let you two get back to brooding and bonding or wh@tΓ«ver this is.β
She vanishes up the stairs, leaving behind the faint scent of lavender and warmth.
Eldric sighs, long and low.
βSheβs something elseβ he murmurs.
βI knowβ I utter. βWhich is why I donβt need you sniffing around like a dog with a death wish.β
βRelax. Iβve already got my storm to chaseβ he grins.
I look at him. His eyes are distant, fixed on something I canβt see.
βRubyβ he whispers.
This timeβ¦ he doesnβt sound like a fool.
He sounds like a wolf whoβs finally caught the scent of fate.
