✧ Luke's POV ✧
My shoes make a rhythmic thud on the polished wooden floor as I turn to my newly acquired office. Everything is in perfect order, with a large L-shaped desk in the center, a high back chair behind it. shelves line the walls, the windows on the east wall light up the place.
I take my place behind the desk and pick up the file I’d put there last night— or early morning, sleep has been miles away from me.
Twenty Alphas had participated, seven have made it back.
After reaching the mansion, I had a witch lift off the spell from the competitor’s wolves and the forest, officially declaring that the Hunt was over. The last team reached here yesterday.
The packs of the deceased Alphas will have to be adjusted under other’s authority if they don’t have another of the
Alpha bloodline to take the role.
As I leaf through the file, the accommodations storing in my memory with singular glances, the door knocks.
“Enter,”
A man dressed in a dark uniform comes in, his face impassive. Gorge Williams was part of the few warriors with me on my journeys the past five years. He was always my first choice to call when I needed to do something covertly.
“Alpha Supreme Winters,” He bows to me
“The ceremony is in four days, Williams.” I say, returning my eyes to the file “I’m not the Alpha Supreme yet.
What’s the news?”
“As per your orders,” he beings formally “The Alpha Supreme Marcus Goldstein’s body has been taken care of. All the servants in the mansion who witnessed your arrival have been warned to keep their mouths shut.”
I put the file away and prop my elbows on the armrests, steepling my fingers as I hold his gaze. I doubt people would take well to a ruler who killed his predecessor.
“Acceptable,” I say “And the pack?”
“The deceased Alpha’s pack will be under the authority of his younger sister, Alpha Zoya Goldstein. She was told that her brother suffered a planned rouge attack.”
“Very well,” I give him a nod “Make sure she doesn’t look too much into it.”
“Yes, Alpha.” He says “Should I send in the files of the confessions by Alpha Goldstein’s warriors?”
“Send them up. You’re dismissed.”
He gives me another bow and leaves the office, closing the door behind.
Alpha Goldstein had always struck me as the power-hungry type, but he would violate the Hunt as such was a surprise, even to me.
Only a few minutes later, someone brings me the file. I’d have to execute all these men anyway, but I wanted to have proof of their crimes in my hand.
Making a plan for the division of the packs left unsupervised takes me a big mug of black coffee and two hours. It’s
going to get more complicated when I discuss these with the Alphas who are having these additions, but till then, I’m almost done.
For a few moments, I sit in the silence of my office, cherishing the fragments of peace.
Then I pull my phone from my pocket and press my father’s contact.
“Finally made time for your father?” he asks in his usual gruff manner
“You’re the first one I called to give the news of my victory Father,” I say dismissively
“What do you want now?” he asks “Should I send Casper there?”
“No.” My voice holds a steely edge “I told you before that until I say so, no one is to come here. The risk of
assassination is high.”
“Don’t try to teach me, boy.” I can hear the scowl in his voice “Why did you disturb me?”
My father was never the affectionate type, which I’m glad for. He’d have killed me with sympathy if that were the
case.
“I want to talk to Mrs. Attwood.”
“What?”
“I’m sure you’ve told her,” I say in the measured voice “But I would like to talk to her myself.”
“You want to talk to that omega? What is—
“Give her the phone, Dad.”
For a few moments there’s silence, then some shuffling as he switches the call. A moment later he’s back on the line.
“She’s on her way,” Father grumbles, disdain rolling off his voice
Then the phone is given to someone else, a voice reaches me.
“Alpha Supreme, how may I help you?” She sounds so much like Hazel
“Please, Ms. Attwood,” I find my voice becoming polite “You can call me Luke.”
“I, Alpha, that,” she hesitates, I can guess why
“I would like you to step out of my father’s office,” I tell her “You’d be able to talk to me more comfortably then.”
“But Alpha—
“Tell him I said that.”
There’s silence. Then muffled voices. Silence again.
“I’m outside,” Mrs. Attwood tells me “Where’s Elise? Is she alright? Can I talk to her?”
“Elise is alright, Mrs. Attwood, I assure you.” I tell her calmly “But I’m afraid she cannot talk to you right now, I will make sure she does as soon as possible.”
I hear her let out a ragged breath “As you say, Alpha.”
“Luke.”
“Pardon?”
“I want you to call me Luke,” I say politely “Your daughter is the only reason I’m going to be the Alpha Supreme for the next ten years. Keep that in mind.”
There is a beat of silence. Then;
“Alright,” She says “Tell Elise I’m waiting for her call.”
“I will,”
“Luke?” she says, hesitates for a moment “Please take care of her.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.” I nod to myself
She hangs up, I put the phone back in my pocket. Picking up my suit jacket from the back of my chair, I leave the office. The wide windows in the hallways illuminate them with the orange light of the setting sun.
I pause beside the window, the sight of the sun melting behind the trees looks unfathomably bleak.
Through the winding hallways on the top floor, my feet take me to the master bedroom. I see two guards stationed
outside the door, a short woman closing it as she leaves.
“Alpha Supreme,” The healer bows as she sees me coming
I look past her at the door, before my eyes meet her slanted brown ones “How is she?”
“She’s recovering exceptionally well,” She says with a nod “Having her wolf unlocked is helping.”
I only offer her a nod, moving to grab the door handle when she speaks again;
“Alpha Supreme, I think if you can get her mate here—
“I don’t remember asking you for advice.” My voice cuts through hers like a blade
From my peripheral, I see her swallow before she bows “Y-Yes, Alpha.”
She scurries away, I turn the handle and step inside the room.
As I close the door behind, the scent of gardenia flowers and rain wraps around me like a comforting blanket, soothing every worry and exhaustion.
The room does show it was the residence of a ruler of the Lycan race. The canopy ceiling high above the walls,
the massive windows on the east wall, the white sheer curtains hanging over them, the white settle and sofa in one corner all scream royalty.
I walk towards the king-sized, chair I’d put by its side still in its place.
My eyes fall on the girl asleep under the sheet, her honey hair spiraled on the white pillows.
Silently, I sit down in the chair, my hand already reaching to hold hers. My skin sings as it touches hers and I let out a
breath I didn’t even know I was holding, my shoulders sag, relaxing for the first time since I checked up on her this morning.
Its been two days since the incident, she hasn’t made a single movement except for the soft rise and fall of her chest.
A newly familiar ache constricts my chest as I let out a rattled breath. I can’t shake the hope that she might wake up just as I come.
I’ve been waiting for you for so long, Hazel. Don’t make me wait longer.
Unbidden, distant memories unfurl in my head;
' “Is there a cure?” My father had asked the strange woman sitting in his office
I knew she was a witch, I’d met her once before when I was eleven. But she always seemed different from other witches. There was something strange in her scent; something powerful, something more knowledgeable than the rest.
“I can only think of one,” she said, her blazing yellow eyes swam towards me
I wanted to look away, unable to hold her scorching gaze. As if she could see what I become the night of the full moon, see the poison called wolfsbane used as a medicine by me, see the blood on my hands as I did in my nightmares.
But I held her gaze, my face impassive. I was thirteen, I shouldn’t be intimidated by anyone.
“Then speak woman,” My father said, but I noticed that his voice wasn’t as commanding as always— this woman was important and she had no reason to do as he said
“Find ’is mate,” the witch said, “she should work as a leash.”
“A leash?” I couldn’t help the note of disdain that leaked in my voice. The idea of having someone else know about my condition didn’t sit well with me
Both my father and the witch ignored me. Father’s gaze was trained on the witch, determination etched on his face.
“How would that help?” He asked
“Don’t ya know, Jax?” The witch raised a golden brow “Even beasts can’t ’urt what they love.”
I was suddenly glad that they were both ignoring me since I could feel my ears burning.
“But keep in mind what ’e is,” the witch said, “ ’e can’t find ’eras easily as ya mutts do these days.”
I saw my father’s jaw tighten when she said mutts, but he only nodded, understanding what she’d said.
“But he isn’t in his senses then,” My father told her as if she didn’t know already “He’d kill anything in his reach.”
I could feel my innards roil as he said that. I wished I could vanish when both of them glanced at me for a moment, as
if I wouldn’t notice the way they looked at me like I was a ticking timebomb.
“Anything except ’er,” The witch stood up from her seat, dusting her long black gown “How ya manage ta do it ain't ma problem.”
She walked towards the door but paused for a moment, she looked at me and smiled, I almost cringed when her yellow and gold teeth came into my sight.
“Best of luck, beastie.” And she went out
For the next few days, my father and Beta Drake busied themselves in devising plans to find my mate. I wasn’t sure if
I wanted her to see me, I wasn’t sure if I wanted my soulmate to know what I was.
But Mom always told me it wouldn’t matter to her, that she would help me, understand my pain like no other.
And I was stupid enough to believe that. '
For a few years, I believed her. I wished, hoped, and prayed, and visited every pack in my country, let every trusted man see the monster preparing to unleash itself on the world.
I had one hope, they all told me, and that was finding another to fix my broken pieces.
Only a few months after I started my journey, I knew it wasn’t the solution I wanted.
I didn’t want my soulmate to find a broken statue she had to fix and cut herself in the process. I didn’t want my
soulmate to be afraid of me.
I didn’t want anyone to take care of my problems for me.
I didn’t want to be that man.
Soon my mate was a secondary matter, soon I knew what the Alpha’s Hunt had to offer, soon I didn’t have to look for a stranger for peace. I had it in myself, an unshakable belief that I will find a way out.
For five years, I went from one country to the next, training with one pack and the next. Using any means to learn how to control the beast. In five years, I grew to the age of a hundred, survived more murder attempts than people double my age and reputation. In five years, Jax Winters’ son became Alpha Luke Winters.
I didn’t need my mate, I didn’t need anyone.
Now as I look at the girl in front of me, her eyes closed and features calm, a strange longing fills me. More than any I have ever felt for the stranger I’d been forced to look for.
I may be damaged, ruthless, demanding, and not worthy of this girl in any way at all, but I wasn’t so far gone that I couldn’t love her more than anything in this world.
Wake up, Hazel. I press a kiss to her knuckles. I need my Luna with me.