Chapter 3 Mate!!

I pulled my jacket tighter around my shoulders as I stepped out of the Pack Hall. The cold night air hit my face, making me shiver.

For a moment, I stopped walking and looked up at the full moon hanging high above the sky. It was beautiful, bright and peaceful. It should have been the happiest night of my life.

I had chosen this date because I wanted to be married under the full moon. I wanted the Moon Goddess to bless my marriage. I wanted to begin a new chapter with hope.

Instead, everything had fallen apart. My wedding was over before it even began. The man I loved had betrayed me. The whole Pack had watched my life fall apart.

I let out a slow breath. "My reputation is probably gone too," I whispered to myself.

The nobles would definitely gossip, some of the elders would blame me, some would say I embarrassed the Pack and others would say I was too proud. But none of it was my fault.

I slowly looked away from the moon. Beside me, Lila walked quietly with her hands inside the pockets of her black combat jacket. Her short black hair danced with the wind, messy from the long night. She looked more like a handsome young man than a lady, and people sometimes mistook her for a boy until they heard her voice. She had never cared. She said dresses annoyed her, and high heels??? Those were torture. She always said combat boots were made for real people, made for making fighting very easy at all times.

Lila had grown up with me in the orphan wing of the palace after my father took her in. Even though I was the Alpha's daughter, we were raised together. She was more than my best friend, she was family.

I looked at her and forced out a smile. "Was I really that bad?" I asked softly.

She frowned. "What?"

"I mean... do I really deserve this? I only wanted someone who would love me." My voice cracked. "Someone who would take care of me for once."

Lila stopped walking. She turned toward me with an expression that could scare even the bravest warrior. "Whoever told you that you're not enough must be blind." Her voice grew colder. "And whoever made you feel this way better pray I never find them alone. If I hear one word from anyone after today, I will personally cut out their tongue and feed it to the mad wolves."

I couldn't help laughing a little. Only Lila could threaten murder with such a straight face. "You always know how to cheer me up."

"I wasn't joking."

"I know."

"I really wasn't."

The smile stayed on my face as we kept walking. Lila had always been like this, hot-headed, protective and Impossibly loyal to me. She never cared about rules unless they made sense, and half the elders hated her for questioning everything. I secretly admired that about her.

I looked down the long road leading away from the palace. "I don't want to go home yet. I just... want to walk. I want to clear my head."

Silence. Then she sighed. "Are you stupid? Did you hit your head when you smashed that glass? Did you leave your brain inside the Pack Hall?"

"No..."

She grabbed my wrist. "We're going to the pharmacy."

I groaned. "Lila—"

"No."

"It doesn't even hurt. It was just a few cuts."

"I said no."

She dragged me toward the waiting black SUV.

"I wanted to walk," I muttered.

"And I wanted a peaceful evening."

I pouted. "You sound like my mother."

"I should."

"I don't have one."

She paused for only a second before opening the car door. "...Exactly."

I sighed dramatically. "You're so bossy."

"And you're terrible at listening."

"But—"

"I won't repeat myself."

I puffed out my cheeks like an angry child, looked at the car, then at her, then back at the car, and with the saddest face I could make, I climbed inside.

"There."

She smirked. "Good girl."

I rolled my eyes. "Good girl my ass."

She laughed as she closed the door.

The drive was quiet. Streetlights flashed past the windows while soft music played from the speakers. I leaned sideways until my head rested on Lila's lap.

She looked down at me. "What are you doing?"

"Using you as a pillow."

"I noticed."

"It's comfortable."

"You've become shameless."

"I've had a terrible day."

"...Fair enough."

She pulled out her phone and scrolled through the screen while absentmindedly running her fingers through my hair. It was something she always did whenever I was upset. Neither of us spoke again. For the first time that day, I felt safe.

About twenty minutes later, the car stopped.

"We're here," the driver announced.

Lila slipped her phone into her pocket before getting out, walked around the car, and opened my door. "Come on."

I climbed out. The pharmacy stood quietly on the corner of the street, one of the few places still open this late. Full moon nights always meant more wolves getting hurt.

As soon as my feet touched the ground, something felt wrong. I froze. A strange feeling spread through my chest, it was warm, gentle, yet impossible to ignore. It was like an invisible thread had wrapped itself around my heart, pulling, calling, leading me somewhere.

I frowned. "Lila..."

She looked back. "What?"

"Do you... feel that?"

She looked around. "Feel what?"

"I don't know."

She caught up to me in two quick steps and grabbed my arm. My heartbeat became faster. Thump. Thump. Thump.

"Muna?"

"I can feel something."

Lila frowned. "A rogue?"

I slowly shook my head. "No."

"An enemy?"

"I don't think so."

She immediately moved in front of me, placing herself between me and the rest of the pharmacy. It was a habit she had developed since we were teenagers. Whenever she sensed danger, she always stood in front of me — even though I was stronger than most warriors, even though I was the Alpha's daughter, she still protected me first.

"Stay behind me," she said.

I smiled weakly. "You really think someone is going to attack a pharmacy?"

"You'd be surprised."

She carefully looked around. The pharmacy wasn't crowded. A young mother was buying medicine for her child. An old couple stood near one of the shelves. A nurse was speaking with the cashier. Everything looked normal.

The strange feeling grew stronger and my heartbeat quickened. It felt like someone was whispering directly into my soul. This way.

Without thinking, I began walking — past the entrance, past the waiting customers, past the shelves filled with medicine. The smell of medicine slowly faded. Instead, a strange scent filled the air.A fresh, cold scent like pine trees after rain, mixed with something warm, something comforting.

I closed my eyes for a second. "What is that smell?"

Lila sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything."

The feeling pulled me toward the back hallway where the private consultation rooms were located. A nurse walked past us carrying a clipboard. She smiled politely. "Can I help you?"

Before I could answer, someone stepped out from the hallway behind her. Every step made the feeling stronger. It was no longer a pull. It was a command.

Someone was here.

Lost in my thoughts, I bumped into something hard. A person. I looked up fast.

My eyes locked with the most beautiful silver eyes I had ever seen. They glowed a little under the pharmacy lights, like they had gold mixed in them. The man was tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair streaked silver. His black coat hung loosely over his shoulders, slightly messy, as if he'd run his fingers through it too many times. He looked rough, like he lived outside a lot — scars near his jaw, a strong jaw. He smelled like pine trees and mountain air.

The moment he stepped into the light, the entire world seemed to stop. For a long second neither of us moved. He looked just as surprised as I felt. His medicine bag slipped from his hand. The bottles rolled across the floor and he didn't even notice.

The strange pull inside my chest became unbearable. My wolf — the wolf that had never answered me before, the wolf everyone believed didn't exist — stirred. For the first time in my life, I felt it. A soft voice echoed deep inside my mind. It wasn't clear, it wasn't loud but it was there. Alive. Tears filled my eyes before I even understood why.

He took one slow step forward. Then another. His breathing became uneven.

Lila immediately stepped between us. "Who are you?"

He didn't answer. His eyes remained locked on me.

Lila's hand slowly moved toward the small dagger hidden beneath her jacket. "I asked you a question."

Still, no answer. The air around him suddenly felt heavier. Not threatening but powerful like standing in front of a mountain. Every instinct inside me screamed that this stranger wasn't ordinary.

He stopped only a few feet away, his hands at his sides, looking... conflicted. As if he wanted to leave. As if he wanted to run. As if every part of him was fighting against something. I couldn't understand why. My heart was beating so loudly I could barely hear anything else. Who was he? Why did he feel so familiar? Why did looking into his eyes make me feel like I had known him forever?

Lila glanced at me. "Muna, do you know him?"

Slowly, I shook my head. "No..."

I tried to step back, but he held me tightly. His hands were warm and firm on my arms. He looked at me like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"You..." His voice was low, rough, like someone who hadn't spoken much in years. Only one word, yet it sent a shiver through my entire body. He looked at me with disbelief, pain, longing, hope — emotions so deep they almost broke my heart. He slowly reached out his hand, then stopped halfway, as though afraid to touch me. His scent wrapped around m

e like the warmth of the full moon.

He closed his eyes for a brief second. When he opened them again, they glowed faintly silver.

His lips parted and one word escaped them.

"Mate."