Catch me Alpha

Her scent

Leaving him was a torture, and I noticed it when a left the ballroom heading back to John's car, where he was waiting for me. The first part of the event has endend, now starts the second part: the hunt.

At midnight, the male wolf had to follow her mate's scent throug the forest, find her and bite her. But he had to be fast, even other wolves can claim her. The she-wolf had to be the fastest, or she wil be trapped.

Usually the male wolf were the first to scent the mate, the she-wolf could smell his mate when they were really close. So that makes the male wolves predators and the strongest as well.   

I've attended this event since I was mature enough to shift, not because I wanted to mate, but because everyone was forced to partecipate. Mating was the most important thing among  packs, it shows that everyone has a caring side and the bond makes you stronger, so everyone needed their half to be complete. As you can see, I'm still unmated, only because I was fast enough to escape other wolves in these past years.

"Did you just see a ghost?"

"John, what happens if someone catches me?" I asked straight away

He looked at me like I was talking nonsense, clearly he was surprised, since I never cared at all about the mating thing. I truly didn't know,  and I didn't want to know, but it was the time to ask.

I was afraid of that wolf, I had a feeling that he wasn't the type to accept a no.

"Why are you scared so suddenly?" He felt that something was wrong with me, but I didn't dare to lock eyes with him, I couldn't afford to be seen weak, specially in front of my Alpha.

" Did you meet someone?" I asked, knowing that he won't answer my question

He took a deep breath as he opend the passenger door for me and closed it once I was in. He started the car and looked at me

"I didn't, and you know, because everyone knows what happens when an Alpha finds his mate"  Then his eyes narrowed, because he remembered something that almost escaped from his attention

" Don't try to avoid my question, Grace, you still own me an answer" of course he could not let this pass.

" I was the first to ask you something" I tried to gain some time, eventually, I will have to give him an answer but not now.

" If you're mate is a part of out pack, nothing will change, you will stay here and still be my beta" 

" What if he comes from another pack?"  I had this feeling that I really wouldn't like the answer, I maybe didn't want to know, but I had to.

He looked at me with sorry eyes, with just this I understood everything, he didn't need to keep on talking.

" If he is from another pack, you have to leave and be with him, you will lose your role and we maybe could never see each other again. Male wolves are possesive and very jealous, he won't have you hanging around without him" 

Everything crumbled down, I felt empty. He won't let me even breath, be myself anymore. A real cage to chain me. Tears started to roll over my eyes, I wasn't ready. I was few steps away to accomplish something big, something that I've waited all my life to do, he clearly won'te let me revenge my mother. I couldn't let that happen.

"Grace, tell me.I know when something is wrong with you. Did your mate find you? He asked surprised as if he had never thought that something like that would happen. He always believed that my mate was dead or unborn, not to be rude or mean, but because every year I have beated everyone in the hunt, and everyone thought that this years would be the same as the others.

" John, I can't let this happen. He found me, and I am not ready, you know that there is something in my life missing, something that I must do. Please, help me"

"I don't know how to help you. He is your mate, he has the right to take you with him as soon as he catches you." He sighed he obviously didn't want to let me go, I was still his trusted beta and the girl that he grew up almost as his equal. He wished that I was his mate.

"As much as I don't want you to leave, you have to, you can't avoid the magic"

" I am asking you this not as my Alpha, but as my friend. I swear to you that once I'm done, I will come back to him"

"You're asking me so much, what if this leads to a war between packs?"

" You own me something since that day"  I knew that I was being selfish, but this was the only opportunity that I had, John hasn't still forgiven himself for what happend to my mum

"Grace.." he had tears in his eyes, and I felt horrible, he didn't deserve to suffer, not after all he has done for me. But I had to use this card

" I will help you, but don't ever bring this ever again" I made him mad now, but this gave me hope, his help will let me escape from my mate's paws for a while.

                                                                               ---

11.30 PM

I still had 30 minutes before heading to the forest. 

John has brought me to home and then left. After that conversation in the car, he didn't profer a single word, he was still hurt, but he will help me the same. John is a man of his word.

Before the hunt all I had to was to wear only a night gown and I chose a silver silk one. It was unnecessary to bring clothes, the moon had to give the she-wolves her blessing by reflecting its light on their skins and in their furs once they shifted.

I wish I could fall asleep and then wake up tomorrow, as if nothing had happend. I hoped that John was the fastest among the wolves

While walking through the forest, the cold glass was ticling my feet, it was a pleasent sensation, something that would avoid me from thinking too much. As I arrived every she wolves were wearing night gown as well, some of them were terrified,  probably it was their first year, poor girls. Since I was a veteran I had to feel more self confident, but the truth is that I am not, that man was my fear.

NOAH 'S POV

I can't let her out of my mind, that was the truth. 

Since I entered the ballroom, the air became heavy, like i couldn't breathe. The feeling I had was contradictory, It could relax me but in the same time I was wearing myself out. Maybe this event was stressing me out. In these past years I couldn't attend the mating ceremony because my pack was constantly at war. 

I was the Alpha of one of the most powerful pack, Bloody Runner pack and it was hard to lead without a mate, that's why I forced myself to partecipate this year and let my father momentarily lead my pack. 

I looked around, there were a lot of graceful she-wolves, but none of them caught my attention, this was not probably my year, but waiting for the next event could be very dangerous, since my pack is growing in number and in strenght, it is too much for ony one wolf to handle, all this could cause an overbalance and eventually its fall.

I forced myself into not losing hope and took another look around,  she could enter the ballroom at any time. As that feeling was growing stronger inside of me, I couldn't help but think that she was here, she must be here or I wouldn't feel this way.

Suddenly the wolf inside me became furious, out of his mind, he was trying to come to the surface. I had to have an iron fist, I coulnd't let him come out, I had a feeling that he would probably tear someone's head off.

I soon realised what was going on. The room was filled with the most sensual scent that I ever experienced: vanilla and musk. But my wolf's anger came to me as well, in her scent there was a track of a male wolf, she was with someone else, and this was outrageous. I followed her scent and I realised that a couple has entered the room and almost everybody was greeting them. It was the Alpha of the local pack, but  with him there was her,

 MY MATE.

 I came all around here to find her between the arms of another? There is no way that I would let this happen.

She must have felt my presence too, since she was uncomfortable, and was trying to head somewhere to release her tension. As she walked away I took a good look of her. She was stunning, the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen. All my thoughts were focused on her.

 If she only knew what I could do to her if there was noone in this room.> 

Clearly my wolf wanted to jump on her, but I had to respect her and this event, our bond must become strong with the hunt. Her dress was tempting me so much, her exposed neck was only telling me to bite her, she cannot have the power to make me suffer this way. I had to talk to her, I had to know her. 

---

"Noah it's almost time to go" my beta called for me as I was thinking about what my mate told me few hours ago. 

She surely wasn't that Alpha's mate. She doesn't have his scent on her, they weren't mixed.

Who was she?

She was strong I could tell, she was feeling the same way that I did. But something was telling me that she might not want this, and this made my wolf sadden. She was playing hard to get, I loved the challenge, but I couldn't wait, I had no time to play, I wanted her and not only because of my pack.

All the male wolves had to shift and come into the forest, the she wolves don't have to see their mates' human form, and since their sense of smell is wicker, they would not recognize the male wolf's scent.

My wolf was the biggest in there, he was dark and  he was terrorizing everyone. I made it clear that I was looking for someone, and they hoped that I was not aiming for their mates.

The she- wolves came and formed a long line in front of us. I didn't have to look for her, her scent told me that she was in the first position.

 Why was she there? She was heading all the females...

Had she some important role in her pack? This was something that I will know soon.

Her silky robe was praying me for tearing it apart.

I scrolled, I had to focuse on her. I could tell by other's male growls that a lot of them were running for her. How they even dare? She my mate, only mine. I started to breathe fire and jelaousy 

I growled the loudest, she was going home with me tonight and noone else.

She turned around, a litte bit scared, scared that I will probably catch her.

" At the last stroke before midnight, the she-wolves will start to run, aiming for neutral territory. After 5 minutes, a bell will ring and the male wolves will start their hunt" A voice spoke

"Now all the she-wolves shift!" 

And they did

I kept my eyes on her, and she let her wolf come out. I was almost out of control, my wolf fell in love again with her, and I did too. We were jumping of happiness. Her wolf was big, but still smaller than mine. She was a red and white wolf, appealing and unreacheable, like an angel.

Midnight

"May the hunt begin"