Chapter 1: The Arrival
1229 Words
The trees thinned as Luceris ran, the sharp rhythm of his breath steady despite the burn in his thighs. His arms pumped like pistons, legs eating the ground beneath him, muscles aching but not slowing. He could’ve kept running for hours, maybe days, if that’s what it took. The exhaustion that should have been clawing at his bones never came.
Not when his wolf was leading.
Not when he was chasing something that felt like destiny.
His wolf remained restless beneath the surface, pacing, growling, whining, and pushing against the walls of his mind. The closer they got, the more unbearable the pressure became.
Every inhale brought the bond into sharper focus.
He was getting closer.
Wind whipped through his hair as he emerged from the dense forest and onto a wide, gravel-dusted road that led down toward civilization. It was strange, the sudden shift from wilderness to the faint hum of a town—power lines overhead, rusted signs swinging in the breeze, and the scent of diesel mixed with pine.
He stopped at the edge of the treeline, chest heaving. Not from fatigue. From restraint.
His wolf howled inside him, not the warning cry of prey or enemy this time—but a visceral, echoing there. A demand to turn east, where the scent thickened like smoke in his nostrils, tangling with his senses until it was hard to think of anything else.
Mate. Mate. Mate.
The bond tugged hard. His wolf wanted to sprint. To throw himself toward the presence that shimmered just at the edge of knowing, just beyond reach. He could feel it like static under his skin—pulling, humming, singing.
But Luceris held back.
“No,” he murmured, panting as he put a hand to a nearby tree to steady himself. “Not yet.”
His wolf snarled.
Not in anger—in yearning.
Go. Claim. Mate.
Luceris swallowed thickly and closed his eyes. “I want to see who they are first. Where they live. How they lead.”
A beat of silence. Then a low, impatient growl.
Luceris smirked faintly. “Let’s not scare him off before he even sees us. Let me at least change out of jungle grime. Don’t you want to look pretty for him?”
The wolf fell still.
Another beat. Then a grumble.
Luceris chuckled under his breath and shook out his hair, flicking off stray leaves and dirt. “That’s what I thought.”
The town wasn’t big, but it was neat. Clean sidewalks, fresh paint on storefronts, and flower boxes blooming beneath windows. People moved about—humans, mostly. He passed an elderly woman watering potted herbs on her porch, a couple wrangling an overexcited dog near the park, and a boy on a bike who gave him a curious once-over before speeding off.
Luceris’s presence drew glances, but no alarm. That alone told him plenty.
They were used to strangers.
Or at least used to the others who lived beyond the trees.
He found a clothing store tucked between a bakery and a tattoo parlor. Its front window displayed flannel shirts, leather jackets, and practical boots—nothing flashy, but well-made. Inside, the scent of cedarwood and laundry detergent filled the air. The girl behind the counter blinked at him once, then smiled politely.
Luceris picked out a pair of dark jeans and a black hoodie with thumbholes in the sleeves. He looked at himself briefly in the mirror—a tousled mess of sweat, twigs, and blood-matted hair.
He winced.
“Goddess,” he muttered. “No wonder the wolf’s embarrassed.”
A deep grumble echoed from within him.
He paid in cash, tugged on the new clothes over his bare skin, and stuffed his old shirt into the small paper bag. He tied his hair back into a low knot, combing fingers through it as best he could.
His wolf practically purred.
“See?” Luceris whispered internally. “Pretty.”
His stomach snarled loud enough to turn heads.
“Alright, alright,” he muttered to himself and the wolf alike. “Food first. Mate… later.”
A cozy-looking diner down the street caught his eye. The kind with old red booths, a long counter lined with stools, and a chalkboard sign out front that read: Hunters’ Special: Elk Burger & Sweet Potato Fries – $8.99
As soon as he stepped in, warmth and scent wrapped around him—coffee, grease, bread… and something else.
Something sharp.
Something divine.
His breath caught in his throat. He stumbled.
The bond roared.
His wolf exploded.
There. In the air. Strong. Recent. Undeniable.
Not faint like before. Not lingering like a week-old trail. This was fresh. Hours old, maybe less. It clung to the air, the booths, the counter. His wolf howled, rattling the bars of its cage.
Luceris’s wolf lost it.
Mate. MATE. GO TO HIM.
It clawed at his insides, howling, pressing against his skin like it would tear out of him if he didn’t obey.
Luceris gritted his teeth and inhaled sharply.
No.
The wolf snarled, furious.
Luceris gripped the edge of the nearest table
“Calm down,” he hissed under his breath. His heart was racing. His eyes scanned the room.
But his mate was gone.
Still, the scent lingered like a ghost.
Luceris clenched his fists and dragged his gaze away from the booth. “We’ll find him,” he whispered, “but not like this. Not wild. Not desperate.”
The wolf growled again—but this time, softer. Begrudgingly compliant.
Luceris slid into a booth on the opposite side, back toward the wall, eyes half-lidded but alert.
A server approached—a human girl with a nose ring and tired eyes. “What can I get you?”
Luceris didn’t hesitate. “Twelve elk burgers. Three orders of fries. And a milkshake.”
She didn’t even blink. "Would that be all?.”
Luceris : " Is that not enough?"
A shrug. “You’d be surprised what we see in this town.” She scribbled it down and disappeared without further comment.
Minutes later, the table groaned under the weight of his order. Luceris dug in with the same focus he gave to battle—methodical, unstoppable. Bite after bite vanished until grease slicked his fingers and satisfaction settled into his belly.
It was only after the sixth burger that he realized no one was watching.
Not a single person batted an eye at the amount of food he inhaled. No whispers. No gawking.
Just quiet conversations. Normal.
Too normal.
Luceris’s gaze narrowed.
A town this close to a werewolf pack… and they’re not just tolerating us. They’re used to us.
Either they respected the wolves.
Or feared them enough not to ask questions.
He tuned into a nearby booth. Two men spoke in low voices, barely beyond a murmur.
Human ears wouldn’t have caught it.
Well, he wasn’t human.
“—alpha called for extra patrols. Said the bond’s close. Can’t risk anything going wrong.”
“The hunt is next week. Think he’s nervous?”
“Don’t know. Gravemont’s always ten steps ahead.”
Gravemont.
The name hit him like a locked door suddenly swinging open.
Luceris sat up straighter.
Thorne Gravemont.
He was here.
Somewhere close.
And suddenly, Luceris knew—
He was exactly where he needed to be.
- Writer
