Howl for Me, Not Her

Chapter 6 He Didn’t Lose Me. He Gave Me Away

I backed up a few steps, eyeing him warily as I trailed him to the pack’s lodge in Lunar Bay. From the way he had caught me earlier to the way he carried himself now, Vincent felt like a stranger wrapped in familiar skin.I remembered him as the chubby pup with a runny nose who used to trail behind me like a loyal tail. But the man walking beside me now? Broad-shouldered, quiet confidence, eyes that had seen too much. Even the way he walked screamed Alpha.“You’ve changed,” I blurted before I could stop myself.He chuckled, the sound low and rough. “Northwatch isn’t kind. After my family was sent up there, we nearly lost half the pack during the Tide Hunt. I had to step up or watch everything fall apart.”I blinked, surprised. He wasn’t bragging—it was just the truth. He’d grown under pressure, reshaped by survival.

In that moment, I realized—he wasn’t the boy I used to tease. He was a man now. A leader. And he’d walked through fire to become one.

What a coincidence — we ended up being assigned to the same den.

“You crashin’ here too?” I asked, side-eyeing the coincidence.

“What dragged you to Lunar Bay?”

He flashed a quick grin. “Pack biz,” he said, casual-like.“Strangely we landed in the same lodge, huh? Almost like the Moon Goddess planned it.”

I didn’t bite, just beelined for the elevator to my room. After dropping my stuff, I hit the lobby again—only to find Vincent Wolfsbane still kickin’ around. Bathed in moonlight through the windows, he looked like he was glowing.

I strolled up, suspicious. “Why you still here?”

He looked up, eyes sparking. “Waitin’ on you,” he said, standing tall. “Been ages. How ‘bout we snag some grub?”

I caved to his stubborn charm, and we picked a hotspot by the bay, famous for its fresh kills—Lunar Bay wolves know how to serve up a feast. The joint was packed, tables spilling onto the sand. I shadowed Vincent, grabbed a spot outside, and settled in.

“Luna Elena?” My name hit me like a slap.

A familiar growl followed, “Lila? What’s your deal?”

Lila, my sister, spotted Vincent and bolted like a spooked deer. But before she could vanish, Alpha Marcus clocked me with Vincent. His eyes blazed—seeing me with another wolf lit his fuse. He stormed over, hackles raised.

“Elena, movin’ on already? That why you cut our bond?” he snarled.“What the hell’s goin’ on here?!”

I shot up, ice in my veins. “What’s goin’ on? Why you think you get to ask?”“Ain’t you the Alpha who can’t stand cheap eats? Yet here you are,lowering your standards

He looked away, guilt plastered on his mug. I glanced at the scraps on the table behind him—ironic, considering how I used to drag him to hole-in-the-wall joints, only for him to call ‘em filthy. He’d never roll with me, but here he was with Lila.

Arms crossed, I threw him a death stare. The air thickened till Vincent stood, breaking the standoff.

“Marcus, still the same old wolf,” he said with a grin, catching Marcus off guard.“Been a minute. It’s me, Vincent Wolfsbane.”

After a quick back-and-forth, I yanked Vincent away, eager to ditch the scene. As we bailed, Marcus’s eyes drilled into our joined hands, his face like stone.