Chapter Five— The Pull in His Bones
1194 Words
Treston had traveled through six territories in the last month. Six packs, six Alphas, six dead ends. Every time he thought he caught the faintest whisper of the bond, it dissolved into nothing. Every time his wolf surged with hope, it faded into silence.
But he didn’t stop.
He couldn’t.
An Alpha without his mate was a storm without an anchor. And Treston had been living in that storm for far too long.
So when he crossed the Shadow Moon border that morning, he expected nothing. He expected another polite conversation, another fruitless search, another disappointment.
After the gathering Treston was heading to his room when suddenly a violent, magnetic pull deep in his chest, like a hook had been lodged behind his sternum and yanked hard enough to steal his breath. His wolf lunged forward so fast his vision blurred.
Mate.
The word wasn’t spoken. It wasn’t even thought. It was felt — a primal, instinctive certainty that slammed through him with the force of a shifting mountain.
His heart hammered. His lungs forgot how to work. His wolf clawed at the inside of his skin, frantic, desperate, wild.
She’s here.
She’s here.
Find her.
Treston staggered, one hand bracing against the wall as the hallway spun. Kallan, who had been walking a few steps behind him, froze instantly.
“Alpha?” Kallan’s voice sharpened. “What’s wrong?”
Treston didn’t answer. He pushed off the wall and strode forward, senses flaring so intensely it felt like his skull might crack. He moved through the pack house like a predator, checking rooms he had no reason to check — guest rooms, offices, storage closets.
Nothing.
He stormed up the stairs, checking the second floor, then the third. He shoved open the library doors, scanned the shelves, then moved on. He checked the infirmary. The Alpha’s private lounge. The training wing.
Still nothing.
By the time he reached the top landing again, his breathing was ragged. His wolf was practically frothing.
“Where is she?” he growled under his breath.
“Alpha Treston.”
He spun so fast Kallan actually took a step back. The Beta held his hands slightly raised, not in fear — Kallan never feared him — but in caution.
“You’re searching for her,” Kallan said quietly. “Aren’t you?”
Treston’s jaw clenched. “The bond snapped into place.”
Kallan’s eyes widened. “Here? In Shadow Moon?”
“Yes.” Treston’s voice was a low, dangerous rumble. “She’s inside this pack house. I can feel her.”
Kallan didn’t question him. Didn’t doubt him. Didn’t even blink.
Instead, he asked the one question that mattered.
“Did you check the basement?”
Treston froze.
The basement.
He hadn’t. He’d been so focused on the main floors he hadn’t even considered—
Kallan continued, “There’s a girl she lives down there, I spoke with her yesterday briefly.
Treston’s wolf lunged so violently he had to brace a hand against the wall again.
She lives in the dungeon was she hurt Treston asked his Beta
Yes
A loud growl escaped him, his heart slammed against his ribs.
“No,” he whispered. “No, she can’t be—”
But the bond pulsed again, sharp and undeniable, and his wolf roared in triumph.
Mate.
Mate.
Mate.
Treston didn’t wait for anything else. He bolted down the stairs, taking them three at a time. Kallan cursed and sprinted after him.
They reached the basement door in seconds.
Locked.
Treston rattled the handle, then slammed his shoulder into the wood. It didn’t budge.
“What the hell?” he growled. “Why is this locked?”
Kallan checked the keypad beside the door. “Alpha Jermain ordered it sealed this morning. Something about ‘stability concerns.’”
Treston’s wolf snarled. “Open it.”
“I don’t have the code.”
Treston slammed his fist into the door, cracking the frame. “Then get someone who does.”
Before Kallan could respond, footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Alpha Jermain rounded the corner, flanked by two guards. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes flicked from the damaged doorframe to Treston’s heaving chest.
“Alpha Treston,” Jermain said smoothly. “Is there a problem?”
Treston didn’t bow. Didn’t soften. Didn’t pretend.
“I need access to your dungeon,” he said, voice low and lethal.
Jermain raised a brow. “And why is that?”
Treston stepped forward, shoulders squared. “Because my mate is down there.”
The hallway went silent.
Kallan stood tall behind him, a silent wall of support. The guards exchanged uneasy glances. Jermain’s expression didn’t change, but something in his posture tightened.
“Treston,” Jermain said slowly, “you’re mistaken.”
“I’m not.”
“The girl downstairs is unstable.”
“I don’t care.”
“She’s missing her wolf.”
“She’s still mine.”
Jermain’s jaw flexed.
Treston growled. “I felt the bond.”
Jermain’s eyes narrowed. “You’re telling me your mate bond snapped into place for a wolf who can’t even shift?”
“Yes.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
Treston took another step forward, his wolf pushing so close to the surface his vision flickered. “I don’t give a damn what you believe. Open the door.”
Jermain’s guards shifted uneasily. Kallan moved closer, ready to intervene if things went sideways.
The Alpha studied Treston for a long, tense moment.
Then he sighed.
“You forget,” Jermain said quietly, “you are a guest in my territory.”
“And you forget,” Treston replied, voice like steel, “I am an Alpha. And that girl is mine.”
The air crackled.
Finally, Jermain exhaled through his nose. “Fine.”
He stepped to the keypad, entered a code, and the lock clicked open.
“But understand this,” Jermain said, turning back to him. “If you’re wrong—”
“I’m not.”
The moment the door opened, the bond surged again — stronger, clearer, pulling him downward like a magnet.
His mate was below.
Waiting.
Terrified.
Alone.
Jermain gestured for the guards to follow, then started down the stairs. Kallan nudged Treston forward.
Treston didn’t wait. He descended the steps two at a time, the air growing colder, heavier, tinged with damp stone and old fear.
The bond pulsed harder with every step.
His wolf was practically howling.
She’s close.
She’s close.
Go.
They reached the bottom landing. The corridor stretched ahead, lined with iron‑barred cells. Torches flickered along the walls, casting long shadows.
Treston’s heart pounded.
He could feel her.
He could feel her.
Jermain stopped at the end of the hall, turning to face him.
“She’s in the last cell,” the Alpha said quietly. “But before you go any further, you need to understand—she’s not what you think she is.”
Treston didn’t care.
He stepped forward.
One step.
Another.
Another.
The bond tightened, pulling him toward the final cell like a tether.
His breath caught.
His wolf surged.
He reached the doorway
- Writer
