THE WILD BETWEEN US

Chapter 2

**Tyler's POV**

I’ve earned the title of the strongest and most ruthless Alpha in the South. My pack is second only to the Alpha King’s in size and power. Spanning the South of the sss and reaching far into the East and West, I’ve built a legacy carved from blood, sweat, and dominance.

My wolf, Ace, is a force of nature. Ever since I got him at the age of 14, I’ve been unstoppable. Gone is the scrawny boy with glasses who everyone doubted could take his father’s place as Alpha. I trained relentlessly—both my human self and my wolf—becoming stronger, faster, and deadly. I can take down a wolf even in my human form.

But Ace has grown restless, more aggressive since I turned 18. He craves his mate—*our soulmate*—but she’s nowhere to be found.

“She’s not dead,” Ace growls in my mind, his voice sharp and furious, cutting through my doubts.

Sometimes wolves don’t find their mates. Maybe they haven’t come of age, maybe they’re too far away, or maybe...they’re already gone. For ten years, I’ve searched every pack, every territory, every corner of this world. But I haven’t found her.

A year ago, I gave up. The weight of my failure sent Ace spiraling into rage, his fury uncontrollable for weeks. Even now, he’s distant, especially when I’m with Lara.

Lara is my girlfriend, the woman I’ve been thinking about making my Luna. An Alpha’s pack is strongest when it has a Luna—a mother to nurture and strengthen it. But Ace rejects her completely.

Being the strongest pack has its drawbacks. Rogues constantly attack, desperate to dethrone us and claim our power. They think defeating us will make them legends, the strongest rogue pack in history. But I’ve sworn never to let them near my people.

A knock on my office door snaps me from my thoughts. The scent is familiar, strong. My Beta, Kyle, and Gamma, Danny.

“Come in,” I call out.

They enter, smirking like fools.

“What’s got you two in such a mood this early?” I ask, already catching the scent of their mates on them.

Ace growls low in the back of my mind at the thought of mates. His restlessness claws at my control, but I shove him down, forcing him into silence.

“Had breakfast with my mate,” Kyle shrugs, dropping into the chair across from me.

Danny follows, wearing the same smug grin. “Same here.”

Kyle found his mate, Nina, the moment he shifted. Danny met his, Laila, during one of our searches for *my* mate in the South. That trip brought him his happiness and me nothing but more disappointment.

“What’s the situation with the rogues?” I ask, steering the conversation away from mates.

Kyle straightens, his confidence unwavering. “No attacks since we wiped out half their army last time. Looks like we scared them off—for now.”

“You don’t look good, Alpha,” Danny interjects, eyeing me carefully. “Have you been here all night?”

He’s not wrong. I haven’t slept.

Ace refuses to be near Lara, and since she’s taken over my bed, I’ve avoided it entirely to keep him calm. The last thing I need is for him to lose control again. The memory of Lara trembling in fear as Ace unleashed his Alpha aura on her still lingers. She’d fainted, and I’d spent hours trying to regain control.

*Weak,* Ace sneers in my mind, mocking her.

Shaking my head, I focus on Kyle and Danny, who are now watching me with concern.

“Ace won’t accept Lara,” Kyle says bluntly, breaking the silence.

I close my eyes and lean back in my chair, letting out a deep sigh. “He refuses to acknowledge anyone who isn’t his mate.”

Danny’s gaze softens. “Don’t be too hard on him. Wolves need their mates. Without them, they go feral.”

Frustration surges, and I slam my hands down on the desk, shattering the wood and scattering papers everywhere. My Alpha aura ripples through the room, forcing Kyle and Danny to bare their necks in submission.

“You think I don’t know that?” I roar. “You think I don’t want her just as badly as Ace does? I want my mate more than anything! I want to hold her, to love her, to look at her the way you both look at yours. I want to wake up every morning to her scent. I’ve searched every damn corner of this world, and she’s *nowhere.*”

My voice cracks as the last word leaves my lips, and I slump back into my chair, defeated.

Before I can say anything more, a quiet sob breaks the silence.

I look up sharply, my eyes locking with Lara’s. She’s standing in the doorway, tears streaming down her face, her blue eyes filled with heartbreak.

“Lara—” I start, but she turns and runs before I can finish.

*b***h,* Ace growls, his disdain for her as clear as ever.

“She will be our Luna,” I snap at him, desperate to cling to the plan.

Ace’s growl explodes in my mind, so fierce it shakes the pack house and shatters the glass windows. *Never,* he snarls, before retreating to the back of my mind.

“Calm down, Alpha,” Kyle says softly, trying to soothe the storm raging within me.

But I know there’s no calming this. Not until I find her. Not until I find *my mate*.