Full Moon's Luna

Who Is Shylah?

Alpha Quinn

The moment I stepped out of my car, her scent hit me like a bolt of lightning. It wasn’t just a fragrance—it was her essence, and it nearly knocked me off my feet all over again. I gripped the doorframe for balance, my chest tightening as Damone’, my wolf, surged forward with a possessive growl. She was here. My mate.

A surge of gratitude washed over me as I silently thanked the Moon Goddess. Out of all my family, she had chosen to bless me with this gift—a true mate. I hope that the curse is broken from my family and that my brother and our future children are able to find there fated mates as well. I’d grown up listening to stories of wolves finding their destined partners, but none of those tales had prepared me for this. The intensity of it all—her scent, the pull, the way my heart raced uncontrollably—was beyond anything I’d imagined.

Still, doubt nagged at the back of my mind. Was this level of connection normal? Or was it something more? Something unique? No one in my family had ever found their fated mate, which made this unfamiliar territory for me. I decided I’d talk to Elder Josephine soon. If anyone could shed light on this, it was her.

I inhaled deeply, letting her scent fill my lungs. It was intoxicating. It calmed me, eased the tension in my body, but to my frustration, it was faint. She’d been here recently but was long gone now.

Shaking off the haze she’d left me in, I focused on my surroundings. My office was in a busy shopping center, and the other spaces were leased out to various businesses. If she had been here, it was possible she was a tenant—or at least connected to one. Either way, I needed answers.

Once inside my office, I sat heavily in my chair and exhaled a deep sigh. The only person who could give me immediate answers was Kyle. As the property manager for the shopping center—and my Beta—he’d know every detail about the tenants here. I grabbed my phone and dialed his number. He picked up on the first ring.

“Alpha,” Kyle greeted with a hint of formality, though I could hear the smile in his voice. “It’s an honor to receive your call. What can I do for you?”

“Kyle, knock it off man,” I said, not in the mood for pleasantries. “This is serious.”

His tone shifted immediately. “What’s going on? Is everything okay at the packhouse?”

“Yeah, the packhouse is fine,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “This is...personal.”

Kyle and I had known each other our whole lives. Our parents were best friends, so it was only natural that we’d grown up as close as brothers. When I became Alpha, there was no question that he’d be my Beta. I trusted him with my life, and I needed his advice now more than ever.

I filled him in on everything—catching my mate’s scent, the overwhelming intensity of it, and my suspicions about a new human tenant in the shopping center.

“Quinn,” Kyle began carefully, “you know we have the safest, strongest pack in North America. If this human isn’t causing trouble, it might be better to let them stay. They’ve signed a lease, and legally, we’re tied to it. Let them stay for a year, and three months before the lease ends, we can quietly inform them we won’t be renewing.”

I hated the idea of waiting an entire year to resolve this, but I couldn’t deny the logic in his words. “Fine,” I muttered reluctantly. “Send me the tenant’s information. I want to know exactly who I’m dealing with before I meet them.”

“Will do,” Kyle said, then hesitated. “One more thing—you might want to prepare yourself. The human leased one of the office spaces too. The one next to yours.”

That gave me pause. “They leased an office?”

“Yeah. From what I’ve seen, she seems focused on her work. I don’t think she’ll be a problem.”

“Alright. Thanks, Kyle. I’ll see you at the packhouse later.”

After hanging up, I booted up my computer and accessed the tenant files. Normally, I’d leave this to Kyle—it was his department—but today, I didn’t have the patience to wait. I needed to know who this human was now.

The screen loaded, and her application came into view. My eyes immediately landed on her name: Shylah. Twenty-nine years old, with a son named Khalil. I skimmed through her background and felt a flicker of admiration. She owned multiple businesses—rental properties, a trucking company—and her financial records were impeccable. Her income was impressive, to say the least.

“Shylah and Khalil,” I murmured, testing the names on my tongue.

Saying her name sent a shiver through me, a spark of something I couldn’t quite explain. My wolf stirred restlessly, pacing in the back of my mind. She was a woman who took her work seriously—focused, strategic, successful. But one question lingered: Why was it just her and her son?

Was she a single mom? The thought of her being alone sent a pang of something—anger? Possessiveness?—coursing through me. A woman like her, with her intelligence and drive, shouldn’t be on her own. But if there was a man in her life, why hadn’t he been listed on the application? My wolf growled at the mere idea, though I had no clue why it mattered so much to me.

I sighed and ran my hands over my face. I needed to get a grip. According to her records, she wasn’t likely to cause trouble, which meant there was no immediate reason for concern. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this situation was far from simple.

A year, I told myself. She and her son could stay for a year. After that, they’d have to leave.

Or at least, that was the plan.