Mated to the Beta, Wanted by the Alpha

Chapter 5

-IRIS-

What should I do?

Before I could think, a massive grey wolf—larger than life—burst from the trees and slammed into the group. The sick rogues scattered, confused for a heartbeat before turning on him.

Silver fur gleamed under the moonlight, an aura almost royal. Almost divine.

And then he moved.

The way he fought… it wasn’t just skill. It was destiny in motion. A deadly, fluid dance that bent the surrounding night. He tore through the infected wolves with terrifying precision, bodies flying and hitting the ground before my mind could register the strikes.

Gruesome. And mesmerizing at the same time.

I couldn’t look away. I didn’t want to.

A warm breeze swept past, carrying the rotten stench of the rogues. But beneath it, something else drifted toward me.

Fresh rain.

My favorite scent in the world.

Air stalled in my lungs. My heart stopped for a beat before slamming back to life, racing so violently it hurt. The Earth didn’t just stop spinning; it tilted.

I knew that scent.

I knew that wolf.

It was him.

He paused mid‑fight, lifting his black muzzle to the air, sniffing.

Steel‑silver eyes snapped to mine, holding me captive.

And in that instant, everything inside me changed. A fault line was cracking open. The woman I’d been a second ago was gone, replaced by someone who suddenly remembered exactly what she’d been missing all these years.

"Tristan," I breathed. The word was barely a whisper, lost in the chaos of the battle, but his ears twitched.

It’s me, I wanted to scream.

The girl from the cliffs.

The one you kissed under the moonlight.

After all these years, after everything that happened, I never forgot you.

I took a step toward him, but a massive infected wolf crashed between us, blotting him out like an eclipse from hell.

Its rotten stench hit me first, thick and suffocating. Yellow foam dripped from its fangs. Its glassy eyes locked onto me with a hunger so raw, so strong, it felt almost personal. Its chest heaved, ribs expanding like it was about to explode.

"Chiara! Move!" I urged my wolf, panic clawing up my throat. Goddess, why couldn’t I shift? It would be so much easier to bolt.

But before I could do anything, it lunged.

I stumbled back, boots skidding on loose pebbles. My heel caught, and I went down hard, butt first, the impact knocking the air from my lungs.

The wolf was already mid‑air.

I threw my arms over my face, a useless shield. Hot breath blasted against my skin. I felt the weight of its shadow swallow me whole.

This was it.

This was how I’d die.

Not in battle. Not with honor.

But torn apart on pack floor, by an infected monster.

A snarl ripped through the night—so loud, so violent, it shook the ground like an earthquake.

But the bite I was waiting for never came.

When I opened my eyes, Tristan’s wolf was already on the creature, ripping it away from me with a force that rattled my bones. He fought like a storm given flesh, brutal and unstoppable. Moments later, the infected wolf collapsed, unmoving.

Tristan kept fighting the remaining wolves. When the last rogue fell, he shifted back into his human form.

And Goddess… what a form.

Tristan, as a teen, had been cute. Charming. Sweet.

Tristan, as a man, was something else entirely—breathtaking, powerful, impossibly handsome. Dark, messy hair fell over his forehead, framing a strong face. A squared jaw, tanned skin, and a muscular and strong body, built for war.

He walked toward me, intensity carved into every line of him. He stopped in front of me, hand outstretched.

"Are you all right, pretty girl?" His silver eyes swept over me, concern softening their usual steel.

I reached for him, fingers trembling, desperate to feel him after all this time...

But before our hands touched, my mate appeared out of nowhere.

"Oh, Knox. Thank Goddess." Mark pulled me into his arms. "Thank you for saving her, man."

His arms wrapped around me, guiding my head to his chest, my ears feeling his strong heartbeat.

"Her?" Tristan’s brows pulled together, confusion flickering across his face. "You know each other?"

"She’s my mate, Alpha."