Bound by Moonlight

chapter 2

Bentley pov

The forest was unusually still this morning.

Bentley stood on the ridge above Crescent Creek’s training grounds, the wind cold against his skin despite the warmth of the rising sun. He wasn’t out here for the view. He was trying to keep himself from snapping at someone.

Or worse.

His wolf, Jax, was clawing under his skin—growling, pacing, snarling.

We need her. Now.

Bentley clenched his fists as Jax’s voice growled through his mind, deeper and more unstable than ever.

“I know,” he muttered aloud. “You think I don’t know that?”

Jax didn’t answer, but the pressure inside him didn’t ease. It never did anymore.

At 27, Bentley was one of the most powerful Alphas in North America. The Crescent Creek Pack, nestled in the misty wilds of Oregon, wasn’t just dominant in size—it was feared, respected, and watched. His father, Alpha Logan, had built a legacy of strength. His mother, Luna Kate, had ruled with quiet intelligence. Bentley had taken the mantle at 18, and not once had he faltered.

Except for this.

A mate.

The one thing that continued to escape him, even after nearly a decade of searching.

He’d traveled to every ally pack from Canada to Texas, under the guise of strengthening bonds. His Gamma, Gage, had found his mate at 18. His Beta, Able, found his at 26—his own sister Layla. His circle was complete, settled. Mated.

And Bentley?

Bentley was a king without a queen.

Crescent Creek was beginning to notice. Restlessness buzzed through his warriors. The elders had started whispering about stability, legacy, succession.

They wanted him to choose.

To settle.

He wouldn’t. He refused.

He’d made mistakes in the past—empty nights, desperate attempts to feel something—but none of those she-wolves had been her. None had quieted Jax’s rage. If anything, those encounters only worsened the guilt curling in his gut. He hadn’t touched anyone in over a year. Not since Jax nearly tore through his skin after a single kiss.

“She’s not them,” his wolf had snarled that night. “Never again.”

Bentley exhaled sharply and turned from the ridge, making his way down to the Pack House. His phone buzzed in his pocket. The screen lit up with a name:

Alpha Calvin Lakewood

He answered immediately. “Alpha Calvin.”

“Bentley,” came the warm, gravel-rich voice of the Northern Alpha. “I got your message.”

Bentley ran a hand through his dark hair. “I appreciate the last-minute request. I just—my pack’s getting restless. I could use the space. A few days out of Oregon.”

There was a pause on the other end. Then, “You’re always welcome here. Your father and I—hell, we go way back. I’ll let the guards know you’ll be arriving early.”

“Thank you. My Gamma Gage will be with me. That’s all.”

“We’ll see you soon, son.”

The line disconnected.

Bentley’s jaw tensed. Lakewood was a small pack, tucked deep in Northern Minnesota. Good people. Quiet. Loyal. Not a single reason why his mate would be there.

But Jax was agitated in a different way this morning. Buzzing. Almost alert.

And after ten years of chasing nothing but shadows, Bentley had learned to follow even the smallest shift in the wind.

He strode back into the Pack House, the door slamming open behind him. His Gamma Gage sat at the kitchen island, nursing a protein shake.

“You look like s**t,” Gage said casually, tossing him an apple.

“I feel worse,” Bentley replied, catching it one-handed.

“You’re really going early?”

Bentley nodded. “Calvin’s expecting us.”

Gage arched a brow. “You think she’s there?”

“I don’t know,” Bentley admitted, biting into the apple. “But Jax… something’s different. We have to go.”

Gage gave a low whistle. “Ten years, and you’re still chasing the ghost of a scent.”

“No,” Bentley said firmly. “I’m chasing her. And I don’t care how long it takes—I’ll know her the second I’m near her.”

He didn’t say the rest out loud: If I don’t find her soon, I might not survive this.

Jax snarled again, low and burning.

Soon, Bentley told him. We’re going soon.

The wolf quieted for a heartbeat. Then growled, low and dangerous:

She better be there. Or we’re tearing the damn place apart.

Bentley met his own reflection in the hallway mirror as he passed, blue eyes hard and unrelenting.