Wolvenmark - The Forbidden Mate

Chapter 11 : The Alpha’s Luna: The Scent of Fate II

Chapter 11 : The Alpha’s Luna: The Scent of Fate II

Al's POV

Just as the atmosphere was beginning to settle, the door slammed open with a force that made everyone jump. Stone strode in, carrying something that caught my attention immediately. A book. My pulse quickened as I recognized it. It was the same one I’d seen before, the one my father had kept hidden away. He had called it an ancient manuscript—a family heirloom—but I had never dared open it. He had said it was too dangerous, that it held secrets I wasn’t ready to understand.

Stone walked briskly to the table, his face a mix of determination and urgency. Without a word, he set the book down and opened it, flipping through the pages with a practiced hand. The air around us felt electric, charged with an unspoken understanding that something important was about to unfold.

"What’s that?" Jayla asked, her eyes narrowing in curiosity. I could feel her anticipation growing, just like mine.

"The Moonbound Manuscript," Stone answered, his voice steady, though there was a sense of reverence in it. "It’s an ancient text that contains the history of werewolves, the bond between an Alpha and their Luna... and much more. It might hold the answers we’re looking for."

I leaned forward, the weight of the book pulling me in. I had always known that my family’s history was tied to the werewolf world, but I never fully understood the depth of it. Now, standing on the edge of this revelation, I could feel something inside me stir, a hunger to understand.

Stone flipped through the pages quickly, scanning for something specific. He stopped suddenly, his fingers hovering over a passage that seemed to draw him in. "Here," he muttered, his voice low as he began to read aloud.

"The Bond of the Alpha & Luna," he said, the words hanging in the air, filled with a weight I couldn’t ignore.

I gestured for him to hand over the book. He passed it to me without hesitation, and as my fingers touched the old pages, I felt a strange pulse, almost like the book was alive in my hands. I took a deep breath and began to read the passage aloud, my voice steady despite the chaos swirling in my chest.

"Among the many mysteries of werewolves, none is more sacred than the bond between an Alpha and his destined Luna," I read, my eyes scanning the words. "A fragrance so unique that only the Alpha can perceive it… Unlike any ordinary scent, it is not merely a physical aroma, but an imprint of the Luna’s very essence, woven into the Alpha’s instincts by fate itself."

I stopped mid-sentence, my mind whirling as the realization hit me with force. The scent… it was real. The one I had been smelling since I met Rubeus—it was no mistake. But there was more I had to understand.

"What do you mean?" Shadow stammered, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"It was exactly as described here…" I whispered, my fingers trembling on the pages as I stared blankly at the text. "But—" I swallowed hard, "—but I don’t get it." My eyes darted back and forth as I frantically searched for more answers, flipping through the pages, but all I found were more descriptions of the bond—descriptions that only deepened my confusion.

"Your Luna is… a male?" Shadow said, voicing the question I was too afraid to ask aloud. His tone was incredulous, as though he couldn’t quite grasp what was happening.

Jayla, too stunned to speak, remained silent, her eyes locked on me with wide, questioning eyes. Stone, meanwhile, was deep in thought, his face unreadable.

I read on, trying to make sense of the words that now seemed to mock me.

"And so it is written—no Alpha shall mistake the scent of his fated Luna, for it is woven into the very marrow of his being, a call that only he can hear, a fragrance only he may know."

I paused, letting those words sink in. This was no coincidence. This was real. The bond was real.

"No two Alphas shall know it the same, for the scent is shaped by the spirit of the wolf and the soul it seeks," I continued, my voice steady as I read, my heart pounding. "Some will find it in the crisp breath of autumn’s first wind, others in the sweet intoxication of wild honeysuckle, or the aged warmth of cedarwood kissed by fire. It is neither fleeting nor faint but irresistible and binding—an imprint upon the senses, a pull upon the heart, a whisper to the beast within."

I paused again, my eyes fixed on the curling script across the yellowed page, but my mind was already racing far ahead of the words. That scent—the one that had haunted me in flashes, tugging at me like a whisper I couldn’t chase down—wasn’t a dream. It was real. And worse, it was his. Rubeus.

My chest tightened. Why him? Why now?

The memory of his scent clung to me like a second skin—subtle yet intoxicating, impossible to mistake. It wasn’t something I could brush off as coincidence. It was the scent I had been waiting for, the one fate had promised I’d know instantly. But the revelation twisted in my gut. If this was true, if the book wasn’t some elaborate myth… did that mean Rubeus was my Luna?

The word itself burned in my thoughts. My Luna. A title I had always imagined bound to someone else, someone softer, someone—well, not him.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to keep reading, though my voice wavered.

“‘Many shall wander for years, for decades even, untouched by this sign… But when the moment comes, when the scent of the soul drifts upon the air, the wolf will know.’”

My throat felt dry, but the words clung stubbornly to the air, heavier than stone.

I took in a shaky breath and pressed on. “No force in the heavens nor the earth may sever what fate has written in the stars.”

The room fell still. Even the crackle of the fireplace seemed to hush at the weight of it.

Stone leaned closer, his face carved with an intensity I wasn’t used to seeing on him. His voice dropped to a reverent murmur. “This is all true. Every line of it. But…” His brows pulled tight. “None of this explains why you’re smelling it from a male.”

His words sliced through me. My mouth opened, but nothing came out at first. Then the confusion spilled over. “I don’t understand. Why him? Why would I be smelling this from him? He’s a guy.” My voice cracked on the last word, as if saying it aloud might make the whole thing unravel into nonsense.

But the book gave no mercy. My eyes fell to the next passage, and the words pulled me in like a tide.

“‘Under the silver gaze of the full moon, when the fated scent has been found and the bond stirs beneath flesh and bone, the Alpha must complete the sacred vow. For fate may weave the threads, but it is the will of the wolf that binds them.’”

The hairs on my arms stood on end. I read faster, unable to stop.

“‘Before his pack and before the Moon herself, the Alpha shall kneel, offering his vow—words not merely spoken, but etched into the very essence of his being. He must swear:

To shield his Luna from harm, as the mountain shields the valley.

To honor her spirit, as the river honors the sea.

To lead with strength, but love with ferocity, as the wolf does not walk alone.’”

My voice grew softer as I continued, like the air itself was bowing under the gravity of the vow.

“‘As his vow is given, the Moon shall bear witness, marking them as one—an unbreakable thread bound by the ancient forces of body, mind, and spirit. The Luna, in turn, may choose to accept or deny this bond, for only the willing heart may answer the call of the Alpha.’”

I read the last lines in silence, my lips moving without sound. When the vow is sealed, the Alpha’s strength shall rise, his senses sharpen, his purpose made whole. And the Luna, now woven into his soul, shall stand beside him, as destined, as written, as eternal.

Suddenly, the constant pressure about the full moon made sense. All the warnings, the urgency—it wasn’t just tradition. It was preparation. My fate was moving faster than I could keep up.

Stone was silent for a long moment, his gaze distant, as if he were searching the stars themselves for answers. Finally, he shook his head, frustration shadowing his face. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “This is strange. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

I turned sharply to Shadow, desperate, almost pleading. “Then what the hell am I supposed to do now?”

He leaned back, arms crossed, as calm and infuriating as always. “Maybe keep him close,” he said simply. “See if the scent changes. If it grows stronger. Watch. Wait. Investigate.”

I snapped my gaze to him, glaring. “That’s it? That’s your brilliant advice?”

His shrug was maddeningly casual. “Sometimes the simplest answers are the only ones. You’re chasing something ancient here. Don’t expect the book to give you every detail.”

The irritation flared, but beneath it, I hated that his words gave me a sliver of comfort.

Then Jayla spoke, her voice like a balm over raw skin. “There must be a reason, Alaric. Nothing like this happens without one. Are you absolutely sure he’s… a man?”

I barked out a humorless laugh. “Yes. He is. He acts like he isn’t half the time, but believe me, genetically, he’s all male.”

The tension in the room coiled tighter.

Stone broke it with finality, his tone clipped and absolute. “Observe him. Stay close. If this is a mistake, you’ll know. If it isn’t…” He trailed off, but his silence was louder than words.

Shadow smirked, gesturing toward me with a lazy flick of his hand. “See? Told you. Keep him near. Not so crazy after all.”

I rolled my eyes, but Stone’s command weighed heavier than Shadow’s mockery. “Fine,” I muttered, more to myself than to them. “I’ll do that.”

Stone stood, his movements deliberate as he closed the book and tucked it under his arm. Its weight seemed to drag at the air, thick with secrets. Without another word, he left, his footsteps echoing until they faded into silence.

And just like that, the room felt emptier. But the storm inside me? Louder than ever.