The white-golden wolf

The Stranger

The scent stayed with me long after I left Richard Blackwood's office. It wasn't as strong as it had been inside, but I could still catch it whenever I breathed in. Fresh rain, pine trees and cold mountain air. Something about it bothered me, though I couldn't remember where I'd smelled it before.

I slowed in the hallway outside the executive suite, trying to understand why I felt so strange. It wasn't the familiar feeling of recognising a person or a place. This went deeper than that, almost instinctive, as if some part of me knew the scent even though my mind couldn't place it.

My fingers found the silver pendant beneath my blouse. The moment I touched it, warmth spread through the metal.

"Clarissa?"

She didn't answer.

"Clarissa?"

"I'm here."

Her voice sounded distracted, which was unusual. Clarissa always had something to say, especially when I wanted her to be quiet.

"What is it?"

"I don't know."

That wasn't exactly helpful.

I rested my hand against the wall and took another slow breath. The scent seemed stronger in this part of the hallway, and I couldn't understand why it made my heart beat faster. There was something wild about it, something that made me uneasy even though I couldn't have explained what I was reacting to.

"Lara?"

I turned to see Sarah hurrying towards me. She slowed when she reached me and studied my face.

"You look pale."

"I'm fine."

"You keep saying that."

"I know."

"One of these days, I'm going to believe you."

I gave her a small smile. "I'll work on it."

Sarah continued watching me for another moment. We'd grown close since I started working at Blackwood Industries, which meant she'd also become annoyingly good at knowing when I wasn't telling the truth.

"Was Richard difficult?"

"No."

"Did he give you more work?"

"No."

"Did you accidentally delete something important and now plan to leave the country?"

I stared at her. "That's oddly specific."

"I like to be prepared for anything."

I laughed, and some of the tension I'd been carrying eased.

"I'm fine, Sarah. Really."

Her expression softened.

"You know you can tell me if something's wrong."

That made me feel guilty because she meant it. Sarah knew almost nothing about the life I'd had before Blackwood Industries. As far as she knew, I was just Lara, the quiet woman who worked too much, drank too much coffee and sometimes disappeared into her thoughts.

She didn't know about Clarissa or the packs. She didn't know what an Alpha was, and she definitely didn't know about the memories that still woke me in the middle of the night.

I'd always preferred it that way. The fewer people who knew about my past, the better.

Before I could answer, the elevator doors opened.

The mood on the floor changed almost immediately. People straightened at their desks, conversations quieted and the receptionist hurriedly moved a stack of files out of the way.

Sarah stepped aside, and I looked at her.

"What?"

She didn't answer.

Three men walked out of the elevator.

The first was broad-shouldered, with sandy-blond hair and an easy smile. His suit was expensive, but he carried himself like someone who didn't really care about clothes. There was something relaxed about him, although I had a feeling he could handle himself just fine if things ever turned unpleasant.

The second man was older, probably in his late forties. His dark hair was grey around the temples, and a thin scar disappeared beneath his jaw. He wasn't smiling, and his eyes moved around the office as if he were automatically keeping track of every entrance and exit.

Something about him reminded me of a soldier.

The man between them was the one I couldn't stop looking at.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a charcoal suit that fit him perfectly. Nothing about his clothes was unusual, yet he somehow looked out of place in an office. He had the kind of presence that made me picture him somewhere completely different, walking through a forest or standing on a mountain instead of surrounded by glass walls and computer screens.

His dark hair fell naturally across his forehead, and his grey-blue eyes moved calmly around the room.

I recognised him before anyone said his name.

Alpha.

I could feel it in the way the wolves around me reacted to him. He wasn't pushing his power into the room or doing anything to draw attention, but everyone noticed him anyway.

Then I smelled him.

Rain, pine and cold mountain air.

It was the same scent I'd noticed outside Richard's office.

My heartbeat quickened, and Clarissa suddenly went very quiet.

"Lara..."

Her voice sounded different.

"What?"

She didn't answer immediately.

The man kept walking towards us, and the closer he came, the stronger the reaction inside me became.

"Clarissa?"

"Oh."

I frowned. "What does that mean?"

She sounded almost stunned.

Then warmth spread through my chest, and I realised it wasn't coming from me. Clarissa was reacting to him.

"But that's our mate."

I stared at the man.

"No."

"Our mate."

"Clarissa."

"I'm serious."

I wanted to tell her she was wrong, but I could feel how certain she was. Wolves didn't usually get the mate bond wrong. I'd never experienced it myself, but I'd heard enough stories to know that once a wolf recognised its mate, there wasn't much room for doubt.

I'd stopped believing I'd ever have one years ago. After everything that had happened, the idea of the Moon Goddess choosing someone for me had always seemed almost ridiculous.

Apparently, I'd been wrong.

"He's our mate," Clarissa said again.

"Please don't make this difficult."

"I'm not doing anything."

"You're practically shouting in my head."

"I'm excited."

I almost laughed, but then the man stopped walking.

His head turned, and his eyes met mine.

I couldn't explain what went through me. It wasn't just attraction. There was something in the way he looked at me that made me think he felt the same strange recognition.

My pendant warmed against my chest.

Clarissa moved closer inside my mind.

"He knows."

"How?"

"His wolf."

I had no idea what to say to that.

Someone called from across the office.

"Alpha Kael."

The man finally looked away as Richard stepped out of his office and walked over to him. They greeted each other, and Richard welcomed him before introducing the other men.

Kael.

The name stayed with me.

Sarah leaned towards me.

"Do you know who that is?"

I shook my head.

She looked surprised. "You really don't?"

"Should I?"

"That's Kael Nightshade."

The surname made me pay closer attention.

"The Alpha of the Shadowfang Pack," she added.

I'd heard of Shadowfang even though I'd stayed away from pack politics for years. They were one of the strongest packs in the region, and their Alpha had a reputation most wolves didn't question.

I looked at Kael again.

Of course my mate had to be an Alpha.

Sarah was still watching him.

"He's ridiculously attractive."

I glanced at her. "Is that really what you're thinking about?"

"It's an important observation."

I tried not to smile.

Then she looked at me more closely.

"Wait."

"What?"

"You're blushing."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"It's warm."

Sarah glanced at the air-conditioning vent above us.

"Lara."

"Don't."

She smiled. "Interesting."

"There is nothing interesting happening."

"You've been looking at him since he walked out of the elevator."

"I was looking."

"That's what staring means."

I turned towards my desk before she could continue.

I opened my computer and tried to work, but I couldn't concentrate. I read the same email twice without taking in a word, and Clarissa wasn't helping.

"He smells good."

"Please stop."

"I'm just telling the truth."

"You've told me several times."

"And I'll probably tell you again."

I sighed and reached for my coffee.

When I looked up, Kael was watching me.

Our eyes met again.

This time, he didn't look away immediately.

There was a question in his expression, although I couldn't tell whether he was trying to understand me or simply figure out what was happening between us.

Eventually, Richard said something to him, and Kael turned back to the conversation.

I let out a slow breath.

"Definitely our mate," Clarissa said.

"I know."

She sounded pleased that I'd finally admitted it.

I tried to focus on work again, but after a few minutes, I realised Clarissa had gone unusually quiet.

"What is it?"

"I don't know."

"You've said that a lot today."

"I know."

I looked around the office. Nothing seemed unusual. People were working, phones were ringing and Sarah was typing at her desk.

Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me.

My hand slipped beneath my blouse and closed around the pendant.

It was warm again.

This time, the heat lasted longer.

"Lara?"

Sarah was looking at me.

"I'm fine."

She sighed. "You really need a new answer."

I almost laughed, but something caught my attention.

Kael had stopped talking.

His gaze had shifted towards the windows.

He wasn't looking at the city itself. He seemed to be listening for something.

Then his eyes found mine.

I knew immediately that whatever he'd noticed had nothing to do with the mate bond.

Clarissa's voice grew quieter.

"Lara."

"What?"

"I don't like this."

Neither did I.

I looked towards the windows. From this floor, I could see the streets below, cars moving through traffic and people going about their day. Everything looked normal.

But the feeling remained.

Something was wrong.

Five years ago, I'd lost my family and spent the years afterward trying to build a quiet life for myself. Mary and Kevin had given me a home. I'd found work, made friends and learned how to live without constantly looking over my shoulder.

I'd started to believe the past had finally left me alone.

Then I'd met Kael.

Now, standing in the middle of an ordinary workday with my pendant warming against my chest and Clarissa uneasy inside my mind, I couldn't help wondering whether meeting him had anything to do with the strange things that had been happening since I woke up that morning.

Maybe it was all connected.

And if it was, I had a feeling the answers I'd spent five years avoiding were finally catching up with me.