THE ALPHA BROTHER'S MATE

INTO THE WILD

The forest was a tangle of shadows and thorns, the air sharp with frost and the distant howls of rogues. My breath fogged as I stumbled through the underbrush, my heart pounding, the mate bond to Marcus a fading ache in my chest. I’d slipped out of the Obsidian Pack’s compound at midnight, when the guards were distracted by another Eclipse Pack scout sighting. My only possessions were a stolen cloak, a crust of bread, and the fierce resolve to protect the child growing inside me.

Marcus didn’t deserve to know about our baby, not after his rejection, not after he’d called me nothing in front of the pack. I pressed a hand to my belly, the faint pulse of life strengthening my steps. I’d find a place where we could be safe, far from his cruelty and Lila’s taunts.

The past week had been a blur of planning—hoarding scraps, memorizing guard rotations, waiting for my chance. Kalia’s suspicion in the servants’ quarters, her sharp eyes on my trembling hands and torn linens, had pushed me to act. If she or Lila guessed I was pregnant, Marcus would find out, and I couldn’t risk him claiming my child, or worse, casting it aside as he had me.

The silver spark that flickered in my palms, tied to that vision of a crescent-shaped stone, had grown stronger, as if my pregnancy fueled it. I didn’t understand it, but it felt like a promise: ”You are enough”. I clung to that, even as branches snagged my cloak and fear clawed at my throat.

The forest floor was slick with frost, and my legs ached from hours of running. My nausea, ever-present, surged, forcing me to pause against a gnarled oak. I retched into the dirt, my body trembling, but I wiped my mouth and pushed on. The Eclipse Pack’s raids were closing in, they are destroying packs, hunting for the lunar relic—a stone said to be strong enough, it can unite all packs and destroy them at the same time—making these woods dangerous.

A twig snapped behind me, sharp in the silence. I froze, my breath catching. The spark flared in my palm, faint but warm, as if warning me. I crouched behind the oak, my heart racing, peering into the darkness. Footsteps crunched closer, deliberate, not the clumsy stumble of a rogue. A low growl rumbled, and a figure emerged from the shadows—a man, tall and broad, his dark hair tangled, his eyes glinting with a predator’s intensity. His scent hit me, wild and cedar-sharp, and a new bond sparked in my chest, sharp and unfamiliar, tugging me toward him. My knees buckled, the mate bond to Marcus warring with this new pull.

“Who’s there?” he growled, his voice low and dangerous, a blade gleaming in his hand. “Show yourself, or I’ll drag you out.”

I pressed a hand to my mouth, stifling a gasp. The spark flared brighter, and I clenched my fist to hide it. This wasn’t just a rogue, this was someone powerful, his presence commanding despite the tattered cloak he wore. I stepped out, my legs trembling, the stolen cloak barely shielding me from the cold. “I’m not a threat,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I’m just… passing through.”

His eyes narrowed, raking over me, my soaked shift, my trembling hands, the fear I couldn’t hide. He was tall, broad-shouldered despite the ragged cloak that clung to him, and the firelight caught the hard lines of his jaw. His hair, dark and tousled, fell just above his sharp green eyes. He shouldn’t have been handsome, not out here in the dirt and shadows, but he was—rugged, dangerous, and impossible to ignore.

“An omega, alone in these woods?” he said, stepping closer. “You’re either brave or stupid.” His gaze lingered, and the bond pulsed, warm and disorienting. “What’s your name?”

“Teyana,” I said, my voice barely steady. I shouldn’t trust him, but the bond urged me closer, a dangerous pull. “Who are you?”

He hesitated, his jaw tightening. “Riven,” he said, his voice clipped. “And what are you running from? From the scent on you, I’m guessing you’re a member of Obsidian?”

“That’s none of your business,” I said, stepping back. “I just need to keep moving.”

“You won’t last a night out here,” he said, sheathing his blade but not relaxing his stance. “Rogues are crawling these woods, and the Eclipse Pack’s scouts are worse. Come with me. I’ve got a camp nearby—safe, for now.”

I shook my head, fear spiking. “I don’t know you. Why should I trust you?”

He smirked, a bitter edge to it. “You shouldn’t. But you’re shaking, half-starved, and that spark in your hand isn’t exactly subtle.”

My breath caught—he’d seen it. The silver flicker pulsed again, betraying me. “You’re not just an omega, are you?” he said, his voice low, almost a challenge.

My heart pounded. Even I myself, didn’t understand what was happening. I do not know who I am right now.

"I’m nothing special,” I said, my voice cracking. “Just let me continue my journey.”

Riven stepped closer, his scent overwhelming, the new bond tugging harder. “You’re running from my brother,” he said, his voice dropping to a growl. “Marcus Draven. I’d know his scent anywhere, and it’s all over you. What did he do? Reject you? Cast you out?”

My blood ran cold. His brother? The bond pulsed, a mix of shock and dread. Riven’s eyes, green like Marcus’s but harder, bore into me, and I saw it—the resemblance, the sharp jaw, the intensity. “You’re… his brother?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

“Yes,” Riven said, his tone bitter. His gaze softened, just a fraction, “you don’t have to tell me what happened, come on now, please let me give you a place to sleep tonight.”

I shook my head slightly, searching his face for a lie, some hint of cruelty hidden beneath his offer. “He never told me about a brother.”

“I know,” he replied curtly, his jaw tightening.

After waiting a long minute, I realized he was not going to tell me anything about their history.

The spark flared in my palm, and I hid it, my mind racing. Riven was Marcus’s brother, and this new bond felt like a second chance, but dangerous. Could I trust him? Why is a bond forming with my mate’s brother?

“Why help me?” I asked.

“Because I’m a gentleman Yana,“ he said with a smirk

“And because something about you is … different. I can feel it,” he said, with his eyes holding mine.

Yana. Only Marcus calls me that, and this good looking stranger, who claims to be his brother just called me the same thing. The bond pulsed again, and in his eyes, I could see a flicker of the same pull. My wolf murmured to me: “ go with him, you can’t deny his pull.”

I hesitated, the forest’s danger was closing in, the howls were growing nearer. My child needed safety, at least for tonight. But Riven’s connection to Marcus was a risk.

A risk I’ll most definitely be taking.The bond urged me forward, and the spark in my palm seemed to hum in agreement.

“Just until dawn,” I said firmly.