Chapter 4
1426 Words
Luke
The Spade Pack was the first stop on the route Eli had planned for their journey through the kingdom.
Luke had questioned that decision the entire drive there.
From what he had heard over the years, the pack had a reputation for attracting beautiful females, something Eli often joked about when discussing which territories to visit first. But that wasn’t the real reason Eli had chosen it. Rumors had been circulating among the alphas—rumors that Spade’s leader, Alpha Xavier, had become too harsh with his pack.
Luke handled most of the kingdom’s internal affairs, but Eli served as his voice among the other alphas. His beta attended meetings, gathered information, and reported back whenever something concerning surfaced.
Apparently, Xavier had missed the last gathering of alphas.
And in his absence, secrets had begun to spill.
“Yeah,” Eli said as they drove through the dark forest road leading to the pack house. “Alpha Devon stopped by here before the last full moon run. He said he heard something upstairs… sounded like a whip.”
Luke’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.
“When he tried to investigate,” Eli continued, “Xavier intercepted him and said he’d handle it. But Devon said the guy smelled like fear afterward—like he was hiding something.”
Eli glanced sideways at him.
“I think we should look into it while we’re here.”
Luke’s jaw hardened.
Finding his mate had been the purpose of this journey. But if Xavier truly was abusing members of his pack—especially omegas—that would immediately become the priority.
“How long has this been happening,” Luke growled, “and we’re only hearing about it now?”
The thought alone made his blood boil.
Omegas were meant to be protected. They were the stabilizers of a pack, the calm that balanced the violent instincts of stronger lycans. To harm them was not only cruel—it poisoned the entire pack bond.
Fear spread like rot.
“You good there, boss?” Eli asked carefully.
Luke’s knuckles had gone white around the steering wheel.
“No,” he muttered. “I don’t even want to imagine what abusing omegas is doing to that pack.”
Eli let out a low growl.
“Probably poisoning the bond,” he said. “If the dominants are constantly feeling fear from the omegas, it would drive them insane.”
That was enough.
Luke pressed harder on the gas, ignoring traffic rules as the vehicle surged forward.
If Xavier believed he could terrorize those he had sworn to protect, then the man was about to learn exactly what it meant to answer to a king.
It didn’t take long before the Ironhide pack house appeared ahead.
The building was large—three stories high, easily capable of housing the entire pack. A white fence lined the front of the property, and Luke could scent several patrols moving through the surrounding woods.
At least Xavier hadn’t neglected security.
Still, the rumors lingered heavily in Luke’s mind.
The moment the car stopped, the front door opened.
Xavier stepped onto the porch, his shaved head glinting faintly beneath the moonlight. His face wore the same permanent scowl he had carried since the death of his mate years ago.
Maybe that grief had broken something inside him.
Luke’s lycan snarled in response.
Suffering did not give him the right to make his pack suffer.
Maximus stepped out of the vehicle.
“King Luke,” Xavier said stiffly, bowing his head. “Welcome to the Spade Pack. What is mine is yours.”
Eli scoffed quietly behind him, but Luke ignored it.
“Alpha Xavier,” Luke replied calmly. “It’s a pleasure to be here.”
And then—
Everything changed.
A scent slammed into him like a physical force.
Caramel.
Vanilla.
Luke sucked in a sharp breath as the intoxicating aroma filled his lungs.
Inside his mind, his lycan exploded with recognition.
Mate!
The beast surged violently against the walls of Xavier’s control, demanding to shift and hunt her down immediately. The force of it nearly dropped him to his knees.
Mate?
How was that possible?
This was the first pack they had visited.
He had searched for her for five years.
And yet… she was here.
His lycan howled with wild excitement, desperate to break free and track her scent.
Luke nearly allowed it.
Until something else reached him.
Fear.
The sweet scent of his mate was laced with a bitter, choking odor of terror.
His gaze darkened instantly.
Why was she afraid?
His lycan roared inside him.
If the beast took control now, it wouldn’t ask questions.
It would simply kill.
Luke forced himself to remain upright, shoving the fury down long enough to think.
“Bring every unmated female in your pack to me,” he growled at Xavier. “Now.”
He shoved past the alpha and stepped inside the pack house.
Before he could rip the front door off its hinges in frustration, Eli’s hand clamped onto his shoulder.
Luke turned.
The same wild fire burned in his beta’s eyes.
Realization struck instantly.
Eli had scented his mate too.
Luke’s eyes widened.
Two mates… in the same pack?
The odds were nearly impossible.
Yet Eli’s excitement confirmed it.
The Moon Goddess was clearly meddling with fate tonight.
Still, Luke’s joy was quickly replaced by dread.
If his mate lived in this pack…
What had she endured?
One by one, females were brought into the room.
A blonde girl smelling of roses.
Another with lavender on her skin.
Several more after that.
None of them were his.
From the neighboring room, Luke suddenly heard Eli laugh with pure relief.
His beta had found his mate.
Luke felt genuine happiness for him—but his own lycan grew restless.
She was still here.
The scent of caramel and vanilla clung faintly to Xavier.
Luke narrowed his eyes.
“Where is my mate?” he demanded coldly. “She’s here. I know her scent.”
Xavier shifted uneasily.
“I’ve already presented every female in the pack, Your Highness.”
The lie was obvious.
Luke’s temper snapped.
His fist slammed into Xavier’s jaw before the man could react.
“Wrong,” Luke roared. “Her scent is all over this house!”
He grabbed Xavier by the collar and yanked him close.
“If you don’t tell me where she is,” Luke hissed, “I will slaughter every male in this pack until you do.”
Fear flickered across Xavier’s face.
His eyes darted toward a door across the hallway.
That was all the confirmation Luke needed.
He shoved Xavier aside and crossed the hall.
The scent of his mate grew stronger near the door.
But something else lingered there too.
Mildew.
Decay.
And blood.
Rage detonated inside his chest.
Without hesitation, Luke tore the door from its hinges and stormed down the staircase beyond it.
The basement smelled of rust, damp stone, and suffering.
Cages lined the walls.
His lycan pushed forward, granting him sharper night vision as he searched frantically through the darkness.
Then he saw her.
Curled in the final cage.
Small.
Broken.
Bruises covered her skin, and dried blood tangled through her dark hair.
For a moment, Luke couldn’t breathe.
His mate.
His beautiful, fragile mate.
And she had been locked in a dungeon.
The bars of the cage were carved with runes that burned against his skin as he grabbed them, but he ignored the pain. With a furious roar, he bent the metal apart and forced his way inside.
Dropping to his knees beside her, Luke gently brushed a hand down her cheek.
Her eyelids fluttered.
Relief flooded through him.
She was alive.
But when her eyes snapped open and met his—
There was no recognition.
Only terror.
She scrambled backward despite the pain, tears filling her eyes.
“Stay back!” she cried.
Luke forced himself to remain still.
Every instinct screamed to destroy everything around him.
“It’s okay,” he said softly, holding out his hand. “I won’t hurt you.”
She slapped it away.
His jaw tightened as rage boiled beneath the surface.
Someone had done this to her.
Someone had broken his mate so badly that she feared even him.
When he spoke again, his voice vibrated with deadly fury.
“Tell me,” Luke growled, “who locked you in here.”
His eyes blazed with murderous promise.
“I want every name.”
- Writer
