Alpha’s Playmate

Chapter 2

Luke

Luke stared at his reflection in the mirror as he adjusted his tie. The man looking back at him resembled an exhausted wraith more than the king he was supposed to be. Dark, nearly black circles framed his eyes—marks of years spent surviving on little sleep. It had been five long years since he took the throne from his father, and despite all that time, the work never seemed to lessen.

There was always something that needed his attention. Every task he completed, every item he crossed off his endless list to strengthen the pack and build the kingdom the way he envisioned, only seemed to give rise to new problems—worse ones. They haunted his thoughts day and night, replaying endlessly in his weary mind. For Luke, sleep was not a place for dreams. It was simply another place where worries followed him.

Between organizing patrol charts, arranging schedules, and overseeing every small detail of the pack’s operations, his responsibilities never truly ended. Yet despite all that work, the instinctive urge to find his mate continued to grow stronger with each passing year.

He tried to ignore it. Finding a mate felt like a distraction from the real work that needed to be done. But no matter how hard he tried, he could never completely suppress the restless beast living inside him. Over the last five years, he had traveled across many packs throughout the kingdom searching for her. Still, he found nothing.

Inside him, his lycan paced endlessly, like a caged predator desperate to break free and find its missing half.

A mate would bring peace to that inner struggle. It would ease the tension constantly building between him and the creature within. Luke understood the importance of it—but that didn’t mean he wanted the responsibility yet. Being tied to someone for the rest of his life, burdening another person with the endless weight of ruling a kingdom, wasn’t something he was eager to do.

His father had always told him that a mate was better than chasing meaningless relationships with other women. But Luke still considered himself young. For a lycan, thirty years was barely the beginning of adulthood. It wasn’t until a lycan passed one hundred that anyone even started to consider them old.

He still had time.

Perhaps he should stop letting the search distract him and refocus on his duties. He needed a clearer mind if he was going to rule properly.

Suddenly, his eyes flashed blue.

His lycan surged forward in his mind, pushing against him with fierce determination.

No. Find mate now. End the curse.

Luke clenched his jaw in irritation. He hated when his lycan forced its way to the surface like this. The constant pressure to find a mate was exhausting. Sometimes it felt like dealing with yet another advisor demanding his attention. Unfortunately, there was no shutting the creature away forever.

Heat crept up his neck as frustration built. For a moment he considered forcing his lycan into a mental cage just to silence it—but experience told him that rarely worked.

Then the thought surfaced.

The curse.

His anger flared instantly.

After his father’s sudden death and his rise to the throne, Luke had tried casual relationships while searching for his mate. Nothing serious—just enough time to see if there was a bond before moving on. He had even considered choosing a Luna eventually if fate never granted him a true mate. After all, not every lycan found theirs.

Around that time, several neighboring kings had discovered their mates. Alphas like Alaric had been blessed with partners who changed the balance of their kingdoms entirely. The appearance of Tala—a rare white lycan—had brought a level of peace Luke had never witnessed before.

Even Talon had eventually found his mate.

Luke doubted fate would be that kind to him.

That belief had led him down the path that eventually cursed him.

Witches were rare throughout the kingdoms, so rare that many lycans doubted they even existed. But Luke had met one during a visit to a distant pack. She had been working in a tavern when he first saw her.

Zephye.

Whether it was magic or simple temptation, something about the woman had drawn him in. Rumors claimed witches were wild in the bedroom, and those rumors proved very true. For two months he stayed with her, until he realized the relationship was nothing more than a distraction from his responsibilities.

So he ended it.

She wasn’t a lycan. Even if he wanted to, he could never mark her.

Her response had been fury.

She had spoken words in a language he couldn’t understand, casting a curse that only she fully knew.

Since that moment, everything had changed.

Every woman Luke met afterward felt wrong. Irritating. Repulsive in ways he couldn’t explain. The memory of Zephye’s mocking laughter echoed in his mind every time he turned another woman away.

He reached for the styling mousse, pushing his dark blond hair back, when the sound of footsteps entered his room.

A growl rumbled through his chest.

Everyone in the pack knew he valued his privacy.

The lean outline of his beta appeared first, followed by the familiar citrus scent that instantly gave him away. Luke suppressed the growl and returned his attention to the mirror.

“What do you want, Eli?” he asked flatly.

Eli chuckled as he leaned against the doorway. “Looks like not getting any lately has really messed with you. Maybe you should apologize to that sexy witch so you can finally get laid.”

Luke growled again.

“Zephye is long gone,” he muttered. “I’m not even sure she’s still in the kingdom. She knows I’ve sent scouts to find her.”

Eli’s gray eyes glinted with amusement beneath his messy black hair. Despite being one of the most powerful lycans in the kingdom, Eli remained the most relaxed person Luke knew.

“Seriously,” Eli said with a shrug. “You just need to find your mate.”

Luke coffed. “Like it’s that simple.”

Eli only grinned wider.

“It could be,” he said. “If you actually traveled the kingdom properly. Visit the packs, meet unmated females. It would be good for the people to see their king anyway.”

Luke paused.

It wasn’t a terrible idea.

He had traveled before, but never long enough to properly search. A full journey through the kingdom might take months—but perhaps that was exactly what he needed.

Maybe he would finally find her.

Maybe he would finally sleep again.

“What route would be best?” Luke asked.

Eli’s smile widened immediately.

“If that means I get to plan the trip—and come with you—I’m in.”

Luke chuckled as he stepped away from the mirror.

“Let’s go for a run first,” he said. “Then we’ll plan.”

Eli’s grin turned feral.

“Hell yeah. Let the lycans out.”

As Luke walked out of the room beside his beta, he couldn’t help wondering if this journey might finally change his life—for better or worse.