Twisted Fate

Chapter One Zade The full moon had always been a beautiful thing. Tonight, I hated it. It hung enormous above the mountains, bathing the valley in silver light and casting long shadows across the ancient stone walls surrounding the ceremonial grounds. The air carried the cold scent of pine and damp earth, mixed with something older—the unmistakable presence of hundreds of werewolves gathered for a tradition that had existed long before my family ever sat upon the throne. The Moon Hunt. Once every year, on the strongest full moon of the year, unmated Alphas from packs across the kingdom gathered at the royal territory to search for their fated mates. It was one of the few ceremonies where pack borders meant nothing. The Alpha King could stand beside the daughter of a minor pack's Alpha, and neither rank nor political alliances could interfere with the bond. The rules were simple. Only unmated adult Alphas were permitted to participate. Female Alphas entered the eastern forest before the hunt began and were given a short head start. They could run wherever they wanted within the marked territory, and no one was allowed to follow them before the signal was given. Once the second horn sounded, the male Alphas entered from the opposite side. They weren't hunting prey. They were following instinct. A wolf's senses were far sharper during the full moon, and on this particular night, the mate bond was believed to be at its strongest. Every Alpha would search for the scent, presence, or pull of the person the Moon had chosen for them. Once two wolves recognized one another, the bond would reveal itself. There was no choosing someone because they were beautiful, powerful, wealthy, or politically useful. There was no refusing to participate once an Alpha had entered the ceremony. And there was certainly no taking someone else's mate. The bond was absolute. At least, that was what everyone believed. "You're doing it again." I didn't bother turning around. "Doing what?" "Looking at the moon like you intend to challenge it to a duel." Cassian's voice carried the usual amusement that made me want to throw him over the nearest wall. I looked at my Beta then. He stood beside me with his arms folded, dressed in the ceremonial black of the royal guard. "I've been through this six times," I said. "I have no reason to be optimistic." "Seven, actually." I gave him a look. He smiled. "This is your seventh Hunt." "Thank you for reminding me." Cassian's amusement faded slightly. He knew better than most how much the subject irritated me. For six years, the Moon Hunt had ended the same way. Other Alphas found their mates. I didn't. The first year, everyone had assumed I was simply unlucky. The second year, the elders began whispering that perhaps my mate belonged to another kingdom. By the third, people had started questioning whether the Alpha King even had a mate. By the fourth, I stopped listening. The fifth and sixth years were worse. Every ceremony brought the same expectations. Every unmated female Alpha was quietly examined by the council as a potential future queen, and every year I watched their disappointment grow when my wolf remained silent. I wasn't ashamed of being unmated. I was tired of being treated as though I were incomplete because of it. Across the grounds, the last of the female Alphas were being escorted toward the eastern gate. There were nearly fifty of them this year. Some belonged to the oldest bloodlines in the kingdom. Others had traveled from smaller packs that rarely had contact with the royal family. Alpha women had always been eligible for the Hunt just like Alpha men were, and an Alpha mate was not unusual in our world. In fact, Alpha-Alpha pairs were often regarded as particularly powerful because both wolves possessed strong bloodlines. There were no rules saying an Alpha needed a weaker mate. The Moon chose strength however it pleased. I watched the gates open. The female Alphas entered the forest one after another. Some looked nervous. Others were laughing with their friends, pretending they weren't nervous at all. A few had the calm, focused expressions of experienced hunters. Then the final woman crossed the threshold. The gates closed. The first horn sounded. The forest swallowed them. We waited. Five minutes. Ten. The anticipation settled over the crowd like a storm. Then the second horn echoed through the valley. Every male Alpha around me moved. So did I. The moment I crossed the boundary of the ceremonial grounds, my senses sharpened. The forest erupted around me. Dozens of Alphas sprinted between the trees, following trails only their wolves could understand. Some immediately changed direction, their bodies reacting to a scent that had suddenly become stronger. Others paused, sniffed the air, and then disappeared deeper into the forest. A roar sounded somewhere to my left. Another Alpha had found his mate. Cheers erupted from the spectators beyond the boundary. I kept moving. My wolf was awake, but it wasn't leading me anywhere. I followed the others deeper into the forest, passing Alpha after Alpha as they searched. One man suddenly stopped so violently that he nearly fell forward. His head snapped toward the northern ridge, and a second later he was running again. Another Alpha climbed onto a fallen tree, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply before racing south. Everywhere I looked, the Hunt was unfolding. Wolves were finding the people they had waited years for. And mine remained silent. I slowed. For a moment, disappointment settled heavily in my chest. Then my wolf stirred. I stopped. Something had changed. The forest hadn't become quieter. If anything, it had become louder. But underneath all of it was a scent I had never smelled before. Faint. Almost completely buried beneath the scent of pine, earth, and the other wolves. I inhaled again. My entire body went still. There. My wolf surged forward with such force that I almost lost my balance. Mine. The certainty wasn't a thought. It was instinct. Something inside me had recognized her before I even knew where she was. I ran. Branches whipped against my arms as I followed the scent deeper into the forest. The farther I went, the stronger it became. My wolf was nearly frantic now. Six years of silence had ended in a matter of seconds. I could hear a heartbeat ahead. Fast. I pushed through a cluster of trees and stopped. She was there. She stood several yards away, looking around as though she had no idea where she was. She wasn't dressed like an Alpha participating in the Hunt. There was no ceremonial clothing, no pack insignia, no jewelry marking her family. She wore a simple servant's dress, the fabric slightly wrinkled and the hem dirty from running through the forest. For a moment, I simply stared. This couldn't be right. My wolf didn't care. Mate. The girl turned. Her eyes met mine. And I knew immediately. Her entire expression changed. The confusion disappeared. Her lips parted, and she took a shaky breath. I watched her pupils widen as recognition moved across her face. She knew. She knew exactly what I was to her. Not because someone had told her. Not because she had been introduced to me. Her wolf had recognized mine too. The bond struck between us with such force that I felt it physically. My heartbeat stumbled. The world seemed to narrow until there was nothing but the girl standing beneath the moonlight. She took one hesitant step toward me. I did the same. Then she stopped. Her eyes moved over my face, studying me as if she were trying to understand something impossible. "You're my mate," she whispered. There was no question in her voice. My chest tightened. "Yes." She swallowed. For some reason, she looked more frightened by that answer than relieved. Before I could ask why, footsteps came from behind me. Cassian appeared between the trees, breathing heavily from trying to keep up. "Zade, I—" He stopped. His gaze moved from me to the girl. His expression changed instantly. "That's impossible." The girl flinched. I turned toward him. "What?" Cassian stared at her clothing. "She's not one of the participants." I looked back at the girl. He was right. She wasn't supposed to be here. The rules were clear. Only registered, unmated adult Alphas were allowed inside the ceremonial grounds. No servants. No guards. No ordinary pack members. Nobody. Yet somehow, she had entered the Hunt. And my wolf had found her. I took a step closer. "What's your name?" She hesitated. "Athena." The name felt strangely familiar despite the fact that I knew I had never met her. "Athena what?" She looked away. "I don't know if I should tell you." My eyebrows drew together. Before I could question her, a roar echoed through the forest. Every wolf nearby went silent. The roar wasn't aggressive. It was an Alpha's call. Athena's head snapped toward the sound. Her entire posture changed. For the first time, I saw something beneath the frightened girl. Power. Her shoulders straightened. Her eyes sharpened. The air around her seemed to shift. My wolf recognized it immediately. Alpha. I stared at her. "You're an Alpha." Athena's face went pale. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. Then she looked at me again, and something in her expression told me this wasn't a secret she had chosen for herself. She had been hiding. But why? And why was an Alpha living as a servant? Before I could ask, the final horn sounded from the ceremonial grounds. The Hunt was over. All around us, Alphas were returning with their mates. Some were laughing. Some were crying. Some were standing in stunned silence as they realized their lives had just changed. But none of them knew what had happened here. None of them knew that the Alpha King had finally found his mate. And none of them knew that his mate was an Alpha who wasn't supposed to exist in the first place. I looked at Athena. She was still staring at me. And despite all the questions racing through my mind, one thought rose above every other. After six years of searching, I had finally found my mate. Now I had to figure out why she had spent her entire life hiding from the world.