Claimed By The Winter Alpha

The visit

~Storm~

My paws hit the snow as I raced toward the border where a cluster of wolves stood near the tree line. No one dared cross into Winter Pack territory without permission—except those who were deliberately looking for trouble. And whoever had crossed tonight would have to face me.

My pack members had already formed a defensive line, but they hadn’t attacked. Which meant the intruders weren’t hostile.

Maybe they weren’t here for trouble at all.

But there was only one way to know.

I slowed as I approached, and that’s when I caught the familiar scent. It wasn't that of rogues. but someone I knew.

When I finally saw the uninvited visitor, I recognized him instantly.

Alpha Marcus of the Northern Ridge Pack. Behind him stood five of his wolves.

“Marcus." My voice came out cold, edged with authority. "You're on Winter Pack territory without permission. Care to explain why?”

The large grey wolf stepped forward. He was a man in his early thirties with silver-streaked hair and a knowing smile that irritated me even on the best of days.

Neither of us shifted back. We simply stared at each other, wolf to wolf.

“Storm,” he greeted, unbothered by my tone. “Apologies for the dramatic entrance. We tried calling ahead, but your Beta said you were…occupied.”

“That still doesn’t give you permission to cross my borders,” I said coldly, locking eyes with him.

“True.” He inclined his head. “But when an old friend needs to discuss urgent pack business, sometimes formality takes a back seat.”

Every instinct screamed at me to send him away, to get back to Snow and explain what had happened. But Marcus wasn’t just any alpha. Our packs had been allies for decades. Dismissing him outright wouldn't be good.

So I forced myself to hear him out.

“How urgent?” I asked, sitting back on my haunches.

Marcus's expression darkened, the playfulness dropping away. "Rogue activity near our shared border. Coordinated attacks on three different patrols in the last week. Someone's building an army, Storm. And they're testing our defenses."

Damn it. That was urgent.

"Fine," I said through gritted teeth. "We'll talk. But you and your wolves wait in the guest lodge, not the main house.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "The guest lodge? What's wrong with your mansion? Since when are we not close enough for you to offer proper hospitality?"

"My home, my rules," I growled. "Take it or leave it."

He studied me for a long moment, then smiled. "You're hiding something. Or someone." His eyes gleamed with curiosity. "What happened to the Storm who never kept secrets from his allies?"

"Nothing happened," I said coldly. "And I'm not discussing my personal business on a frozen border at one in the morning. Guest lodge or leave. Choose now.”

Marcus held up his hands in mock surrender. "Guest lodge it is. Though I have to say, I've never known you to be this territorial about your own house. It's fascinating."

I didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, I turned to Karl, who stood beside me. "Get Marcus and his wolves settled. Food, rooms, whatever they need. I'll join you in twenty minutes."

"Understood." Karl's tone was neutral, but I caught the question in his eyes. He knew something was different tonight. They all did.

I ran back toward the mansion, faster than necessary. My wolf was going insane, hating that we'd left our mate alone and frightened. The word still felt surreal. After thirty years of searching, of watching the curse deadline draw closer with each passing day, the Moon Goddess had finally answered.

And she'd given me Snow.

I shifted back to human form at the mansion’s entrance, where one of the staff had left clothes for me. I dressed quickly in jeans and Henley and took the stairs two at a time.

When I reached Snow's door, I paused. I could hear pacing restlessly. She was still scared.

She was thinking Jackson had found her. That was the reason for her fear.

The protective rage that surged through me was so intense I had to press my fist against the doorframe to keep from punching through it. If Jackson ever came near her again, I'd tear him apart with my bare hands. Slowly.

I took a breath, forced the violence down, and knocked softly.

“Snow? It's me. You can open the door.”

I heard her footsteps approaching the door. Then the sound of the lock clicking.

She opened the door slightly and one brown eye peered through the crack, wide with fear. When she saw it was really me, she sagged with relief and opened the door wider.

“What happened?” She asked, her voice shaky. “Was it….was it Jackson?”

I stepped inside, leaving the door open behind me—giving her space, showing her she could leave if she wanted. "No. It wasn't Jackson. Another alpha arrived unannounced—Marcus, from Northern Ridge Pack. Just pack business. False alarm.”

Her shoulders dropped, and she let out a breath that sounded like a sob. "I thought... I heard the howls and I thought he'd found me."

She sank onto the edge of the bed, and I could see her hands trembling despite how tightly she clasped them together.

I moved closer but kept a careful distance, fighting every instinct that screamed at me to close the gap, to pull her into my arms and promise her she'd never have to be afraid again.

"He doesn't know you're here," I said quietly. "As far as Jackson and your sister know, you died in that blizzard. That's what they'll believe."

She nodded, but the fear was still there, just beneath the surface. I could smell it on her—sharp and acidic, mixing with her natural scent in a way that made my wolf whine.

I couldn't take it anymore. I crossed to the bed and sat beside her, close enough that our shoulders almost touched. Immediately, my wolf settled. Just being near her calmed something primal and restless inside me.

"Hey," I said gently. "Look at me.”

She turned, and those amber-brown eyes locked onto mine. Up close, I could see gold flecks in them, catching the lamplight.

"I meant what I said earlier," I continued. "I won't let anyone hurt you. Not Jackson. Not your sister. Not anyone. You're under my protection now, and in Winter Pack territory, that means something."

"Why?" The question came out barely above a whisper. "Why are you doing this? You don't even know me."

Because you're my mate. Because the moment I touched you, every empty space inside me filled. Because my wolf recognized you as the other half of my soul, and I would rather die than let anything happen to you.

That was all I wanted to say. But I couldn't say any of it. She'd just been betrayed by someone she'd planned to marry. Telling her about the mate bond now would make her think that I was just another man trying to use her for something.

“Because…it's the right thing to do,” I said instead. “And because no one deserves what they did to you.”

Her eyes searched mine, looking for something in them. A lie maybe or hidden motives. But whatever she was looking for, she must not have found it, because she finally relaxed slightly.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “For everything. For saving me, for bringing me here, for…protecting me.”

“You don't have to thank me,” I said, averting my gaze to her bandaged arm. “Does your arm still hurt?”

“Yeah.” She replied and touched it gingerly

“Good." I stood, knowing I needed to leave before I did something stupid like tell her the truth. "Get some rest. You've had a long night.”

She nodded and yawned lazily. I could see the exhaustion settling over her. The pain medication was probably making her drowsy.

“Storm?” she called as I reached the door.

“Yeah?” I turned to look at her.

“That alpha who visited…is he staying long?”

“Just tonight, probably. We have some business to discuss.” I paused. “Why?”

“No reason,” she said quickly. “I just…I don't want anyone to know I'm here.”

“Marcus won't find out," I assured her. "He and his wolves are staying in the guest lodge, which is on the opposite end of the compound from this house. And even if he did somehow find out, Marcus is an ally. He wouldn't betray my trust."

She didn't look entirely convinced, but she nodded

“Lock the door after me,” I said. “And try to sleep.”

I stepped into the hallway and waited until I heard the lock click. Only then did I allow myself to breathe.

Ten days. I had ten days until my thirtieth birthday. Ten days to make Snow trust me enough to accept the mate bond. Ten days to avoid turning into the monster my father had become.

I was only five when it happened. My father had refused to fully accept the mate bond with my mother—his fated mate. He loved her, yes, but he feared what claiming the bond would mean. He thought he could have her, have me, have our family without completing the ritual. He thought he could outsmart a centuries old curse.

He was wrong.

The transformation happened on his thirtieth birthday, just as the curse promised. I watched him shift into something feral, something that didn't recognize us anymore.

He looked at my mother like she was prey. Then he ran into the mountains and never came back.

My mother lasted three weeks. Losing her mate destroyed her slowly—she stopped eating, stopped speaking, just stared out the window waiting for a man who would never come back. By the time she died, she was already gone.

I became Alpha at five years old, raised by the pack, haunted by the memory of what this curse had taken from me.

I wouldn't let it take Snow too.

I exhaled and headed downstairs and out toward the guest lodge where Karl was waiting by the entrance. I had to deal with Marcus, who had the worst timing in the world.

“Everything okay?” Karl asked casually but his eyes were sharp.

"Fine." I started walking toward the path that led to the guest lodge. "Listen carefully. No one—and I mean no one—mentions Snow. Not to Marcus, not to his wolves, not to anyone outside the pack. If word gets out that I'm sheltering a human woman, there will be questions I'm not ready to answer."

"Understood." Karl fell into step beside me. "The pack knows to keep quiet. But Storm... did you tell her?”

I stopped and turned to look at him.

“Tell her what?”

“About the mate bond?”

“No.” I replied, looking away.

“But you will, right?”

“Eventually,” I said. “When she's ready.”

“Storm, you have ten days…”

“I know how many days I have,” I snapped. I hated anyone reminding me my life was now like a time bomb.

I turned to look at him and said more quietly this time. “Karl, she has to accept it willingly.”

“Time is the one thing you don't have,” Karl said, but there was sympathy in his voice.

Karl was right. But what choice did I have? I couldn't tell Snow the truth—not when she was still healing from Jackson's betrayal.

But I had to find a way.