PROLOGUE

LUCAS

I should be happy.

As Alpha, I should be overjoyed that my pack members have found their mate in each other. But I'm not.

Am I happy for them? Absolutely! But the female wolf that had been providing me with intimate comfort, to soothe my loneliness, is one of the wolves who has found their mate.

So once again, I get to watch my bed partner wander off into the sunset. With another wolf. It's fine, she wasn't my mate and never would be but it's a harsh reminder of how completely and utterly lonely I am.

I'm thirty-two years old and still waiting. Some wolves don't find their mate until their forties, though that's extremely rare. Most wolves find them before they turn twenty-five. Me? I've been waiting fourteen years. I was hoping I would find a mate when I turned eighteen, it happens to a few wolves. They turn eighteen and bam, their best friend or neighbor turns out to be their mate and we all celebrate.

But again, I'm left feeling a deep sense of longing and sadness. I congratulated my packmates, had dinner and a drink with everyone while we all relaxed around the bonfire, before skulking away. I had to get away from the overwhelming happiness of others that was becoming suffocating.

It was the full moon tonight, so the pack would all be shifting soon and running together. I walked to the tree line, out of sight of the pack, before shedding my clothes and shifting to let my wolf take over early and start running.

In the opposite direction.

Shifting allowed my wolf instincts to be the more prominent part of me, pushing my human consciousness to the back. I was still there and aware of everything but it was kind of like dreaming. You witness everything and can push forward to take over, if need be, but you can also rest and let the wolf take over, if you so choose.

I did my best to tune out my thoughts and let my wolf senses guide me. Smelling the forest, listening to the creatures of the night scurrying away, the feel of my paws digging into the dirt and the thudding of my heart as I ran.

I was lost in the run when I caught the hint of a smell that was so completely heavenly.

Mate !

I came to a skidding halt. I pushed my human side forward, tuning into my wolfs sense of smell.

I could smell that my mate was a human.

Shit!

I became anxious and desperate to find my mate.

It was a full moon, literally the worst time to find a human mate. My wolf pushed forward, determined to claim what was ours, but I had to keep control of my wolf and stop the instinct to rut and claim from taking over completely.

My wolf didn't understand the fragility of our human mate and won't be gentle enough. I shifted into hybrid form, the strongest form a wolf can take, that only Alpha's and some Beta's are capable of.

My human consciousness was in tandem with my wolf. One side could take the lead if needed, but my human side was present enough that I could control my actions. I did everything I could to keep a tight leash on my wolf as I began the hunt.

The mate pull is intensely strong and brings all the wolfs instincts to claim to the surface. I have to be strong and make sure our mate doesn't get hurt during what was to come.