Chapter 4

Dylan

C hills broke out against Dylan's skin as her wolf's words hit her. If her wolf was correct, that meant that Dylan had found her mate. She would become bound to this guy and share her soul with him. It was making her heart race at the thought of it. This entire time, she thought she would hate the feeling of being pulled toward someone. Right at this moment, the tugging she felt in her soul to go to this guy felt so right that it felt soothing. The call of his soul was overwhelming, bringing her wolf to the point of wanting to shift to get to him. Keeping her wolf at bay was harder than she thought it would be. No one warned her about this feeling and how her wolf would beg to be freed so she could claim her mate. Was this normal? She thought she would need to touch him first.

I can feel him. He is ours. Go to him. Touch him, and make the bond come to life.

Her wolf was not taking no for an answer. Dylan winced as she felt her wolf throwing herself against her mind's walls. The man slowly walked over to her as if he were hesitant about her being his mate. Her eyes focused on him, and she could only see him. As he walked closer to her, his scent wafted in her nose—a mixture of sweet and spicy mixed with the musk that came with wolves. Dylan licked her lips but remained still as he approached. As a dominant, she found her way to keep his gaze, and if he looked away first, it meant she was more dominant. His green eyes never left hers, and she wondered if they were on equal grounds.

Always. A mate is not higher or lower than the other. Always equal.

He held his hand for her to grasp. "Silas Lynch, of the Ironclaw Pack. You are?"

"Dylan Pierce," she said, taking his hand and feeling the world drop away. Her soul leaped as if she were touching the one person she had known for eons. The recognition of his soul made her knees wobble, and her breath caught in her throat. He smiled at her, making her heart skip a beat at the sight of it. His plump lips looked inviting, and she could feel the calluses on his fingers. At least it told her he didn't sit on his ass all day while running the pack. She could feel it. He was dominant enough to run a pack; if he didn't already, he would be once the Alpha deemed necessary.

"You are my mate, Dylan Pierce."

Dylan sighed at those words. Her body wanted to lean into him just to breathe in his scent. She noticed how he leaned into her, more towards her neck, and breathed her in.

"You are intoxicating. How in the world have I not met you yet?"

Dylan felt her father tense at those words. She wanted to ask him why, but he started talking before she could.

"Ironclaw pack? I can feel your power. Where are you in the ranking?"

Silas looked at him; it was almost like he didn't know her father was standing beside her. He gave Valko a once over and tilted his head. "And who are you? I can smell you on her. Why were you touching my mate?"

Valko growled. "Watch it, pup. She has been mine to protect since birth, and I held her in my arms. I am Valko Pierce, Alpha of the Silver Moon pack."

"Silver Moon? I am not familiar with your pack. Are you new?"

Dylan scrunched her face at her mate. "No. We've been around since the beginning. Since the Moon first created us."

"Funny. I have learned about every pack since I was old enough to read. Your pack has not been mentioned in any of the textbooks."

Dylan thought about it and thought the Ironclaw pack wasn't highly mentioned in any textbook she learned about either. She opened her mouth to say that to him, but her wolf pushed through and stopped her before she could.

"That is news to me. I know of your pack and every other pack in our history. I would review the textbooks in your pack's library."

"I'll do that. First, though, I want to spend time with my mate. I understand there are rooms for privacy?"

Dylan's head snapped toward Silas's so fast she heard it crack. "I have a better idea than that. I do not jump into things just because I am told to do so. I understand there is a garden out back. It's probably its own conservation from the size of it."

"Well, looks like I bagged myself an Alpha. Lucky me." The joy in his voice made Dylan smile.

Dylan's wolf danced happily at Silas's words, loving that he was happy to have a dominant female. It bode well for her to have a mate who was happy about having a mate who could hold her own. Even though true mates meant they were equals anyway, it would always help Dylan to have a backbone to tell him no when she needed to. She often witnessed her mother telling off her father when she wasn't happy about something he said or did.

"It's not good for Alphas to have everything easy. It does their heart some good knowing they can't get away with things."

She remembered her mother's words as clearly as the day she first said them to her when she was little. It was the first time Dylan told the Beta no when she didn't feel like training that day. It was not a good day for him as he yelled until he was red in the face. She was to train that day, or her father would be mad. Dylan didn't care and still said no. Turned out Valko sided with her. It only made Luca angrier how Valko gave Dylan more power to say no to him. Little did he know Dylan would become much more dominant than him and could tell him no.

Dylan led the way before Silas could ask her father more questions. Something about him not knowing about her pack gave her a bad feeling. She glanced back at Silas, and the look he gave her sent a pool of heat to her core. It was a look of longing and hunger. Dylan had a moment of wanting to shift into her wolf and go running in the woods with Silas chasing after her. Sure, it was always a bad idea to trigger a wolf into a hunt, but something about that gaze told her it might be fun.

But I'd say leave that until I know more about him. He could be one of the ones who loves the thrill of the hunt too much.

He will not hurt you. He is our mate.

Maybe, but he is giving me some crazy vibes.

Though crazy could be good in other ways. She knew if he were unhinged enough, he would become inventive in ways she could never dream of, such as how to care for anyone who would try to harm her or their pack. An unhinged Alpha was usually the kind you would want.

Not to mention, unhinged means inventive in the bedroom.

The thoughts that ran through her mind made Dylan stifle a moan. The last thing she needed right now was for Silas to catch her turning herself on. It was bad enough his wolf was probably enraged at the idea of not going upstairs and marking her. Dominant males didn't like the idea of their unbonded mates running around for another male to touch or attempt to mark their mates for themselves. It didn't matter; Dylan could keep the dumbass males off herself. Males sometimes couldn't think beyond keeping their mates safe. It caused problems more often, especially when their mates were dominant.

Dylan walked through the doors that led to the garden behind the building where the party was being held. A gate made from iron was wrapped around a large area before the tree line started. There was an archway in which vines grew around it and even through the bars of the entirety of the fence. The sweet scents of various flowers hit her nose, and under the moonlight, she could see their range of colors and sizes. During the day, this must have looked like a rainbow on the ground. A beautiful light gray stone fountain stood in the middle with a white rock pathway leading to it, and then a circle was made all the way around it. The fountain had howling wolves around it with water spouting through its opened muzzle, another tier with clouds, and a full moon on top. It looked like the full moon had water moving around it, dripping into a basin below it.

The gate made a creaking sound as Dylan pushed it open. Before she could step in, Silas grabbed her hand and yanked her backward before he stepped through. She could see his head looking around and checked around the fountain. He was looking for a possible intruder on their time together or a threat he could beat to a pulp if he touched Dylan, but she already knew no one was there. No one had been here for over an hour, at least based on the scent she was catching.

"We are safe. No one is here," she told him.

His eyes turned toward hers, a hint of wolf more than usual in his scent, which told her his wolf had surfaced. " It's better to be safe than sorry."

"Oooo, two Alphas walking around in a garden. How can we possibly survive an attack?" Dylan mocked.

"A wicked tongue on you. I wonder if I could give you a better use for it other than to sass me with." The smile he gave her made Dylan's stomach do a somersault.

I will not give in too fast. I will not give in too fast. I will not give in too fast.

"Like I haven't heard that line before. Really? I thought guys exchanged their lines to one another so this kind of shit doesn't happen."

Silas laughed, and it almost sounded musical. Dylan liked listening to it and wondered if she could get him to do it again.

"Nah, we usually only tell each other lines that work, not the ones that don't. If you have heard that one before, then it looks like I need to get a little more creative."

"Might be a good idea. The guys in my pack have come up with some zingers that could sweep almost any girl off their feet."

Silas snarled. "Do not mention anyone you have been with before me."

Dylan lifted an eyebrow at him. She understood that a bond between fated mates could be intense. The men really didn't like the idea of anyone being with their mate, including anyone from years ago. Since knowing they could find their fated mate decades from now, most didn't care about purity. Even though they were part human, they still had needs based on their human half. Sex was a basic need, and if they needed to scratch an itch, most would do it regardless of when they believed they would find their mate. Dylan was someone who barely wanted a mate but still understood she could go decades or centuries before she found hers, so if she wanted sex, she allowed herself to have it. Her body count wasn't that high. Three was very different from the double digits she knew some of her friends had.

"There is a reason they are in the past. I am not a virgin, and I am not going to pretend like I was before you. This is not like the olden times where mates were found easily. We do not need to sit around and wait for you. It could take decades!"

Silas took a deep breath while bowing his head, and she could tell he was trying to calm himself. "I understand that, but the wolf doesn't. He is jealous."

Dylan cocked her head to the side. "Are you a virgin?"

He peered up at her and smiled. "No, I am not."

Dylan's heart clenched, and her wolf growled.

Stop it.

It is hard. He is ours.

Dylan could understand now, but it didn't change anything. Neither of them saved themselves for the other. It was something they both needed to get over sooner rather than later. The jealousy their wolves felt would get old very quickly.

"I can see you fighting with your wolf. Now you get it."

"Yes," Dylan said through a laugh. "I understand, but I still don't want us fighting over past flames. They mean nothing. If you are to be a part of my soul to fill the void that is there without you, then we need to get over it. Our wolves need to get over it. There isn't even a guarantee that you are my only mate."

Silas sighed. "I know that. I would be fine if I knew they were connected with you like I am. If not, it tends to get under our skin."

Dylan walked over to the fountain and sat down on the edge. Droplets of water hit her back, and she nearly leaned back to get drenched. Her skin felt hot, and she wanted to pull Silas to her to fill every void she felt. He walked over to her and put his hand on her face. Little jolts of energy from his touch created tingles on every inch of where he touched. Dylan swallowed hard and fought the urge to look at him. His hand caressed her until he was under her chin and tilted her face upwards.

"I often thought my true mate would end up being a dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty who was a submissive that I would have to tuck under my arm and hide away from the world. I never would have considered being given someone who dyed their hair purple, has unique teal eyes, and is so dominant that she takes no shit from anyone, her mate included."

"I can't tell if you are happy or not about that."

Silas laughed, and this time, it was louder than before. "I assure you I am very happy about that. Submissives are okay, but they get old. I like a woman who can take charge and knows how to handle herself. Makes my job a whole hell of a lot easier. If you are to be my Luna, then I need you to know how to actually be a Luna. I'm sure, since you are dominant, you were taught how to run a pack."

Dylan lifted a brow at him. "My mother is the Luna of our pack."

"Oh yeah. That's right. You are from the Silver Moon pack. Tell me about it."

Dylan wasn't sure what to tell him. "Uh, well, it is like any normal pack. We have about twenty wolves. Since fated mates aren't exactly easy to come by, we don't have any kids. I was the last kid to be born, actually. My friend Cassie is about a month older than me. Our friends are about a year older. She found her mates, and I heard my dad mention having her two mates come to our pack."

Silas nodded as he listened and sat down next to her. He put his hand over hers, and Dylan felt the tingles again. She wanted to put her head on his shoulder but was able to stop herself. She wanted to learn a little more about him before she completely gave into this bond.

"I hope you understand why I wouldn't want to come to your pack."

Dylan looked at him. "Males go to the females' packs for a reason."

"Yeah, but I am next in line to become Alpha."

Dylan laughed. "Yeah, me too."

Silas looked at her. "How is that possible?"

"Well, I have three older brothers and a sister. My brothers went to their mates' packs, and my sister was less dominant than me. It was an anomaly, too. She is an Omega."

"Omega? Those are rare. How many mates does she have?"

Dylan rolled her eyes. "Five. I don't know how that one happened either."

"Omegas tend to get a lot. Something about their calming personalities."

Dylan nodded. She wasn't sure what to say next. Usually, she got drunk and talked to the people she ended up in bed with. Silas didn't seem like the type.

"My father's pack is becoming the top pack. We've had some challenges, and we haven't lost yet. Training has been around the clock for me lately because of it. I can't seem to catch a moment to myself. When this mate gathering popped up, I was too happy to take the chance to get away and take a break. I honestly didn't think I would even find my mate," Dylan admitted.

"Tell me about it. I didn't think I'd find mine either."

Dylan let out a small laugh. "Seriously. My mom told me she didn't find my dad until she was much older. I was hoping I would be the same way. I wasn't thrilled at the idea of finding a mate yet."

Silas wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I know what you mean. It wasn't like I didn't want a mate. I just didn't want one yet. I didn't think I was ready to settle down. Then I saw you, and it felt like it was clicking into place. I mean, there is a bonus to all of this."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, we will become stronger once we are bonded. It is a known fact that bonded wolves are just stronger than those who aren't."

"True." Dylan nodded and looked around. Our wolves would be less erratic and would listen more, as well."

"Your wolf isn't listening to you? Well, it might be because she just needs tiring out."

Dylan elbowed him. "That was worse than your last line. But you might have a point. Maybe she does need to be tired out."

Silas leaned into her and put his nose against her neck. Dylan's skin broke out in goosebumps from feeling his hot breath on her skin. He sucked in a deep breath and ran his nose against her neck. He stopped briefly above where he would need to bite her neck and kissed it. Dylan moved her head, so her cheek brushed against him, and Silas quickly moved to press his lips firmly against hers. Dylan's stomach flipped at the gesture, and then she turned her head to the side to give him better access. Silas jumped at the chance to deepen the kiss. Dylan moaned as she felt his tongue against hers, and her hand found his cheek. She felt him pull at her hip to twist her onto him, and Dylan moved away from him.

"How about we let our wolves get to know each other?"

Silas's eyes darkened. "Hell yeah."

Dylan didn't waste any time and stripped off her dress. She tugged on the bond between her and her wolf and pushed for the shift. The shifting of her muscles and popping of her joints took her mind off Silas staring at her body. It felt wonderful seeing her mate look at her like that. As she felt the wave of power brush over her before her four paws hit the minor rocks, Dylan noticed it wasn't coming from her. Anger swept through her bond with Silas. Dylan shook her body and stared up at her mate. He was seething with rage as he stared at her. Dylan looked down and noticed she was in her astral form. She mentally slapped herself for not focusing hard enough to keep herself corporal.

"YOU ARE A SHADOWBORN?"

Dylan reached out through their bond but couldn't do much about it. Their bond was still new, and it could take time before it stitched itself together enough to create the telepathic bond. She had no way to communicate with Silas outside of shifting back. It would take longer to do that, and it would be excruciating since she had just shifted.

No, I am not about to do that. Not with him being this pissed off.

"The Great Moon gave me a fucking Shadowborn as a mate? You have got to be kidding me! That is the biggest piece of bullshit!" Silas paced on the rocks and kept glancing over at her.

Dylan sat on her haunches and stared at him. It was going to be difficult to relay how she felt. Anger built up inside her as he mumbled to himself about Shadowborns being evil and how dare the Great Moon do this to him.

"I won't be mated to a fucking Shadowborn. It's not happening."

She already knew what was coming next. Dylan could feel that much through the bond. Her lips curled back in a snarl. Silas roared at her, but Dylan didn't move. She really wanted to bite Silas right now, but she only held off because it would cause more problems than fix them.

"Dylan Pierce, I reject you as my mate and future Luna."