Aiden leaned against a streetlamp, the cool metal pressing into his back. His messy black hair fell over his sharp blue eyes, catching the soft city light. He wore a loose shirt and dark pants, his figure tall and slim—though not quite as tall as the Alpha King he'd never met.
To his left, the trees of the forest whispered in the night breeze. To his right, the city lights flickered quietly in the distance. Above, the moon slowly made its way across the darkening sky. It was a full moon tonight—exactly half a month after his eighteenth birthday.
He turned his head at the sound of approaching footsteps. Evelyn came half-jogging over, cheeks flushed, breath forming little clouds in the cold air. She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. Her warm jacket was zipped up tight, jeans hugging her frame. She wasn't the skinniest girl—but Aiden didn't care. He loved her.
"Ready?" he asked, voice low, smooth, and warm.
"Mmhmm," she nodded, slipping her hand into his. Her tan skin looked striking against his pale fingers.
They walked side by side toward the forest. Aiden sighed softly, mostly to himself.It takes so much longer to get anywhere in human form...
Evelyn glanced up at him. She was half a head shorter, her green eyes filled with concern beneath her warm blonde hair.
"Something wrong?"
Aiden gave her a reassuring smile. "Nothing. Just getting used to the human tempo again."She smiled back, giving his hand a light squeeze.
Half an hour later, they reached the clearing. The moon hung high in the sky now, glowing bright and full, bathing everything in silver light.
Aiden's mother was already in her wolf form, her tail wagging slowly as she padded over to greet them. She licked Aiden's hand in affection, then gave Evelyn's leg a gentle nudge in welcome.Evelyn giggled. She'd been here before—but tonight felt different.
Aiden kissed her forehead and whispered, "See you after, love."
He stepped into the center of the clearing, letting go of her hand.
The pack had already begun to gather, wolves forming a wide circle around him. Only Evelyn remained in human form—unable to shift, but still a part of them.
As the full moon reached its peak in the sky, directly above Aiden— Fate began to stir.
As the full moon reached its zenith, a hush fell over the clearing. The pack stilled, the air thick with anticipation. Aiden felt it too—something ancient and electric crawling under his skin.His breath hitched.
The moonlight hit him like a wave, flooding his senses. His knees buckled, and he barely managed to stay standing. A strange heat bloomed in his chest, spreading outward like a wildfire—painful, bright, and foreign.
This wasn't normal.
He gasped, hand gripping his shirt over his heart. Around him, wolves stirred uneasily, some whining, others backing away slightly, sensing the shift.
This isn't how it's supposed to feel...
From the edge of the forest came a rumble. Deep. Powerful.The trees parted.
A massive white wolf stepped into the clearing, fur glowing under the moonlight, amber eyes fixed on Aiden. But even before he shifted, Aiden knew who it was.The Alpha King.
The white wolf shifted mid-step, body reforming into a man—tall, broad-shouldered, pale-skinned and shirtless. Long white hair fell over his back like silk, his eyes burning with golden light. He looked like something out of legend. Dangerous, beautiful, unreal.
Aiden staggered back. Their eyes locked. And the world went quiet. Something snapped into place.
Aiden's heart skipped. His body trembled. His wolf howled inside him, wild and confused.
Mate.
No. No, no. This wasn't right.The Alpha King's gaze narrowed, a mixture of confusion and recognition flashing in his eyes. He took a step closer, muscles tense like a predator hunting prey.
Mate.
Aiden shook his head, panic rising. "This is wrong," he whispered. "I'm a beta. I have a mate—I love Evelyn."
The Alpha King's lips parted, voice low and rough. "You feel it too."
Aiden didn't answer. Evelyn, forgotten for a moment, stepped forward. "Aiden?" Her voice was small. She saw it—felt it. Her smile began to crack
Aiden turned toward her, eyes wide, breath shallow. "I don't want this."
But fate had no care for wants.
Wolves began to growl—low, warning sounds that rumbled through the clearing like distant thunder.
Evelyn stepped forward again, confused, worried. "Aiden—?"
That was enough. Several wolves shifted closer, fur bristling, teeth bared—not at Aiden, but at her.
Aiden's head snapped around. In a flash, he turned fully away from the Alpha King. His bones cracked, spine twisting, muscles contorting.
In a blink, his human form was gone. A sleek, black wolf now stood in his place, fur bristling with tension, his piercing blue eyes locked onto the pack. He moved—quick, fluid, protective—and placed himself between Evelyn and the others, head low, a deep snarl rumbling from his throat.
Stay away.
His growl was powerful, shaking with something primal. A claim. A warning. "Mine. My mate. Stay away."
Silence fell again The pack hesitated, eyes flicking from Aiden to the Alpha King.
The white wolf—the Alpha King—hadn't moved. He watched everything unfold with a dark intensity, amber eyes unreadable. The mate-bond had sparked, undeniable and alive in the air between them.
But Aiden... Aiden had chosen someone else.For now.
The tension was broken only by Evelyn's shaky breath. She slowly reached out, her fingers brushing Aiden's fur. "Aiden...?"
He didn't look at her. He couldn't.
His heart was roaring in his chest. Every instinct was at war—protect, love, reject, deny.He had felt the bond ignite.
He had felt it tie him to someone else. Someone dangerous. Someone who was not Evelyn. And yet... the Alpha King still hadn't left.
The Alpha King—Theron—stepped forward.
His large white paws pressed into the earth, silent but sure. The pack instinctively parted for him, heads lowered. His amber gaze never left Aiden, not even for a second.
He stopped just outside the invisible line Aiden had drawn—his stance protective, defiant, refusing to submit to the bond he hadn't chosen.
Theron's wolf tilted his head slightly. Curious. Unthreatened.
The air around them shimmered faintly as the bond tugged again, that silvery invisible thread between them pulling tighter with every heartbeat. Aiden's growl deepened, but it faltered. The closer Theron came, the harder it was to resist the pull.
You feel it too, Theron's eyes seemed to say.
But Aiden didn't move.Didn't shift back.Didn't dare.
Behind him, Evelyn placed a hand on his back. That small touch made Aiden flinch.
Theron's lips curled back ever so slightly, a flicker of fang exposed—not toward Aiden, but toward her. Possessiveness radiated off him, hot and primal. The idea of another touching his mate—his—even if she had once meant something to Aiden, was a challenge.
Aiden spun around, fur rippling, and stood taller on his four legs. He growled sharply—not at Evelyn this time, but at Theron.
"This bond means nothing," his wolf voice trembled in the air between them, felt by all."I already have a mate."
Theron shifted. Before anyone could react, bone and muscle twisted, and he stood tall in human form—naked, unashamed, the moonlight catching in his long white hair and golden skin. His eyes glowed, not just with power, but with restrained frustration... and something else.Something deeper.
"You lie to yourself," Theron said, voice like gravel and thunder. "But your wolf has already chosen."
The words struck like a slap. Aiden's snarl weakened. Because it was true.
He had felt it—that soul-deep connection the moment their eyes met. A current so sharp it sliced through his bond with Evelyn like paper.
He didn't want it. Didn't choose it.But that didn't stop the truth.
Behind him, Evelyn's hand fell away. She stared at the Alpha King, eyes wide with confusion, horror—and jealousy.
Theron didn't even glance at her. She was nothing to him. An obstacle, perhaps. A mistake. His eyes remained locked on Aiden. "Run if you want," he murmured. "But the moon never lies."
Theron turned without another word, his form shifting halfway—tall human frame with stark white wolf ears flicking in the cold night breeze, a thick tail swaying behind him. He didn't look back.
With just a flick of that tail, the rest of the pack obeyed.
One by one, the wolves peeled away from the clearing, melting into the dark embrace of the trees. Silent shadows under the full moon, leaving only broken leaves and dust in their wake.Aiden stood alone.
His body trembled, the shift from wolf to man draining him more than usual—not from the magic, but from everything else. His bare feet pressed into the cool earth, chest rising and falling as he slowly turned to face Evelyn.
She stood frozen, arms wrapped around herself, her green eyes shining with disbelief... and something sharper beneath.
He didn't want to say it. But he had to. "I'm sorry," Aiden whispered, voice raw and low.She blinked, once. Twice. Then looked away.
"I'll... I'll follow you home," he added gently, taking a step forward. Still, she said nothing. Her jaw clenched. Her breathing was sharp and shallow, like it hurt just to be near him. "Don't," she finally said.
"Evelyn—"
"Don't follow me," she repeated, louder now. "Just... don't." She turned sharply, her boots crunching against fallen twigs as she walked away—fast, stiff steps that carried her out of the clearing, out of his reach, and maybe... out of his life.
Aiden stood there, the full moon now behind him, heavy and distant. The bond to Theron still thrummed faintly in his chest. Quiet now, but unyielding.
It wasn't over. Not even close.