Chapter 13
Tristan’s POV
The file folder mocked me from my desk. Another dead end in a five–year search that had yielded nothing but frustration and emptiness. I skimmed the latest report–private investigators had found no trace of Lysandra in the northern territories. Just like they’d found nothing in the southern, castern, or western regions.
She had vanished completely, as if the earth itself had swallowed her whole.
I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to hurl the folder across my office. Five years of searching, and still nothing. How could one woman–a wolfless woman at that–disappear so thoroughly?
“Tristan?”
1 snapped back to reality, quickly closing the folder before looking up. Selene stood in my office doorway, dressed in a perfectly tailored pale blue suit that accentuated her curves. Golden hair cascaded over her shoulders, her blue eyes fixed on me with concern.
“Selene,” I said, rubbing my forehead as a familiar headache began to pulse behind my eyes.
She moved toward me with grace. Five years she’d been by my side, supporting me as I ascended to Alpha of the Silverblood Pack after my father stepped down. Three years she’d waited for me to make her my Luna, to mark her and announce her as my mate.
I still hadn’t done either.
Something held me back–something I couldn’t name but felt with every fiber of my being. My wolf refused to accept her, and I simply couldn’t bring myself to force it. Selene knew this yet stayed, claiming her devotion had
nothing to do with power or position.
I thought she was a good woman, perhaps too good for me.
“I heard you’re leaving Silverblood territory today,” Selene said, stopping beside my chair. “For tomorrow’s Moon Ring Council gathering.”
I leaned back in my leather chair and nodded. “Yes.”
Selene lowered her gaze, and I frowned. “Problem?”
“Will you take me with you this year?” she asked, her voice carefully measured, expectant.
The immediate response forming on my lips was no–the same answer I’d given for the past three years. But something in her expression stopped me. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, already anticipating my rejection.
“I will,” I replied, surprising even myself.
Shock registered on her face, followed by joy. She moved closer, bending at the waist. “Thank you, Alpha.”
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As she leaned in to kiss me, I raised my hand, stopping her.
“I have matters to attend to before we leave,” I said, my voice cool, and distant. “You should pack your things.”
Selene nodded, disappointment flashing across her features before she turned and left my office.
I exhaled slowly, acknowledging that this wasn’t the first time I’d created distance between us. Despite all appearances, I had never fully accepted Selene. After that night five years ago, when she’d worn Lysandra’s dress, I hadn’t touched her intimately again.
I didn’t understand why.
The next day, our motorcade pulled up to the entrance of the castle housing the party, causing a stir among the valets and security personnel.
“Ready?” I asked Selene as the car door opened.
She nodded, excitement written across her face. This gathering represented her first real opportunity to be presented as my unofficial Luna to the werewolf elite.
As we entered the grand ballroom, conversation died. Hundreds of eyes turned toward us, drawn by the unmistakable presence of Alpha power. I surveyed the crowd–pack leaders, their Lunas, council members, and various dignitaries all dressed in their finest.
For the next hour, I endured countless introductions. Alpha after Alpha approached, often with daughters in tow- young, beautiful women whose fathers hoped would catch my interest. Their intentions were transparent: marry into the Silverblood Pack for protection or form alliances to shield themselves from my growing influence.
I offered polite but noncommittal responses to each, feeling Selene tense beside me with each new introduction.
The conversation continued, more meaningless pleasantries exchanged. I scanned the opulent hall, only half- listening to the elder’s droning voice. Then it hit me–a scent. Faint and elusive, like moonlight through a forest after rain, with delicate notes of violet and sandalwood.
My pupils contracted. My body froze. Every sense screamed a single name.
I turned, following the scent through the crowd until my eyes locked on a figure across the ballroom.
“Lysandra!” The word exploded in my mind.
As I moved closer, her scent became more distinct, now layered with something new–a power and confidence that hadn’t been there before. My wolf thrashed wildly, emitting hungry growls that threatened to tear through my
skin.
“Tristan?” Selene called from behind me, confusion in her voice.
I ignored her, my legs carrying me forward of their own accord. With each step, my senses heightened–I could hear her heartbeat accelerating, could see her engaged in tense conversation with several women whose faces
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showed clear hostility.
Five years had transformed her. The black satin gown she wore dipped low, revealing perfect collarbones and the swell of her breasts. The fabric hugged her waist before flowing over generous curves that hadn’t existed when she’d left. Moonlight seemed to caress her skin, giving it a pearly luminescence that radiated mature femininity.
Heat surged through me, starting in my gut and spreading outward. I noticed other men watching her, and possessive fury ignited in my chest.
Her eyes met mine. Time stopped. Something electric passed between us.
She said something to the women surrounding her. They turned toward me, terror flashing across their faces before they scattered.
My world narrowed to Lysandra alone, everything else fading to background noise. Anger rose within me–where had she been all these years? Why hadn’t she returned to me? Who had sheltered her? How had she become even more beautiful, more confident?
When she turned to leave, my eyes narrowed. I moved quickly to intercept her.
“You’ve got some nerve showing up here,” I said, my voice cold despite the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm me.
As I drew near her, something strange washed over me. The heartbeat in my chest accelerated, and the emptiness that had plagued me for five years suddenly vanished.
My wolf consciousness behaved erratically, desperate to take control of my body. I felt the blood–red glow intensifying at the edges of my vision as he howled within me, his voice shaking my very soul:
MATE! MATE! MATE!
