Page 7 of Bond To The Alpha (Fated Bond #1)

KANE

The sun beats down mercilessly on the training ground. From my vantage point on the elevated platform, I watch two female wolves circling each other. The taller one takes the lead and lunges forward with a snarl and her opponent barely manages to dodge, stumbling slightly. She takes this advantage to land a rapid fire of kicks and punches on the shorter one.

The latter tries to counter the attacks, but it’s not working. And in a matter of seconds, she’s knocked off balance. The tall girl immediately pins her to the ground with a knee to her chest, grabbing her throat with one hand and raising her other claws high in the air.

For a heartbeat, the only sound is their ragged breathing. Then she eases back up, lending a hand to her opponent as she pulls her up. Both girls are covered in dust, with sweat cutting trails down their faces.

I descend two steps.

"Well done, Freya.”

She smiles and bows her head respectfully.

"You effectively exploited your opponent's weaknesses, impressive. You may proceed to Delta Division for advanced combat techniques."

"Thank you, Alpha," she smiles again before jogging off.

I turn to Emma, who's still trying to catch her breath.

"Emma, your form is lacking," I say sharply.

"Your strikes are weak. Momentum is poorly utilized and you’re leaving yourself wide open to counterattacks."

She wipes some dust off her eyes, clearly unimpressed with herself, but that spark in her eyes doesn't dim. If anything, it’s stronger.

Those eyes. They look just like hers.

I clear my throat quickly.

"Report back to Sigma Division for remedial training. Then come back and show me what you've got, ‘cause I know it’s not this.”

She nods stiffly. “Thanks Alpha. I’ll do better,” then walks away.

For a split second, I see the image of her walking away from me all those years ago and I grip the railing of the platform. Six years, and still, that day haunts me. I close my eyes, letting out a slow breath. The scent of dust and sweat fades slowly to be replaced by the phantom aroma of wildflowers and spring blossoms— her scent.

"Liana!" I yell, skidding to a stop in front of her house and nearly eating dirt as I pound on the door.

No answer.

I grab the doorknob, twisting hard enough to make the metal groan. Then I step back to kick the door down. The wood splinters with a crack and I'm in.

It's too quiet. Her scent's here, but it's fading fast.

"Liana!" I call again, desperation clawing at my throat as I barrel into her room and freeze.

Empty.

The closet doors hang open with bare hangers swinging gently. The photos of us that used to cover her walls are gone, leaving behind faded rectangles on the paint. It feels like rage and grief are about to explode inside me.

I'm breathing hard. My sight is fogging up. My hands find their way into my hair, pulling hard enough to hurt.

"FUCK!" I roar, slamming my fist hard into the wall near me, and the drywall cracks under my knuckles.

I stumble out of the room, out into the street and I start running again, this time with no destination. I check all her usual spots; the library, the park, the restaurant, that little café she loves, but there’s no trace of her.

God, I was such an idiot back then. Nineteen years old and thinking I had the world figured out…making that stupid bet. I can still see the way her face looked when she found out. I tried to chase after her, I really did. But she was gone before I could even make things right. I'd promised to always be there for her and make her happy all her life, only to let her down like her parents and everyone else did.

I've been searching for her forever, following every lead, no matter how slim, all to no avail. Sometimes I wonder if it’s my punishment to lead my pack and grow stronger every day, but to always have this hole inside of me to remind me of the worst mistake I ever made.

A familiar scent breaks through my brooding.

Dan, my beta, approaches me with a carefully neutral expression, and seeing that slight tightness around his eyes already tells me the news he brings before he even opens his mouth.

Dan shakes his head slowly as he reaches me.

"The trail went cold at the border of the Northern Territories."

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. Another dead end: another ray of hope snuffed out.

"There's something else though." He pulls out a thick folder from his jacket.

“You're gonna want to see this.”

I take the folder, flipping it open and my eyes are already twitching at the first photo. It’s a grassland stained dark with blood and bodies scattered around. Some of them are even partially shifted between their human and wolf forms.

The one on the next page is a small homestead. The door has been torn off its hinges and there are more bodies, including children’s toys lying abandoned in a pool of dried-up blood. Photo after photo were more gruesome scenes. There’s a ravaged campsite and a small village whose buildings have been reduced to splinters, with claw marks gouged deep into tree trunks and boulders.

"Where?"

"Mostly around the Moonlight Pack territory. Some just outside their borders. It's been going on for weeks now…escalating in fact,” Dan replies.

I study the carnage again, then muttering, "Rogues."

Dan nods. "That's what we think. The attacks are too coordinated for normal wildlife and too brutal for a rival pack. Also, the claw patterns are larger than normal.”

"Has the Moonlight Pack reached out for assistance?"

"Not directly," Dan says. "But word is they've been asking neighboring packs for help. So far, everyone's turned them down."

Moonlight Pack. They're a small pack tucked away in the foothills about a four-day run from our territory. It’s not the kind of place you'd stumble across by accident, but not so remote that it's completely cut off from the world. From what I've heard, they mostly keep to themselves. They're not big players in politics neither do they have much in the way of resources or territory.

"We're next," I mutter, more to myself than to Dan after doing quick calculations and eliminations in my head.

"You think they'll come to us for help," Dan finishes and I nod again.

“Gather the elders for a quick meeting,” I add contemplatively, handing the folder back to Dan.

He takes it with a nod and turns to leave.

Something…I don’t know what, but it makes me grab Dan’s arm quickly.

My eyes drift to the training grounds below me, where another pair of wolves have started sparring. But I'm not really seeing them because my mind is now racing a million miles per hour.

"Moonlight Pack…do we have any intel on their members? I mean additions to their pack in the last few years…"

Dan gives me a knowing look.

"You think she might be there?"

It’s not just a thought now, it’s more like a feeling in my gut that was never there before, and my heart is racing at the possibility of it. My mind is reeling with replays of all those searches and leads we've followed over the years. How the hell did we never think to check Moonlight Pack when we’ve searched even farther locations?

"Look into it," I order firmly, looking straight into Dan’s eyes.

"Of course," he assures me. "I'll start on that right after I gather the elders for the meeting."

??????

"We cannot afford to divert our resources to a pack that isn't even allied with us. There are rumors of silver deposits in the northern mountains, we should be focusing on securing those before our rivals catch wind of it."

I interject, “Potential mining ventures are the least of our concerns right now. We're facing a threat that could wipe out entire packs, our own included, if left unchecked."

"But Moonlight Pack hasn't even formally requested our help yet. Isn't it premature to be mobilizing our forces for a fight that may not come to pass? We have our own borders to protect and our own people to consider,” another one of the elders, who is a woman, says.

"I believe Alpha Kane is right. This is a matter of security for all of us, not just the Moonlight Pack. If these rogues aren't stopped, it's only a matter of time before they turn their attention to us."

A murmur of agreement ripples through some of the younger council members.

"And what would you have us do? Send our best fighters on a fool's errand and weaken our own defenses in the process? We're not exactly a large pack ourselves.”

I take a deep breath, then clasp my hands over the desk.

"I'm not suggesting we leave ourselves vulnerable. But we can't just sit back and do nothing while innocent wolves are slaughtered. The larger packs may have refused to help, but that doesn't mean we should follow their example of cowardice."

"Cowardice? Or wisdom? There's a reason the bigger and more established packs are staying out of this. It's not our fight."

"It will be our fight," I growl impatiently at first, calming myself again. It’s like there’s something else driving me aside from just seeing the bigger picture on the issue. It’s like my gut knows something I don’t. “…when those rogues tear through our territory to kill our packmates, it will be our fight. It’s better we fight them right over there, where they are before they get any closer to us.”

The room falls silent for a bit until someone speaks up again.

"What exactly are you proposing, Alpha? A full-scale intervention?"

I shake my head, leaning forward on the table. "Not yet. For now, I want everyone on high alert. We step up patrols along our borders, especially those closest to Moonlight Pack territory. We start training exercises focused on rogue wolf tactics. And we gather more intelligence— I want to know everything we can about these attacks.”

The woman nods slowly. "A reasonable approach is preparedness without overcommitment."

"Exactly," I agree. "We're not rushing headlong into battle. We're making sure that if –when– this threat reaches our doorstep, we're ready to face it. And if the Moonlight Pack does reach out for help, we'll be in a position to offer meaningful assistance without compromising our own security."

The meeting goes on for a bit longer and doesn't exactly end with a satisfactory conclusion. Now alone in the meeting room, Dan comes an unusual clumsiness to his stance that I immediately find suspicious.

"Someone from Moonlight Pack is here."

A wry, unsurprised smile tugs at my lips.

"Sooner than I expected," I say

“They're waiting in the Cypress Room.”

The walk to the Cypress Room feels like it takes forever and no time at all…. for some damn reason.

I reach the door, wrapping my hand around the doorknob.

My wolf slowly shifts under my skin, until its energy begins to overwhelm me.

I push it open.

The first thing I see is a figure standing by the window, they’re back to me. Her long, black hair flows down her back and shimmers in the afternoon sunlight. The curve of her shoulders…the way she stands…

My heart starts pulsing hard behind my ribs like an animal fighting to escape.

I let go of the doorknob.

There’s someone else in the room with her but my mind doesn’t even give cognizance to anything else at that moment. But she’s talking to them; I can hear her voice, and it raises hundreds of flutters in my chest like a beautiful song that never gets old.

I take a step forward, then another.

“You bitch!”

The distraction has my eyes turning my in the direction of the other person in the room, who is now springing at her from behind.

She immediately scoots out of reach, her hair flying back to reveal her face as she turns around from the window.

"Liana."