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EIGHTEEN

DRAKEN

D raken’s footsteps echoed through the empty stone corridors of the castle. The ancient tapestries and portraits of his ancestors seemed to mock him as he paced past them for what felt like the hundredth time that night. His wolf prowled restlessly beneath his skin, urging him to shift and howl his frustration to the moon.

The night stretched endlessly as he wandered from room to room, unable to settle. The thought of sleeping in his bed, still carrying Lorelei’s scent, was unbearable.

“This is what she wants,” he muttered to himself. “She needs time. Space.” The words tasted bitter in his mouth.

Dawn’s first light began creeping through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the polished floors. Draken paused at the entrance to the east wing, drawn to the window overlooking the circular drive where Chuck waited with the SUV.

His hands clenched the stone windowsill as Lorelei emerged from the castle entrance below. She looked small from this height, but no less beautiful in her simple sundress. The sight of her walking away from him sent a physical pain through his chest.

His wolf howled inside him, demanding they stop her. It would be so easy to order Chuck not to drive away, to keep her here where she belonged. Where he could protect her.

But that wasn’t what she wanted.

“I could assign guards to follow her,” Scorpio suggested, materializing beside him. “Keep her safe without her knowing.”

“No.” Draken’s voice came out rough. “She’s powerful enough to handle herself. And I won’t betray her trust by having her followed.”

His wolf snarled in protest as Lorelei slipped into the back seat of the vehicle. Every instinct screamed at him to race down there, to wrap her in his arms and never let go. To mark her as his mate so no one could ever take her from him.

But he refused to be the kind of alpha who forced his will on others - especially not on his mate.

“She’ll come back when she’s ready,” Scorpio offered quietly.

“If she comes back.” Draken pressed his forehead against the cool glass, watching the SUV disappear down the winding drive. “She has to choose this. Choose me. Otherwise, none of it matters.”

The emptiness in his chest expanded as the vehicle carrying his mate vanished from view. He fought the urge to shift and chase after her. But he had to let her go - had to give her the freedom to choose this life, to choose him, on her own terms. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done.

He turned away from the window and headed to his master suite. He’d survived centuries alone - he could survive giving her the time she needed. Even if every minute felt like torture.

Draken slouched in his leather office chair, staring unseeing at the budget reports scattered across his antique mahogany desk. The light cast elongated shadows through the windows, but he couldn’t focus on work. His thoughts kept drifting to Lorelei.

The phone’s sharp ring cut through his brooding. He grabbed it, hoping against hope it was her.

“Prince Draken speaking.”

“Is this the mighty Alpha of the Moonshadow pack?” The voice dripped with mockery.

Draken’s fingers tightened on the receiver. “Who is this?”

“Someone who knows where your precious Luna is being held.”

Ice shot through his veins. “What are you talking about?”

“Gideon sends his regards. He’s quite pleased with how easily he snatched her up. Humans are so fragile, aren’t they?”

Draken’s wolf surged forward, a growl rumbling in his chest. The wood of his desk cracked under Draken’s grip. “If you’re lying?—“

“One million. That’s my price for her location.”

His wolf clawed at his insides, demanding blood. “You think I need you? I don’t.”

“Better hurry then. Gideon’s not known for his gentle touch.”

The phone cracked in his grip. He hurled it across the room, watching it shatter against the stone wall. The impact left a satisfying dent in the centuries-old masonry.

“Fuck!” His fist slammed into his desk. Papers scattered across the floor like autumn leaves. He surged to his feet, his chair crashing behind him. His wolf howled for vengeance, but cold fear threaded through his rage.

He should have protected her. Should have assigned guards despite her wishes. Should have?—

Scorpio burst through the door. “What happened?”

“Gideon has her!” he shouted. “That bastard took my mate.”

Scorpio’s eyes widened. “How?—“

“Because I let her go!” Draken slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a crater in the centuries-old stone. “I knew the dangers. Knew what could happen. But I let her walk away.”

“You respected her choice,” Scorpio said quietly. “That’s what a good mate does.”

“A good mate keeps her safe.” Draken’s wolf was nearly feral, desperate to shift and hunt. To tear apart anyone who dared touch what was his. “I failed her.”

His advisor’s face hardened. “We’ll find her.”

Draken stilled. The bond might be unmarked, but it was there, just as it had been since the day she awakened. He closed his eyes, focusing on that invisible thread connecting him to Lorelei. It pulled west, strong and sure.

“Get Chuck.” His eyes snapped open, determination replacing self-recrimination. “We’re going hunting.”

Draken burst through the castle’s massive oak doors, his muscles coiled with tension. The cool night air hit his face as he sprinted down the stone steps, taking them three at a time. His wolf tore at his insides desperate to break free.

“Through the gardens,” he called back to Chuck and Scorpio. “We’ll pick up her trail faster that way.”

The moment his feet touched grass, he let his wolf take over. He started shifting - his bones cracking, muscles reforming, and gray fur sprouting across his skin. In seconds, a massive wolf stood where the man had been. He threw back his head and let out a commanding howl that echoed across the grounds.

Scorpio shifted beside him. Chuck’s sturdy brown form appeared on his other flank.

He lifted his muzzle to scent the air, searching for any trace of Lorelei’s unique fragrance - earth and rain with an underlying current of raw power. Nothing yet. She was too far, but the pull was there. Northwest.

Draken’s powerful legs bunched beneath him as he prepared to sprint in that direction. But before he could move, howls erupted from all around the castle grounds. His pack members appeared from various buildings and paths, shifting into their wolf forms as they ran.

We’re with you, Alpha , came dozens of voices through the pack link. The Luna needs us .

Pride and gratitude swelled in his chest. Despite their initial reservations about a human Luna, they were rallying to help find her. His wolf preened at this show of loyalty.

Thank you, he projected to them all. But remember - Gideon is mine to deal with .

Agreeing growls echoed through the link as the pack fell into formation behind him. Draken took off at a ground-eating lope, his massive paws barely touching the earth as he ran. The bond pulled him forward like an invisible rope, leading him toward his mate.

Hold on, Lorelei, he thought, though she couldn’t hear him. I’m coming for you.

As one, the pack moved like shadows through the moonlit forest, a deadly force of nature following their alpha’s lead. Draken’s heart swelled as he ran with his wolves, all of them united in purpose. Lorelei might not know it yet, but she already had a family here - one that would fight to protect her.

Now they just had to find her.

Draken’s paws pounded against the forest floor as he followed the invisible thread pulling him toward Lorelei. Her scent grew stronger with each stride, mixed with the musty wood of an old cabin that materialized through the dense trees.

The earth beneath his paws trembled, making his wolf’s hackles rise. Through the cabin’s grimy window, he spotted Lorelei bound to a chair, her face set in fierce concentration. The tremors intensified, controlled and purposeful - nothing like the chaotic quakes from when they first met.

She’s using the cabin’s foundation, Scorpio’s voice echoed through the pack link. Smart girl.

Pride flooded Draken’s chest. His mate wasn’t some helpless human. She was learning to harness her power even under extreme duress.

A crack splintered through the cabin’s wooden floor. Gideon stumbled, cursing as he tried to keep his balance. “Stop that!” he snarled at Lorelei.

“Make me,” she shot back, her chin lifted in defiance.

Through the pack link, Chuck’s amused voice rang out. I like her style.

Spread out, Draken commanded his pack. Block all escape routes.

The wolves moved silently into position as another tremor rocked the cabin. A support beam groaned ominously.

“The building’s going to collapse,” Gideon growled, lunging toward Lorelei.

Before he could reach her, the floor buckled. Lorelei rolled with the chair, dodging Gideon’s grasp. The move was so smooth, Draken wondered if she’d planned it.

Now! Draken burst through the door, shifting mid-leap. His human form crashed into Gideon, tackling him away from Lorelei. They tumbled through the disintegrating doorway onto the forest floor.

Behind him, he heard Lorelei’s triumphant laugh. “Took you long enough.”

His lips twitched despite the situation. Even tied up, his mate had sass. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, you know.” The ropes around her fell away as another tremor shook loose the chair’s damaged legs. “Just practicing those earth manipulation skills you taught me in a real-life situation.”

Gideon snarled and tried to break free, but Draken’s grip was iron. “You’ve lost, Gideon. She’s not some weak human you can control.”

“She’s mine!” Gideon thrashed wildly. “Her power belongs to me!”

Lorelei stepped through the crumbling doorway, dusting splinters from her clothes. “Actually, I belong to myself.”

Gideon’s body suddenly contorted, bones cracking as black fur erupted across his skin. His wolf form - smaller and mangier than Draken remembered - lunged at Lorelei with yellowed fangs bared.

Draken’s shift was instant, his massive form intercepting Gideon. Their bodies collided with a thunderous impact that shook the trees. Through their tumble, Draken positioned himself between Gideon and Lorelei.

His opponent fought with desperate fury, but Draken’s movements were controlled and precise. Years of leadership and dedication had honed his skills while exile had left Gideon sloppy.

“You know,” Lorelei mocked, “for someone obsessed with my powers, you’re doing a terrible job of watching your footing.”

The ground beneath Gideon’s paws suddenly softened. He stumbled, his strike going wide. Draken seized the opening, his powerful jaws closing around Gideon’s throat. One sharp twist was all it took. The threat to her life had been ended.

Draken shifted back into human form, then found some clothes in the cabin’s ruins. “I must admit, that was some impressive timing with the ground manipulation.”

“I had a good teacher.” Lorelei’s eyes sparkled.

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms tightly around her. “You’re the strongest Luna this pack could ask for.”