Page 5

FIVE

DRAKEN

D raken stalked out of the glass-fronted building into the sweltering summer morning. The summer heat pressed against his skin, but it was his wounded pride that truly burned. His Luna - his destined mate - had just dismissed him like some random construction worker.

The downtown streets buzzed with activity - cars honking, people rushing to work, the constant hum of city life. None of it helped settle his racing thoughts.

“I am Prince Draken of the Moonshadow Pack,” he muttered under his breath, mimicking his own introduction. “What was I thinking?”

A group of women passing by turned to stare at the attractive man talking to himself, but Draken barely noticed. His mind was too full of brown eyes that should have lit with recognition but had only shown polite confusion.

Of course, a human wouldn’t understand. He’d approached her like she was one of his kind - direct, authoritative, expecting immediate recognition of their bond. The concrete beneath his feet radiated heat as he paced the block.

“A human,” he growled, earning more strange looks from passing pedestrians. “The Moon Goddess gave me a human mate who doesn’t even recognize me.”

His wolf bristled at the slight to their mate even as Draken’s rational mind rebelled against the ridiculous situation. Any female wolf would have felt the pull, would have recognized their fated pair instantly. Instead, he got jokes about birthday presents and dream men.

“This is utterly ridiculous,” he said to himself, running a hand through his hair. “How am I supposed to explain centuries of pack law and shifter culture to someone who thinks I’m just some random crazy person?”

A businessman hurrying past gave him a wide berth, clearly marking him as someone who talked to himself on street corners. Draken couldn’t even blame him. He felt crazy - standing here in his expensive clothes, prince of his people, reduced to skulking around a construction site because his mate had essentially patted him on the head and walked away.

The ground suddenly buckled beneath Draken’s feet, and his wolf surged forward with protective fury. His mate was in danger. The pull of her magic, now familiar after three days of watching her, twisted with fear and confusion.

“Damn it all,” he growled, already stripping off his expensive shirt. His wolf wouldn’t be denied, not with her terror pulsing through their bond.

The shift rippled through him, bones cracking and reforming as his massive wolf burst forth. His clothes shredded, falling away as he launched into a sprint back toward the construction site. Let the humans gawk - his mate needed him.

“Sweet mother of—“ A businessman stumbled backward, coffee splashing across the sidewalk.

Draken’s claws clicked against the concrete as he rounded the corner. The construction site had collapsed inward, steel beams twisted like pretzels. His keen nose detected Lorelei’s scent mixed with a strangely familiar male’s, leading away from the destruction.

Chuck, Scorpio - get the SUV now , he commanded through the pack link while diving into the wreckage. Someone’s taken her.

On it, Alpha . Chuck’s steady voice echoed in his mind.

I told you— Scorpio began.

Save the lecture. Draken’s massive wolf form shouldered aside a fallen beam, exposing two trapped workers. He grabbed their shirts in his teeth, hauling them clear. Just get here .

His wolf wanted to chase after Lorelei’s scent immediately, but he couldn’t leave humans trapped in the rubble she’d inadvertently created. One by one, he pulled workers to safety, their shocked expressions at being rescued by a wolf barely registering.

The black SUV screeched to a halt at the curb. Draken shifted back to his human form behind an overturned concrete barrier, yanking on the spare clothes Chuck tossed him.

“You just had to walk away to sulk,” Scorpio said as Draken vaulted into the backseat.

“Less talking, more driving,” Draken snapped, buttoning his shirt.

The SUV peeled away from the curb, leaving behind a crowd of shell-shocked construction workers and the ruins of what should have been his first real conversation with his mate.

“Left at the next light,” Draken commanded, tracking his mate’s pull. His wolf paced beneath his skin, furious at their earlier retreat. “I can’t believe I just walked away from her.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Chuck said, expertly weaving through traffic.

“I should have.” Draken’s knuckles whitened on the armrest. “She’s my mate.”

Scorpio twisted in the passenger seat. “This is exactly why unmated Lunas are vulnerable. Their powers draw attention, and not the good kind. Without a mate’s protection?—“

“I know.” The words came out as a growl. “Just— not now, Scorpio.”

“Take the bypass,” Draken directed, feeling the connection take him that way. “They’re heading toward the cliffs.”

The SUV’s engine roared as Chuck accelerated onto the highway. Trees blurred past as they left the city behind, the road climbing steadily toward the rocky outcrops that marked pack territory.

“There.” Draken pointed to a black sedan weaving through traffic ahead. “That’s got to be them.”

Chuck’s hands tightened on the wheel. “Want me to run them off the road?”

“Without hurting her.” Draken’s wolf surged forward, lending a golden gleam to his eyes.

He had to get his mate back - his stubborn, beautiful, completely oblivious human mate who could apparently level buildings with a thought.

The vehicle swerved around a curve, and Chuck matched the movement smoothly. They were gaining ground, the gap shrinking with each passing second.

“Ready when you are, Alpha,” Chuck said, hands steady on the wheel as they closed in on their target.

Metal shrieked against metal as Chuck rammed their SUV into the sedan. Draken’s fingers dug into the leather seat, his wolf clawing beneath his skin as his mate’s fear pulsed through their bond.

“Careful with the next hit,” he growled.

“I know how to do my job,” Chuck said, his hands steady on the wheel as he lined up another strike. “Maybe have a little faith in your head of security?”

The sedan swerved wildly across both lanes, tires squealing. Draken’s enhanced vision caught glimpses of brown hair through the back window - his mate, his Luna, who hadn’t even known enough to recognize him thirty minutes ago.

“Left,” Scorpio called from the passenger seat. “They’re trying to make the cliff road.”

Chuck yanked the wheel, keeping pace as the sedan took the curve at dangerous speeds. The rocky cliff face loomed on their right, a sheer drop into darkness made Draken’s wolf howl in protective fury.

“Ram them toward the inside,” Draken ordered, tracking the sedan’s erratic movements. “Force them away from the edge.”

Chuck accelerated, positioning for another hit. The impact rattled Draken’s teeth, but he kept his focus locked on the car. His mate’s fear spiked sharply through their bond, making his muscles coil with the need to shift and tear apart whoever dared frighten or harm her.

“Not yet,” he muttered to his wolf. “We need to be smart about this.”

“Smart would’ve been claiming her days ago,” Scorpio said, bracing himself as they took another curve. “Instead of sulking about her being human.”

“You really want to have this conversation now?” Draken’s eyes flashed gold as the sedan fishtailed ahead of them.

“Seems like as good a time as any,” Scorpio grumbled. “Since we’re currently chasing your mate down a mountain road because you left her unprotected.”

Chuck lined up another hit, but the sedan’s driver was getting desperate. They accelerated around a sharp bend, forcing Chuck to match their speed to keep up.

“Next curve,” Chuck said tersely. “I can force them toward the guardrail.”

The SUV’s tires squealed as they pursued the sedan through the turn. Chuck timed the impact perfectly, but the sedan’s driver overcompensated. Metal screamed as both vehicles spun, the sedan’s back end swinging precariously close to the cliff’s edge.

Draken’s heart nearly stopped as his mate’s terror flooded their bond.

Through the SUV’s body, he felt the road tremble. Rocks tumbled down the cliff face in an ominous rumble. Lorelei’s powers were lashing out instinctively to her terror.

The sedan tried to swerve out of the way as the avalanche began in earnest, boulders crashing down around them. Chuck had to divert, swerving aside as a massive rock slammed into the spot he’d been aiming for. The sedan fishtailed, its driver finally abandoning the vehicle as it teetered on the edge of the cliff.

Already shifted into his wolf, Draken leaped out the passenger door, torn between chasing the fleeing abductor and protecting his mate. Lorelei’s fear blazed through their bond like a beacon, making his decision for him. He spun back toward the crumpled sedan just as it toppled over the edge.

Without a second thought, he flung himself over the cliff after her.

The wind rushed through his fur as he slipped and slid down the ravine’s steep side, debris showering him from the avalanche above. He twisted side to side, desperately trying to pinpoint where the sedan - and his mate - had landed in the chaos.

There. Her scent led him to a crumpled heap of metal half-buried under a fresh pile of rocks. Draken landed hard, bones jarring, but he didn’t slow. He dug viciously into the rubble, flinging aside boulders and twisted pieces of the sedan’s frame with his enhanced strength.

Finally, he found her - battered, unconscious, but alive. Draken’s wolf snarled at the sight of her injuries, but he forced it back. Carefully, he stretched through the shattered window, grabbed her shirt in his powerful jaws, and pulled her free of the wreckage.

“Draken!” Chuck’s shout came from above. “We’ve got rope ready!”

Draken looked up to see Chuck and Scorpio anchoring a rescue line over the edge of the cliff. He gave a soft whine in response, not wanting to let go of Lorelei to shift back, but knowing he had to get her to safety.

Gently, he laid her down and retreated a few paces. The shift rippled through him again, reforming his human body with dull aches from the impacts. He scooped Lorelei up carefully, cradling her against his chest as he grabbed the line and wrapped it around his wrist.

“Pull us up!” he shouted over the din of shifting rocks. He clutched Lorelei tighter as they ascended, her shallow breaths warm against the bare skin of his chest. Her face was pale, a trickle of blood trailing from her hairline, but she was alive. His mate was alive.

They reached the top and Draken immediately carried her to the waiting SUV, settling her in the back seat with her head pillowed on his lap. Chuck peeled away from the cliffside, leaving the trail of destruction behind them.

“You’re safe now,” Draken murmured, gently brushing Lorelei’s hair back from her face.