Page 2

TWO

ORION

O rion tapped his fingers on the ancient oak desk, the centuries-old wood worn smooth beneath his touch.

Quarterly pack finances should have commanded his attention, but tonight, the numbers blurred before his eyes.

The clock on the wall struck eight, each chime echoing through his royal study like a heartbeat in the otherwise silent castle.

"Damn these reports," he muttered, undoing the top two buttons of his crisp black shirt. His powerful frame strained against the confines of the tailored fabric.

His mind drifted as he looked out the arched window at the mainland glittering across the water from his private island.

The lights of Miami competed with the stars above.

The artificial brightness was a glaring reminder of the human world he'd kept at arm's length for four centuries.

So much chaos, and so many complications?—

Suddenly, a jolt shot through his body, electric and primal. Orion jerked upright, knocking the inkwell across territory allocation maps. The sensation cascaded through his veins, a warmth he'd never experienced in four hundred years of existence.

His wolf, always present beneath his skin, surged forward with a clarity that stole his breath.

Our Luna has awakened.

Orion braced himself against the desk, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the edge.

"Impossible," he whispered.

Yet, the wolf inside of him insisted differently, clawing at his insides and demanding release to go find their mate.

He crossed to the window, throwing it open to the December night. The sea breeze carried salt and possibility as he lifted his gaze to the stars scattered across the velvet sky. The constellations that had guided his kind for millennia seemed to pulse with new energy.

"Four centuries." His voice was rough, laced with disbelief and something dangerously close to hope. "Four centuries of waiting."

Orion paced the length of the study, unable to contain the restless energy coursing through him.

His rational mind needed confirmation of what his wolf already seemed to know.

Bertram, his royal advisor and trusted friend, would be able to clarify what had just happened.

The elder's wisdom reached back further than even Orion's considerable lifetime.

The ancient corridors of the castle blurred as Orion strode purposefully through them, nodding curtly at pack members who bowed in deference. When he reached the eastern tower, he didn't bother knocking.

"You feel it too." Bertram stood at his own window, his weathered face turned skyward. No surprise marked his features when Orion entered, just quiet understanding.

"Is it true?" Orion demanded, his natural authority filling the room. "After all this time?"

Bertram turned, his eyes bright with centuries of wisdom. "The stars have shifted their alignment tonight, My King. Something has awakened."

"My Luna?"

"Only the King can truly know." Bertram stepped closer, studying Orion's face. "The mate bond is fragile at first, easily misinterpreted. What does your blood tell you?"

Orion closed his eyes, focusing inward past the noise of his rational mind. There—pulsing beneath everything—was the tether. New, delicate, but unmistakable.

"She's there." The words emerged as a growl, his wolf rising closer to the surface. "I can feel her."

"Then it is true." Bertram's voice carried reverence. "After four centuries, the Starlight pack will finally have its queen."

Orion's chest expanded with a deep breath as the reality settled into his bones. Centuries of ruling alone, of empty ceremony and hollow traditions maintained simply because they must be.

Bertram's gnarled hand gripped his walking stick as he moved toward the door. "We must go to the sacred fountain. Only there can we see her clearly."

Orion followed the elder through the winding stone corridors of the castle.

Guards stationed at intervals straightened as he passed, their eyes lowering in respect.

He acknowledged none of them, his mind consumed by the persistent tug in his chest—the invisible thread connecting him to a woman he'd never met.

The December night air hit his face as they stepped into the castle gardens. Moonlight bathed the ancient topiaries and flowering winter jasmine in silver light. The scent of the sea carried on the breeze, reminding him of the separation between his island kingdom and the mainland.

"Four hundred years," Orion murmured as they approached the fountain. "Why now?"

Bertram's lips curved in a knowing smile. "The stars align when they choose, not when we demand."

The sacred fountain stood in the center of the garden, carved from a single piece of moonstone by the first Starlight alpha two millennia ago.

Water bubbled up from an unseen source, spilling over into a basin wide enough for three men to stand in.

Runes of protection and clarity were etched into its rim, glowing faintly in the darkness.

"Allow your connection to guide the seeing." Bertram dipped his hands into the crystalline water, gesturing for Orion to do the same.

Orion rolled up the sleeves of his shirt before plunging his hands into the icy water. The cold shocked his system, but he kept his face impassive. Kings didn't flinch.

"Focus on the pull," Bertram instructed. "Let your wolf guide you to her."

Orion closed his gray eyes, feeling his wolf surge forward again. The beast's eagerness was overwhelming, nearly forcing a shift right there in the garden. He controlled it with iron will, channeling the energy down through his arms and into the water.

The fountain began to glow, light emanating from beneath the surface. Ripples spread across the water's face despite the absence of wind.

"Look, My King."

Orion opened his eyes. The water's surface had transformed into a mirror-like vision. Buildings of glass and steel reflected colorful lights. Streets packed with humans. And there—a flash of dark black hair, a woman's profile.

"Miami." His voice sounded foreign to his own ears. "She's in Miami."

Bertram's bushy eyebrows rose in surprise. "A bustling city? Not the forest settlements or the mountain enclaves?"

"Directly across the water from us." Orion stared at the image, his jaw tightening. "In that chaos of concrete and complications."

"Many wolves have adapted to human cities in these modern times," Bertram offered. "Perhaps it's a sign that our pack must evolve as well."

Orion straightened, water dripping from his muscular forearms. The water glistened like liquid silver against his tanned skin, catching the moonlight as it trailed down to his fingertips. The wolf inside him paced impatiently, urging him to take action immediately.

"It doesn't matter where she is," he stated, his voice deep and commanding. "She belongs with me and with her pack."

The elder's weathered face creased with amusement. "The Moon Goddess sure has a sense of humor though." Bertram chuckled, leaning on his gnarled walking stick. "Centuries of waiting, only to discover your mate is from the human world you've avoided."

Orion's jaw clenched as he wiped his hands on his pants, leaving dark streaks across the expensive fabric. He cared nothing for appearances tonight—not with his blood singing with newfound purpose.

"All these wolves are choosing to live among humans these days." He cast his gaze across the water toward the glittering skyline of Miami. "They pretend they are something they're not and conform to human thinking and customs."

His wolf bristled at the mere thought. "I could never do it," he added, raking a hand through his dark gray hair. "Human politics and social hierarchies make no sense—all those unspoken rules, the deception, and the masks they wear."

Bertram arched an eyebrow. "And yet your Luna has been raised in that world."

The thought sent a jolt of electricity down Orion's spine. His. She was his—even if she didn't know it yet.

"As a royal, I've never considered anything but living among my pack.

" He began to pace, unable to contain the energy surging through his powerful frame.

His wolf urged him to shift, to run, and to swim across the channel separating him from his mate.

"My duty has always been clear. But I can see how someone not raised with royal responsibilities might not have the same.

.." He searched for the right word, unwilling to sound judgmental about his mate before he'd even met her. "...the same sense of pack obligation."

The wind shifted, carrying the scent of sea salt and promise. Orion inhaled deeply, wondering if he could detect even a trace of her scent from this distance. Ridiculous, yet he couldn't help himself.

The muscles in Orion's neck and shoulders were tight with anticipation. "I have to find her."

"Eager, after four hundred years of solitude?" Bertram's tone was teasing, but respectful.

"Four centuries was nothing." Orion's voice dropped to a near growl as his eyes flashed with primal intensity. "But now that I know she exists, every minute apart is an eternity."

Orion stalked toward the edge of the castle gardens, his gaze fixed on the distant lights of Miami. The wolf inside him paced restlessly, urging him to move. But the king in him knew better than to act on impulse.

"I'll take my boat at sunrise," he decided, already mapping the journey in his mind. "The Moonchaser is fast enough to get me there in less than an hour."

Bertram joined him at the garden's edge, his walking stick tapping softly against the stone path. "And once you reach the city? Miami has thousands of humans."

A smile tugged at the corner of Orion's mouth. He tapped his chest where the faint pull of the mate bond thrummed like a second heartbeat. "I can track her. The bond may be new, but it's strong enough."

"The council will want to send guards?—"

"No." Orion's tone left no room for argument. "The last thing I need is a pack of wolves drawing attention in downtown Miami. This is something I must do alone."

Bertram sighed but nodded. "Years as our king has earned you that right, I suppose. What shall I tell the council?"

"Tell them I'm handling a delicate diplomatic matter that requires my personal attention." Orion started walking back toward the castle, his stride purposeful. "Because that's exactly what this is."

"And when you find her?"

Orion paused, the question stirring something possessive in his chest. "When I find her, I bring her home where she belongs."

Back in his royal chambers, Orion paced rather than slept. The elegant four-poster bed with its meticulously arranged pillows and linens remained untouched as the night hours slipped away. He stood at the window instead, watching the stars wheel across the sky, counting the minutes until dawn.

When exhaustion finally claimed him, his dreams were vivid and insistent.

A woman with flowing black hair and eyes like emeralds walked through mist. He could never see her face clearly, just glimpses—the curve of her cheek, the fullness of her lips, her fingers reaching toward the night sky as if counting stars.

Every time he approached, she slipped away like smoke, leaving behind a scent he couldn't quite capture but desperately wanted to breathe in.

He woke before his alarm, drenched in sweat and painfully aware of the empty space beside him. Space that had been empty for years but only now felt like a void.

"Enough," he muttered, throwing off the tangled sheets.

The eastern sky showed just the first hint of gray as he showered and dressed—dark jeans, a white Henley that stretched across his broad chest, and a leather jacket.

Clothing that would help him blend into the human world while still allowing freedom of movement if trouble found him.

At the private dock, The Moonchaser bobbed on gentle swells, its sleek lines cutting a distinguished silhouette against the lightening horizon.

Forty feet of expertly crafted luxury that would serve his purpose perfectly—fast enough to slice through the waves to Miami, sophisticated enough not to draw the wrong kind of attention when he docked.

He jumped aboard with practiced ease, his body remembering the rhythms of the boat despite years since he'd last taken it out. Why bother with mainland excursions when the island provided everything he needed?

Until now.

The engines rumbled to life beneath his hands, and he felt a surge of anticipation that matched the purr of the finely-tuned machinery.

As the eastern sky bloomed with the first golden rays of daylight, Orion guided the Moonchaser away from the dock, leaving the ancient castle silhouetted against the dawn.

"I'm coming for you," he whispered to the bond pulsing inside him, stretching across the water toward Miami. "Ready or not, Luna."