Chapter 4. A magic that pushes you.

Desmond Darkness.

"Are we really in Scotland because you can't sleep?" Elijah's insistent voice in my head was more than annoying. It was the fifth time he had asked me as we ran through the thicket of the beautiful Highlands.

The first four times, I let it go without answering because he had asked through our alpha and beta connection. But the fifth time, I was desperate, so I silenced him with a warning growl from Alpha. I heard him groan in regret in my head.

I was tired of Daimon, my wolf, banging on my head every night and not letting me sleep, so I didn't need my beta joining the party. Ever since I put this damn collar around my neck, Daimon had been upset. Every night, he made me dream of a she-wolf with blood-red fur and a beautiful, white, moon-shaped patch on her chest. Her blue eyes were so intense that you felt like she could read your soul.

No matter how much I asked him what those dreams meant, Daimon wouldn't answer me. He would only say:

"Find her. Bring her to us. She needs us." Since I put on the pendant, Daimon had become quieter and more obsessed with those dreams.

If I dared to take off the pendant, accidents would happen around me with every step I took, as if it were a prediction by the damned Nelda. The last one occurred during hand-to-hand training with Elijah. We both ended up with broken bones when two huge branches fell on us unexpectedly. Thankfully, we are strong wolves; otherwise, we wouldn't have made it out alive.

But I didn't decide on the reason for the trip. It was Daimon, the deranged Alpha king, who went crazy when he was told that Malcon McDonald intended to marry the Gamma. He became so enraged that I could hardly control the change. I could feel my blood burning with rage. Things got worse when we heard that McDonald Castle was under siege by the other clans, whose Alphas coveted the Gamma. This gave me the perfect excuse to go to Scotland, find her, and place her under the protection of the Dark King. With her under my protection, I would control many of the clans who feared confronting the strongest and most sinister wolf clan.

As we approached the woods surrounding the castle, I smelled fire, blood, and destruction. I knew without a doubt that the McDonald clan had fallen and that many of our own had perished because of their alpha's excessive ambition.

"He's not there. I sense him nearby, in the woods by the lake," Daimon said, changing direction as he ran.

My pack was initially surprised by the change in direction but followed me without hesitation.

A growl from my beta made me look at him. I saw the look of a wolf overcome by the force of attraction to his destined mate. My beta quickened his pace and ran alongside me, something he had never done before. But when the call of your mate comes, the force of rank disappears.

"Go find her now," I ordered him. He didn't even look at me; he just ran past me and turned onto one of the paths leading to the lake.

I ordered him to go find her, but he didn't even look at me. He just ran past me and turned down one of the paths leading to the lake.

I smiled when I saw the controlled Callum, the coldest wolf, who was like steel; and the desperate Elijah, who was eager to find his mate. However, my inner smile faded when I smelled a scent that knocked me out for a few seconds. It smelled like wildflowers and springs of fresh, crystal-clear water after the spring thaw.

"She's ours, our mate," Daimon's hoarse, desperate cry made me realize that we had found her: the person who would be the center of our universe and the one chosen by the moon goddess to be our other half.

When I reached the grove covering part of the clearing, I ordered the wolves of my pack following me to stay there. I didn't want to scare her. I hoped she had smelled me and knew I had arrived, but I didn't want her to see eight wolves as big as mountains arrive with me. I transformed so as not to scare her. I asked Brandon, the strongest wolf in my pack after Elijah and me, the alpha and beta, respectively, to give me the pants he was carrying in his backpack. After putting on the pants, I headed for the lake.

I saw her come out of the water completely wet, wearing a robe that covered her entire body, including her head. She looked around as if searching for something. When she turned to face the wind, I knew she wouldn't be able to detect me if I approached her. On the other hand, I could smell her completely, and it was driving me crazy with desire.

Without thinking, I hugged her from behind and pulled her close. When I felt her press against me, Daimon howled inside me. I was happy and excited.

"You're mine!" I said, holding her as I felt her feet lose their footing and her body tremble.

"I...you are...my... Oh God, you are my mate!" Her trembling voice had a strange accent, but it sounded like music to my ears. It was like hearing sirens sing. She could give me an orgasm just by talking to me.

"Yes, my Luna. I am yours, just as you are mine," I whispered hoarsely in her ear, making her tremble again in my arms. We hadn't even seen each other's faces yet, and I already loved her.

"Luna? Oh God, you're an Alpha!" I heard her moan, and my desire to kiss her overwhelmed me.

I put her down on the floor and turned her to face me. As I did, the cape covering her head fell back, revealing her curly, golden-reddish hair. Her eyes were green like freshly cut grass, and she had small, delightful freckles on her cheeks. All of these features made her incomparably beautiful. Her lips were red like fire. Without thinking, I moved closer to kiss her. I saw that she was about to say something, but I silenced her with a kiss. After tasting her, I knew that nothing would ever taste more delicious, exciting, or complete. Damn it! That woman had enslaved me with just one kiss.

Irina Bykow.

I didn't understand what was happening to me. I was overwhelmed by his scent. I tried to focus on how he was feeling and use my ability to empathize with him, but I couldn't. I couldn't detect anything he was feeling. He was the first wolf who was like a wall to me. I felt surrounded by his body.

I hadn't even seen him yet, but I already felt better with him than with anyone else in my life, including my parents.

"I...you are...my... Oh God, you are my mate!" I said tremblingly when I saw him claim me. Bella was euphoric. She wanted to introduce me to my wolf mate. She wanted me to be hers already.

"Yes, my Luna, I am yours, just as you are mine." His voice was hoarse and deep in my ears. It was like feeling him touch me all over. I trembled uncontrollably while Bella moaned like a purring cat.

"For God's sake, control yourself, damn wolf," I said before realizing what he had said to me.

"Luna? ... Oh God, you're an Alpha!" I moaned nervously. I tried to understand the feelings my mate was experiencing at that moment. I didn't want to be a pawn in another Alpha's game, even if he was my chosen partner.

He let go of me when he noticed my nervousness, then turned me around. That's when I saw him: shirtless and wearing only jeans, with a muscular body like a Renaissance statue. He was huge. I barely reached the middle of his chest. When my hood fell off, I looked up and felt as if I had been struck at breakneck speed, leaving me paralyzed. His eyes were black as coal—intense and intimidating to the point that I was left breathless. His hair was black, too. Everything about him was dark and dangerous, yet I wasn't afraid. Rather, I felt safe, excited, and mesmerized. My heart began to beat rapidly and uncontrollably.

I saw him approaching, determined to kiss me. I couldn't help but resist. It was my first kiss. I used my rejection ability to avoid it. This ability had protected me from any wolf's advances all this time. It's like a restraining order—very similar to one an Alpha would issue—which must be obeyed. This ability protects me from any wolf who approaches me, including Alphas. But with that damn Alpha, it didn't work. His lips simply ravaged mine, and my mind flew away. I heard an excited, uncontrolled female moan that I didn't recognize. It came from my lips while Bella growled excitedly beside herself. I just let myself be carried away. For the first time, I only felt my feelings, and they were hot, exciting, and uncontrolled.