Another day, another chance to start fresh. I woke up to the sight of boxes scattered around and a slobbery kiss.

"Maxx, stop!"

I shoved Maxx off the bed just as Nilo trotted in, tail wagging. Both dogs immediately started barking, knowing it was breakfast time. I went to the bathroom first and saw Neil's clothes on the floor, the room drenched with water. He’d forgotten to put down the towel while showering, leaving the entire bathroom soaked. I picked up his wet clothes and started questioning why I ever thought moving in with my boyfriend was a good idea.

I made my way to the kitchen, fed Maxx and Nilo, and prepared my own breakfast. After cleaning up, I took the dogs out back. As I opened the door, Fritz slipped inside. Without wasting a moment, I shut the door and jumped into the car. One of my favorite songs came on, which was nice, but I still needed to make a call.

"Hey, baby, how’s your morning?"

"Did you feed the dogs?" he asked cheerfully.

"Did you leave Fritz outside?"

"Did I?"

"Yes, you did, Neil. Be careful—she could get lost, and she’s not afraid of dogs. And with her belly, do you think she could catch birds or anything? She could get hurt!"

"Sorry, babe. I was in a rush and didn’t notice."

"I don’t mind if you flood the bathroom every time you shower or leave glasses of water everywhere... even the piles of clothes you leave around. But if something happens to my dogs or my cat, I’ll lose it."

"Okay, I promise I’ll be more careful. I’m still adjusting to having pets around all the time, but I know how much they mean to you."

"Thanks, Neil. I need to hang up—I’m parking now and gearing up for another Monday of work. Right?"

"Sounds great. See you at dinner, pizza?"

"Pizza’s perfect. Bye!"

WILLIAM

The packs have been a nightmare lately. Since I stopped looking for my mate, the pressure from the werewolf kingdom to pick a strong Luna is driving me crazy. And don’t get me started on the parliament members pushing me about the heir situation—like we won’t live for 500 years! The worst part is that now they've found a reason to force me to meet every strong female in the kingdom. They’re promising to send allies to the strong packs if I personally visit them. Of course, I can’t back out of it, so here I am, traveling with my third-in-command and one of my strongest warriors to thank packs in person, when it would’ve been much easier to bring them to me in Alaska.

"If I don’t get a run in soon, I’m going to lose it. Red’s pushing me to the edge. I’m losing it, man!"

"Don’t yell, Kyle. Humans still have ears, and I don’t think the alpha is in any better shape than you," Mark said.

I froze, looking at my reflection in the window. They were right. My usual blue eyes were turning black, and my nails were already beginning to grow.

"Mark, you’re my third-in-command. No need for formalities. You’re right—I can feel Kelly’s energy building up. Just give me three minutes to stretch. Stay by the plane and make sure no one gets in, understood?"

"Yes, alpha."

"You got it, man."

I rolled my eyes and continued walking toward the shade. I could hear Mark growling at Kyle, probably lecturing him about the informal response, but I didn’t care. I trusted my men with my life. They were family, and formalities didn’t matter between us.

"Ready to shift?" Kelly shouted through the link. "Because I’m more than ready!"

"Yeah, we are," I answered, letting my mind go and relaxing. Seconds later, I felt a tingling sensation, followed by the crack of bones shifting. Within a minute, I was fully on four paws. Kelly, one of the largest wolves in the kingdom, is jet black with royal alpha blood running through him. His grey eyes glimmer as we moved toward the end of the shade, just in case someone came close enough for us to hide.

Now in wolf form, my senses were sharp. I could hear Mark lecturing Kyle, who was quietly humming a song that Mark couldn’t hear despite being closer. "I’m glad we’re leaving this place," Kelly thought. "William, it’s so hot, my brain’s frying. Why do we even have a sandstorm pack in the first place? We’re wolves, we shouldn’t live in deserts!"

As we walked, I could sense Kelly relaxing, though the heat still affected him. "They have the most resilient warriors, which is why they train in this kind of heat," I replied mentally.

Then, a faint smell hit me. I stopped, closing my eyes and focusing on it. It was the most beautiful scent, like Casablanca lilies mixed with rain. I opened my eyes in surprise. "Kelly, do you smell rain?"

"Yeah, it’s just a hint, but I can smell it too." Kelly wagged his tail. "But females don’t usually smell like nature, right? More like flowers or fruits, like vanilla, cinnamon, strawberries?"

"True," I replied. "But I don’t care."

In that moment, Kelly took control and sprinted off at full speed, leaving a hole in the shade behind us.

"We're right here with you, Alpha," Mark's voice came through the link. "Kelly, stop! You know this is against the rules. Stop right now!" But nothing worked—not even trying to push my way into my own mind. He didn’t respond or slow down. In the distance, I spotted a girl with caramel-colored hair and fair skin walking toward a red car. Kelly halted just in front of her, lowering his head to get a better scent of her. It was clear she was the source of the fragrance. Her wide brown eyes were filled with either fear or surprise—probably both. She raised her arm, her hand extended toward Kelly’s face.

"Mate’s about to touch us," I heard Kelly’s thoughts. Instantly, I closed my eyes, bracing for the sensation of her touch.

"Don’t!" Mark's voice broke through, and I opened my eyes to see her holding her hand close to her chest, now visibly frightened. A low growl escaped me.

"Sorry, we’re transporting wolves to a refuge up north, and this one got loose," I explained, feeling Kyle push against me. Another growl escaped, louder this time, enough for a human to hear.

"Sorry, I just thought he was... gorgeous. But I should really go." She hurried into the red car and drove off. Yet, the sound of her voice lingered in my mind: “She’s our mate. Go after her.”