The Moonless She-Wolf: Rejected By The Pack, Desired By The Alpha

Lucas's POV:

I kept my eyes locked on my phone, my jaw tight as I read through Kellan's messages. My foot kept hitting the seat in front of me in a restless rhythm. I hadn't even stepped into the ballroom yet. This yearly masquerade made my stomach turn. It felt like a stage built on lies, where girls rushed in thinking they'd found something real and ended up clinging to the first man who gave them attention. It was pathetic.

Kellan: "The Blackwoods are here, just like we expected. There are two daughters. The rumors could be right. I'm heading in."

Kellan: "Stay alert. Watch the younger one. There's tension between her and her family. Grey nearly brushed her off when I approached, and now he's pushing the older one toward me."

I stopped scrolling for a second. That didn't add up. If they were serious, they should've come to me, the Alpha. Instead, they were steering Jessa Grey toward my second. That alone felt off.

Unless they were playing something deeper. Grey's behavior might've been a distraction, hiding a more calculated move underneath.

If both of his daughters ended up tied to the Alpha and the second-in-command of my pack, then control would fall straight into his hands. It was a calculated move, the kind only a cunning mind would come up with. If I allowed it, our pack would be reduced to something obedient before the year even ended.

He thought Kellan and I were easy to manipulate just because we were young. As if we were driven by nothing but impulse. He had no idea. I had never been the type to let desire cloud my judgment.

I slipped my phone into my pocket, stepped out of the car, and crushed the cigarette beneath my heel. Smoke curled into the air as I shut the door and gave a brief nod to the guards at the entrance.

Once inside, I kept to the darker edges of the room. I wasn't about to get cornered by someone chasing attention. I had no interest in playing along. What mattered was figuring out what the Blackwoods were really planning.

My gaze moved across the crowd. Alexander Grey carried himself like he already owned the place, his posture loud with confidence. His son Phoenix stayed close, quiet and unreadable, like a shadow that never strayed. Nearby, Jessa hung onto Kellan's arm, more decoration than anything else.

A quiet laugh escaped me. They were painfully easy to read. The idea that I'd fall for something as shallow as that alliance was almost amusing. What naivety. Their name alone was enough to raise suspicion. On top of that, their Alpha hadn't even bothered to attend, which was nothing short of disrespect to the Council and every pack present.

If Grey was making a move, it wasn't out of goodwill. He was laying the groundwork for something bigger. The real question was why he had set his sights on us.

I typed out a quick message.

Lucas: "What is the youngest sister wearing? I can't find her."

While waiting for a reply, I let my eyes wander across the room again. Then I spotted her.

She stood tucked away in a corner, like she was trying to vanish into the walls. Soft waves of dark blond hair framed her face. The glasses resting on her nose didn't take away from her looks at all. If anything, they made her eyes stand out even more, bright and clear like shards of ice.

Her dress was simple, black, and fitted just right. It followed the curve of her hips with quiet elegance. There was nothing loud about it, yet everything about her drew attention. The fabric hinted at just enough, leaving behind a subtle pull that made it hard to look away.

Perfect. Tempting. Meant to be mine.

A sudden tremor tore through me, sharp and impossible to control. My wolf stirred, letting out a low growl in my mind, something deeper than anything I had ever felt before. She pulled at me in a way I couldn't explain, stirring something restless, something dangerously close to obsession.

I was too far to catch her scent, yet every instinct pushed me toward her. Still, I stayed where I was, hidden in the shadows, watching her every movement. She didn't carry herself like the others. There was no practiced confidence in her steps. Her heels caught slightly as she walked, awkward in a way that didn't take away from her grace. She wasn't childish. There was something else about her, something that made my pulse pick up.

Then she stiffened. Her head turned slightly, her brows drawing together as if she sensed it. She felt me watching. I was sure of it. My wolf grew restless, pressing forward, eager to close the distance. I held it back, fighting the urge rising inside me, the need to claim, to mark, to make her mine.

Light brushed over her skin, tracing the soft line of her shoulders and the gentle curve of her arms. The neckline of her dress dipped just enough, revealing a subtle glimpse of her chest. It wasn't bold, yet it was enough to pull my focus, enough to stir a dangerous kind of hunger.

The urge hit hard. I wanted to sink my teeth there, to leave my mark and make it known she belonged to me.

I dragged my tongue across my teeth, a faint smile forming as she slipped away, clearly unsettled, moving to the other side of the room. Questions flooded my mind. What did she smell like? What would it be like to have her close, to feel her warmth? Something soft, something sweet, that was the only thought that stayed.

My wolf surged inside me, restless and demanding. Take her. Stay close. Don't let her go. The pressure built in my head, sharp and insistent.

Could it really be her? Had I finally found the one meant for me?

I didn't look away for even a second. My gaze tracked her every movement, each step pulling me in deeper. Then she slipped out toward the gardens, alone, just before midnight. A rush of anticipation spread through me.

Of course, little wolf.

You weren't getting away.

I started after her.