Chapter 2

The shock takes over Ethan as he remains rooted in the spot, gawking at the woman still in his arms. His wolf is fighting to come out and claim her but he has to be in control. She is a human, he can't be too fast with her. What if she runs away out of fear or she rejects him?

He can't afford for that to happen.

"Hey! Let me go!" Her voice comes out so strong, Ethan lets go of her immediately.

Ethan watches her with amusement in his eyes. His mate is not only beautiful but also feisty. Rather than be scared of meeting someone in the dark and a practical forest, she seems to be just alright.

She brushes his hands off her soft milky skin and as she moves her red hair sways in the air.

"You are not going to apologize!" She barks as soon as she finishes cleaning herself.

Ethan corks a brow and stares deeply at her. What is she talking about?

"You are just standing there in the dark like some ghost! You could have hurt me!" She says, her eyes burning with anger.

She hisses and makes to leave. But Ethan easily catches her by the arm, stopping her right on her tracks.

"You are on my property, lady. I should be the one asking you questions, not the other way around."

Ethan wants to sound stern and strong but his wolf is whining as his hand comes in contact with hers. The sparks and electric current that flows into him send him to whisper a string of curses under his breath.

She glares at the point where his hand connects with hers, rolling her eyes, she hisses again. "Let me go right now or I swear I will hurt you!"

A large grin appears on Ethan's face as he corks his brow even deeper this time. His mate seems to have a lot of guts. She isn't even scared a little bit. He has to do something about it.

To scare her and break her confidence a little, he slips his hand into his jean pocket to fish out his phone but as he checks, his fingers return empty.

He furrows his brow in confusion as he taps his other pockets for the device. Yet, he finds nothing.

His mate looks from left to right impatience clouding her face as she begins to shake her left leg. She bites her lower lip and blinks her eyes continuously.

Then realization strikes Ethan.

"Did you steal from me?"

"Why should I steal from you?" She glares at him, feeling no sense of remorse that she has been caught in her deed red-handed.

Ethan pulls her towards him in a swift movement, so that her body is glued against his. Her back is on his toned chest and Ethan dips his fingers carelessly into her bum short pocket to his disappointment, he finds his phone.

His heart drops.

Is the goddess playing tricks on him?

How can he wish for a mate, get the mate but then she turns out to be a pickpocket!

"What is this?" His voice is full of disappointment as he holds out the phone to her eyes.

"What does it look like? Are you stupid too?" She spits struggling in his arms.

Ethan's heart drops even further down the pit of his stomach. His mate is also arrogant. She has no remorse nor even a conscience. What is he going to do?

As he thinks, he hears more footsteps and torch lights coming their way.

"Shit! You need to let me go now!" She barks, increasing her struggle.

"And if I don't, what will you do?" Despite all her shortcomings, Ethan could not bring himself to hate her. He loved her from first sight.

Her feistiness even increases the earning he feels within him. Just holding her in his arms, he already feels the emptiness his heart has become accustomed to fading away.

"I will- I will! Argh!!" She screams throwing her head back to impale Ethan.

Ethan only chuckles. She is trying to fight a powerful alpha and a total stranger in a reserved forest. Doesn't she know this place was for Werewolves? And if she gets hurt it will be on herself for no persecutor will blame whoever harms her.

The footsteps soon reach them and Ethan recognizes them as some of his security personnel.

"Sir, are you alright?" They ask as soon as they reach close enough to meet their alpha straddling a woman who refuses to stay still.

"I am doing just fine. What's going on?" Ethan asks them.

"We were running after this woman! Thank goodness you caught her!" One says, pointing an angry finger at his mate.

Ethan looks down at her and then at his people.

"What did she do? Why were you following her?" He asks them.

His heart is already turning in its cage for he can almost already perceive what she had done.

He feels her body become stiff against his as he asks the question and he reduces his hold. Before they can respond and he could do anything, she slips out of his fingers and runs as fast as she can far away from them.

His men make to follow her but he raises his hand stopping them.

"Let her go," he says to them.

"But sir, she is getting away with my wristwatch!" One cries out.

And there, Ethan knew the moon goddess has played him a tough card. His mate is truly a pickpocket. Yet, very alluring.

"Let her go I say! Come by my office tomorrow and I'll sign a check for you to get a new watch. You may all return to the party now!" Ethan growls and they all bow respectfully.

"Yes sir." They slowly turn and start returning to the party for it is supposed to be an all-night event, only that Ethan isn't in the mood for it. Much less now that he has found his long searched mate.

If he wants, he can follow and catch her. For there is no way her human strength can beat his wolf in a race.

He closes his eyes and the smell of her perfume returns to his nose. She had the smell of flowers. She even looks like a flower, only that her behavior is nothing compared to a flower.

Fisting his hands, the cold metal of his phone stings him and he looks down at it. If she wants a phone, he will get her a million of it. But first, he has to find her. He unlocks his phone and dials his Beta.

"Hello, Peter," he calls through the phone as he makes a turn out of the reserved forest.

"Hey man, Whatsup!" Peter greets him.

Peter is his best friend and Beta of the moon crest pack. He is also his right-hand man, he trusted him with everything. They were more like brothers than just friends.

"I need you to track someone for me," Ethan explains.

Being in the mafia business has its pecks. He could find every single person in the universe with just a little description and a location run down.

"What are the details?" Peter asks, his working mood coming into full activation.

"Female, red hair. Slim and curvy. Fair skin. About 5feet 8inches tall." Even as he describes her, butterflies curl up within him and he can't help but smile. Indeed, his mate was beautiful.

"Wooh man sounds like a hottie!" Peter whistles. "Okay, any location lock?" Ethan hears the rustling of papers in Peter's background and he knows his Beta is taking notes of what he is telling him.

"Besaadi. She just left my estate reserved forest a while ago.

"Oooh, the birthday boy got dirty with a redhead... No wonder I didn't see you in the hall again. I thought you left with Jessie, what happened? Was it a threesome?" Peter teases him on the phone.

"Naah. I met this one out back when I went to get fresh air outside. Peter..." Ethan calls as he gets to his door.

"Yes, Alpha?" Peter responds on a more serious note.

"I've found my mate."

"The redhead with curves I am supposed to be searching for is your mate?" Peter questions.

Out of everyone around him, Peter knew Ethan like the back of his hand. He knows his best friend won't just call him in the middle of the night asking him to search for some lady if it wasn't important.

"Yes, she is." Ethan simply says as he unlocks his apartment door.

"I'll find her Ethan, trust me," Peter promises before hanging up the call.

Ethan slips the phone back into his pockets and goes to his room. Jessie would still be in the guest room and he wasn't in the mood to see her. He needed to soak in the memories of his mate. He has been searching for long enough.