Chapter 2

Dante

A loud sound echoed in my office as Kayden—my beta, barged in with an irritating look plastered over his face. He leaned on the door, eyes staring deeply in my direction, hands folded before his chest. With an arch brow, I waited without bothering to speak up.

“You are not supposed to be here.” Kayden finally spoke—every word laced with impatience. I believed he was tired of socializing in my stead.

I reached for a lowball glass on my desk and took my sweet time to swirl it while still staring at Kayden. Another minute passed, and none of us spoke. He sighed, making the corner of my lips tug upward.

As expected from a male with little patience.

“Where should I be? Pray tell” I asked, spinning my chair so I could face the glass window, which showed the beauty of night in the Strip.

“Out there hunting for your mate. We hold this party for you. If you don’t step out, those hags will not stop pestering you.”

The thought of the elders in my pack made my mouth twitch. They had been persistent in finding my mate for two years. I had argued that I wasn’t in need of one, and I was too busy working for the pack and ensuring my business grew even larger that I wouldn’t have much time to find their Luna.

“They’ve grown so obsessed with my personal matter. Why did they even love to discuss my nonexistent mate?”

“Because you are not young anymore. You are thirty, Alpha Dante.”

“Thirty isn’t that old.”

“For you, not for them. A pack without a successor make its member anxious. I believe you want the very best for your pack members.”

I knew where they came from and understood their concern. If I died without leaving an heir, the situation would turn into chaos. They had been living in peace, so the possibility of having to experience a mess in the pack made their skin crawl.

Kayden sighed again, and I turned to him. I saw an understanding pass on his expression, but he masked them so fast.

“I know you are not ready to—“

Standing up, I walked closer to the glass window, then uttered, “Stop it, Kay. I know. I know my responsibility very well. So you can stop. Leave me alone. I’ll be joining soon.”

I knew he wanted to say more, but eventually, I heard his steps walk away from me. Great, I needed time to compose myself.

Looking outside, the nightlight shone. Nearing midnight, the activity hadn’t shown a sign of stopping. The light grew brighter, and I could almost hear people down there talking, laughing, and perhaps crying their hearts out after losing their money after spending it at my casino.

My casino…Eleven years ago, I wouldn’t even dare to dream about having my own casino in my hotel, but look at me now. In ten years, I had built my pack—Dark Moon, from scratch. We started with only five members until almost a hundred.

And my business started small until I became this successful. I bet the members of my former pack cursed at me for getting this big. They never expected a male like me, a male who almost lost his mind, could build an empire for himself.

The thought of them getting bitter somehow consoled the anger inside me.

‘Stop it. You are wailing again.’ Ice—my wolf, said with a tone almost akin to mocking.

“I didn’t.”

‘You are. If not, you won’t be here. Go out there and fuck some she-wolf. I’m getting bored.’

And I laughed. Of course.

***

“I thought you won’t show your face.” My Gamma—Kieran, said as soon as he saw me step out of the elevator.

Kieran waited for me, then walked side by side. Soon after, Kayden joined us. For a while, I caught Kieran kept looking at my shoulder, so against my better judgment, I spoke,

“Relax, she is not here.” The tension left Kieran’s body, and a grin spread across his face, making Kayden roll his eyes.

“Coward,” Kayden spat the word without sparing Kieran a glance.

Kieran was about to answer when a middle age male appeared before us. The Alpha of Crystal pack stood with a young female on his side.

“Great party, Alpha Dante,” he said. He smiled, trying to appear friendly, and touched my shoulder blade without my permission.

Looking at his hand, I held myself from growling at him. I pushed his hand and took a step back before giving him a polite reply.

“Thanks for coming, Alpha Cole. I hope you have a great night.”

Cole’s smile broadened before he spoke again, “Absolutely. This is my daughter Kirana. We have trained her to be a Luna so—“

Of course, he’d offer his daughter to me. Nothing new. It always happened. They wanted to use their daughter to form an alliance with my pack, but I never once accepted. I only accepted the alliance if it benefited my pack. Having another female contributes nothing to my pack. I could take anyone as I pleased without them shoving their daughter to me.

“I’m terribly sorry for cutting you, but I have to greet Alpha Cassius.”

Then I walked away.

“Alpha Dante!”

“You don’t have to lie like that. At least try to entertain him and befriend his daughter. She looks exactly like your type.” Kayden’s eyes scanned our surroundings as we walked, looking for a potential danger that loomed over us.

“Too young. She is seventeen or something,” I replied.

“You could be her sugar daddy.” Kieran blurted out, making me and Kayden scoff. “What? That’s what humans call an old man dating young and fresh flower.”

“Why are you even here, Kieran? You are supposed to guard her, are you not?” Kayden wasn’t usually this grumpy. Perhaps this party had sucked all his energy to play nice, even to us.

“Give him a break, Kay. I told him to come.”

Both of them remained silent after that. We walked and walked while occasionally stopping to greet my guests. Even after taking a stroll for so long, I didn’t feel a thing. Perhaps, Moon Goddess had forgotten to grant me a mate in this life.

Ice suddenly pushed forward, taking control of my body and stopping me in my track. Then, I smelt it. The scent of rich coffee mixed with vanilla. I inhaled deeply, letting the aroma infiltrate my sense. Jasmine and citrus blend perfectly with the first scent that almost drove me mad.

My eyes wandered around, looking for the source of this addictive scent. I needed to find her, or I’d go crazy and let Ice totally take over.

“What now? Why are you stopping?”

“Did you smell your mate?”

“Impossible.”

I heard Kieran and Kayden, but paid no attention to them.

The tantalizing scent of her grew in intensity as Ice and I became impatient. Time seemed to stand still as I saw the most divine creature I had ever beheld turn her body toward me.

She was captivatingly exquisite; standing only five feet tall, her petite frame made me feel like a giant; if I ever got the chance to have her, I feared I would crush her delicate frame. Her eyes, those deep brown eyes, pierced into my own with an intensity that set off a longing inside me.

My gaze dropped from her nose down to her full and inviting mouth, begging for me to taste it. The desperate need to feel her wrapped around me consumed me, and I longed to feel her lips on my hardened cock.

‘Mine! Mine!’ Ice desperation growl rang so loud in my head. I couldn’t think. All I knew was that I had to have her.

***

Winter

“My mate. Mine.” His words were a heavy force, crushing me with each syllable. I could barely think as I was filled with some unknown emotion. All the adrenaline made me take a step back, but his arm snaked around my waist like a vice grip, locking me in place.

Oh, Goddess, what have you done?

He pulled my body, flushing toward his hard body, then leaned closer until his nose grazed along the side of my neck, inhaling deeply, And I…like a female desperate for touch, craned my neck. He kept doing that while his hand inched upward slowly until he stopped just below my breast.

“I can see you are scared.” He whispered, placing his mouth on the column of my neck. “Don’t be.”

“I am not.” My answer came, followed by shallow breathing.

“You are trembling.”

“I’m cold.”

He pulled back, and our eyes locked.

Goddess, he was so beautiful. His blue eyes, like an ocean, were captivating and inviting. His thick eyebrows framed his face perfectly. His nose was regal and high, while his jaw was firm and sharp. His hair looked so soft and inviting me to touch. I gulped, feeling my throat tighten as fear and desire combined.

“That doesn’t sound convincing.” He pulled my chin closer to him until the apex of our noses touched. “What are you afraid of?”

‘You.’

“Nothing.”

He clicked his tongue, and I swear I saw a spark of annoyance in his eyes, though it dwindled quickly. His eyes darkened as his gaze dropped to my lips. “Another lie. How should I get the truth out of your mouth?”

My breath hitched. It took everything in me to reply. “I don’t know. Nothing.”

“Perhaps I should suck that truth out of your mouth myself. Should I?”

Silence fell. My heart drummed in my ears. I knew I should reject it and ran as fast as possible and found a perfect hiding place. I should have feared this bond as I had been for the past two years, but standing before him, I lost my will.

“Want me to answer it for you?” I didn’t answer, but I knew he understood what I was thinking. A crooked smile appeared on his mouth before his hands slipped to my nape. Then he said,

“You want me. Close your eyes for me.”

As if under the spell, I did as he asked.

His lips crashed against mine with a ferociousness I’d never experienced before. His teeth bit my lower lip hungrily, piercing the tender flesh and causing my tongue to taste the metallic tang of fresh blood. He lapped up the droplet coursing down my chin, then his tongue slipped inside me, clashing with mine that left me trembling.

I kissed him back with the same passion. My fingers touched the lock of his hair, and Goddess, they were as soft as I thought.

His hand went to my back, touching my ass, and pulled me even closer until I felt his hardness pressing against my stomach, and I gasped. My head spun as I felt desperate to feel his bare skin under mine growing stronger.

He suddenly pulled away, breathing hard in my face. His thumb caressed my cheek gently, then I heard him,

“Adrianne, a beautiful name.”

I felt like a cold of water fell upon my body. Adrianne. I was using Adrianne’s uniform. He didn’t know me.

‘Not for long.’ Snow said.

A wave of panic washed over me as the logic I had thrown out of the window crept back into my mind. I couldn’t…I should go. I didn’t want to be with him. Not even for a second longer.

“Alpha Dante!” someone shouted in the crowd. He walked closer, and I remembered him, Beta Kayden.

“Alpha Dante?” I asked.

“My bad. I should have told you my name first. I’m Dante Verlice, Alpha of Dark Moon.”

I’m doomed.