Book 1: Urge to Heal Her

Zephyrus' POV

I stared at the milky white creature lying near my feet, her electric blue eyes closing forever. For the first time in my life, I felt a strange ache in my heart for my victim. I hadn’t meant to hurt her. I had warned her, but she attacked me suddenly.

‘It was a defensive move, Zeph!’ Zeus, my wolf, defended himself.

Of course, it was. I might be reckless, uncaring, and temperamental, but I didn’t kill unnecessarily. I always fought for a cause.

I could see my army rejoicing, but I couldn’t join them. Something deep inside me stopped me. I had avenged the death of my pack at the hands of the enemy. Our sworn enemies, Alpha Achilles, and his brother, belonged to the Whiteridge Pack from the neighboring territory of White Ridge, on the other side of the Astral Mountains. They had overpowered us when I was just nine. I was powerless then, but not anymore.

Today was the greatest day of my life. It was the moment I had been waiting for the last twenty years. Yet I didn’t feel the excitement as I stared at the creature at my feet. She had completely stopped moving.

“Zeph, let’s celebrate! What are you up to?” yelled Stavros, my best friend and Beta.

“I’ll be with you in a moment.” I reverted my gaze back to the beautiful white wolf. Why couldn’t I leave her here to bleed to death? It was unnatural to feel so concerned about an enemy warrior, but she wasn’t just any warrior.

She was my mate! Was I mistaken?

Her scent, her gaze, was enough to stop Zeus from attacking her. I never believed I would find my mate in this lifetime. I was twenty-nine already and still single, while most wolves found their mates at the tender age of eighteen. Maybe my friends and I were different.

“Zeph, have you lost your mind?” asked my twin, Hera, coming to a stop before me. She saw the dilemma in my eyes and immediately understood my predicament. “She’s the fucking enemy, Zeph. We’ve wiped out all of them. Will you treat them all with your magic potion? There’s only a bottle of it!”

“I know what I’m doing, dammit.” Turning a deaf ear to her rantings, I shifted to my human form. I didn’t have to worry about clothes. I was a blessed wolf! Years ago, the Moon goddess had blessed me with extra special powers for saving her life. I was just thirteen then, and she had been testing me in the forests of Aromania in Northern Greece, my father’s homeland. I saved her from a vampire attack. Satisfied with me, she blessed me abundantly.

Ever since, I never had to worry about clothes after a shift. My touch and bite were fatal, but if I wished to save my victim, I had a bottle of her magic potion. Until now, I had never felt the need to use it, but tonight, I just couldn’t restrain the urge to save her.

I picked up the creature gently and strode ahead towards the village, which was now our home. A fierce feeling overcame my senses as I shifted her soft, cold form into my arms. The wish to protect her, to warm her, and save her blinded me to the looks I received from my pack members. Her sweet feminine scent hit me right in the gut, sending my body careening. It had a shocking effect on me. I could feel my c*ck harden, inhaling her sweet, unique scent of honeysuckle and berry.

“Are you even listening, Zeph?” Hera’s voice brought me out of my daze.

“What?” I asked her impatiently.

“Why are you carrying the enemy, Zeph? She deserves to die!”

“Who is she? Is she Atticus’s daughter?”

“Why can’t you answer me, dammit?” She marched after me angrily, her questions giving me a headache.

“Is she your fucking mate?”

Her last question broke my restraints. I stopped to give her a death glare. It was obvious she wasn’t my mate. I wanted to believe she was my mate, but then my bite wouldn’t have affected her! That was what the Moon Goddess had mentioned, hadn’t she?

The only one unaffected by your touch and bite would be your fated mate!

I felt frustrated beyond words. Why couldn’t this creature be my mate? Why couldn’t she wake up?

“Stop the questions, Hera. Help me or get lost!” My nostrils flared with fury while Zeus battled to give her a piece of his nasty mind.

‘Yes, she’s our mate! Tell her, Zeph!’ he prodded me, but I turned a deaf ear to him. No, she couldn’t be our mate! I would deal with Zeus later. I was just saving her to imprison her.

It was enough to quieten Hera, yet she followed me out of curiosity. I rushed towards our old house where we used to live when my parents were alive. I had been staying there for almost a month without the enemy’s knowledge, just to observe the enemy. During that entire period, I never saw this creature until a week ago. I found out she was the chosen Luna for the soon-to-be Alpha, Ajax Laskaris, son of Alpha Atticus Laskaris.

“What do you want me to do? Just throw her into the dungeons already. She’s our war prisoner!” said Hera, walking away with a toss of her dark hair. The sun would rise in a few hours, and I had to revive the creature. I could feel the jaw-dropped stares from my pack members as I passed them. They were bubbling with curiosity and I knew I had to address them soon.

“Do you need help, Alpha?” yelled Leandros, my good friend and Gamma. They had been my solid pillar of support for the last twenty years. We had escaped from here together on the night of the attack twenty years ago and stuck on ever since. They were my everything!

“Nope! Enjoy the party!” I could see the amusement in his eyes as he enjoyed himself at the bonfire on the pack house premises.

The entire village was eerily quiet with the massacre on the battlefield. They were mourning in silence in the sanctity of their homes, waiting for us to attack them too. They didn’t know I wasn’t interested in killing innocent mothers and their pups.

Stavros rushed towards me and fell into step with me.

“What do we do with the injured, Alpha?” With his gaze upon the creature in my arms, I instantly knew what he was getting at.

“Get them all treated. We will need them to strengthen our pack!”

“Right! So what are you gonna do with her?” He gestured towards the injured white wolf in my arms.

 “Get her treated first. Help me unlock the door.” He flashed me a knowing grin and complied, showing no signs of leaving yet.

“Thank you, Stav. I’ll call you if I need help.” Stavros shrugged and walked away while I strode inside the warmth of my home. I needed to stop the bleeding first before giving her a sip of the magic potion. I went straight into the spare bedroom and lay her down on the bed. She whimpered the moment she lost contact with my body. It was a good sign since it meant she was still semi-conscious.

 ‘Mate! Mate! See, she’s alive even after I injured her!’ cried Zeus, doing a happy dance inside me. I rolled my eyes, although I couldn’t stop the wild thumping of my heart.

“Stop right there! I’m just fixing her now. Soon I’ll send her where she belongs. To the dungeons as my war prisoner!” I growled at Zeus to stop his madness.

‘You can’t do that! She’s so pretty!’ cried Zeus, already smitten with her.

It was impossible to argue with the crazy wolf and I simply went in search of the first aid box. When I returned, the beautiful white wolf was writhing in pain. I wasted no more time and tended to her wound as gently as I could. It was not in my nature to be gentle! I was a wild, aggressive wolf who could only kill! That’s what I have done all my life! I wasn’t aware I had a gentle side to my nature until now!

However, I was soon brought out of my reverie. The creature before me started shifting into her human form. I knew I should close my eyes, but I was too mesmerized by her to think straight. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my entire twenty-nine years of life. Her milky white complexion and her pale hair shone like spun gold! She was a sight to behold!

‘Hot damn! Can I kiss her?’ came Zeus’ reaction. I immediately covered her with a thick blanket while Zeus groaned in agony. I could understand how Zeus felt. The figure in front of me was a natural beauty with full, kissable lips that called to me. I wanted to kiss and taste them as much as Zeus did. I wanted to fist her long golden hair and draw her closer to me!

She stirred, and I blinked those sinful thoughts away. What had gotten into me? She was the enemy, and I was just saving her to torture her later. I didn’t believe in Zeus’ mate theory, although deep down my heart thumped in apprehension. Would she live or die?

She winced and turned to her side, her breathing returning to normal. I knew she would wake up at any moment, yet I couldn’t leave the room to get the magic potion.

‘Whoa! She’s our mate, Zeph! She’s alive and kicking. That too, without your magic potion,’ reminded Zeus excitedly.

He was right! I had no words to contradict him this time as I stood frozen at her bedside. So what did that mean? Was she really our mate?

Should I leave her alone here? Should I go before she woke up? How would she react to my presence? I fished out some of my clothes from a drawer and placed them on the bed beside her.

I could see her waking up. Maybe I should make some food in the meantime. I slowly crept out of the room and went to my bedroom to freshen up. Despite my efforts to wash her scent off me, it stuck on. It was sweet, addictive, and took our breath away.

‘She needs to eat and so do I!’ reminded Zeus. I dried myself, put on a pair of sweatpants, and walked over to the kitchen. I could hear a strange shuffling from the room she was in. What was she up to? Should I check with her first?

‘Mate! Mate! Here I come!’ sang Zeus. I couldn’t stop the wild pounding of my heart as her naked form flashed across my mind non-stop.