Alpha Lorenzo's Mate
Elena didn't sleep that night.
The image of his eyes gold, sharp, unyielding wouldn't leave her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw them. The way they pierced through her like he could see every secret she'd ever buried.
She told herself it meant nothing. That it was just a moment. Just a look.
But her wolf knew better.
It twisted inside her chest, howling softly, clawing at her from within, whispering words she refused to hear.
> Mate.
Elena's breath had caught when the thought first formed when her wolf had whispered it under the full moon.
She had shaken her head, buried her face into her pillow, and whispered back through are thought:
> "No. Not him. Anyone but him."
Because being bound to Alpha Lorenzo wasn't just a bond it was a sentence.
He was power. He was danger wrapped in flesh. The kind of man whose very name silenced entire rooms.
His presence demanded respect, his voice made even Alphas bow, and his temper... was the kind that turned warriors into ash.
To be his mate was to step into the fire and hope not to turn to smoke.
And Elena?
She'd already been burned enough in this life.
So she made a decision.
One that terrified her more than staying.
She would run.
...
The moon hung high, silver and lonely, when she slipped from the pack house.
Every sound felt louder.
The floorboards creaked beneath her weight like they were screaming her secret.
The wind rustled against the windows like it wanted to warn her.
But she didn't stop.
She pulled on her cloak, heart pounding in her throat, and pushed open the door.
The night air hit her face cold, sharp, wild.
Her bare feet met the damp grass, and she took her first step toward freedom.
The pack's territory stretched wide behind her, full of memories she didn't want to keep. Every step she took away from it felt like a piece of herself breaking free.
She didn't look back.
Branches reached for her like claws as she darted into the forest. Roots snatched at her ankles.
But she didn't stop.
Her breath came in shallow gasps.
Her wolf whimpered inside her, torn between instinct and fear.
> He'll find you, it whispered.
He always finds what's his.
"Not this time," she thought, heart beating rapidly into the night.
She ran faster.
The forest blurred around her, shadows twisting into shapes she didn't want to see. The wind stung her eyes, her lungs screamed, but still she didn't stop.
Until
A growl split the silence.
Low. Deep.
So close it made her blood run cold.
She froze.
Her heart slammed in her chest, and her wolf went utterly still.
That sound… she'd heard it before.
Once.
Only once.
> "Going somewhere?"
The voice was smooth. Dark. Velvet and danger mixed into one.
She turned slowly , too slowly and there he was.
Alpha Lorenzo.
He stepped from the shadows like he was the darkness itself, the moonlight sliding across his tall frame. His shirt clung to his chest, the fabric dark with the night, his golden eyes glowing like fire in the black.
His power rolled off him in waves dominance so thick it made the air tremble.
Elena's breath hitched. Her throat went dry.
She stumbled back, but his presence filled the clearing, wrapping around her like invisible chains.
> "You thought you could run from me?"
His tone was calm too calm and that made it worse.
Because calm meant danger.
Calm meant control.
And Lorenzo in control was the most terrifying thing in the world.
Elena's lips parted, but no sound came out. Just silence.
Her curse.
The one thing that had always marked her as different broken.
Lorenzo's eyes flicked to her trembling hands, then back to her face.
Something flickered behind his gaze frustration, maybe… or something darker.
He took a step closer.
Then another.
Until she could feel his heat, his scent wrapping around her like cedar, smoke, and something wild, primal, that called to her wolf.
Her knees trembled.
Her heart begged her to run, but her body wouldn't move.
> "You are mine," he said softly, the last word like a lock clicking shut.
Elena's chest rose and fell rapidly. She shook her head, tears blurring her vision.
No, she wanted to say. I'm not yours.
But she couldn't.
Her silence screamed instead.
Lorenzo reached out slow, deliberate and brushed his fingers beneath her chin, tilting her face up until her eyes met his.
> "You know it, little wolf," he murmured, voice low and rough. "Even if you can't speak… your soul already knows."
Her throat tightened.
Her wolf whimpered, torn between resistance and surrender.
And in that moment, under the pale moonlight and the weight of his golden gaze, Elena realized the truth she'd been running from.
No matter how far she ran.
No matter how hard she tried to deny it.
Something ancient and powerful had already decided for her.
She was his.
Completely.
Inevitably.
Terrifyingly his.