It must have been a few weeks since the Wildheart Gala. None of us met our mates as the elders in our packs expected, not that I’m complaining—you already know who my mate is, and I’m not gonna lie. When all the wolves were down, we enjoyed ourselves as mates do.

Leaning over the railings as he stared up at the sky with a smile on his face, Armoni laughed, “Roman, we’re not home to torment the pack members.”

“Why not? They need a little moulding or how else will they be fit to protect the pack?” Roman grumbled, not liking that his idea was shut down.

Valen shook his head. He looked over at Armoni, asking, “Isn’t your neck hurting? You’ve been like that for the past ten minutes.”

“You’re counting?” Emmett asked him.

Only I know why I’m doing this—I can’t publicly be with my mate, so smelling them is what I’m reduced to.

Speaking of mate—a sharp snap went through all the warriors’ bodies.

From one of the windows Armoni was facing, his mate came falling out of the window and landed effortlessly on the railing he was leaning against.

As their eyes met, the alpha’s voice growled in the pack link >Warriors to the boarders!<

Immediately, chaos broke out.

Armoni’s heart sank as he watched his mate effortlessly shifted into his golden brown wolf, not even sparing a second to shake out his fur.

Roman grabbed Armoni’s arm, asking, “What are you doing?”

“The rogues…”

“No, your brother is going. Did you forget your duties?” Roman reminded him, then rushed out after the other warriors.

He was right, defending the pack wasn’t his duty. Right now, he needed to make sure all omegas, the pups, and teenagers were safe.

Running through the house, he contacted the doctor of the pack or gamma as others know him by. >Jeffree, are you ready for the wounded?<

Jeffree chuckled, >Have some faith in our warriors.<

>I do.< Armoni chuckled as he helped the pups into the safe house.

“Is everyone here?” He asked.

His sister-in-law, Kira. Who is also the Luna of the pack walked up to him as calm as ever. She placed a hand on his shoulder, saying, “Yes, we’re all here.”

He nodded, then locked the door. Sighing, he said, “I didn’t expect a rogue attack.”

She smiled, “Yeah, this is your first attack since returning home.”

“But isn’t it suspicious? We expected them to attack during the gala.” He said, picking up one of the babies and feeding him milk.

She nodded. Thinking about it, she said, “But we can never expect to know what a rogue thinks like, especially their alpha. Did Lawrence tell you that there were reports of his sightings?”

He nodded. “Yes, I read the reports. I’ve been trying to figure out his battle patterns, but I’m at a loss. It’s almost as if he is playing with us because we aren’t the only ones on his hit list.

Armoni started feeling uncomfortable as he felt his skin burn and his heart speed up uncontrollably.

“My mate!” Lycan growled.

Armoni sighed. “I thought you didn’t like our mate.

His wolf grew agitated. “I don’t care! No more, he is no longer allowed to be a warrior.”

“You’re only saying that because you aren’t out there fighting,” he said.

Lycan clawed at the walls, trying to take control of his body, but Armoni fought him back. “Just stop. We can go see him when he comes back. Have faith in our mate, he is the number one—”

Armoni spat out a mouthful of blood as he held his neck in pain. How long did the fighting start that something like this could have happened?

Kira rushed to his side and caught him as his body grew limp and mind went blank.

“I TOLD YOU ARMONI!” Lycan growled as he took control of his body.

Lycan pushed Kira to the side and rushed to the door. No one expected this to happen, and neither were they stupid, but how?

And why?

He didn’t have a mate—or so is what they thought.

Lycan launched off the deck, ignoring the calls from the wolves guarding the pack house, and rushed into the forest. The smell of blood in the air made his wolf rush to find their mate.

Nothing could happen to him. He waited so long to be with his mate and now—not now NEVER nothing will stop him from being with his mate or going to him!

Breaking through the treeline, the sight before him was deadly chaotic.

Wolves flying everywhere and growls too—the smell of blood strong in the air.

Lifting his nose, he sniffed out his mate, then rushed to the centre of the battle.

The surrounding wolves from the pack were alerted of his arrival as his thundering paws broke the ground beneath.

The alpha tried to stop him from rushing forward, but Lycan rushed into him, moving him out of the way.

Arriving at the centre, he saw Ivy fighting against three wolves, stronger than him. His body ached in pain and now he finally knew why.

Lycan growled a menacing howl, then rushed to his side to attack the wolves who harmed his mate.

Everything came to a standstill around them as they watched the scene unfold, forgetting their duties at attacking the enemy.

The wolf donning a sliver and black coat tore three of the rogue warriors off of Ivy who fell to the ground with his throat open, skull punctured, torso clawed open, etching towards the river of death.

Lycan wasn’t letting any of them go, breaking their legs, bashing their skulls against the rocks and ground, then ripping their throats out.

The rogue pack didn’t expect to find a wolf this strong in the Ironwood society that their scouts reported on.

Retreating by the Beta’s orders, Lycan rushed after the wolves, but Armoni took back control. He rushed to Ivy, who was motionless on the ground but breathing heavily. Shifting, he ran a hand over Ivy’s bloody coat, assuring him he was safe.

Ivy shifted, letting Ari take control while he tried his best to heal them.

Blood gushed out from the holes on in his neck. Armoni quickly placed a hand over Ari’s neck, holding it firmly so that the blood would stop, but it wasn’t.

In his panicked state, he turned to his brother, who came over in his wolf form.

“Mark him!” Lycan growled, startling Armoni.

Everything tuned out from there. Looking down into Ari’s eyes, he said, “It’s okay. I’m here.”

Ari was panicking. He was in so much pain, but the biggest threat to him was losing the person he had never got to be with. He shook his head, wanting to speak, but the pain was so unbearable that he could feel—he was nearing his end.

>Armoni, I’m sorry,< he whispered into their private link.

Armoni shook his head with a nervous smile, >No, it’s me, I’m the one who should ask for forgiveness.<

Using his free hand, he took Ari’s left hand in his hand and lifted it to his mouth. Opening his mouth, canines broke through his gums and pierced the flesh of Ari’s wrist.

Ari’s eyes widened as the blood in his veins was bombarded by the power that came with bonding with your mate.

He looked at Armoni as his canines retracted. The pain in his body was alleviating and he couldn’t be more happy but as much as he wanted to, his mind blanked out, putting him to sleep as his body began to heal.

“Let him go,” Luther said as he pulled me away from Ari. I didn’t want to let him go, but then I saw Ari’s father rush over and pick him up, heading in the direction of the pack house.

Everyone’s talking around me, and I can hear thundering paws rushing towards the mountains.

My brother walks over and grabs my right side, putting my arm over his shoulder. “What?”

Lawrence looks at me and I hear his question again., and “Is Ari your mate?”

I can see the confusion in his eyes, but I couldn’t be bothered with the question. All I want to know is, “Is he going to be okay?”

I watch in horror as Lawrence shakes his head. “I don’t know.”

Sinking to the floor outside Jeffree’s surgical room, Armoni stared at the door, waiting patiently, although impatiently.

Ari’s family was waiting, as well as was the alpha family. Kira told her husband what happened, and it only contributed to Lawrence’s suspicion. They tried to speak to Armoni, but he was a blank canvas—asking them a question they couldn’t answer.

Walking up to him, his sister, Zayla, sat down beside him. Armoni was sitting with his head between his knees, pulling at his hair as he muffled his cries.

Placing a hand on his, she pulled his hand away, saying, “You’re going to rib your hair out.”

But he already did.

Armoni looked at his sister, confused. He wasn’t sure if she spoke, but he could see she was focussed on him.

Armoni looked around and saw that everyone was here, including the elders, and they all looked worried. Looking back at his sister, he blinked a few times, focussing his thoughts that were running amok.

“Are you okay?” She asked him and he shook his head.

“Are you hurt in any place?” She asked.

Swallowing, he nodded, “But I’ll be okay.”

“Good,” she said with a sigh of relief. Her mother linked her with a question to ask him, but she didn’t want.

Reluctantly she looked back at her mother and shook her head, >No mom, now isn’t the time. We don’t need to ask him either; we know the answer already.<

Goria glared at her daughter. They needed him to confirm it.

Loriene, Ari’s mother, knelt down in front of Armoni. Placing a hand on his forearm, she said, “Armoni, we need to know. Why did you mark Ari?”

He looked at her, stunned, then confused. His heart sank as he asked, “Why? Didn’t it work?”

Loriene looked at her husband, then back at him and shook her head, “No, Jeffree said if you didn’t he would’ve been dead if not in critical condition.”

Armoni nodded and zoned out. She shook his arm firmly, asking, “Can you answer me now? Why did you mark him?”

Armoni’s tears fell faster. Taking in a deep breath as he leaned against the wall, he said, “Ari and I—we’re mates.”