We Meet Again

Olivia’s POV

Getting to the woods, I undressed, shifted into my wolf, and began racing down the thick woods. Thankfully, I slipped past the border unnoticed. The guards hadn’t even sensed me. Useless. I made a mental note to deal with that when—if—I returned. Goddess, even in my rage, I was still thinking like a Luna. I hated it.

Growling angrily, I kept racing down the woods. I just wanted to be free, to escape the torture of being mated to those dickheads. The afternoon breeze hit my fur, and I felt alive.

I was still angry. Furious, actually. Louis had called me a whore in front of hundreds of warriors. And I had snapped. I slapped him. Right there. In front of everyone. It was wrong, reckless. No matter how much he deserved it, striking our Alpha was taboo.

A part of me worried. Would I be punished? Banished? Worse? No. I couldn’t think about that now.

I kept racing, my paws pounding against the forest floor—until suddenly, I skidded to a stop. Three wolves appeared ahead, blocking my path. Massive. Black. Their eyes locked on me with amusement. They weren’t from my pack. I could already sense it.

I lowered my stance, growling low, baring my fangs. Suddenly, one of the black wolves shifted into his human form. Naked and standing before me was a well-built man with a scar on his left cheek. He smirked. “Who do we have here? A lone wolf?” he taunted.

I growled, baring my fangs. The naked man didn’t seem bothered by my growl; rather, he moved his gaze over me. “And a beautiful one at that,” he said, staring lustfully at me. “Shift!” he demanded.

I growled, taking a step backward. The man scoffed. “Don’t you dare think of running away. Running is a bad idea,” he said smoothly, his voice slithering through the trees like poison. “We mean no harm… not really.”

My ears flattened. I didn’t trust a single word that came out of his mouth. He stepped closer, his bare feet sinking into the mossy earth. “All we want…” he paused, letting his tongue run over his bottom lip, “…is a taste.”

My growl deepened into a snarl. He chuckled darkly. “You see, it’s on your merry way. No one gets hurt.” Let us fuck you—just the three of us—and you can go.

I lunged forward a step, my fangs bared and ready to tear his throat out, but he didn’t flinch. The other two wolves flanked him, growling low, ready to pounce. I was outnumbered.

I crouched low, calculating my odds. Then—

A sudden gust of wind swept through the clearing, carrying a scent that made my entire body freeze. From behind them, a massive black wolf leapt into the clearing with terrifying speed and power. His fur was darker than night, his eyes glowing like burning embers. The earth seemed to tremble under his paws as he landed, snarling with an authority that made the air crackle.

The three men dropped their heads instantly, whimpering. “Alpha,” one of them murmured, voice trembling.

My heart raced. I knew that wolf. I’d know that scent anywhere. This wolf seemed so familiar, but before I could think of it, the wolf shifted, and a familiar man appeared. My eyes widened when I recognized him. He was the wolf I met in the woods some time ago.

I moved my gaze to his left arm and saw the same shadow tattoo on his left arm, which confirmed my suspicion. I swallowed hard as our gaze interlocked, but he smiled at me. “Luna Olivia, we meet again,” he said softly while I growled but still didn’t shift. I wondered how he knew I was the one, even with me still in my wolf…

“Get out!” he yelled, his eyes still on me. For a second, I thought he directed those words to me, but it was when I saw the other wolves sprinting away that I realized he was talking to them.

The men left, and I was left with the naked stranger who they just called Alpha. Does that mean he is the Alpha of the Shadow Pack?

Slowly, I shifted into my human form, naked. For a second, his eyes trailed over me, but he reluctantly looked back into my eyes. “Don’t you know it’s risky to be racing beyond your borders?” he asked, his voice calm but laced with authority. His gaze was steady now, fixed on my eyes, not my body—which, oddly, made me feel more exposed.

I straightened my shoulders, unbothered by the cool breeze brushing over my skin. “I just needed to clear my head,” I said simply, my voice low but firm.

He tilted his head slightly, as if reading deeper into my words. “Bad day?” he asked, one brow rising.

I let out a short, bitter laugh. “You could say that.”

His eyes softened just a little, like he understood something he wasn’t ready to say out loud. “Shift,” he said gently. “Come with me.”

I frowned, cautious. “Why?”

“You’re not safe out here. Not alone. And definitely not with men like them roaming these woods.” His voice darkened at the mention of the others, and a flicker of anger passed through his eyes. “I won’t hurt you. I swear it.”

I hesitated. Everything in me screamed not to trust anyone—especially one from the Shadow Pack—but something about him, something in his presence, made it hard to say no. My wolf didn’t retreat. She watched him carefully, but she didn’t resist either.

“Should I trust you?” I asked, raising a brow at him.

He nodded, lifting a hand up. “I swear on my sister’s life. I won’t hurt you or let any harm come after you.”

For a moment, I held his gaze, and when I saw the sincerity in his eyes, I decided to trust him. I nodded once, then dropped to the ground and shifted, fur rippling over my skin as I landed on all fours. He followed a beat later, his massive black wolf towering beside me.

Without a word, he began to walk, slow and measured. I padded after him through the woods, still unsure of where he was taking me, but I still followed.