I made my way back to Atlas Pack territory before shifting back into my human form. I quickly grabbed the clothes I had stashed behind the tree and threw them on. I sensed another wolf approaching from behind me.

"West. You know better than to try and sneak up on an alpha" I said with the smirk on my face.

"Where have you been. I've been trying to mind link you for hours. The whole pack has been searching".

"I went for a run".

"That's all I get... A run".

"Yup. Relax West your acting like an overbearing mother. I expect as my beta that you can handle these things when I'm gone for a few hours". I said with my lips curling upward at the corner.

"Well as your beta I expect a heads up if you plan to be gone the whole day" West said slightly annoyed.

His hands had moved to his hips only furthering my point. I laughed and ran my hands through my hair. Which only made him more frustrated. West and I had grown up together. We always knew that we would one day run the pack together. We had been an unstoppable team from the start.

"Where did you run that you were gone so long? Is everything ok? Any new rogue sightings?" He asked. Any sign of frustration was long gone.

"I found her" I said glumly to the ground. I couldn't meet his face.

"Her... as in"

"My mate"

"This is good right. Well where is she. Is she from another pack. Wait! She's not a rogue is she? What's her name? Is she hot?" He was rambling so fast I could barely respond.

"She.... She's mortal. Well somewhat she definitely has a wolf in her. I'm not sure how much but she hasn't activated the shift" I kept my eyes to the ground. My thoughts filled with her face. Her eyes. Her hair. Her voice. The smile.

"Well that's fine. Obviously not ideal since she will be our luna but we can work with that. Better than a rouge".

"Don't talk about my mate like that" I snapped. West looked hurt for a moment.

"West I'm sorry. I uh I don't know ever since I saw her I'm all over the place" I rambled. Normally as an alpha I didn't make a habit out of apologizing but it was West.

"Sorry. So she hasn't activated the curse that's no big deal. We can train her quick once she activates it and you'll be mates and happy, no problem" he went on.

"Oh it gets worse... she has a boyfriend. She's happy West. She has a life. It's safe.. normal. I can't just take that away from her".

"She's your mate though. You know what happens to wolves who don't claim the bond..." He looked at me nervously before continuing. "If you can smell the wolf on her so can others. Since she's mated to you they'll be able to feel the power off of her scent. They'll know she's important. Maybe not that she's important to you but she's a target. It's amazing she hasn't been scented out already. Most dormant wolves don't make it to the age where they even find their mate".

"She's with someone else, being my mate will mean nothing to her" I went on. My wolf was feeling hurt.

"You don't know that. Just because she doesn't know about mates doesn't mean shit. She won't be able to deny the pull of the bond. What are you going to do?" He asked.

"She needs to be guarded round the clock. I won't let anyone hurt her. They even lay a finger on her and I'll rip them to ribbons" My eyes turned black at the thought. No one would hurt her.

"How long are you going to do this. You have to tell her" he said.

"This isn't a discussion, it's an order made to my beta as an alpha. I will do as I see best fit for my mate and my pack".

"Got it," West said before turning and heading back to the pack house. "And what should I tell the others. Why we are guarding this dormant wolf".

"Tell them that this is what their alpha is asking from them. That I will reveal my plans when needed", I ordered.

"I'm sorry Tate. This sucks."

With that West went to get the pack warriors ready to begin guarding her. My mate. I didn't even know her name yet she filled all my thoughts. I rubbed my eyes.

Hadley's POV

I sat on the couch willing myself to focus on the words of my book. I had been staring at the same page the last twenty minutes daydreaming. I kept replaying the morning in my head. I had gone for a normal run on my favorite trail. That's when I spotted the wolf with the glowing hazel eyes. He was just in the middle of the path. It was easily the largest wolf I had ever seen. It's dark grey coat gleamed in the morning sun. I should have been terrified. I should have ran the other direction. But I couldn't tear my eyes away. I had taken a step closer. What kind of crazy person gets closer to the large wild wolf. Clearly someone not in their right mind.

It had gone back into the woods and I continued my run. Cam had been waiting for me when I got home. He had to run errands for work that day. We exchanged quick words. Being with Cam was simple, it was easy. He was a great guy. Hardworking, honest, funny. There was nothing wrong with him yet I had felt a distance from him for quite some time. There was definitely something wrong with me. I have the nicest guy in the world and I'm unhappy and I'm walking towards wild animals.

After he had left I had looked out the window and there it was. The wild wolf. Watching me through the glass door. I went out to him, something about the wolf called to me on another level of understanding. I didn't realize what I was even doing as I opened the door and went towards him. He just stayed there watching me with those bright eyes. I sat in the grass not wanting to scare him off.

"Hello. Did you follow me back here? Well aren't you just striking"

Great, now I am talking to wild animals. Just great. The wolf took a step closer before darting off back into the woods. I was disappointed. But stood up and made my way back inside reading on the couch. Or at least attempting to read.

A small part of me hoped to run into the large grey wolf again on my run tomorrow. I couldn't explain why I wasn't afraid. In fact I felt the total opposite. The wolf had brought out a strange calm in me when I was near it. I was definitely losing it. I rubbed my temples forcing myself to read the words on the page.