Restless
Luca POV
The rest of the day should be quiet. It isn’t.
Something under my skin refuses to settle. My wolf paces, restless and sharp, pressing against my ribs like a storm looking for somewhere to break.
Unable to focus on anything meaningful, I find myself out of my office and at the training ground.
Good. I can let off some steam.
I purge the energy that’s built all day into my training. Pushing harder. Faster.
Momentum builds. Blow after blow meets its target.
Then I land an almighty kick square in the ribs of my head warrior. He flies off his feet, landing with a thud.
From the sideline, Rowan lets out a low whistle.
“Looks like you’ve got some pent up frustration to let out there Luc.”
“Just in the zone,” I lie, too easily.
“Marcus, go get patched up in the infirmary. I’ll take it from here,” Rowan commands.
Marcus rises slowly, blood in his mouth.
He gives a curt nod in our direction and replies, “Yes, Beta Rowan. Alpha.”
As soon as Marcus turns, I link to Rowan, Interfering swine.
A kick lands on my ribs and I stumble back.
“Jesus, you’ve got it bad,” Rowan laughs. “Not sure I’ve ever landed the first blow in our sparring.”
I hiss out my annoyance as I send a swift kick in his direction. I miss.
Something on your mind, alpha? Comes through the link, as he smirks at me.
Or has Marcus had your last rolo? Not sure what else would provoke such an intense battering from you?
He laughs as I land a punch so hard the crack echoes out in the training ring.
“Jeez, that one stung.” He reaches up, massaging his jaw. “Remind me to keep out of reach next time there’s a pretty girl involved.”
My wolf growls in dissatisfaction, furious that he dare comment on our girl.
“I guess if you’re not interested, it couldn’t hurt to scope out her interest in another, more handsome wolf?”
Something snaps tight in my chest.
Before I even register the movement, my fist connects. The impact reverberates and splits through the air.
Rowan stumbles back, rubbing his face.
"Well," he mutters, impressed. "That answers that."
My wolf paces inside me, raging.
I force my shoulders loose, pretending calm.
Hit a nerve there alpha? He taunts me through the link.
I raise my fists again. Readying my guard.
"Relax, Alpha," he chuckles aloud. "I said handsome, not suicidal."
He throws a wink my way.
Piss off.
"She's a guest in our territory," I say flatly. "You'll treat her with respect."
Rowan grins with a knowing look. "Of course, my alpha."
I should be furious, but something in the air has my heart pounding harder in my chest. Even more restless than before.
“Come on alpha,” he reaches a hand to me. “Let’s get back to the pack-house before your distraction causes anymore trouble.”
I nod my agreement and hoist him into a brief embrace.
I need to get my temper under control.
The problem is, when it comes to her… control gets harder.
----
I stand at the edge of the pack-house balcony, staring into the dark line of trees. The forest is still, the kind of deep silence that usually settles my wolf.
Tonight it doesn’t.
I drag a hand down my face.
This is ridiculous. I've known her mere days.
She’s just a girl.
An infuriating girl who somehow manages to occupy more of my thoughts than she has any right to.
I turn back toward the room. When something stops me. My breath catches and I instinctively clutch my chest.
The pull is sudden. Something deep in my core.
It sinks its claws straight into my chest and yanks.
My wolf surges forward instantly.
Mine.
The word isn’t a thought. It’s a command. Settling within me. The realization hits hard.
She’s my mate.
I freeze for half a second, as a rush of feelings overwhelm me. The pull was bad before, but nothing compared to this.
It’s like my very existence is harder just by not being near her.
How could I not know before?
I sense something’s wrong. When I tune into the bond. The direction becomes clear.
“Gabrielle.”
Her name slips from my lips, and my feet are already moving. The forest is a blur as branches whip past me.
My pace is fast, faster than I thought possible. My kegs femanding more of me, like they know something I don’t.
When I cross the boundary, her scent hits me first. Oak. Wildflowers.
And something else.
Something that stirs an ache within me. The bond tugs at me – hard. An invisible thread nagging at my very core.
Fuck.
I know resistance is futile. My urgency to reach her builds with every step I take.
This feeling is achingly familiar. Like the scene from my dreams.
She’s near. I'm not sure how I know – I just do.
A sense of deja vu overcomes me.
The forest goes unnaturally still. Everything slows. And then she's there, wrapped in moonlight and vines.
Bare. Vulnerable.
The vines shift, tightening gently around her. I still for a moment, taking in her beauty.
The ache to touch her simmers under the surface.
My gaze locks on hers, my eyes burning with everything I haven't said.
I take a step toward her. My wolf is already surfaced behind my eyes.
A low growl rips from my chest before I can stop it.
Mine.
The bond pulls between us.
And for the first time in my life–
I don't fight it.