Sleep did not come easy for Alaric.
Alaric tossed for what felt like the hundredth time, the silken sheets tangled around his legs, the cool air brushing against his bare chest doing nothing to calm his rising heat. His body was still, but his mind and his wolf were in a frenzy.
He lay in the vast, dimly lit bedroom, the silence only broken by the occasional rustling of trees outside and the persistent hum of thoughts that refused to fade. Thoughts of her. Jade. The girl by the waterfall. His mate.
His wolf was restless—prancing, pacing, whimpering, talking incessantly in his head like a pup who had just found his favorite toy. "Go to her," it whispered. "She needs us. Why are we still here?"
"I can't just barge into her room in the middle of the night," Alaric murmured aloud, eyes fixed on the ceiling. He ran a hand through his thick black hair, sighing.
His wolf growled lowly in protest. "She's alone. Frightened. Can't you feel it?"
And he could. Her scent was burned into his senses, her fear like a thread he couldn't untangle. Something about her had settled into his very bones, making sleep a futile attempt.
"You need to see her. Now. Just a glimpse—just check on her," his wolf pleaded, his voice impatient and restless. "She's ours. She's scared. She needs us."
Alaric groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes. "You said that an hour ago," he whispered aloud.
"And it's still true."
Her face flashed in his mind—those wide, wary eyes, the way she shrank into herself as if expecting cruelty at every turn. The tremble in her limbs when he tried to help her. The invisible chains of her past still clung to her tightly, binding her spirit.
And he couldn't stop thinking about it. "Do you know what she smells like to me?" the wolf murmured dreamily. "Warm rain and crushed lavender. Comfort. Home."
Alaric sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "You've said that three times tonight."
"Because you won't listen." His wolf kept clamouring in his head
When dawn finally broke, Alaric had barely slept. The golden light spilling through the windows did nothing to lift the weight in his chest.
A knock came at his door.
"Enter," he said.
Elias stepped in, looking unusually grim for a man who often carried sarcasm like armor.
"You look like hell," Elias said bluntly, shutting the door behind him.
"Didn't sleep," Alaric replied, rubbing his temples.
"Let me guess. Jade?" Elias teased, then quickly turned serious when he saw the unamused look on the king's face.
Alaric sat forward, elbows on his knees. "What did you find?"
Elias handed him a slim folder, his jaw tight. "Her name is Jade Evergreen. She isn't related to Shadowfang Pack in any way, in fact her origin is a mystery."
Alaric frowned. "Go on."
"She was raised by a woman named Edna—an old she-wolf who chose to live among humans. Quiet town, two hours out. Mostly humans. Jade was found abandoned as a baby, left at the front steps of Edna's former pack house. The pack leaders didn't want her, but Edna refused to leave her. Eventually, due to pressure, she left the pack with Jade and resided among humans only returning on special occasions to visit her pack."
Alaric's eyes narrowed. "So she grew up among humans, raised by a lone wolf."
Elias nodded. "Yes. Edna never revealed where Jade came from or who left her, because supposedly she herself was unaware. She raised the child protectively, shielding her from the harsh pack life filled with unfriendly stares and harsh comments. Jade didn't shift. Ever. But the signs were there—strength, speed, senses. When her powers started manifesting, Edna tried to prepare her. But then Edna died when jade was just fifteen leaving her vulnerable and forced to face the world alone at such a young age."
"And that's when she met the Shadowfang Pack?" Alaric asked, voice low.
"No," Elias said. "That's when she met Caden."
Alaric blinked. "Caden?"
"Yeah, one of Shadowfangs strongest and finest warriors," Elias clarified. "Caden loved her. Genuinely. Upposedly they were mates, but it was a lie, he lied to her and everyone else that she was his mate. Claimed to feel the bond. Everyone believed it. Including her. He wasn't cruel or possessive, not at all. He made her feel like she belonged. Like she was wanted. He was the light in her grey world."
Alaric's jaw tightened in jealousy. A low growl escaping from his throat
A long silence followed.
"They were together for only two weeks," Elias continued. "An ambush happened. Caden died protecting her."
A part of Alaric was glad that Caden was dead but a part of him felt sad jade had to go through the pain of losing her loved one, "her mate".
"After his death, the Shadowfang Pack—Caden's pack—claimed she owed them. They blamed her. Said she'd killed one of their best and most beloved warriors. So they forced her to stay. She didn't want to, but she didn't fight, she couldn't, wouldn't infact. She believed she owed it to him. Out of guilt. Out of grief. Out of love."
Alaric turned away, fists clenched. "And her wolf?"
"She knows she's a werewolf," Elias said gently. "But like everyone else, she believes she's broken. That she doesn't have a wolf. But I don't think so. I think she does. I can feel it, sort of. It's faint—like a whisper. Like something is there but not realy.I can't really explain it."
Alaric nodded slowly, the weight of truth crashing down on him. "And Edna?"
"Her records are super clean. You average wolf living her life peacefully. She was an old lady whose mate had been dead for a while. Yeah, they had kids, but you know how it goes, pups grow up, find their mate and start their own families. I guess she was lonely so when they found Jade on the steps of their pack house she decided to adopt her. She fought to keep the girl. She raised her with love, taught her strength. And when she died, Jade lost the only person who ever truly saw her."
Alaric's throat tightened. "So Jade was abandoned, adopted, loved fiercely, and then cast out. Again."
"Yes," Elias said quietly. "And now… she's yours."
"No," Alaric said firmly. "She's hers. I will earn the right to stand beside her."
Elias gave a small smile. "That's more like it."
Alaric looked out the window, where the sun had begun its slow climb. A new day had begun.
But for Jade—and for him—it was the beginning of something much more.