Hello my amazing reader! How r u? I sometimes think I rarely post anything other than my book chapters, should I start posting on my board too?

08. The missing piece

✧ Luke ✧

Pain.

The companion that never left my side. The feeling that always reminds me I'm still alive. The presence that has seen me at my worst.

My split knuckles heal almost instantly, leaving only a bloody splatter on my hands. I stare at the sad spectacle of a punching bag indifferently.

It's the third today.

If I continue like this, I'll have to get more of them imported here.

Wiping my blooded hands with a towel, I leave the gym and start for my room. A tide of sounds crashes over me but I've had enough experience with the Lycan's hightened senses to know how to tune them out willingly.

In a matter of minutes, I reach the familiar space of my room. The faint scent of gardenia flowers and rain reaches me, momentarily soothing my nerves.

I walk over to my desk and pick up the file I've been working on from the past few days.

The Alpha's Hunt.

I've managed the trace all the maps they ever provided their participants. All of them are different but there are some loop holes that keep repeating. And if I can manage to find ways to tackle them, I have this game in my hand.

While I scribble away my options and approaches on a paper, the door opens.

I look up, immensely irritated that someone should come in without knocking and even more irritated when I see who it is.

"Luke, baby," Darcie quickly reaches my table "why aren't you talking to me?"

I raise an eyebrow "Why are you asking?"

She looks desperate "Luke, honey, try to understand! You didn't find your mate, so what? I─

A low growl escapes my throat and I clench my hands in fists.

Five years.

For five whole years I've been forced to look for her. Going from one pack to another, training with them only for one chance to know if she's there, if I will find her among them.

"Darcie," I say with extreme self control "We should not speak in matters that do not concern us."

"But it does!" She says, her grey eyes swirling with emotions that she has no right to feel for me "I love you! I can be your Luna, you know I can! Why do you need some random girl─

This time the growl that leaves me is in no context low. I shoot up from my chair, palms flat on the wooden desk.

"And can you fix me?"

She flinches. I narrow my eyes at her, irritated, infuriated, losing my patience.

She's living in a fantasy world where love fixes everything. Where it's the supreme form of happiness.

For fuck's sake...

"Luke, I─

"Answer, Darcie." I cut her off "Can you fix me?"

She stares at me for a few moments "No..."

"Leave."

She takes a step forward. I hold up my hand in a gesture for her to stop.

"This conversation is at its end," I say "Leave."

She glares at me but turns to her heel and goes out. I rub my temple, a head ache pounces on me.

In lycanthropes, soulmates fill a part of your heart, life and soul. They complete you.

But for me, a soulmate means much, much more and still I can't find her.

What if she doesn't exist?

The question that's been coming up in my head so often comes barging in again.

Well then... If I can't fill the missing piece of my soul with 'love', I will choose the next best thing.

Power.

The door knocks, I mutter a 'Come in' before picking up my pen again. Work isn't going to wait for me to sort out my non-existent love life.

The door clicks open and the scent of gardenia flowers and rain swirls over to me mixed with the scent of....

...Mud?

I look up as Hazel comes inside and my eyebrow lifts.

She's dripping wet, hair and clothes clinging to her body and muddy splatters all over her.

I had sent her to the residence of the pack warriors where a false delivery had been placed and I wanted that book quickly.

How did she end up like this?

"Umm, do you mind if the book is a lill' wet?" She asks me

"What?" I stand up from my desk

Through the open door, I see Casper. He stops at the door and gives me a confused look.

Hazel pulls out the book from behind her back, also dripping wet. She hands it to me but I only push it back.

"It's going to drip over my desk," I say with a scowl "how did this even happen?"

"You see, there's a bridge in the way to the pack warrior residence," she says, I nod "I quickly reached the house, I found the book despite the very uncooperative people there and I was coming back as soon as possible! But... It was so tempting to walk over the railing of the bridge I couldn't help myself and when I started walking over it, I lost my balance and fell and then I got wet. But you can still read the book! You only have to dry it! Maybe with a drier, if you have a drier, or you can ask someone else─

"Hazel," my voice cuts through her rant and animated gestures

"Yes?" For the first time ever, she looks a bit guilty

"Shut up."

She blows up her cheeks like a blow fish and gives me a look. And she's back to normal.

"You're excused," I sit back down "and take the book with you, give it to me when it's dry."

"Fine!" She turns around only to freeze in her tracks

Casper gives her a amused smirk, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.

"Alpha," he says to me as he comes in "the preparations are almost finished."

"Good," I say, looking out of the window at the bright blue sky

The Crescent Moon is tomorrow night. All the Lycan packs in America will
be coming here for the ceremony. All those people...

Maybe...

"Beta," a familiar voice pulls me out of thoughts "Can I, umm, ask you a question?"

"Go on," Casper grins, still amused

"How long did you have to wait in the door way?" She asks

"For 5 or 6 minutes," he says "why?"

"Nothing," Hazel squeaks out and rushes to her room

Casper bursts out laughing, taking full advantage of the fact that the walls are sound proof.

"I can kill to have someone like her as my assistant." He says to me "how can you not find this funny?"

"Doesn't your assistance do stand up comedy?" I ask, keeping my eyes on the paper I was writing on

"Nope. All she does is scream silently every time I say her name." Casper says "by the way, why don't you call Elise by the name?"

I stop writing and look up at him, he's staring at me intently with his grey eyes.

Elise...

My cardiac organ jumps. I ignore it.

Saying her name, even if only in my head, gives me a strange sort of nudge. Like something is missing. And I have enough things to deal with right now.

"No particular reason." I say dismissively

For a while we sort out our strategy for the Hunt. Mostly, it's the beta who gets paired with Alphas on the Hunt and I'm fairly sure Casper will be my partner.

A familiar rich aroma fills the air and soon I find myself looking at a familiar short female with the brightest gold eyes I've ever seen.

Hazel holds out the now dried book for me. I take it with a nod. Her golden gaze flickers to Casper and then to me.

"You didn't tell me tomorrow night is the Ceremony," she says to me before quickly adding "Sir."

I raise an eyebrow. I was going to tell her that tomorrow morning.

"Who told you that?" I ask

"Oh, I ran into Ethan while I was going to get the book." She says, a spark of anger flickers in my head

"Yes, the ceremony is tomorrow night," I say, a hint of irritation leaks into my voice "what else did he tell you?"

"Nothing important," she shrugs but I doubt that's all he said to her "anyways, I'm going to get myself some food. Do you two want anything?"

I shake my head, Casper also declines. When Hazel leaves the room, he turns to me.

"Alpha Ethan is a bit too fond of her, don't you think?" He says, I nod

"You shouldn't let her wander around alone, Luke. Specially not around the warrior's residence." He says as he stand up to go to his room "Being a werewolf already puts her at disadvantage."

Though he makes a perfectly logical reasoning, I can't help but be a bit surprised.

"Why are you so concerned?" I ask

His eyes go wide and he blinks "Hey I'm innocent! I was just being a good guy!"

"I believe you," I say sarcastically

"You broke my heart, Alpha." He says dramatically as he leaves the room

I open the book Hazel had given me and flip through the pages until I find one that reads the title I'm aiming for;

The Alpha Supreme.

***

Sneak peek:

"Why not?" I blurt out

"Because Omegas are not allowed," Luna Fay glares at me "now go, I have other things to attend to."

Holding back a growl, I leave her room. This isn't over, not yet.

***

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