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Paul - Present Day

"Don't you dare talk with me about bonds!" I shout so loud that all my men stare at me.

When my eyes dart toward them, they all lower their gazes to avoid mine. But I don't have time for this. Alin is the problem, and he doesn't look at the floor as the rest. The defiance in his eyes is a problem that I must solve before it spreads like a plague among the pack.

"I mated with Ana," he declares with a snarl. "She's already mine!"

So be it if he believes he can take me on.

"Ana is a member of the Oltenia pack. We don't mix!" I want to slump into my cozy chair, but my wolf doesn't let me. He is harsher than I am. "Goddammit, Alin. I shouldn't have to explain this. You understand how things work better than anybody else."

"But I love–"

My fist plunges onto the table between us, cracking the surface in two. For the first time, Alin flinches and looks down. Finally, he shows me the respect I deserve.

The wolf inside me wants to bite, to tear his flesh clean, and then chew his bones. But instead, all I can deliver is broken furniture as I run rampant and destroy the bookshelf, the chairs, and the windows. These are replaceable; people aren't.

As I turn to face Alin, my chest heaves, and my nostrils flare. "You're my friend, my moon brother. Despite this, you continue to ‌hurt and test me." I grab my coat. "If you still want to remain with Ana by the next full moon, we'll let our wolves decide."

The others make room for me to pass. I leave the study room and go downstairs. No one follows. They are too afraid to stand in my way now. If only Alin had feared me enough to not mate with an Oltenia pack female during the Summit. I gave him too much freedom, and now he doesn't care about what I say. Hell, he thinks I'll bend the rules for him?

Keeping my coat hanging over my shoulder with one hand, I open the front door. I inhale the fresh air. A sunny spring day. It smells of grass and flowers blooming. When the breeze comes, it brings the stench of gasoline. Oh, the pleasures of city life.

In moments like this, it would be so good to ‌stroll through the woods, to let my wolf howl his dismay and blow off some steam. But no! We, werewolves, have evolved along with the modern world. Every supernatural being has done so.

As I march across the courtyard to the main gates, the boys there open them for me without hesitation. I nod as I pass by them, but I don't look into their eyes. Today I don't want to be Paul Mateescu, the alpha of the Muntenia pack, the CEO of Wolves Inc., or the leader of the underground world.

Today, I want to be just a simple man, strolling through the streets with his hands in his pockets, without a care in the world. Is that too much to ask?

Beyond the small neighborhood filled with villas, apartment blocks rise high as if they're scratching the sky. I take the narrow alley behind the buildings to avoid other people. Most know my face and stare blankly at me, a thing I try to avoid as much as possible.

The lilac scent is still bursting around me, though I haven't seen a single purple flower. Why does it seem like the smell is following me? I should pay more attention to my surroundings, but my mind is trapped in the past.

The sweet scent I feel caressing my nostrils can't hold me in the present. My thoughts drift toward my saddest memory, the moment when I had to forsake love for duty. Alin brought it back with his words.

I can't say how much time has passed as I relived my painful memories. The darkness settles upon Bucharest, a half-moon over my head. Thirteen more nights until the next full moon when I can feel truly free again.

A man stands still in the shadow between two light poles. Something shiny, polished metal glints in his hand. When I hear the shooting it is already too late to avoid the bullet. I don't have the speed or the agility of my wolf.

But instead of a pang of pain, I feel something else bumping into my chest. Footsteps run away in the dark as I look down. A woman stays right in front of me, her body now unsteady as she leans over me, her knees buckling.

I hold her and ease her fall, crouching next to her. Her turquoise eyes are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, but their light is fading. My trembling blood-stained fingers are fumbling in search of my phone.

An icy hand touches my wrist. "Don't call the police. Take me out from here, wolf."

I freeze. How does she know what I am? Her eyes are closing and I have to decide fast. Should I call the ambulance and the police? No, I owe her that much. My finger hovers over Alin's number on the screen of my phone. I press the number below.

"Dan? Get a car quickly in the alley behind the tower blocks. And when I say quick, I mean now!"

I climb to my feet and hoist her off the asphalt once my phone is back in my pocket. The lilac scent takes over my nostrils. She wears the perfume that has been following me everywhere today. Why is she stalking me?

Blood coats the tips of her copper hair. I owe her my life since she rescued mine. A part of me wishes she would survive so that her death would not be on my conscience. But there's another part of me that hopes she'd die so I won't owe her a life debt.