The mate hunt

Noah’s pov,

“Alpha, we have to go now otherwise we will be late.”

Noah looked at his beta Dan and sighed when he stood up. He wished he could just skip the mate hunt this year. He knew every single she-wolf that would be there, and they all bored him to death. It had been the same disappointing experience for 5 years in a row. He actually made peace with the fact that he would probably never find his mate. However, as the Alpha of the Grey Oak pack, he had to be there. His pack was not only the biggest clan but also the leading pack.

He followed Dan to one of the entrances of the Tongass forest. The open field was filled with werewolves, there must have been at least a thousand of them. They all came from different corners of the country to be here. The mate hunt was one of the year’s main events for the werewolf clans. From the age of 21 wolves were permitted to join the mate hunt. You had to be 21 because your wolf had matured from that age, and you were ready to transform. When Noah walked into the field it immediately became quiet. They all made a path for him and bowed their heads in respect. His pack was feared and respected for a good reason.

He was already too late for the start of the ceremony where the male wolves got a chance to look at all the participating, she-wolves. Noah did not mind missing it because he was not interested in the she-wolves and the male wolves just annoyed him. They were a bunch of raging hormones ready to explode. It seemed like they couldn’t keep their wolves in check so anything that came out of their mouths was talk about fucking their mate. He had been lucky with his wolf Achak. Achak meant spirit in Native American and he had always been a calm beacon for Noah. Since the day he transformed Achak had been something he could rely on. His thoughts got interrupted by a loud horn; the signal for the women to start running.

They all ran into the forest giggling and pretending to be scared. They did it so the male wolves would feel masculine. Most male wolves were too stupid to see that or simply did not care. 15 minutes later they got the signal that they could go and chase the she-wolves now. The other males quickly transformed and stormed into the forest barking and howling. Noah did not bother transforming and calmly walked after them. He could just as well take a nice hike now that he was in the forest anyway.

He went deeper into the forest when all of the sudden he sniffed something unusual. A smell that was more delicious and intoxicating than he ever smelled before. He felt Archak becoming restless which was not like him, so he decided to transform. As soon as Achak took over the smell was much stronger and impossible to ignore. The only thing he could think of was that he had to follow this delicious scent. He followed the scent to a tree and inhaled it deeply because it lingered there. With his nose on the ground, he kept following the scent until it brought him to a waterfall and the smell disappeared. Achak started to panic and howled from frustration, he needed to find the source of that smell! He walked back and forth until his gaze fell on the waterfall itself. What if there was something behind it?

Noah transformed back into human form, and he had a hard time thinking straight because Archak kept going crazy inside of him. “Go in! Go! We have to find that smell again!”

Noah annoyingly shook his head, “Archak what is the matter with you? Calm down! I can’t think.”

He walked into the waterfall and his heart was racing in his chest. This smell could only mean one thing. He had lost hope over the years, but could it be?

As soon as he stepped through the water the scent hit his nose again. He opened his eyes and saw the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. She had long wavy black hair until her middle, caramel-colored eyes, and a full sensual mouth. She was not from any of the packs he knew because he would have remembered her for sure. He knew from the moment he laid eyes on her that he had found his mate. She was wearing baggy clothes and she was covered in dirt, but she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Her eyes went over him quickly before she tried to scan the cave for an escape. He wanted to tell her she shouldn’t be scared, that he would not harm her. But Achak was going crazy in his mind and the smell was so overwhelming that he was only able to voice what Archak was barking at him.

“You are my mate! You are mine!” he said which only scared her more and she started walking backward. She quickly noticed that she was trapped against the back of the cave and her eyes went from scared to angry, “I am no one’s property and I have no idea what you are talking about. I don’t even know you!”

He walked closer but the smell only became more intense. The scent of vanilla mixed with honey clouded his mind and before he knew it, he walked so close that his forehead touched hers. Achak kept barking inside his head, “We have to take her! She is ours! Quickly before anyone steals her from us! We have to mark her now!”

So again, he sounded like an idiot when he blurted out, “It doesn’t matter what you think. You are mine and you are coming with me!”

She tried to push him away and yelled at him, but he had such a hard time keeping Achak in check that he didn’t even notice anymore. He then let his concentration slip for one second and Achak took over and quickly bit the woman in her neck. Making sure she was marked as his. She screamed in pain and tried to say something but before she could end her sentence she fainted.

Noah carefully caught her in his arms while boiling over with anger against his wolf. “ACHAK, ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE? WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT AND WHY DID YOU NOT LISTEN?”

All he got back was his wolf purring happily, “Our mate.” Completely ignoring him like he was a fucking imbecile.

He shook his head and looked at the woman lying in his arms. He softly caressed her face and couldn’t help smiling. She was clever for seeking the water to mask her scent. Besides that, she had shown him that she had some strength in her. Noah felt hopeful for the first time in a long while. It seemed the moon goddess had blessed him with the kind of mate he desperately needed right now.