The day had begun like any other. Kieran stood in the center of the training field, arms crossed over his broad chest as he watched the younger warriors spar in the packed dirt clearing. The forest around them hummed quietly with life, tall pines swaying in the morning breeze while the scent of earth and bark lingered in the air. As Beta of the pack, it was his duty to make sure every warrior under their territory could defend it, and Kieran took that responsibility seriously. His sharp hearing caught every misstep, every uneven breath, every moment of hesitation.

“Again,” he ordered firmly.

Two younger wolves circled each other. One lunged too quickly, leaving his side open. Kieran stepped forward immediately. “Stop.” Both froze where they stood. Kieran walked slowly between them, his presence alone enough to make them straighten. “Strength won’t win you a fight if you’re careless,” he said evenly. “You rush like that against a real enemy and you’ll be dead before you realize it.” The lesson hung in the air before he stepped back, allowing them to reset.

Just as the sparring resumed, a familiar voice brushed across his mind through the mind link.

“The pack’s here.”

Caleb.

Kieran exhaled quietly. The meeting had been planned for weeks—another pack visiting to discuss borders, alliances, and possibly training warriors together. It made sense strategically, but Kieran had never liked the idea of unfamiliar wolves roaming their territory. Still, Caleb was Alpha, and his word was final.

“Understood,” Kieran replied through the link before turning back to the group.

“Alright everyone, that’s enough for today,” he called. “Get some rest. We start again at sunrise tomorrow.” A few relieved groans and laughs followed as the warriors dispersed. Kieran listened to their footsteps fade before turning toward the Alpha’s pack house at the center of the territory.

He had only taken a few steps when something in the air shifted.

A scent.

Faint at first, but unmistakable.

Pine… and orange.

Kieran stopped.

His chest tightened as he inhaled deeply, letting the scent fill his lungs. It was warm, bright, intoxicating. Something deep inside him stirred, his wolf rising from the quiet place it usually slept.

Mate.

Varek’s low growl echoed through his mind.

Every instinct in Kieran’s body sharpened at once. His pulse quickened as the scent grew stronger with each step toward the pack house. After all these years… his mate was here.

Voices drifted from inside the house—members of his own pack mixed with unfamiliar ones from the visiting pack. But Kieran barely heard them. The scent guided him forward like a thread pulling him closer.

The moment he reached the house, he paused on the steps. His hearing stretched outward, mapping the room through sound and movement. Several wolves inside, chairs shifting, quiet conversation… and then the softest step behind him.

Kieran didn’t turn. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“I don’t think you should sneak up on a blind wolf…” he said calmly.

The air behind him went still.

Her scent wrapped around him now, stronger than before.

His mate.

Kieran tilted his head slightly, listening to the steady but quick rhythm of a heartbeat behind him. Slowly, he turned toward where he sensed her standing, even though his eyes could not see her.

“You should know,” he added quietly, his voice lower now, “I can hear your heartbeat from here.”

A small pause followed before his smirk returned.

“And right now… it’s racing.”