Thane stood alone in the moonlit clearing, his silhouette a shadow against the trees. The cold night air seemed to match the chill in his heart. He was the Gamma of his pack, known for his precise and demanding training methods, yet tonight, even the rigorous discipline he imposed on his warriors felt hollow.

His dirty blonde hair, tousled and unkempt, caught the pale light as he looked out with hazel eyes clouded by an endless sadness. The weight of losing his mate hung heavily around him, a constant ache that colored everything in shades of gray. Each breath seemed to carry the weight of his grief, and despite the peace of the night, he felt a profound loneliness that even the bustling pack life couldn’t touch.

With a heavy sigh, Thane turned away from the clearing, taking a slow walk back to the pack house. He lost his mate so fast, he barely even had a chance to get to know her properly. Not even 2 years into their relationship she was gone, taken from him by a rogue wolf that stumbled upon their territory.

It was almost 10 years ago, yet the emptiness never really went away, for losing a mate was losing a part of yourself, never truly filled again.

As he walked back to the pack house, he felt a faint scent of roses and vanilla. At first, he thought nothing of it but then, as the scent grew stronger, and his wolf restless, his eyes locked onto unfamiliar figure.

His brows knotted together as she studies her and as she turns, clearly sensing him, his heart almost stops. There stood a she-wolf, who was his mate, a second chance mate. And like an idiot, full of sadness, sorrow and fear, instead of going to her, he quickly left the opposite direction, leaving her dumbfounded.