Book 1 of Alpha Wolf: Mate Mine
Chapter 80 ~ Something Familiar

Mirko and Crucifero, along with Marco and Rolando’s mate, were all locked up in the Alpha office, drawing up a strategy for taking care of the refugees, all women and children.

The sight was heart-scattering. There were several cases of malnutrition and respiratory diseases such as pneumonia.

A few had reported HIV and other sexual diseases usually common in humans but a rarity in the werewolf world.

All of them had lice, ticks and leeches.

Worst of all was the long-term psychological trauma of being used repeatedly by heartless and soulless savages.

According to the information gathered, the rogues, under the orders of Alpha Ciro, were planning to create an unbeatable army and conquer the surrounding packs. Apparently, the evil Alpha who was now rotting in the bowels of the Underworld had planned everything long before he was captured and had worked out a secondary emergency plan in case he fell into enemy hands.

Gamma Rolando was investigating in case anyone else was involved and helped from the darkness.

Before heading back, in between moments of burning passion and sugary cuddles, Mirko and Elena had briefly chatted about her transfer to Mirko’s pack, her desire to get an online degree in psychology, and the right time to do everything. Mirko, as wonderful as ever when it came to his mate, was open to anything and just wanted her to be comfortable. However, Elena knew he needed her, beside him, as his Luna. And to think that she hadn’t even entered the Black Devil pack house once!

Finally, the two had agreed that she would move in with him within a couple of weeks.

No one had ever heard of a Black Devil’s Luna. For centuries, it was only the Alpha that ruled hordes of black devils without mates. Their people had grown up with the idea of a Luna-less pack, despite the mates being accepted since Mirko became the new Alpha.

The weight and responsibility on Elena’s shoulders were more than immense. Complicated. As complicated as carrying the ocean on your back. Fortunately she had undergone to an intensive training under her mother and father since she was a kid and knew well what a Luna’s duties were. But a Black Devil’s Luna? That was a different story. Would they really accept and hear her out?

The fact that Marco would be there at her side and that the Gamma’s mate was a human somehow relaxed her. Even though neither Marco nor the human were very involved with the rest of the pack. More than anything else they acted as advisers, in private. As well as keeping the two beasts (their mates) at bay, of course.

In that late afternoon, after hours at the Betas’ residence with her friends, Elena was returning to Full Moon.

Ready to face two furious parents since she had been absent for a whole week.

Mirko, who had no intentions of spending another night without Elena at his side, promised that would join her after the meeting and after dealing with other issues that had occurred in his absence.

Vaguely, Mirko had also mentioned a personal bodyguard he would assign to her. This would follow Elena wherever she went, from the moment she was officially announced as his Luna. Mirko would have preferred to assign Barbaricus from that very moment but doubted Alpha Giacomo and the other Full Moons would be happy with that sort of wolf roaming in their territory.

So, there she was. Returning to her pack. Completely alone in the darkening wood, following the familiar path winding through the greyish trees.

Obviously Mirko had ordered some guards to follow her and make sure she would arrive intact, given her history and impulsiveness. However she had reassured him that Rex would be with her. And she didn’t even feel guilty for lying to her ultra protective mate.

The truth was that Elena really needed to be alone for a while and reflect on everything that had happened in the past months and what was to come. The girl needed some private time to meditate on her future position as Luna, on Herculi, on her relationship with Mirko, and so on.

Elena needed to acknowledge the swirl of emotions, thoughts and sensations in her body and mind. Instead of them leading her, she wanted to be the owner of her inner self.

Because a clear mind would lead to a quick and clear decision-making.

When Elena meditated in her strolls in the woods, she actually stepped into that particular moment of life – into the present. That allowed her to take in different perspectives at the one time, reducing any possibilities of misunderstandings and stress.

Therefore, she’d be able to recognise and be aware of her own emotions and other people’s emotions independent of each other, thinking and behaving sensitively to others and herself.

The freezing air suggested that winter was just around the corner, the angry wind was screaming at the wilderness and hitting Elena’s hair. The sounds of various animals and rustling were in the background. Since Mirko had marked her, the girl felt stronger and less tired. She knew that none would dare approach her with that mark roaring power and threats.

So she was surprised when her skin prickled and the early feeling of being watched invaded her guts. The soon-to-be Black Luna scanned the trees around her and halted.

There was an imposing man in between two oaks. Without the werewolf sight, she would have mistaken him for a tree itself or the shadow of a ghost, due to how still and dark he was.

The man was tall, with long, messy, dirty hair. The emerald green eyes were perhaps the most inhuman thing about him. He was completely naked, with a constellation of scars, cuts, and several bite marks. Some recent in appearance. Claws were prominent and it seemed he had eaten recently by the dripping blood. He was half covered in mud and other forest’s elements.

He looked totally wild, like a new species. He looked like the Mr. Hide of Tarzan (the dark version of Tarzan).

However, the most surprising thing of all was the scent. It was strangely familiar.

Who was this man or boy or were-creature? No danger or threat radiated from him and somehow he didn’t rush away under the power of Mirko’s mark.

As the mouth opened, Elena noticed the wolf’s canines, not retracted and sharp. They were bloody with his own blood after piercing his own mouth.

“E-E- ...”

He tried to speak and then winced, closing his eyes, and placing a hand on his throat, as if it were hurting him greatly. His chest heaved up and down, his nostrils flared. A wave of sadness swept over Elena for this strange person who couldn’t be much older than her.

With a hoarse sound, he cleared his throat and tried to communicate again, in vain. When she took a step forward, he snapped at her and growled.

Elena, who was the Black Alpha’s mate, felt no fear. It was as if something suggested that he would never hurt her.

“E-elen-a-a,” He rasped out, looking into her eyes.

Green versus green.

Her heart leaped on her chest.

There was something she couldn’t piece together, and a little voice inside her soul was whispering the truth, but it was too low to hear.

Elena could feel Mirko push through their private mind-link. Her mate had sensed her surprise and slight anguish and was trying to talk to her. Elena ignored him, completely shutting their link. She can manage her mate later...

“Who are you?”

Not only was his smell familiar, but it also reminded her of someone. Somehow.

“I-” to her surprise, he made a strangled sound and covered the handsome dirty face. A second later, he crouched on the ground, inhaling and exhaling deeply. He seemed to be suffering enormously.

And, like thunder crossing the sky on a sunny day, a thought pierced Elena’s mind.

“Herculi?!”

She covered her mouth and, a heartbeat later, was running to him. Without thinking, she knelt in front of his shaking figure and hugged him. Her arms encircled his neck and pushed his head under her chin.

“Oh my god! It’s really you!”

At first, he stiffened, his defence level extremely high. But once the guy remembered that this was Elena, his only friend, he returned the hug.

That was probably the first hug he had ever received, or at least for what he remembered in the blurry fog that was his mind. In the arms of the only person he had seen during all those dark years as a wolf, Herculi (whose name was not Herculi) gasped in pain.

Tears streamed down his dirty face, digging wet lines.

Tears for all the years he had lost.

Tears for his forgotten family, stolen by the unforgiven hands of an angry fate.

Tears for his dark loneliness and anguish.

Tears because he had deeply and perhaps irreparably hurt his mate, whom he loved with every bone of himself already.

But he had Elena.

And for now, that was all he needed.

AN/ So, towards the end of book 1, Elena meets Herculi, again! This time he is in his human form (don’t forget that the book started with Elena and Herculi!!).

He does look confused and shocked after several years in a dormant state. Any thought?

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