Kael POV
Ten days.
Kael has spent ten days searching for a woman who doesn't exist in any system.
No paranormal registration. No pack affiliation. No scent marker. No record anywhere in the paranormal world. It's like she's been erased from existence. Like someone deliberately removed all trace of her.
But she exists.
He can feel her.
Every second of every day, he can feel her somewhere in this city like she's part of his own body. Like his wolf has connected to her on a level that transcends normal tracking. It's primal. It's consuming. It's impossible to ignore.
Kael hasn't slept properly in ten days. He sleeps maybe two hours at a time before his wolf wakes him up demanding he continue the search. His pack is starting to worry. His advisors are starting to question his judgment. Marcus Venn has already sent three messages asking why the Alpha is distracted.
Kael doesn't care.
He has found his mate and nothing else matters.
Dax sits across from him in his private office looking like he's aged ten years in ten days. His second in command has been working alongside him the entire time. No sleep. No rest. Just searching and searching and searching.
"We have it," Dax says finally, setting down a thick file.
Kael's entire body goes rigid.
"You found her."
"Her name is Eira Voss. Age twenty-three. Works as a data analyst at Meridian Systems. Night shift. Works alone in a small office. Lives in a modest apartment in the downtown district. No paranormal registration. No pack. No family that we can find except a mother who died four years ago."
Kael closes his eyes.
She's real.
She has a name.
She has a life outside of his obsession and she's completely real.
"She doesn't exist in any paranormal system," Dax continues. "No scent marker. No bloodline registration. No medical records. No paranormal ID. It's like she's completely human but your wolf is responding to her like she's paranormal. It doesn't make sense, Kael. Something about this is wrong."
"Nothing about this makes sense," Kael says. His voice is rough from lack of sleep. "But my wolf doesn't care about sense. My wolf knows her. My body knows her. That's all that matters."
He stands up suddenly.
The movement is so fast it startles Dax.
"Where does she work."
"Meridian Systems. Downtown office building. She works night shift. She'd be there right now actually. It's 11 PM."
Kael is already moving.
He walks toward the door of his office like someone in a trance.
"I'm going to get her."
"Kael, wait," Dax says, standing up and following him. "We don't know what she is. We don't know if she's safe. We don't know if she's some kind of threat or trap or—"
"I don't care," Kael says. His voice cuts through Dax's concerns like a blade. "My wolf knows her. My body recognizes her as my mate. That's all that matters. Everything else is secondary."
He walks out of his office with Dax trailing behind him.
"This is obsession. This is dangerous. You're putting your entire position at risk for a woman you saw for three seconds at a party. The council will have questions. Marcus will use this against you. Your pack will question your judgment."
"Let them question," Kael says. He's walking toward the garage where his car is parked. "I've been Alpha for ten years. I've built the strongest pack in the northern territories. I've consolidated power through strategy and intelligence and ruthlessness. I've sacrificed everything for my pack and my position."
He reaches his car and gets in.
"Now it's time I get something for myself."
He drives through the city like someone possessed.
His wolf is vibrating under his skin. Getting closer. So much closer now. The pull is stronger than it's ever been. Like his mate is calling to him on a frequency only his wolf can hear.
The night is dark. The streets are mostly empty. Just the occasional car. The occasional person walking home from late shifts trying to get through their night.
Kael drives like the city is trying to stop him.
The office building looms ahead after thirty minutes of driving.
It's a tall glass and steel structure. Human company. Normal business. Nothing paranormal. Nothing that would indicate a scentless woman works inside this building.
But she does.
Kael can feel her. She's somewhere above. Working. Existing in the human world. Invisible to everyone around her.
Not to him.
He parks in front of the building and doesn't even turn off the engine before he's getting out.
He walks toward the entrance with purpose.
The security guard is sitting behind his desk looking at his phone. He doesn't even glance up when Kael walks past.
Kael has never been stopped in his life. He's Alpha. Everything gets out of his way.
He takes the elevator to the floor where Eira works.
The numbers climb. Five. Ten. Fifteen. Twenty.
Each number feels like it takes forever.
His wolf is going absolutely insane now. Demanding. Clawing under his skin. Screaming that their mate is close. So close.
Finally the doors open on the twenty-third floor.
He steps out into a dimly lit office space.
There are only a few people working night shift. Data analysts mostly. People who exist in the shadows of the business world. People who are invisible in their own way.
Then he sees her.
She's sitting at her desk in a dark corner. Typing. Working. Completely absorbed in her spreadsheets. She has no idea her entire world is about to change.
She has no idea her Alpha just walked into her office.
Eira is more beautiful than he remembered. Smaller somehow. More delicate. But there's something fierce inside her. Something ancient. Something powerful that's just waiting to wake up.
Kael can feel his wolf responding to her with complete recognition.
It's overwhelming. It's consuming. It's the most powerful thing he's ever felt in his entire life.
He walks toward her slowly.
His heart is pounding. His body is vibrating with need. His wolf is screaming at him to claim her right now in front of everyone.
Kael forces his human side to maintain control.
She doesn't notice him until he's almost at her desk.
When she finally looks up, their eyes meet.
Her brown eyes are wide with shock.
Wide with recognition.
She feels it too.
The bond between them is so strong it's like the air is crackling with electricity.
"You're mine," he says. His voice comes out as a growl. "I don't know how or why, but my wolf knows you're mine. So you're going to come with me and you're going to explain to me exactly what you are."
Eira's mouth opens and closes.
She doesn't say anything for a long moment.
She just stares at him like she's looking at the most dangerous thing she's ever seen.
Because she is.
And he's about to take her away from everything she knows.
Her fingers stop moving on her keyboard.
Her breathing gets shallow.
"I'm calling security," she says finally. But her voice is shaking. She doesn't sound convincing.
"No you're not," Kael says. "Because you feel it too. I can smell your response to me. Your body is responding even though your mind is telling you to be afraid."
He steps closer.
"You know me. Somewhere deep inside, you know me."
Eira stands up from her desk.
"What are you," she whispers.
"Your mate," Kael says. "And you're coming with me whether you like it or not."