Dusk painted the sky in hues of orange and purple as we reached the outskirts of the small, secluded settlement.

It was the ancient territory for the old world pack and tussle. When werewolves ruled the world. In the times of the original lupine beings.

We moved like shadows, unseen. And then when we passed the settlement, headlamps strapped to our foreheads as we secretly entered the dense forest.

The trees loomed over us, their branches forming a tangled canopy that swallowed the last vestiges of twilight.

“I can't wait to make this happen, Lyra, I'll never forget you,” he said.

I hummed. That was all I could do. There was nothing to say. Marc, Albert, and Jax all said the same thing.

I unrolled the map. My fingers traced the final, crucial lines. A sequence. A pattern. “Up north,” I said and he launched forward. Making use of his agility to pave the way in the thick bush until I told him to make a turn.

The air grew colder, the sounds of the forest became amplified in the deepening darkness. We hiked for hours as the terrain grew steeper and the path dissolved into thorny undergrowth.

Midnight sent us into caves and tunnels. But there was a secret opening into the rock, covered by spider webs. It was a secret my grandmother embedded into me.

Before us was a massive stone structure, half-buried in the earth, emerged from the shadows. The tomb of Alpha Arcturus. Its surface was covered in intricate carvings, symbols that pulsed with a faint, otherworldly light.

My hands moved over the rough stone, pressing, twisting, solving the ancient puzzle.

A low groan rumbled from deep within the tomb. A section of the wall began to slide open, revealing a dark, yawning maw.

"Inside," I commanded. "The essence. It will find you."

Kaelen stepped through the opening. I pointed to a glowing pedestal in the center of the chamber. On it, a single, smooth, white stone pulsed with soft light. He reached for it. As his fingers brushed its surface, the stone leaped from the pedestal, hovering for a moment before darting forward, directly towards his nose.

He roared, a sound of pain and raw agony. He crumpled to the floor, convulsing, his body wracked with tremors.

The white stone, now a swirling vortex of light, engulfed him and drew him inward. His form writhed, muscles tore, and reformed.

I watched, my heart in my throat, as his human essence battled against the invading force. Then, a final, guttural cry, and the light flared, blinding.

When it receded, Kaelen was gone. In his place, a massive wolf stood, his fur a shimmering white, moonlight seeming to emanate from his very being.

He was magnificent, a creature of myth made real. A long howl tore from his throat and echoed through the tomb, also vibrating through my bones. It was a sound of ultimate power, of untamed wildness that he had just begotten.

Then, the white wolf shimmered, shrank, and reformed. Kaelen stood before me.

Naked.

His body steamed slightly in the cool air of the tomb and his eyes blazed in amber, brighter than his golden eyes as he looked at me.

My eyes dropped and finally, I saw it. His dick. Hard and pointed towards me. The same way it was for Marc, Albert, and Jax.

He took a step towards me and his voice rumbled. "I feel like a king, Lyra. I feel stronger. I feel something is out of me, refilled with something better. And I feel... you're my queen." He reached out and his hand cupped my cheek.

His lips found mine in a soft hesitant touch that quickly deepened.

I placed my hand on his chest and pushed him away. "No," I breathed. "This isn't right."

He ignored me and closed the distance again. His mouth pressed harder, more insistent. His arms wrapped around my waist as he drew me flush against his hard, naked body.

He kissed me, not stopping, not letting up, until my lips parted, until my arms snaked around his neck, until I returned the kiss with a desperate hunger that shocked me, until I dropped my vows to not love and to be professional.

His mouth moved to my neck. He bit gently, sending shivers through my body.

My fingers tangled in his hair. He lifted me, effortlessly, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling the immense heat of him.

He carried me back to the stone floor of the tomb, laying me gently on the cold stone. His mouth returned to mine, urgent, demanding.

My clothes, already thin, were no barrier. He tore at them and I lay sprawled, naked under him.

His hand travelled between us and he shifted my pants. His dick pressed against my slick wetness.

My breath hitched.

He entered me, slowly, deliberately, a deep, stretching invasion that made me gasp. He filled me, stretching my twenty-nine-year-old body to its limits, painfully and pleasurable.

His thrusts began, slow and deliberate, then building, a rhythm of raw, youthful strength, enhanced by Alpha Arcturus’ potent essence.

I felt his power, every thrust a testament to the ancient wolf now coursing through his veins.

I met him, arching into him, a symphony of gasps and moans filling the ancient tomb. My mind, a whirlwind of right and wrong, of lessons learned and desires awakened, battled with the overwhelming pleasure. This is just sex, my pride whispered, but my body screamed otherwise.

Afterwards, we lay there, on the cold stone floor, my head resting on his powerful chest. His breath was still ragged. He traced patterns on my arm, his fingers warm.

"Something told me, Lyra," he whispered, "you're my mate. I'll announce it after our first victory in four years. I love you, Lyra. Please, accept me."

My heart pricked at the familiar pain. It was the same script. The same words. The same promises. After the power. After the sex. Marc said it. Albert said it. Jax said it.

Could I just fuck without love in the recipe? Could Kaelen be different? Would he break the cycle? I kept wondering. I kept silent.