The euphoria of finding my mate’s scent still coursed through my veins as I dressed, but patience had never been my strong suit. The luncheon could wait. I needed to find her now, before the formal introductions and political posturing began. Every instinct screamed at me to track down the source of that intoxicating cinnamon and apple scent.

“Where are you going?” Gareth asked as I strode purposefully toward the door.

“To find answers,” I replied curtly, not slowing my pace.

The pack house was larger than I’d initially realized, with multiple wings spreading out from the main structure. I followed my nose, letting Excalibur guide me through corridors that grew progressively shabbier as we moved away from the guest quarters. The polished marble floors gave way to worn stone, and the ornate light fixtures were replaced by bare bulbs.

“This way,” Excalibur urged, his excitement palpable. “She’s close.”

The scent grew stronger as I descended a service staircase, leading me deeper into what appeared to be the working areas of the pack house. This was clearly not a place meant for visiting Alphas, but I didn’t care about protocol or boundaries. My mate was somewhere in this maze of service corridors, and I would find her.

A uniformed guard appeared at the bottom of the stairs, blocking my path. “I’m sorry, Alpha, but this area is restricted to pack members only. If you need anything, I can escort you back to the main hall.”

I studied the young man with cold eyes. He was trying to be respectful, but he was standing between me and my mate. “Move.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir. Alpha Magnus was very clear about—”

I struck faster than his human reflexes could follow. One moment he was standing, the next he was unconscious on the floor. I stepped over his body and continued down the corridor, following the scent that was now so strong it made my mouth water.

The smell led me through a series of increasingly narrow hallways until I reached a junction where the scent seemed to pool and swirl. I paused, listening carefully. The sound of scrubbing came from around the corner, rhythmic and steady.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I approached the source of the noise. This was it. After years of searching, decades of dreams, I was about to meet my mate.

I rounded the corner and froze.

A young woman knelt on the floor, scrubbing the stone with a worn brush. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, and she wore what looked like servant’s clothing. She was thin, almost fragile looking.

But it was her scent that confirmed what my wolf already knew. Cinnamon and apples, so pure and intoxicating that it took every ounce of my self-control not to rush to her immediately.

“Mate,” Excalibur whispered reverently in my mind.

She was beautiful, but that wasn’t what shocked me. What stopped me cold was the question that hammered through my brain: why was my mate, the future Luna of the most powerful pack in Europe, on her hands and knees scrubbing floors like a common servant?

This made no sense. She should be dressed in fine clothes, surrounded by attendants, preparing for the evening’s festivities. She should be a Beta’s daughter at minimum, probably an Alpha’s. Instead, she was here in the service corridors, cleaning like…

Like a slave.

The thought hit me like a physical blow. I’d heard whispers over the years about packs that still maintained the old ways, but I’d never seen it firsthand. The practice was barbaric, outdated, and completely unacceptable.

I took a step forward, my protective instincts flaring to life. Whatever circumstances had led to this situation, they were about to change dramatically. No mate of mine would ever kneel on a floor again, not for anyone.

But before I could take another step, a familiar scent hit my nostrils. Alpha Magnus was approaching, his heavy footsteps echoing in the corridor behind me. I could hear him talking to someone, probably investigating the unconscious guard I’d left behind.

Excalibur snarled in my mind. “Take her. Take her now. No one will stop us.”

The primitive part of me agreed completely. I could have my mate in my arms within seconds, could carry her away from this place and never look back. But the Alpha in me recognized that rushing in without understanding the full situation could put her in more danger.

I needed information. I needed to understand why she was here, what her status was within this pack, and who was responsible for putting her in this position. Only then could I decide how to proceed.

The voices were gettingg closer. With great reluctance, I stepped back into the shadows of an alcove, my eyes never leaving my mate as she continued her work, completely unaware of my presence.

“The guard is unconscious,” I heard Alpha Magnus say. “Check the entire area. If one of our guests wandered down here…”

My jaw clenched. The way he spoke about this area, with such obvious disdain, told me everything I needed to know about how my mate was being treated. But I forced myself to remain hidden, to observe and plan rather than react.

My mate finished scrubbing that section of floor and moved to the next area, her movements efficient but clearly exhausted. Every protective instinct I possessed screamed at me to go to her, to comfort her, to take her away from this place immediately.

But I would be patient. I would investigate. I would understand exactly what was happening here.

And then I would make everyone responsible pay dearly for what they’d done to her.

“Soon,” I promised silently, watching her work. “Very soon, this will all be over.”