REIKA

ONE

Silence.

My eyes were fixed on his dark, tall shadow far in the distance. Strings of white, silver-like hair fell on his chest, and moved softly with the wind. My heart thumped against my rib cage. I stood still.

One of my fists found its way to my chest, and a smile spread across my face. I saw him move his hands out of his pockets, and the pale white tone of his skin took me by surprise. He closed his fists and took one step closer.

I felt excited. A new kind of excitement. It was different. I had never felt this way before.

—Mate! That's our mate!

Jules, my wolf, confirmed it. He couldn't believe his eyes, neither could I. Some people waited a lifetime to find their mate, to find that special person who would love them, no matter what. The person they would give their hearts to with no hesitations.

Here I stood, looking at mine from the distance, on the very same day I turned eighteen.

"Reika, come here, woman!" I heard Arden's irritated voice call my name. I glanced at him and in a matter of seconds, I lost my mate. When my eyes returned to the distance, he was gone.

—Where is he?

—I... I don't know...

There was no time for thinking. My body reacted. I darted full speed towards the spot where my eyes last saw his figure.

—Mate!

Jules called out in his direction. It only took me seconds to reach there. I could smell him, but faintly. I could almost feel the warmth his body left behind, the exact place where his hand brushed the tree. A hint of a fading scent. As my chest rose and fell rapidly, I leaned on the tree, and caught my breath, softly passing my hand over that spot and inhaling deeply.

—Can't track him... Can't see him either. Where did he go?

I was worried.

—Are you sure it was a male? I can barely smell him.

—Shoulders. His shoulders were so wide, and he was as tall as Dad.

—We didn't see his face. How can we find someone we don't know how he looks, and that we can't smell where he went?

—We'll put our hearts into it. We'll do anything we can. That's how. He came for us Jules! He must have known, and he came for us. Don't know why he wouldn't stay, why wouldn't he claim me.

—Maybe he wasn't ready.

"Reika!" Arden called once more, but we ignored him. My eyes desperately raked all around me, looking for anything, a sign. His scent had already fainted from the air. A soft breeze passed us by and I inhaled deeply once more, trying my best to catch his addictive scent, but I couldn't.

—Why can't I?

—He masked it. Whatever he uses is good. It's like he was never here.

—But he was. I'm not crazy.

"Reika! What the fuck are you doing?" Arden was getting inpatient.

Fucking Arden. Out of my two brothers, Arden had the habit of being a pain in my ass. In everyone's ass.

—There's nothing we can do, Reika.

—I want him. I really want him. I need to feel him.

—Me too, but we won't find him here. I'm sure he will find us when he's ready. He must know how to.