From the time they were pups, every werewolf was told about the great blessing of the Goddess.

One mate for every wolf. One perfect match, a shared bond for just the two of you. A guarantee of love and acceptance from another person in the world.

Of course, there was no guarantee that you would find that person, only that they exist.

This was the story every pup knew.

A story that Granger didn’t care that much about as he grew up. What did it matter to him if he found his mate? He felt nothing towards the girls he knew or the boys, for that matter.

If not for the love and affection he felt towards his parents and two younger sisters, he might have believed he was incapable of feeling anything at all.

He was driven by his success, his wins, and his losses. He worked harder than anyone else around him to prove what he was worth. His exceptional agility made it easy to maneuver the terrain and learn to use the trees to get around. A natural marksman, Granger quickly became one of the best scouts in the southern territory.

When he was eighteen, his father pulled him aside. He told him that Alpha Wyatt had decided to strengthen the northern scouting parties by reinforcing from the south. He said that being selected for this would mean that Granger would have greater access to Alpha Wyatt and his son Axel, the future alpha._.

If he could prove his worth to them in the future, he could potentially be selected as Axel’s beta.

Granger worked harder than ever before until he proved himself to his fellow scouts and was selected as one of four to go north. He said goodbye to his family, expecting to return one day and take his father’s place as Beta and lead the south.

That was all Granger had ever dreamt about, all he had ever hoped for. To earn his place and prove his worth.

But his arrival in the north turned his world upside down in an instant.

As he stepped out of the car, a faint scent danced through his senses. It was both sweet and salty, light and luscious. He swallowed hard as his heart began to race.

There was an excitement like he had never experienced before growing inside of him, and he didn’t know why.

It was the same feeling he got when jumping through the trees. He felt free and scared. Like he could fly, but gravity might pull him crashing down at any second.

He had never spent any time in the north. He didn’t know his way around. But he left the car and ran, knowing, somehow, exactly where he meant to go.

The scent grew more robust, and the anticipation was driving him crazy. Then, finally, he felt something, a tug, a pull inside of him. He knew something was waiting for him on the other end.

He was close. Granger knew when he was suddenly hit with a wave of intense heat. He had to stop to catch his breath, not from the running, but from the powerful feeling that poured over his body like an electric storm building up, preparing to strike him down.

He pushed past the sensation turning a corner, and then stopped suddenly.

Her back was to him. Her honey-blonde hair was pulled up in knots and braids. She wore training leathers; her figure spoke to him in a way that made him blush. She was practicing throwing knives. Finally, her hand stopped, the knife she held falling to the ground.

Granger felt a low and unfamiliar growl rising from his gut. She turned slowly. The world around him had almost completely stopped. It was agonizing. Then, finally, their eyes met. All that he felt, all the excitement, the electricity, the heat came out of him in that low unfamiliar growl, and he let out the breath he was surprised to be holding.

Granger smiled at her, and she at him. And in that smile, he felt something else. He felt a warmth settling in his heart. Comfort and joy in her eyes. He had found his mate; he had found his home.

He had never even considered anyone else. He couldn’t. And now he knew the reason why. Because Ashleigh was meant for him, she was waiting for him. The only one he cared about, the only one he wanted.

He wasn’t a selfish man. He didn’t need to be the next Beta anymore; he didn’t need to be the best scout. He didn’t even need to claim her entirely. He wanted to, dear Goddess, he wanted to. But he could wait. All he needed was her. Just her.

He was filled with joy simply by being near her for two years. Breathing the air, she breathed, holding her hand, kissing her lips.

Until the moment she had said those words, the moment she told him it wasn’t just him. After that, everything changed. He kept showing up. Kept getting involved in her life, and she didn’t stop him.

Granger had a hard time understanding why she didn’t stop him, why she kept letting him in. But then he remembered everything he felt for her initially, how strong it was, how intense everything felt. Even a glance from her was enough to make him groan with painful pleasure. So, he wondered, was that feeling being shared with Caleb now?

Did she feel that for Caleb?

Ashleigh was his everything, his whole world. How could his whole world be taken from him so easily?

“It kills me, Ash,” he whispered through pained tears, “it hurts so much.”

He pounded at his chest as he spoke, showing her where it hurt while trying to make it stop.

“I don’t want to feel this way. I don’t want to be jealous or mean. I want to give you everything, shower you with my love and affection, and always make you smile. But everything just hurts, so much.”

He fell to his knees in the snow. Then, laying his forearms on the ground, he hunched over sobbing.

‘He needs me,’ she thought. ‘Oh, Granger, I wish you would have talked to me sooner.’

Ashleigh cried. She hugged herself and brought her hand to her mouth to cover the sobs that tried to escape her lips.

‘I knew he was having a hard time, that he was sad and jealous. But, oh Goddess,’ she thought to herself painfully, ‘how could you do this to us!’

She cursed the Goddess in her mind as she watched the man she loved crumble to pieces. Ashleigh stifled another cry, breathing in through her nose. Ordering herself to get in control. She wiped away her tears and swallowed down her emotions.

Ashleigh got down on her knees beside him and pulled him to her chest. She hugged him close and rubbed his back. She tried to calm him, hushing him softly. Granger wrapped his arms around her waist and sobbed into her chest. Letting out all the sadness and pain he was feeling.

“It’s ok,” she whispered. “It’s ok.”

She kissed the top of his head and petted his hair, a stabbing in her heart was all she allowed to escape from the vault in which she had placed the memory of her full moon with Caleb.

‘Granger is the one I love. He loves me more than anyone has ever loved anyone before.’ She thought angrily, ‘the Goddess was cruel to play these games with us. But I won’t play anymore. Granger is my one and only mate!’

“I’m sorry,” Granger whispered through his tears.

“Ssshh,” Ashleigh whispered, running her fingers through his hair softly. “You’re right. I can’t understand what you are going through. I am so sorry, my love. But I promise you are it for me. You are my mate. I love you and only you.”

Granger hugged her tightly, and Ashleigh smiled.

‘How could I have ever thought differently?’

She kissed the top of his head, smiling with affection.

Granger laid his head down against her chest, listening to her heartbeat, a Cheshire cat smile on his face.