CHAPTER 2 – My Heart's Deepest Desire

DAVID

My name’s David Nathaniel Fortner. I’m 32 years old and a shifter. A werewolf, to be exact. That means I live my life as a human, but whenever I want, I can transform into a wolf.

My wolf’s name is Zeus. He is black and strong. He is an Alpha, making me one as well. Being an Alpha means you oversee a pack of wolves.

There are fifty packs in total, situated all around the world. These packs have existed since the beginning of our history and haven’t changed through the years. Most of them are allied with ours. A few of them are hostile or neutral, and two are unregistered - we don’t even know where they are located -.

My pack is the Golden Moon Pack, and it’s one of the biggest and strongest in the USA. We, the Fortners, have been Alphas of the Golden Moon Pack from the very beginning. From father to son, our legacy continues, and I´m expected to bring the next heir to my pack. A fact that I have lately started to doubt.

The reason?

So simple...

I´m mateless!

That means I haven´t found my fated mate yet. Our mate is our other half, or what most people know as “our soulmate.” A mate is the one who complements and completes us, makes us truly happy and completely satisfied.

To find your mate, you have to smell them. A mate emits a special scent to its pair, and the pull between them is inevitable. When direct visual contact is established, the mate bond snaps into place, creating an invisible force that unites them even more.

Mates are bestowed on us by our Goddess, Selene. She is the Goddess of the Moon and the protector of our race. She is responsible for the mate bond, and it is said that she determines our mates from birth, though it’s not yet proven because no one has ever spoken to her.

Newly found mates tend to fall in love with each other rather faster than usual, and all emotions between them multiply. Apart from the previous attributes of the mate bond, there is a long list of other signs that come forth. Sparks and tingles appear in every physical contact, making them crave to touch, taste, kiss, and mate with each other. To mate means to have sex, and werewolves -as humans with an animal side and extremely hormonal creatures- tend to have a lot. Every day, every night, many times around the clock, and it is never enough. Ideal hmmm... You can call it like that.

Every thought and every action spins around your mate. Not a second passes without thinking about them. Your life, your purpose, your mate is everything.

And here I am at the age of thirty-two and still haven’t found her. I’ve been searching for her since the moment I turned 18 and became capable of sniffing her.

But I never did.

And I tried. The Goddess knows how hard I tried. From the moment I hit 25, I started traveling the world for her, requesting access to every allied pack to enter and search.

I always took an entourage of unmated wolves with me. The lucky fuckers returned home mated and marked, and I always came back empty-handed and disappointed. Only to gather up my strength, settle my obligations as Alpha, give guidelines and orders to my Beta, find other unmated wolves to come with me, and visit another territory. Until I had visited everyone I could. Then I stopped.

I also tried to find a chosen mate. I picked one female from my pack, which I liked, and started a relationship with her. But soon I got bored. I couldn’t even look at her after six months of dating, let alone fucking her.

Well, in fact, to be sincere, I was fed up with messing around. I had a fair share of women. Countless.  I could also say I have lots of experience. But lately, nothing stimulates me more than finding my fated mate. I have this need to settle down and be faithful to the woman who would make me want to wake up every morning hugging her tight and smelling her unique scent. I craved to love and to be loved.

I yearned for my mate...

No! I needed my mate.

~~~

It was the previous week, and I was attending a gala in a nearby pack. Werewolves never miss a chance to dress up and join gatherings like birthdays, anniversaries, or other kinds of ceremonies.

I happened to overhear a conversation about a witch capable of granting your heart’s greatest wish and didn’t know why, but I found myself asking about that witch, although I was not too fond of their entire race. In the end, I effortlessly obtained a name and a phone number.

I called her and booked an appointment with her. She seemed as if she was expecting my call. She even knew my name.

So, the next day, I was driving to the rendezvous point, cursing myself for meddling with the foe. It’s common knowledge that witches and vampires are our species’ natural enemies. But I would do anything just to find my destined - even a deal with the devil himself.

I parked outside an old, two-story bungalow and wondered how it was still standing. I stepped inside as the rusty door opened. The unbearable scent of the witch reached me, and to ease the discomfort, I started breathing from my mouth. The interior, however, seemed cozy and modern, in contrast to the exterior.

“Welcome, Alpha David Nathaniel Fortner. I was expecting you.” The witch herself said chirpily, descending the stairs. She was wearing casual clothes and had a cute face. She was rather beautiful for a witch.

“Agatha...” I responded. I didn’t know her last name, and I wasn’t interested in finding out, anyway.

“Disgusting hmmm?”

I raised an eyebrow. What was she referring to?

“My scent.” She continued, smiling politely.

I shrugged my shoulders. I didn’t have an answer for her. She knew it already.

“It will get better with time and will fully disappear once you accept our alliance,” she stated.

“I’m not here to build an alliance with you!” I blurted out.

“Oh, I know. Trust me, I know. You are here for your heart’s deepest desire. But in many years... I will be your most valuable ally. In time, you’ll need me again, as I will need you!” she said, sighing heavily as she regretted her own words.

“What will you need me for?” Her needing my help got me intrigued.

“Your s...” she placed her hand on her mouth, stopping what she was saying. “Your family will help me make my wish come true.” She dreamily uttered. “Anyway, you’re here to find A...” she stopped again, biting her finger this time and giggling. She was rather bubbly and annoying. “To find your mate. Am I correct?” She continued.

“Yes,” I answered bluntly.

“So, have you searched for her?” She asked nonchalantly.

“I’ve been searching for her since I was eighteen. 14 years later and countless trips around the world, and still all my attempts are futile.” I confessed.

She was looking at me with pity in her eyes. Oh, Goddess, why did I bother coming here? I didn’t want the witch’s compassion. It was humiliating. But from the moment I heard about her, I was offered a gleam of hope.

“Have you been to Greece?” She asked with a smug smirk.

“No, where the fuck is that?” I asked, annoyed. Of course, I knew of the country, but I never bothered looking for it, let alone visiting.

“I’m not here for a geography class. I know that your mate is there. But to find her exact location, we need to make a locator spell.” She looked me in the eye before she continued. “But before we need to speak of my payment.”

“Name your price, witch.” I hatefully exclaimed.

“Hey, Alpha. Relax. I’m not your enemy, and I never will be. I’m trying to help you. The payment is not for me but for our common cause. Trust me, I know.” She said it in a soft voice, the smile never leaving her face.

What common cause? Is she nuts? All I wanted to do was to leave immediately so that I could breathe properly again. And catch a plane for Greece, of course. Now that I knew where she was, I was so anxious and excited. But how did Agatha know? She seems to perceive a lot of things. Was she a seer?

“I need... Let’s just say five million dollars.” She chirped.

“Ok. I’ll have half of them transferred today and the other half once I find her. Your account?” I added.

“I trust you. Do it whenever you can. I told you the money is not for me.” She snapped her fingers and opened her hand. She revealed a card with numbers; her bank account, I guess, and gave it to me.

“So, to continue, I need a droplet of your blood.” She demanded while guiding me towards a table. She rummaged in a drawer nearby, finding what she needed, and started unfolding a map over the table - a map of Greece.

Of course!

“How did you know she’s there? Are you a seer?” I found the opportunity to pose my question.

“No, I’m neither a seer nor an oracle. I just know things. Trust me, I know.” She placed a crystal in front of me and ordered, “Blood.” I extended my claw and, piercing my index finger, dropped two drops of my blood on the crystal.

“That’s more than enough. Thank you. Are you ready?” She inquired. I just nodded.

“Let’s find your mate, then!” She flashed a big, radiant smile and started chanting a spell, releasing the crystal that hung on a thick thread. The crystal started rotating around the map until it abruptly stopped somewhere on the map.

“Oh, we found her, Alpha David!” She started laughing, and I couldn’t help but laugh heartily as well, hoping that this time, indeed, I would finally spot her.

“Look!” She said, pointing with her finger to an island on the map. “She’s here. It’s high time you enjoyed a vacation in Greece, Alpha.” She chuckled.

At that moment, I felt happy and relieved. I didn’t know how, but deep inside, I knew Agatha was telling me the truth. The hatred I felt for her because she was a witch has vanished. But her ugly smell remained. However, after that revelation, I felt better in her presence.

“Thank you.” I offered my hand to her.

She took my hand with both hands, holding it tight. She looked me straight in the eyes and started confessing.

“Don’t be disappointed by what you’ll face there, Alpha. It’s going to be difficult at the beginning, but everything is gonna be all right at the end. It won’t be a simple journey. Trust me, I know.”

I widened my eyes. She was indeed speaking as if she knew things. That “Trust me, I know” phrase has already started to bug me.

“Take my advice and please don’t forget it. After you claim her, don’t ever lie to her again because you will lose her forever, and we can’t afford that. Trust me, I know.”

“Why would I ever lie to my mate?”

“I said enough. It’s time for you to leave.” She placed her hand on my shoulder, guiding me towards the front door. I let her navigate me to the exit, even if I knew where it was.

“Till we meet again, Alpha David.” She saluted me.

“Thanks again, Agatha.” I did a curt nod, got in the car, and drove back to my territory to prepare for my trip.