I stood over her sleeping form, listening to her thoughts. As she dreamed, her memories played out like a drama for me to witness.

She was a plain girl, innocent, and barely eighteen - a child.

She had swallowed just enough of my blood to keep her from dying or losing any of her limbs to frostbite, but not enough to fully heal her exhaustion quickly.

I built a fire in one of my many guest rooms and placed her in the bed after Emma had made it with fresh sheets and blankets.

Emma had also heated some stones and wrapped them in a blanket to place under the girl’s feet. Some of the old ways were still useful from time to time.

Presently, the girl was remembering the boy Tristan wrapping his arms around her and holding her close while shouting at his mother to stop screaming.

I knew this family. The Martin’s pack lands touched my property’s southern border. I’d lived peacefully near this pack without incident for decades. Primarily, this was because the Alpha, as his father before him, was proud to share a border with a vampire of my caliber and frequently name-dropped me in social situations despite having only met in person a handful of times.

The world of vampire and wolf relations became increasingly political over time. Currently, we, as species, were accustomed to using one another in mutually beneficial ways, although this hadn’t always been the case. Historically, vampires and wolves had many states of co-existence; the past was fraught with enmity, alliances, wars, and general turmoil.

I continued to watch Jane’s memories. I wanted to know why she was freezing to death more than fifty miles outside her pack territory, on my land, with dried blood caked to her back.

In her memory, the Luna had stopped screaming but remained furious. She told her son that he would mate that thing over her dead body, then ordered them both to the Alpha’s study.

I entered her dream mind more fully, so I could become her. I’d feel what she felt and hear what she thought.

Jane followed Tristan into the study and hid behind him, but he wouldn’t let go of her hand.

The study was dark and dreary, the windows covered in dark shades barely cracked open at the bottom. The furniture was dark wood tones and arranged on top of a deep brown rug that smelled faintly like mud and dust. It wasn’t particularly clean and adding the scent of the Alpha’s tar and smoke aroma made Jane struggle to suppress a cough.

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“Son,” the Alpha began sternly.

“Your mother says that you’ve found your mate, and it’s that Jane Brown girl hiding behind you. The one without a wolf - Jessica’s stepdaughter. Is this true?”

“It’s true,” Tristan answered without hesitation.

Jane’s heart soared at the confidence in his answer.

“Reject her quickly and let her get back to her duties,” he ordered.

Jane’s stomach felt as though a rock was forming inside it.

“I won’t,” Tristan replied bravely. To defy the Alpha was a death sentence.

Jane squeezed his hand tighter, and he squeezed back reassuringly.

The Luna spat out the words in a high-pitched voice, “She can never be Luna, Tristan! Think rationally! She can’t even stand in front of her Alpha properly!”

“She’ll learn,” he replied, still sure of himself.

Jane stepped out from behind him to stand beside him, keeping her eyes lowered to the ground.

“Good girl,” he said to her and smiled, wrapping his arm around her waist.

The Alpha shook his head, “This won’t do, son. You know you need to choose a mate to help you lead the pack. Alpha Norman MacKenzie’s daughter is of age now. It would be a powerful match, and he’s been hinting at wanting to mate you to each other since your birthday. We were only waiting to see if you found your true mate. Now that we know she isn’t suitable, you can reject her, and the alliance can proceed.”

“Never,” Tristan replied simply.

Jane couldn’t believe he wanted her as his mate so much that he would refuse the Alpha’s orders.

The Alpha’s eyes glinted with barely controlled fury, “Never say never, son.”

“Dad,” Tristan took a deep breath, let it out, then continued calmly.

“You always tell the young pack members about the sacred nature of the mating bond. That the goddess possesses divine wisdom and knows exactly what each of us needs. You’ve taught that true mates are two halves of one soul and need each other to be complete. I will not go against the goddess even if it means I must defy you.”

“That’s just something we tell the children to encourage them,” the Luna snapped in frustration.

“My true mate was a whore in a strip club, son,” the Alpha said simply, and the Luna visibly winced. “The goddess doesn’t care or have any direct involvement in who our true mate is; it’s just an evolutionary relic that has overstayed its welcome.”

“I disagree,” Tristan sounded resolute and unmoving.

The Alpha’s eyes blazed over his desk silently, then the door opened, and six pack warriors entered the room. Two of them yanked Jane away from Tristan and carried her out of the study and down the hall.

Tristan roared in anger.

As Jane was dragged away, she twisted her head around to look back at him. She saw him break free and take several strides towards her, but four guards quickly overpowered Tristan, forcing him to the ground.

His teeth sharpened, and his eyes glinted the color of his wolf’s eyes as he snapped and bit at them, trying to free himself to get to her.

It was a horrifying and heartbreaking sight.

Tristan’s desperate gaze found her eyes, and he spoke to her over mind-link, “You are mine, Jane.”

Their circumstances were grim, but Jane’s heart was light. Her mate wanted her. He stood up to the Alpha because Tristan wanted her.