Authors Note: Hello and welcome to the show! This is a cute story that I've been loving to write the past few months, and decided that this was the best platform for it at the moment. I hope you enjoy this story, because it's been a blast to write. If you find any typos, feel free to leave a comment about it and I will fix it. Thank you for reading!
-Saturn
Mates usually are found when a werewolf turns 18. Their wolf will catch onto the scent of their mate if they are nearby and they will follow it to whomever it is that they are to claim as theirs. If one wasn't found on their eighteenth birthday, then they would either go looking for their mate alone, or the pack would invite other friendly packs over in order to increase the chances.
Max was 21 years old and still mateless. After three long years of parties and pack meets, he was almost finished with trying to look. He would leave the pack temporarily to go find his mate. But he couldn't. As the next Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack, journeying like that would be irresponsible and could put the pack in danger.
It would make sense, if only his parents would give him the title already. They were waiting for his mate too. Their pack had never had an Alpha without a Luna.
Needless to say, Max was restless.
Nothing could keep him occupied anymore. Even when hunting he seemed distracted. It's why he took his time with it. He would rather spend days running around as a wolf than staying home with nothing but his thoughts.
"Max, you're getting too close to the border," Tyler spoke through the mind link.
He groaned. As the next Beta, Tyler was told to keep a tight hold on him, just to make sure he didn't do anything crazy. It's why Max always had a hunting party. They were all afraid that he'd run off in search for his mate or drift off in his thoughts so much that he would venture out too far.
Ever since Tyler was given that order he acted more like a parent than a best friend.
Max bolted in the opposite direction he was originally going in. It was a game that they wound up playing a lot. If Tyler told him he couldn't go in one direction, he would sprint in the opposite. Being that he was the fastest one of the pack, Max got a kick out of seeing Tyler struggle to keep up with him. The only one that could keep the pace with him was his father. He missed running with him quite a lot actually.
"Why do you always do this?" the bluish gray wolf panted behind him.
"If you're going to act like a parent, then I might as well act like a child. Simple as that," he replied back.
"I sincerely hope that my children never wind up as fast as you," Tyler huffed.
"At least you have children."
Tyler and the rest of his friends had all found their mates. Some of them from other packs, some from their pack. It never took long before they would have that possessive look on their face. And Max had to be tortured with watching them start families and grow.
He wanted that more than anything.
"Alpha Max," A young hunter, Bella, interrupted their conversation. She was only sixteen, but she had amazing hunting skills, and Max enjoyed having her in his party. "There's something strange on our territory."
"Where?" Max stopped dead in his tracks. He tried not to laugh too hard at Tyler when he attempted to stop just as suddenly.
"Southeast," She kept her reply short. "It smells like it's about two miles outside the city at the edge of our territory."
"And you can't determine the smell?"
"It's not something I've smelt before, sir," she was always so respectful to him. Even though he wasn't Alpha yet, it was good to be treated with respect.
"I'll check it out," he started running towards the directions she gave. Bella was an amazing hunter and tracker, but he didn't exactly want to test her fighting abilities with a rogue. Those beasts were a plague to them.
"Sam, Ed," he contacted the rest of his hunting party. "Follow Bella's directions," he ordered. There were always rogues around that loved to run onto their territory for a quick bite. It was annoying to say the least.
Bella seemed a little annoyed that she couldn't come with. As much as Max tried to treat her as an equal on these trips, she wasn't ready for Rogues. She was a smart kid nonetheless. Her parents had taught her to respect all that were above her, and she followed that rule religiously.
Some of the pack members thought that she could be his mate. Her hunting skills and sense of responsibility was definitely worthy of the 'Luna' title. But Max couldn't see it. Her parents desperately wanted him to, but he couldn't. It felt too much like she was a student of his. And that just seemed weird to him.
The city to the Southeast of them was closing onto the other side of their territory. It was a small city, and, just beyond it's border's was the end of what they had been able to claim.
Max would like to claim more of the surrounding territory past the city. The Rogues loved trying to get in through that small place. If it weren't for a treaty that Max's great grandfather had made with the town leaders of the day, they probably would have already laid waste to that place.
When Max became the true Alpha, he would claim all the land around that city. Not only would it assist in keeping the city safe, which was a part of the treaty, but it would give the pack more room to grow.
"I don't smell anything," Ed said. "Bella, are you sure you didn't just smell one of the bakeries from the city or something?"
Bakeries? Max was going to ask why he asked such random question when he finally caught a whiff of it himself.
It was human, but this one smelt sweet. Like a freshly baked apple pie.
"You know I don't like bakeries," Bella answered.
Max had almost completely ignored them. His every sense was now focused on this smell. As much as it smelt sweet, something was off about it.
And humans didn't usually smell sweet.
"Will you guys shut up already?!" Sam came into the conversation. "You're giving me a headache."
"You're just fussy because Leah's pregnant again," Ed teased. He was always the person who liked to lighten up the mood. Hunting could get long and boring sometimes. He was the best person to help pass time and have fun.
"Wait until you wind up on pup #3," He said. All Ed did was laugh.
"Guys," Tyler interrupted them, "We need to focus on the mission. Has anyone found the scent?"
"I have," Max replied instantly, "I think it's human."
"You think?" Sam asked, "Weren't you supposed to be the best hunter in the pack?"
He knew that the tan wolf was only joking, but it still didn't stop him from growling in response.
"Humans don't normally smell like this," He ran faster towards the scent. The stronger it became, the more entranced he seemed to be with it. It was as if it was pulling him. For the first time in a long while, he actually felt excited.
The rest of them followed silently. It didn't take long before they heard twigs breaking. The smell was coming from a small clearing that the woods had scattered within it.
"Surround," It was the only word he had to say. They all knew their positions. No matter whether the smell was human or not, they took all the safety measures just in case of danger.
"I thought you said it wasn't a rogue," Sam said.
"I'm not taking my chances," for all he knew, this could be a trap. Even if the smell wanted to tell him the complete opposite.
They slowly crept up towards the opening. Just as he suspected, it was a human. This one was a man with blond hair and green eyes.
Interesting. Those characteristics weren't that common in this part of the country. Neither was the apple and cinnamon scent he kept giving off. How was it that the sweet aroma could control his thoughts so easily?
"False alarm," Tyler said. "Just another lost human."
"Oh! Can I scare him off this time?" Ed asked. His golden eyes sparkled with a mischievous grin against his black fur.
Even though most of them had families, it never stopped them from acting like kids from time to time. Max missed the days when they would all hang out like this just to have fun, instead of the need to hunt.
"Let's all do it," Max suggested. "It'll be just like old times."
Even Tyler seemed to enjoy that idea.
With their movements aligned with one another, they came to the clearing. The simultaneous low growl that each of them emitted immediately grabbed the humans' attention. He looked a little panicked. But, much to their surprise, he put his hands out in front of him and stood still. He didn't even look like he was going to run or anything. He didn't look like he was frozen in place either. He could tell that the man was stressed, but he remained calm on the outside.
"Hey doggies," he said. His voice sounded a bit sheepish. Ed growled at the term and the human looked towards him. "Sorry - wolves," he corrected himself. "I guess you guys really aren't the friendly type."
Well this was new. Humans always ran at the sight of them. Instead of running or trying to escape, this one sat down into the grass.
Did he know what they were?
No. That would make him even more afraid.
"I'm no threat, I promise you all. I know you're just trying to protect your family. I just got a little lost."
"Is it normal for humans in this city to talk to animals like this?" Sam asked. They had all remained quiet up to this point. They even stopped growling. Something about the way the human talked had a calming effect.
"To their pets maybe," Tyler answered. "Never heard of them talking to wild ones before."
"Well, I guess there's a first for everything," Ed said. He seemed almost as intrigued as Max. This human was interesting to say the least. And they had only met him a few minutes ago.
Max couldn't get over the smell that was now fully invading his nostrils. The smooth voice seemed to calm him in a way he had never felt before. For once he didn't feel so...
Restless.
"I know!" the human interrupted the mind link conversation. Slowly he reached into his pocket. "You guys must be hunting right now. I don't have much, but I think I have some jerky for you guys."
How did he know they were a hunting party? The more the man talked, the more confused Max became. There were more questions instead of any answers. Yet, he felt more curious than threatened.
"Here it is," he pulled out a few sticks of beef jerky. Max remembered eating a lot of those when he was in High school. "I don't know if you guys only eat raw meat. The butcher usually has some parts that he never uses and just tosses them. If I thought I was going to be in this mess I probably would have picked some up for you guys."
Sam huffed a laugh at that one. Another thing that surprised Max today. Sam hasn't laughed around him since he started to feel guilty that he found his mate before everyone else.
"Imagine taking beef jerky back to the pack after hunting!" Sam laughed again.
"Glad to know I'd make a good wolf comedian," the human said. The smile on his face was dazzling. "At least I know you guys aren't starving, or you probably would have eaten me already. And I don't think I'd make a great meal."
"He must study animals," Tyler concluded. "That would be the only reason he knows this much."
"This is one strange human," Ed said. "What should we do?"
That was a question they always left for Max to answer. He was the next pack leader, after all.
From studying the man, it didn't seem like he was a threat. He could have smelt if he was lying, and he wasn't. Everything he did just seemed to calm them all down. There was an aura about this man. It was almost heavenly to Max.
"Max?" Tyler snapped him out of his daze.
"Leave and get back to hunting," he answered, sharing the same information with Bella, who was waiting on an answer to her findings. "I'll get him back to the city."
"You know, I think I like this human," Ed said. "Maybe we should keep him."
All of them looked at the black wolf before mentally shouting "NO!"
Ed shrunk at the loud refusal. They knew he wasn't completely scared of their answer though. He still had this amused look about him.
That man never knew when to quit.
They all ran off to get back to their hunt. The human became more aware of him not moving as the rest of the party dispersed.
"You must be the leader of them, huh?" his green eyes held Max's full attention. A part of him wanted those eyes to never look anywhere else.
"I take it you don't want the jerky then," he rambled on. "I guess there are better things to eat around here. Trust me, that's more of a good thing."
It was when the man started to stand that everything hit Max again. The sweet scent flooded his nose. He didn't want him to leave. A low growl came out of him without him really thinking. The man froze again.
"Sorry, sorry," his hands were in front of him again. "Just wanted to stretch my legs, Big Guy. No need to be scared of little ole me."
Scared? Now he wished Sam were here for that. It would be nice to hear him laugh again.
Max walked towards him, finally entering the clearing. The warm sunlight welcomed him into its embrace. The human's face looked a little white as he looked up at the tall wolf.
"Wow. You're a really big wolf. There really must be good game around here. Don't worry, I'm not a hunter. I barely eat anything really."
After a few seconds, he stopped talking. Max kept walking closer to him. Something compelled him to be near the man. The human looked scared now. It was ironic that he be scared of just one wolf coming towards him compared to multiple surrounding him. Max was surprised that he kept his ground and stood still. Yet his scent was still as strong as ever, even with him being still.
Finally, he touched him. His nose nudged the hand that had been closest to him. The man immediately relaxed at the contact. Carefully, he pet his head.
As much as Max hated to be treated like a pet in this form, he couldn't help but lean into him. Sparks went through his fur with every touch.
"Your fur is softer than I thought it would be," the blond said. "Does this mean you trust me to not hurt you guys?"
He licked his hand. It was the only way he could think of responding. This human was going to be the death of him. Already, he had him acting like a house pet. This was ridiculous.
Then the man laughed. And, suddenly, he didn't mind anything he was complaining about just a minute ago. He couldn't even remember what they were.
He jumped on him. It wasn't enough to hurt him. Max knew the power of his wolf form, and had trained to learn how to be gentle as well as strong. He just jumped on the man enough to push him back a little. Then he started licking and nuzzling every spot he could. The blond laughed that infectious laugh again, petting his neck and head.
"You're just a big puppy, aren't you?"
No. Only when he smelt this man. Max never knew that a sweet smell like this could have such an affect on him. It was a spell that he happily played subject to.
"Come on, Big Guy," the soft hands gently tried to push him off. "I gotta get home before it gets dark."
A whine left him at the thought of him leaving.
"Hey, it's okay buddy. I could come back again if you'd like that."
His tail wagged on its own in response to that soothing voice. What was wrong with him? Ed would be dying of laughter if he saw this.
They both got up, as the man had eventually fallen down, and Max helped lead him to the hiking path he guessed the man had taken before. All it took was a few nudges in the right direction.
"Thanks, Big Guy," he kissed the top of his head. "I'll see you soon, I promise."
The kiss sent sparks through his whole body. He felt light, and at peace. Even though it pained him to watch the fascinating man leave.
That's when he knew. He had finally found his mate.
The next Luna of the pack.
And it was a human.