The Alpha's Forbidden Beta.

Ivory's POV

The scent of burning pine hung heavy over the sacred clearing, but it did nothing to soothe the violent restlessness churning in my stomach.

Tonight was the Matching Ceremony, the one night of the year when unmated, coming-of-age werewolves finally found their soul mates.

I stood at the periphery of the crowd, arms crossed tightly over my chest, watching the expectant pack gather in a wide circle. The pale blue moon hung high above us, glowing.

"It won't happen," I muttered under my breath, casting my gaze down to my leather boots. "Maybe I'd never get a fated mate."

I was Ivory, the Beta of the Obsidian Pack. I had built my reputation on absolute self control. I didn't need a fairy tale to solidify my status. But still, it hurt to watch others get something you longed for.

Suddenly, the moonlight's pale glow turned into a blinding silver radiance. A high-pitched, agonizing sound sliced straight into my skull.

I gasped, dropping heavily to my knees as my hands flew to my ears.

"What the hell is going on?!"

The sound escalated into a deafening pitch. A wave of invisible heat poured into my veins from nowhere, burning and freezing me all at once. My senses exploded. I could smell the damp earth beneath me; I could hear the synchronized heartbeat of every living thing in the valley.

My wolf surged forward with terrifying momentum.

Crack.

I screamed as my bones snapped and forced themselves into a new alignment. My spine arched, muscles tearing and rebuilding in a flash of agonizing heat. Claws tore through my fingertips, and a raw, hooting howl broke from my jaw, echoing into the dark canopy.

And then it hit me.

An intoxicating, utterly irresistible scent drifted from the tree line-a rich blend of jasmine and vanilla honey.

My body moved entirely on instinct as I sprinted into the blackness of the forest, tearing through the underbrush. Branches whipped against my fur, but I felt no pain. I only needed him, the owner of the scent-my soul's missing half.

I skidded to a halt so violently that my claws tore a line on the ground.

The wolf stood waiting in the shadows.

The moment my eyes locked onto his striking grey ones, the entire world shifted from black and white into living colours. A consuming ache to touch him, to possess him, flooded my being.

The grey wolf was my fated mate. At long last! He gave me a growl of recognition.

My heart pounded wildly as I stepped closer, my soul screaming with joy. We leaned toward each other, inches from touching, when suddenly he went rigid.

His expression twisted with conflict.

My paws faltered.

What...?

For a split second, the invisible thread of the bond yanked him toward me again, forcing him to give in. Then, with a brutal jolt, he jerked back. A sharp, agonized howl tore from his throat.

He turned and bolted into the dark.

"Wait!"

I lunged after him, my paws slamming against the earth. I pushed harder, faster, ignoring the tearing sensation in my chest.

"Stop! Please!"

But he didn't stop. He ran from me as though I were a plague, as though I wasn't his.

Every stride he took away from me felt like a red-hot blade driving deeper into my heart. My wolf let out a broken, desperate howl.

"Come back."

But he only ran faster into the shadows until he vanished completely.

Still, I ran - I ran until my lungs burned dry and my wolverine form collapsed, leaving me a running naked, and shivering woman. I crashed hard against the root of an old tree and blood welled in my mouth from my split lip.

Why did he run? Why doesn't he want me? And most importantly, who was he?

I lost conciousness before the answers came.