Page 9 of My Fated Mate

Chapter 3

THORNE

I sigh.

This isn’t easy.

I thought I would just go out, follow my instincts, find her, and everything will be fine.

But it’s not happening that way at all, and I don’t have time on my side.

I can’t leave my pack without protection for long. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to them while I'm away.

Weeks have passed in relentless pursuit, my most trusted soldiers and I scouring the territories, seeking the elusive fated mate destined to alter our fate.

We've traversed the realms of countless packs, questioned every alpha, and inspected every potential candidate for the mark that signifies destiny's intervention.

Yet, disappointment lingers like a shadow. No mark, no revelation.

Nothing.

The frustration simmers beneath my alpha exterior, gnawing at the edges of my determination. Each empty-handed return is a weight on my shoulders, a reminder of the desperate need for change.

“Thank you for visiting us.” Alpha Evan says, and I smile back at him.

“I’m grateful for your assistance and hospitality,” I say automatically.

And then they turn away, walking back and leaving us at the outskirts of their territory.

Zane walks over to me after they leave. “We have two more packs to check, Alpha.”

My fiercest warrior stands tall and proud, but his eyes can’t lie. He’s tired. We are all tired.

Rylan would have bitten my head off if he was here.

The heaviness in the air is palpable. Hope, once a beacon, flickers dimly. And no one dares say a word against my orders.

I exhale a weary breath and voice my frustration. "We've scoured every inch, questioned every potential mate. There's no sign of the Fated one. We’ll have to return home.”

Was Greta’s prophecy just madness? Was I stupid to believe the words of a delusional female?

It’s time to return and prepare to fight to the death.

“But Alpha… we still have one more pack to go,” Zane says, and even though I see the fatigue in his eyes, I realize he’s still holding onto the hope that a fated mate can save us.

Everyone has that same hope.

But I am the Alpha of this pack. Hope alone can’t save us.

I smile and touch his shoulder. “We will find her, but we also have to prepare just in case,” I say, and he bites his lip, nodding.

Silence descends upon us as the reality of our fruitless journey settles in. The road home stretches before us—a road marred with uncertainty.

The moon hangs high in the night sky, casting an ethereal glow on our weary group as we make our way home. The distant echoes of the forest provide a soothing backdrop, disrupted only by the rustling of leaves.

I pause, my nose catching a scent, but before I can grasp what it is, a shadowy figure suddenly emerges from the darkness, swiftly followed by a group of masked thieves, their weapons gleaming in the moonlight.

Mountain thieves.

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