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Could that (above) be Mirko? ;)

Don't forget to vote loves :*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The pull she felt for this stranger left her breathless, giddy, a little light-headed.

Elena couldn't stop staring.

Mate mate mate.

The carrot-haired Gamma's stance was lazy--almost taunting--but threatening. In contrast, her mate was standing proud as a king, with this predatory stillness in his rigid stance.

Mate mate mate.

There was nothing refined or classical about his features - from the strong nose that widened at the bridge to the high cheekbones that sloped down in a sharp angle to a square jaw, to the wide, softly sculpted mouth, and those deep-set eyes hooded under a heavy, dark brow. His eyes were this unbelievable colour - like he had trapped a piece of the sky and stuck it in there. The whole effect was raw, masculine perfection.

Mate mate mate.

His skin was tan, except for these tiny white lines around his eyes and mouth. A lazy mess of raven hair kissed and softened the sharp lines of his face, making Elena itch to reach out and touch it.

A warrior mate, she thought, a gorgeous, a giant of a mate. The most physically striking man Elena had ever seen.

Mate mate mate! 

Rex, disappointed by Elena's lack of squirming, dumped her, but Elena barely noticed it. Slack-jawed, she clutched the door handle without looking at it, her knuckles white from gripping it so hard to avoid landing on her butt.

"Mate mate mateee!" Her wolf was howling like crazy, her heart beating erratically. "Go to mate! Go to mate!"

Something twisted in her chest - it was her heart readjusting its rhythm to beat in sync with his. Her body tingled with restless anticipation.

She wanted to sprint to him, scale him like her new favorite tree, the only tree she would ever scale, and say "hello there, Mr Future", but her feet were stuck as if in cement of surprising insecurities and growing shock. The true meaning of 'mate' slammed into Elena. 

Everything made sense now —the stories she'd heard all her life about how mates bewitched your soul and flipped your world upside down. How her parents couldn't be apart for more than a couple of hours, that extreme sense of completion, both magical and scary.

Elena couldn't stop absorbing his presence, the simple fact he existed, every detail of his face and body.

Mine.

"Moon Goddess, he's so tall...enormous!"

His arms were like the trunks of those pines at her pack, and oh, those black shorts showed that bulge of sleek muscle as hard as roped steel.

"His shoulders are so broad, he reminds me of the wardrobe back in my room!"

He made Rex look like a sardine, and Rex had always been one of the biggest guys she had ever seen. Elena wondered, in her dreamy state, who he could be. And why was he talking to Black Devil Gamma? And why didn't he detect her?

Rex nudged her. "Hey, Earth to Elena. You gonna keep drooling or introduce yourself?"

"Introduce? Myself? I can't even feel my legs!" Elena whispered back, her eyes still glued to her mate. "He looks like he could bench press a truck."

Giulia, always the practical one, piped up. "If you trip and fall, at least you'll land on those muscles. It's a win-win."

"He could be your father," Marco snorted.

"And you could be jealous," Rex snickered. They resumed bickering, but Elena wasn't paying attention.

Is he oblivious, or just playing it cool?

"WHY AREN'T YOU SNIFFING US! GOT TO MATE TO MATE!" Titilas was howling, "TO MATE AND MAKE PUPS!"

When a puff of air ruffled Elena's hair and flushed cheeks, she knew why. The gym vents were blowing air her way, so he probably hadn't picked up her scent... yet.

As soon as she thought that, he immediately stopped talking. It was quite funny to watch: his mouth still parted because he was about to say something, his eyes first dilated and then his brows furrowed, while his huge posture stiffened. His head turned, searching, distracted by something...

Me.

I am the distraction!

Out of the corner of her eye, Elena saw Gamma Rolando giving him a curious look... Why is he close to my mate? He reeks of Black Devil. Is he another warrior? Definitely not a teacher, but then why did she catch his scent her first day if he wasn't faculty or a student? He looked kind of young, maybe mid or late twenties.

Who is he?!

When her gorgeous mate scanned the crowded room, sniffing the air a couple of times, his eyes flashed a dark shade of blue. Elena gnawed on the inside of her lip. Millions of butterflies exploded inside her, while Titilas was jumping inside her head chanting the word mate. He must have caught her scent by now, his sense of smell was impressive.

When her ridiculously handsome mate scanned the crowded room, sniffing the air like a bloodhound, his eyes flashed a deeper shade of blue. Elena gnawed on the inside of her lip. A swarm of butterflies erupted inside her while Titilas was losing it, bouncing around in her head, howling mate! Mate Mate!

And then, after another second of searching, his gaze zeroed in on her.

Their eyes locked instantly.

They weren't very near, Elena at the second exit of the hall, and him standing at the main entrance.

But the distance didn't matter, the bustling gym faded into the background, leaving only the two of them, staring, in their own private, magical bubble.

His eyes narrowed, his hands clenching into tight fists at his sides. His stare was intense, unnerving. There was such a potent aura of power radiating from him, someone should check for electrical outlets nearby.

The mix of reactions that passed through his face was like a carousel of emotions: confusion, recognition, surprise and then pure shock. His mouth parted and his eyes almost black, he couldn't believe his mate was there staring at him, staring at Black Alpha...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

10 minutes earlier - Black Alpha

Mirko stretched his thick arms over his head, bones popping, then folded his hands behind his head, glancing at big sign of Redwood High. Two tongues were drawn next to the 'o'.

Craken paced back and forth, an unusual sight for the wolf who was typically as calm as a mountain stream.

"Hate being a student, Crak? Don't worry we won't be attending any class this week, but you knew that.' Mirko scoffed at his wolf.

They never did, years ago, when they were supposed to go to High School. There was a pack to take care of.

'There's someone lurking in the school, human. I can sense... them.' Craken growled, growing uneasy.

To an outsider, it would have been difficult to discern who was the wolf and who was the human.

'Well, yes, students from Full Moon, Crystal Wolf and those extra rogues,' Mirko sighed, striding towards the entrance.

It was like staring into Medusa's eyes.

Students petrified on the spot, arms and faces stuck in awkward poses, catching sight of The Black Alpha in their midst. Black Devil students were bowing their heads while the word Alpha was murmured with a holy reverence.

'It's not that, human!' Craken blurted with his short temper already on edge.

'I already sniffed those younglings way before you did.'

Mirko suppressed a laugh, maintaining a stoic face in front of the students. He couldn't start laughing like a hysterical wolf while they were saluting him.

'Then what is it? I don't feel anything different, furry head!' Mirko retorted, grinning.

"A-Alpha." One of the teachers, Mrs Nadari, stuttered out a greeting, fidgeting with her glasses like they were about to fall off her face. "Welcome back," she managed, avoiding his gaze like the plague and burying herself in her notepad.

Mirko sized up the trembling leaf in front of him. "Thanks, Maria," he kept his voice low and tried to flash a smile. That wasn't a good idea.

Rather than looking relieved, the teacher went from pale to paler. Teachers, Mirko thought with a hint of annoyance. For all their smart, they sure were fragile. 

'Argh!' Craken sneered. 'Everyone is scared of me' He continued with a proud voice.

'You mean us,' Mirko corrected, rolling shoulders and cracking his neck. He spent more time on all fours as a wolf, so standing upright always took some getting used to. Unintentionally, his stretching sent two little students tumbling over each other and falling in a mess of limbs.

"U-uh, s-sorry, A-Alpha," one of them stammered with a mortified face. With yet another sigh - Mirko wondered how many times he would sigh that afternoon, already dreaming of returning to his pack for a couple of juicy steaks - Mirko offered his hand to the tiny freshman.

'You made them fall on the floooor!' Craken was laughing so hard, he sounded like a boat motor that wasn't switching on.

'The giant has arrived!! Run away little students!' Craken continued to mock him. Mirko helped the boy, with a grimace that was supposed to resemble a smile.

He was getting tired of his pack members fearing him. Aware that his size was larger than the average Alpha male and his wolf resembled more of a prehistoric beast than an average mammal, he hadn't mistreated any of them.

′Hey! Mammal who?' Craken complained.

Mirko trudged to the gym, followed five steps back by two teachers.

The place was packed with students. He scented his own - Black Devils, other packs, and a few rogues thrown in. 

He caught sight of amused orange eyes across the room and grinned.

Time to check out the Beta's mate, even though Crucifero had strictly forbidden both Rolando and him from talking to his mate. "He is mine and you can't sniff him or talk to him."

"So we can look at him then?" Had asked Rolando.

Crucifero's answer was a growled out no.

Mirko agreed to keep his distance because he would soon have a meeting with Alpha Giacomo to discuss the upcoming transfer. This Marco was obviously moving in with them at Black Devil's. Plus, there was the ongoing issue with the Lord Skull pack and its nutjob Alpha, Ciro.

Full Moon reported an ambush by Ciro's goons, but Alpha Giacomo handled it well.

Mirko never thought about Alpha Giacomo or Full Moon, but he heard the older Alpha was a decent leader but too soft, and his training methods were a joke. No wonder Full Moon pups were plump and Mirko had heard that Full Moon she-wolves shaved.

"Black Alpha." Rolando greeted him with a nod. Mirko smirked at his friend, who insisted on using the title even though it wasn't necessary.

"Cunning Fox." He replied, knowing that his Gamma hated that name. "How are we doing here?" He continued, eyeing the large group of Black Devil students standing there, whispering among each other.

"Training went well. Crucifero's got a feisty mate," Rolando chuckled. "He beat Brad."

Mirko raised his thick inky eyebrows. "Impressive."

"Brad might have let him win," Rolando shrugged.

"Ah. Think this Full Moon could be a valuable Beta couple?" Mirko murmured, still a bit shocked that his ferocious Beta had a living, breathing mate.

"If Crucifero doesn't scare him off first," Rolando snickered, quickly hiding his mouth behind his knuckles.

"Wanna bet?" Mirko grinned.

"Deal. I bet he won't last two months. If I win, you train the Amazons for a week. They'd love to have their Alpha himself train them," Rolando proposed with a cunning glint in his eyes.

Mirko laughed, the amused look on Rolando's face was contagious. "Deal. But if you lose, then you'll have to go to the kindergarten and—"

Before Mirko could finish, his wolf, oddly quiet until then, started howling and tried to take control.

'Craken! What the f++k!' Mirko's angry voice yelled at him, pushing him back and stopping the shift. There was no need for people to faint and scream at the sigh of a crazy Craken.

Rolando gave him a confused look. "Alpha, you okay?"

The soft scent of cyclamen wafted through the air, hitting him straight to the core, and he had to fight the sudden urge to inhale a lungful of air.

A heartbeat later, the scent, familiar and already an addiction, made his blood burn, and a low growl escaped his throat. He sniffed the air, nostrils twitching, trying to catch that bloody scent among the mix of boring and gross smells.

Craken was out of control. 'Follow the scent! Follow it! NOW!' He was shouting.

With his senses on high alert, Mirko didn't need to be told twice. He felt a tickling sensation making his hair stand on end.

Someone was watching him.

He spun around, searching, discarding rows of ignorable faces...until her.

The most beautiful thing he had ever seen in all his years of life. She was there, standing. One little hand was grabbing the side of the door like she needed support. Her angelic hair flew down in magical golden waves over her little perfect figure.

He blinked, unsure if he was daydreaming. 

A pair of mesmerizing forest-green eyes framed by the blond slash of perfectly arched brows and long, thick lashes, shot arrows straight into his heart, all over again. 

Hell, the woman didn't seem to have any flaws.

Two beauty moles kissed her chin and upper lip. He liked that.

Her complexion was pure, and her mouth, dear Goddess, her mouth was full and soft-looking. He liked that, too.

She was as etherea as an angel...no, not an angel. More like a forest fae.

'Mate! She is our mate!!' Craken roared in excitement and happiness, trying again to control him.

'Go and mark mate!' He ordered, getting more agitated.

'Mate! Mark! Pups!'

But Mirko wasn't listening.

He couldn't stop staring at this fairy-tale creature who had cast a spell on him. She was perfection. 

Who was she? Why had he never seen her before? She didn't smell like a rogue. 

She had this wide-eyed, startled look of a girl raised in a convent and brought into the world for the first time.

Would she shake with fear if he whispered, "boo"?

Then, like a lightning bolt, the truth struck him. 

He had a mate!

Real, alive and heart-stirring.

A primitive wave of heat surged through him, as his gaze narrowed beneath the heavy weight of his brow, "mate!"

"Mine!" He growled.

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