'He's right you know.' I swear, my wolf had the most random moments to come forth and speak; but Ethan was right. For us Alphas, when it's already midnight, our wolves take over and follow the scent of our mate's no matter where they may be around the globe. As the crowd settled down, my father cleared his throat beside me. "There is only a few minutes left before midnight. May my son be safe on his travels as he brings us home our next Luna." The crowd erupted into another round of applause in front of me. I couldn't help but notice the eagerness in their eyes as my father said those words. They all knew that I would become Alpha one day, but they didn't know who would be their next Luna. Just like the Alpha, the Luna had to be a strong wolf who can look after her pack and attend to them if they ever needed her. 'Our mate would do just that.' 'How do you know? You haven't even met her yet.' 'I may not have met her yet, but she must be our mate for some reason. Why would the goddess give us a weak mate if she couldn't attend a Luna's duties?' Hmm, he had a point there. The goddess did pair every wolf with a significant other that would make them a better wolf, inside and out. Being the Alpha's mate meant that you would be bestowed many duties and you have to be a strong wolf in order to fulfill that role. Suddenly, as if a mental clock in my head told me so, I slowly felt myself losing control of my human form and my wolf step forward. I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths as a strong scent filled my nose. It smelled of cinnamon and a hint of mint. It had to be the most mouthwatering scent I have ever smelled in my entire life. I snapped my eyes open, having no doubt that my eyes were pitch black since my wolf had already taken over. I turned my head south and was not surprised to see that my parents and Ethan had stepped back to give me enough space for when I shifted. Without a second thought, I launched myself in the air as I shifted into my wolf. The only sound that was heard was the tearing of my clothing as I shifted. I didn't bother to look back to see the shreds, I instead allowed my wolf to take over as his paws collided with the Earth below, barely making a sound. As the distance between the pack house and I increased, I could hear the faint groans of females as they realized that neither of them would be the next Luna. My wolf snickered at the thought, immediately telling me that he never thought of them as worthy enough to be our mate. Especially not Claudia. I couldn't have agreed more. I do admit that they were all beautiful in their own way, but never had I ever envisioned them standing beside me as I ruled the pack once I became Alpha. My wolf gracefully dodged every tree as we made our way through the forest. The night was clear and there was barely a full moon in the sky. It provided us with the light we needed as we made it through the dark forest of our territory. It wasn't long until we sensed the end of it and we were now in no man's land. This was where the rogues would run about. I would not be surprised if some would come out of hiding to attack us the second they noticed who we were. But then again, I think they would think twice before attacking. I was now 18 and a fully powered Alpha wolf, meaning that any wolf that dared to challenge us would be greeting death in the face before any attack was launched to the other. My wolf and I could sense some rogues trying hard to catch up to us, but they were no match to the speed that we were running in. They eventually gave up and went back to who knows where. The second they disappeared, I sensed another set of wolves in front of us; but I instinctively knew that they were from our neighboring pack just south of us. The wolves were on high alert and knew that I might be passing through. It was by law that every Alpha alert the other territories if their heir was to turn 18. Even if their mate was to be of the same pack, a warning had to be ushered around the globe just to be on the safe side. Before this law was established, there had been many Alpha heirs that were killed due to the illegal passing to another pack's territory. War had emerged after these incidents and once these wars ended, the law was quickly established to prevent any more unwanted deaths to occur. Thank the goddess for that. The wolves around us acknowledged us by bowing their heads slightly, immediately sensing the Alpha authority within me. My wolf instead shook his head, indicating that his mate was not of this pack and he was simply passing through. They immediately relaxed their bodies and went about their patrols for the night, probably informing their Alpha, as well as their pack members, that I would be entering their lands. My wolf and I didn't even bother to go near their towns since there was enough land for us to pass through without being detected. I was sure that this pack would sense me, but they wouldn't do anything to stop me. They all knew that stopping an Alpha wolf from finding his mate was just suicide, especially since it wasn't me who was in control at this very moment. My wolf chuckled slightly as he pushed forward, following the sweet scent of our mate. It seemed sort of familiar but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.