## ALPHA ZEUS' POV
It had been a long night. Crippling tiredness settled into my bones, but that was nothing new. Being the Alpha of the Darkest Moon pack meant carrying a weight few could handle. I had never been obsessed with power—I was simply born with it. The things I had survived made me ruthless, and my name was feared by every Alpha King across the territories.
I let out a slow, heavy breath.
I looked over at the empty side of the mattress. The woman was gone. I figured she was in the bathroom washing up or throwing up after how much she'd had to drink. But when minutes passed without a sound, it was clear she had slipped out.
I slid off the bed and pulled my boxers up over my thighs. The night had been surprisingly good. I scanned the room for my phone, tossing the sheets aside, and froze.
Stained right in the middle of the white fabric was a spot of blood.
I stared at it. I never would have guessed a girl dancing half-naked on a bar counter was a virgin.
I walked over to the full-length mirror, my mind retracing the night. I looked at my reflection—the sharp cut of my chest, my abs, and the jagged scar running along my ribs.
I checked the floor to see if she had left anything behind. The only thing there was her ripped red underwear. I kicked it aside and looked toward the nightstand.
My chest tightened.
"Where is my bracelet?"
I had left it right on the wooden table before we went to bed. It wasn't silver, gold, or diamond, but it was worth more to me than everything else in this room combined. Losing it wasn't an option.
I stood there, narrowing down the timeline. No one else had entered this room. That meant only one thing—that girl took it.
"Unbelievable," I growled.
Who was she? A thief? A spy sent to find out what that bracelet meant? Either way, I needed to know who I had just shared a bed with.
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. Before I could make a call, a notification popped up on my screen—a trending video of a woman dancing on a bar top.
I clicked it.
There she was. The same girl from last night. How the hell had a video of her gone viral overnight?
I scrolled through my contacts and dialed.
It rang three times before a voice answered. "Good morning, Alpha Zeus."
I didn't bother with pleasantries. "I need the girl from the pub last night."
"The girl? Is everything alright, Alpha?"
"Don't ask questions. Find out every single detail about her. She stole from me, and I want her location now."
"Understood. Give me a few minutes."
I hung up. That was Maxwell, my second-in-command. When I wanted answers, he delivered.
Five minutes later, my phone vibrated.
"What do you have, Maxwell?"
"I confirmed her identity. She isn't a performer," Maxwell reported. "She's an Alpha princess from the Wonder Power pack. Her name is Kayla."
An Alpha princess. Was her pack trying to play games with me?
"Good," I said, my jaw tightening. "Assemble my unit."
"What are we doing?" Maxwell asked. "How many men do you need?"
"Not many," I said. "My presence alone is enough to bring that pack to its knees. We're going to collect what's mine."
---
A short while later, my black SUVs pulled up outside the main house of the Wonder Power pack. My men moved quickly, securing the perimeter. Maxwell stepped out and opened my door.
As I got out, I spotted two women standing on the front porch—an older woman and a younger one, likely mother and daughter. I adjusted my dark sunglasses and walked up the steps toward them. Even without knowing who I was yet, I could smell the fear rolling off them.
"Can... can we help you?" the older woman asked, her voice tight.
I slid my glasses off, eyeing them coldly.
"I'll make this brief," I said. "I am Alpha Zeus Ludendorff of the Darkest Moon pack."
The moment the name left my lips, both of them paled. My reputation always arrived before I did.
"I'm Kate," the older woman stammered, trying to regain her composure. "And this is my daughter, Adire. How can we help you, Alpha?"
"Kayla," I said directly. "Bring her out."
A flicker of confusion crossed their faces, followed by a tight grimace.
"What are you waiting for?" I demanded, stepping closer. "Bring her to me."
"Kayla isn't here," Kate said quickly. "She ran off. She does that. I'm her stepmother, so I know how she is. But..." She forced a sickly sweet smile. "If you're looking for company, my daughter Adire is available."
Adire preened beside her, offering me a wide smile. I looked at them both with complete disgust.
"Forty-eight hours," I cut in.
They blinked, looking at each other.
"You have forty-eight hours to put Kayla in front of me," I said, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous growl. "If she isn't delivered to me by then, I will tear this pack apart brick by brick. And I promise you, no one in the Wonder Power bloodline will survive to tell the story."
I slipped my sunglasses back on, turned on my heel, and walked back to my car.
She took something that belonged to me. Now, she was going to learn exactly why people fear the Darkest Moon.