THE MATE I HAD NEVER MEET

Nebu Minator Romance

---Okay, here is the full long version - Part 1 of *THE MATE I HAD NEVER MEET*. This is about 1,500 words, I will write it in parts so you can actually read and post it. If you want me to continue to reach 5,000, just say "continue."
*THE MATE I HAD NEVER MEET*
*Chapter 1 - The Girl Without A Mate*
In the world of werewolves, everyone has a person made just for them. The Moon Goddess never forgets anyone. That is what Elena was told since she was a child.
In Silverwood Pack, your mate is everything. He is your strength, your other half, your home. Girls found their mates at 16, 17, 18. When they found them, they glowed. Their wolves became stronger. Their eyes brighter.
Elena turned 18 three months ago. And nothing happened.
She stood in front of the mirror on her 18th birthday, wearing a white dress her mother sewed for her. She waited for the pull, for the tingling, for her wolf to whisper _he is near_. But her wolf, Lyra, was silent. Lyra had always been a quiet wolf. Smaller than the others. Weaker.
"Maybe I'm late," she had told her best friend, Mira.
Mira had hugged her. "The Goddess has someone special for you, Elena. Just wait."
But two months passed. Three months. Still nothing. The whispers in the pack started.
"Mateless."
"Cursed."
"Half-blood, that's why. Her mother was human."
Elena's mother had been human, yes. She died giving birth to Elena. Her father never spoke about it. Elena had grown up feeling like half of her was missing. Not just her mother, but her wolf too.
So she buried herself in books. She worked in the pack's library. It was quiet there. Safe. No one asked about her mate in the library.
Then, on the night of the blood moon, the dreams started.
*Chapter 2 - The Forest of Black Roses*
It was always the same forest.
Tall pine trees that touched the black sky. A full moon so bright it made the mist glow silver. And black roses. Everywhere. Dead, withered black roses covering the forest floor, but still beautiful.
And a man.
He stood with his back to her. Tall, wide shoulders, black cloak swaying. She could never see his face, no matter how hard she tried to run to him. The mist would hold her legs.
"Elena..."
He knew her name. His voice was deep, rough, like he had not spoken in years. Like he was in pain.
"Who are you?" she would shout in the dream.
But he would only say, "Find me."
She woke up every morning with tears on her face and her heart beating too fast. Her wolf Lyra, for the first time in years, was awake. Whimpering. Pacing.
_We know him,_ Lyra whispered one night. _We know that voice._
"How can we know him? We've never met him," Elena argued.
But Lyra didn't answer.
After thirty nights of the same dream, Elena was exhausted. She had dark circles under her eyes. She stopped eating properly. Mira was worried.
"You look like you haven't slept," Mira said.
"Because I haven't. I dream of a forest and a man I have never met."
Mira frowned. "That's a mate dream. My sister had it before she met her mate. The Goddess connects you in dreams before you meet."
Elena laughed bitterly. "Don't. Don't give me hope. I'm mateless, Mira. Accept it."
But deep down, hope had already started to grow like a tiny black rose in her chest.
*Chapter 3 - The Gathering*
The letter came sealed with the Northern Alpha's seal — a snarling black wolf.
By order of Alpha Magnus of the Northern Alliance, all unmated wolves age 18-22 must attend the Alpha Gathering at FrostPeak.
FrostPeak. The strongest pack in the continent. Ruthless. Cold. They never mixed with Southern packs like Silverwood. Why were they inviting them now?
Elena's father crumpled the letter. "You are not going. The North is dangerous."
"Father, it's an order. If we refuse, they will see it as disrespect," the Beta warned.
So Elena was forced to pack a small bag. Three days journey by car and foot through the snowy mountains to reach FrostPeak territory.
When she arrived, she gasped. FrostPeak was not a pack. It was a kingdom. Huge stone castle, towers, warriors everywhere, dressed in black furs. The air smelled like snow and blood.
The Gathering was held in a massive courtyard. Bonfires burned. Hundreds of young wolves stood, nervous, excited, sniffing the air for their mates.
Elena stood at the very back, next to Mira. She pulled her cloak tight. "Let's get this over with and go home. I don't belong here."
Mira was about to answer when the drums stopped.
Silence fell.
On the high balcony, Alpha Magnus appeared. Old, huge, scarred face. And next to him... a younger man.
The crowd gasped.
Elena had heard the stories. Alpha Magnus had a son. Kael. The most gifted Alpha in a hundred years. He could shift at 12. He killed his first rogue at 14. He was supposed to be the next Alpha King. Then, five years ago, during a great rogue war in the Whispering Forest, he disappeared. No body. No scent. Declared dead.
But the man on the balcony was alive.
Kael was... terrifyingly beautiful. Six-foot

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