Silence.
It was all I craved. After years of the pack's shared thoughts, of their judgment and barely hidden ridicule, the only thing I could think about was how badly I craved quiet.
As long as I was in my human form I could close the doors of my mind and finally shield myself from the noise of my pack but as soon as the wolf took over the sounds and thoughts came rushing back in.
Even now as I walk through the overgrown forest I could feel the tether deep within me connecting me to my family, the wolf lurking just barely contained beneath the surface.
The longer I went without finding my mate the harder it was to keep the wolf at bay. I'm 22 years old already and most wolves find their mates at 18. I had spent the last 4 years watching those around me become mated and every time it became harder on me. I had spent the last year traveling the world going from pack to pack hoping that I would meet the right woman and the mating bond would snap into place but it never happened.
I relished the feel of the cool breeze on my skin and reveled in the silence as I followed the trail leading from our territory out to Crescent Lake.
As I walked through the forest I allowed my mind to wander, allowed myself to imagine what it would be like to find her. What would it feel like to have the mating bond fall into place between us, to feel the burn of the tattoo that would immediately be impressed onto my skin, to mark and scent a woman so that everyone would know that she belonged to me?
After my younger brother, Jungkook had discovered his mate several days before I had pretty much given up. What was wrong with me that I had to be so lonely, never finding the right woman?
Not paying attention to where I was headed I somehow ended up going right past the lake and into a clearing where I stumbled right onto a rival pack.
