Chapter 1

The full moon shone up brightly lightning up the horizon. She stood rooted to the spot, seemingly stupefied at the alluring sight. For the entire place seemed to glow with the touch of moonlight. As she gazed at the moon, mesmerized, the spots on the moon morphed into a wolf. A big brown wolf, that came running towards her. The sight of its magnificent brown fur gleaming in the moonlight captivated her. Her heart rate inexplicably accelerated as it came closer. She couldn't wait to touch its fur. Run her fingers through it, nuzzle and caress it..

The wolf stopped barely a few feet from her. Pointing its nose to the sky, it howled joyously. Seemingly happy to see her. She chuckled and inched closer, kneeling in front of the wolf. The wolf directed its gaze downward, meeting hers with its vivid grey eyes. "Oh those eyes! those grey orbs of eyes!"

Poornima jolted awake. It was almost dawn. She splashed her face with water, making futile efforts at wiping away the blush from her cheeks. Rubbing the birthmark on her neck she was momentarily lost in thought. The dreams of moon and the brown wolf were not new to her. But the EYES? Her heart raced as recognition dawned upon her. Staring at her flushed cheeks, she smacked her head, "Get a grip. You can't lose it over a pair of eyes!"

Far across the city in a forest the other side --

The Moonstone pack was in distress. Their village resonated with the cries of those mourning the deceased. A crowd gathered around Dhruv and his friends, bombarding them with questions. An old woman stepped upto Dhruv, poking her finger at his chest, confronting him, "Why didn't you save him? I bet you never tried."

Dhruv clenched his jaws, staring blankly. Like his friends he wore only a pair of shorts, his bare torso showcasing his defined muscles and toned abs, beads of sweat glistening his body as they busily trickled down. They were training in their usual spot in the morning, when Myra spotted the dead bodies by the stream. They hauled up the bodies and brought them to the village. He knew it wasn't his fault. Everyone in the pack seemed to know. But this lady was too grief stricken to realize and Dhruv did not bother to explain.

Handing over the dead bodies was quite an emotional ordeal. After which, the friends - Dhruv, Sonu, Rishi, Krish and Myra left.

"I wonder who could kill someone like that?" Myra wondered aloud, still shaken by the day's events. "Someone who is cold blooded?" Sonu said, wrapping his hand around her shoulders.

"May be we should ask the Grand Seer!" Myra suggested.

The mention of the Grand Seer, ticked him off. "That God Damn Grand Seer! To hell with his future peeking skills. I bet he can't quite see what's coming into his life. Because next thing I am going to do is kick his butt." Dhruv ranted in frustration. Just as he finished, he felt his feet come in contact with something on the ground followed by a yelp. "Moon Goddess! Save me!" cried the voice, standing up and rubbing his butt.

Dhruv was taken aback. "Speak of the devil," he thought.

"Did I conjure you here? Don't tell me I have conjuring skills as well." he said irritated.

"Why is a fine gentleman like you seething on a bright day like this?" the owner of the voice was a wrinkly frail old man with long grey beard and grey hair trailing down his back. His voice sounded raspy with a hint of joy on seeing them. A gray cotton kurta hung loosely over his shoulders, paired with ankle-length white pyjamas. Despite the gaps in his smile due to several missing teeth, his eyes radiated a lively twinkle that complemented his grin. Among the pack, he held the esteemed position of the wisest, and his stature was revered by all except for Dhruv.

Dhruv brushed past him, marching ahead, while his friends bowed to the Seer. The Seer responded to his friends' gestures with a warm smile before striding purposefully toward Dhruv. He was surprisingly agile for his age. Once ahead of Dhruv, he turned swiftly to face Dhruv and stretched his arms, causing Dhruv to halt abruptly. He peered into Dhruv's eyes with his signature smile. His eyes twinkling with realization. "Ah! you met your mate." he announced with the certainty of a proclamation rather than a question.

Dhruv veered to the side, moving ahead without pausing. "I have had enough of his shit." he thought. Watching his retreating back, the Seer sighed and said out loud, "Mark the one with the Mark of the Moon." before taking the path to his dingy hill top home. His face fell as bitter sweet memories of the tragic past flashed through his mind. He pulled out the oval shaped grey pendant hanging around his neck and wrapped his fingers around it. With a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess, he wished they could get their Selene soon. He hoped to undo the mistakes of his past with her help.

"That was mighty rude." Sonu said after watching their interaction. 

"He has his reasons to hate the Grand Seer." Rishi said trailing behind Dhruv.

At AMX corporation, it was a regular monday morning no different from other monday mornings. It was, after all, a regular workday. Most of the employees were having monday blues. Few were still hung over from the past night party while few others were already waiting for the next weekend. But things were different with the admin team. The women of the admin team were bubbling with energy. Seated in the conference room, they couldn't wait for the meeting to start. They were impeccably dressed and their makeup perfectly done. Their wait came to an end when the Admin head walked in nonchalantly. Their faces lit up. Afterall, having a young handsome boss was exceptionally rare.

The Admin head at AMX Corporation had a striking appearance, featuring a wheatish complexion that exuded warmth. His tall stature was matched by broad shoulders and a well-defined waist. Despite his seemingly lean build, there was an obvious hint of muscular arms hidden beneath the pristine white sleeves of his shirt. The indication of a well-toned abs beneath his chest was indisputable. His broad forehead was crowned with a mane of thick silky hair. His eyes, reminiscent of luminous grey orbs, drew attention with their brilliance. His strong physique was complemented by a well-defined nose and lips, imparting an overall rugged charm. His entire being was a sight to behold. The admin team, consisting of eight single women, found themselves staring in admiration as they greeted him in unison, "Good morning, Dhruv!"

Dhruv nodded curtly and surveyed the room before grabbing a chair. There were two vacant seats available. Deliberately bypassing the one beside Poornima, he strolled to the farthest end of the room and settled beside Lisa. Lisa was visibly overjoyed by his choice.

Poornima's distinct scent of damp soil and lemon grass wafted across the room tantalizing his senses. It took all his effort to control himself. He did not have anything against Poornima. But he could not see himself entangled in any relationship. Not after watching his parents suffer. Ever since he knew she was his mate, he swore to maintain a safe distance between them.

She was fair complexioned with average height. Her almond eyes were the most striking feature of her face. A small nose with supple pink lips made her look elegant and innocent. On their first encounter, she had no makeup and wore her waist length hair in a braid and completed her office look in trousers and pants. There was beauty hidden in her simplicity he thought. As he extended his hand for hand shake, his wolf went berserk. "Mate! Mate!" he announced. His heart fluttered and skipped a beat only to later thump loudly in his chest. His favourite scent of lemon grass and damp soil enveloped him. He had the urge to never let her go. Until then he had only heard others say how exhilarating finding one's mate felt. But that day he realized that they were not exaggerating.

He did not realize that he was shaking hands with her for quite sometime, until Poornima forcefully withdrew her hand. She was bewildered, making Dhruv regret his actions. From her reaction, he understood that humans did not feel the mate bond the way werewolves felt. While part of him felt a surge of relief, as he had resolved to evade recognizing and solidifying the bond with his mate, another part experienced a pang of disappointment, akin to an empty ache within his chest.

Nevertheless, he resolved to disregard this latter part of himself, the facet that persistently urged him to seize hold of his mate and stake his claim over her.

With everyone still gawking at him, Dhruv discreetly cleared his throat to begin the meeting. Poornima snapped out of her reverie and lowered her gaze, seemingly flustered, she fumbled with her pen and notes. "Not his eyes! Don't look into his eyes." she silently repeated to herself, the words echoing internally. "But those eyes! Oh those grey orbs of eyes." her inner thoughts persisted, inexorably reminding of her recent dream. Involuntarily, her head lifted, curiosity compelling her to steal a glance at him, only to unexpectedly lock eyes with him.