LauraRave

“P-please let me go..” I stammered and before I knew it, I was word vomiting while crying. “—I won’t return. You won’t ever see me again. I know you don’t want me as a mate. You hate me, so please let me go.” I cried out. 

Cain’s jaw tightened with each word that left my lips  “What gave you the idea that you have the power to choose what you want?” His voice was low, “You don’t get to decide what, how, and when you leave. Only I get to do that. You don’t get to leave me, you don’t get to run! You only leave when I want you to.” 

"I didn’t ask for this,” I whispered, trembling. “I didn’t ask to be your mate.”

Cain stepped back, “Neither did I,” he muttered under his breath. “But the bond doesn’t give us a choice, does it?”
~~~~

As the only child of her late Alpha father, Avery Jae was meant to inherit her family’s legacy. But on the day of her arranged marriage to Alpha Lucian, her world crumbles. Rejected, humiliated, and cast aside for her own cousin, Avery barely escapes with her life only to find out a much deeper secret. One that changes everything. 

When Avery awakens, she finds herself in a foreign land, caught by the ruthless guards of the Vehiron pack, led by the infamous Alpha Cain. Tall, broad and as dangerous as the army he commands. 

Alpha Cain has a reputation that sends chills down the spine of even the most dangerous warriors. Haunted by his dark past, he has vowed never to take a mate, yet the moment he lays eyes on Avery, everything changes.

With a single word, Avery is bound to Cain—whether he wants it or not. In a world where betrayal runs deep, can Avery ever trust the alpha who might just be her worst enemy.

Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha

Avery took a steadying breath before moving. She wondered for a brief moment if she could do this, after all, this was Cain, her mate. She circled him carefully, her body recalling old instincts as she analyzed him the way her father had taught her. But Cain was different—too controlled, too powerful.

The moment she lunged, he was already moving.

In an instant, she was beneath him, her wrists pinned effortlessly above her head as she lay flat against the ground. Her breath caught.

Cain hovered over her, his face frustratingly calm, as if he'd predicted every move before she even made it. "Not bad," he murmured.

Avery looked up at him, refusing to acknowledge the way her skin burned where he touched her. "You cheated."

His brows lifted slightly, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Did I?"

She swallowed hard, her breath coming uneven. The way he was looking at her, the closeness between them—it was too much.

Chapter 148