Natasha_Zeneka

Rhea Nyx was supposed to have her forever. A mate bond. A pack. A future. But forever shattered the day he walked away, leaving her broken, pregnant, and alone in a sterile hospital room that didn’t care if she lived or died.

Now, she’s just surviving. Barely. Until a little girl with too-big eyes and too much hope drags her into something like a second chance. Rhea doesn't believe in second chances. Not anymore.

But when the people she's grown to protect are threatened, Rhea does what wolves do best—she fights back. Hard. And just when she thinks she's got nothing left to lose, she meets him. Her second chance mate.

Only… he’s not just a man. He’s a hybrid. A set toy. Built in a lab, owned by monsters, trained to obey. And yet—he looks at her like she’s the only real thing in the world.

Now Rhea has to make a choice. Burn it all down, or become the very thing that could break her mate.

This is a story about found family, the soft ache of grief, the sharp edge of survival—and the kind of love that doesn’t ask for permission.

Glass Wolves and War Songs

I was crouched near the edge of the ravine, watching the forest breathe like a living beast. Smoke still drifted from the crash site below. Nothing had moved in hours, and that worried me more than noise would have.

Kade didn't announce himself. He didn't need to. I felt him before I heard him—an old, familiar presence I couldn't decide whether to run from or lean into.

"You going to keep pretending I don't exist?" he asked, stopping just behind me.

"We lost more men last night," he said. "Two of them were mine. I need to know what the hell we're dealing with. And I think you know."

I closed my eyes. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"But it did," he said. "And you were the one transporting that crate. The third one. The one no one had clearance to open."

I stood slowly, brushing dirt from my hands. "I opened it. The first time. Months ago, during another transport run. We were delivering it to one of the remote research labs. I was curious, and reckless. And stupid."

"I thought it might be another hybrid. I mean—it was humanoid. Covered in restraints. Breathing, but deeply sedated. No name, no ID tag, no classification marker. Just a line of runes etched into the inside of the box. It didn't move. It barely twitched. And I shut it again after sixty seconds."

"How the hell did it end up back in your custody?"

"I don't know," I said, turning to face him. "The boss must've ordered it returned for further testing. But I wasn't told. I didn't even realize what was in the crate until we started the second run. The moment I saw it, I knew. It was the same box. The same scent. But different."

"It was… twitching. More aware. The straps were tighter this time. It kept shifting, like it was waking up. Like it knew we were trying to move it."

His jaw flexed. "And you transported it anyway?"

"I didn't have a choice. You think I could say no to the people who run that place?"

"And then we crashed," I said. "The wreck… it must have triggered something. Loosened the sedative, or whatever was keeping it under. The box split open on impact. It came out half-limp, but… gods, it was angry. It didn't even look at us like we were people. Just obstacles."

Kade dragged a hand through his hair. "It wasn't a hybrid, was it."

"Not the kind they keep for... pleasure," I said bitterly. "It was made for destruction. I don't think it knows anything else."

He let out a long breath. "What exactly are we dealing with?"

"Something ancient," I said. "Something they shouldn't have dug up."

Kade nodded slowly. "We'll get it back in the box. One way or another."

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