Lenaleia

For six years, I was Hazel, girlfriend to the future Alpha, Julian. I thought we had forever, a cherished place in our werewolf pack, even as a human. Then Mate Hunt night ripped it all away. I woke up lost in the forest, only to find Julian with her – his true fated mate. His words hit harder than the forest floor: I was just a 'placeholder.' Six years together, and he tossed me aside, his fingers bruising my throat as he growled that I meant nothing. My world, my heart – shattered.

Left for dead, freezing and injured, a different kind of predator found me. A colossal black wolf, eyes glowing gold, big enough to swallow me whole. But instead of tearing me apart, he curled around me, a warm, terrifying shield against the biting cold. For a moment, I felt safe.

That safety vanished when my pack, my family, found us. The Alpha who raised me, Maxen, didn't see a survivor. He saw a disappointment. Turns out, he’d only taken me in hoping I’d magically become a werewolf like my mother – the fated mate who’d rejected him. When I couldn't shift, he cast me out, branding me an omega, the pack’s punching bag.

Now, I'm less than nothing, surviving on scraps and enduring their cruelty. What they don't know, what I don't know, is that my monstrous protector is no ordinary rogue. He's Lykos, the wolf of Kael, the Lycan King. And Lykos has decided I am his fated mate – a human. Kael is furious, but his wolf has a will of its own, dragging the King himself towards my abusive pack.

My old life is over. My only ally is a creature of legend. And the most feared Lycan in existence is on his way. Is he coming to save me, or is the King's arrival just another nightmare waiting to begin?

A King’s Curse, A Wolf’s Claim

My blood turned to ice at the sound of Selena's voice. She stood across the table, her beautiful face twisted with hatred. The whispers around us died as everyone turned to watch.


"I asked you a question, human," she spat. "Why are you still here when better wolves than you are dead?"


The red-haired Lycan stepped forward. "Move along."


Selena ignored him, her attention fixed solely on me. "You think you're so special? Protected by the Lycans while the rest of us suffer?"


I set down my spoon, appetite vanishing. "I didn't ask for any of this."


"Liar!" She slammed her hands on the table. "You've always been pathetic, clinging to Julian even when he didn't want you. Now you're doing the same with the Lycans."


The Lycan guard growled. "Final warning."


"It's fine," I said quickly, not wanting more violence. "Let her speak."


Something dangerous flashed in Selena's eyes—triumph mixed with rage. She leaned across the table, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper.


Chapter 20 - A Monster's Claim