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 stomach growled loudly enough to echo in the spacious bedroom. I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten. Maybe yesterday? The day before? Time had become a blur in this gilded prison.


I paced the room, trying to ignore the hunger pangs that made my knees weak. The luxurious surroundings mocked me. What good was a plush bed when my insides were eating themselves?


The heavy door swung open, and Kael strode in carrying a tray. The rich aroma of tomatoes and cheese hit me like a punch to the gut.


My mouth watered instantly. I didn't care that it was Kael—the terrifying Lycan King, my kidnapper—standing before me. All I could focus on was the food.


"You didn't touch your breakfast," he said, placing the tray on the small table by the window.


I hadn't seen any breakfast. Had someone brought food while I was sleeping?


Chapter 29 - An Interrogation Over Lasagna