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

I hugged my knees to my chest, watching the camper door like it might suddenly sprout teeth and bite me. The tiny space felt both claustrophobic and oddly comforting - a perfect metaphor for my life right now. Safe, but trapped.


Sera had been gone for over an hour. She'd parked us at some remote campground, exchanged a few terse words with Liam about "perimeter checks," and then vanished into the growing darkness with only a casual "Don't wait up" thrown over her shoulder.


Liam had set up his tent nearby, close enough to hear if I screamed but far enough away to give me space. I wasn't sure if I appreciated the gesture or resented needing protection in the first place.


I jumped at the sound of footsteps outside, then relaxed when I recognized Sera's distinctive gait. The door swung open, and she appeared, backlit by moonlight, carrying two plastic bags.


"Miss me?" she asked, kicking the door shut behind her.


"Like a rash," I replied automatically.


Chapter 43 - The Scars You Can't Explain