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

A knock startled me awake. I sat up, heart racing in my chest. 


The sound came again, soft but persistent. I glanced at the window—still dark outside. Middle of the night, then.


I approached the door cautiously. Who would visit at this hour? Kael? Jax? 


"Who is it?" I called, keeping my voice low.


I froze. Liam? From Blue Mountain Pack? That was impossible.


Against my better judgment, I cracked the door open. Sure enough, Liam stood there—tall, lean, with that familiar shock of sandy hair. He clutched something against his chest.


"What are you doing here?" I hissed, instinctively stepping back. "How did you get in?"


Liam shifted uncomfortably. "The Lycan King sent me to deliver this." He held out the pillow. "Said it was yours."


I stared at him, disbelief coursing through me. Kael had my pillow? And he was returning it via my ex-boyfriend's best friend?


"That's a lie," I said flatly. "Try again."


Chapter 26 - An Unlikely Olive Branch