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

"Why?" I stared at Kael, confused by his question. "I... used Sera's shampoo. Why does that matter?"


His jaw clenched. "You smell different."


"That's your big concern right now?" I stepped back, hitting the counter behind me. "You burst in here making demands, and you're worried about my shampoo?"


Kael's eyes narrowed, but he took a step back, giving me space to breathe. The tension in the tiny RV was suffocating.


"You can't just take me," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. "That's kidnapping. It's illegal."


"Laws are different for our kind," he replied, his voice eerily calm.


"I'm not 'your kind.' I'm human." I crossed my arms, trying to look more confident than I felt. "Human laws apply to me."


Kael's expression darkened. "You don't understand what you're involved in."


"Then explain it to me!" I threw my hands up in frustration. "Everyone keeps making decisions about my life without telling me why!"


Chapter 49 - A King's Jealous Question