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

Her name tore from my throat as her eyes rolled back. Her body, which had been arching in pleasure seconds ago, went limp beneath my hands.


I had felt it—the sudden rush of energy flowing into me, sweet and intoxicating. But I hadn't stopped. Gods help me, I hadn't stopped.


"Hazel, wake up." I shook her gently, then with more force when she didn't respond. "HAZEL!"


Terror seized my chest—a sensation I hadn't felt in centuries. Not since I was a child watching my mother die. Her skin was pale, lips tinged blue. I pressed my fingers to her neck, relief washing over me when I felt her pulse. Weak, but there.


"Little human, this isn't funny." My voice cracked embarrassingly. "Open your eyes."


Lykos howled inside my mind, prowling and panicking. *Fix mate! Help mate!*


"I'm trying!" I snapped aloud, gathering her limp body against my chest.


Chapter 59 - The King's Reckless Mistake