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

"So he's just... meeting with the local Alpha?" I asked, my fingers nervously twisting the thin hospital blanket covering my legs.


Sera nodded, leaning against the window ledge. Sunlight outlined her silhouette, making her look almost ethereal. "Diplomatic duties. Can't exactly have the Lycan King in town without proper protocols."


My heart rate increased slightly, enough to make the monitor beep a warning. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.


"What's wrong?" Sera asked, her eyebrow raised.


"Bullshit." She crossed her arms. "Your heart just did the cha-cha. What about Kael meeting the local Alpha has you spooked?"


I looked down at my hands. They were still trembling. Everything about me felt fragile since waking up, like I might shatter at any moment.


"It's just... last time Kael met with my Alpha..." I couldn't finish the sentence. The memories were too raw, too horrific.


Sera's expression softened. "You mean the massacre."


Chapter 64 - A Devastating Realization