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

"We're not leaving," I growled, rage building inside me like a gathering storm.


Jax had the audacity to stand his ground. "The site manager already gave us an hour to clear out. We can set up at the tent area and maintain surveillance on the camper from there."


I turned slowly to face my beta, the man who'd stood by my side for decades. The campground was quiet around us, most humans having retreated to their tents and RVs as darkness fell. My warriors shifted uncomfortably, sensing the tension between us.


"Let me make myself clear," I said, each word precise and lethal. "We stay where I can see her."


"And I'm telling you that antagonizing the humans is counterproductive," Jax countered, his voice maddeningly calm. "If they call their authorities, we draw attention. Attention means complications."


"Deal with the complications," I snapped.


"Like you dealt with that campground worker?" Jax's eyebrow rose in challenge. "By nearly shifting in front of him?"


Chapter 54 - The King's Unquestionable Authority