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

The endless asphalt stretched ahead as I squinted at my phone. Another text from Hazel lit up the screen.


"Everything ok back there?" I typed quickly.


Three dots appeared, then: "Yes, but I forgot to fill the water tank before we left. The kids are thirsty."


I sighed. Humans and their constant needs. Even half-supernatural children required basic necessities with annoying frequency.


"Check the truck bed," I texted back. "Emergency water jugs behind the spare tire."


A thumbs-up emoji popped up in response. At least she was resourceful.


The afternoon sun slanted through the windshield as I glanced at my reluctant traveling companions. In the passenger seat, Jax slouched with his head against the window, pretending to sleep but actually watching me through half-closed eyes. Subtle, he was not.


Chapter 112 - Roadside Respite and Rivalries