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?

"Feasible?" Kael's voice was dangerously soft.


The word hung in the air between us. Pip slept peacefully against my chest, completely oblivious to the tension crackling like electricity around us.


"Yes. Feasible." I kept my voice steady despite my racing heart. "As in, can we actually build something real together? Do we share values, morals, or anything beyond this... pull?"


His jaw tightened. "You speak of our sacred bond as if it were some human dating ritual."


"I'm speaking as what I am—human." I shifted Pip slightly, drawing strength from her warm weight. "And humans need more than mystical connections to commit their lives to someone."


Kael's eyes darkened. "You're questioning the validity of our bond?"


"No. I'm questioning whether the bond alone is enough." I met his gaze directly. "The bond exists. I feel it. But that doesn't automatically mean we can build a life together."


Chapter 94 - Chapter 94 - A Mortal's Terms