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?

The heavy oak door of my private suite slammed open. I didn't need to turn around to know who had the audacity to enter without knocking. Only Jax would dare.


I continued staring out the window, watching as rain lashed against the glass. The sky had darkened to match my mood—black and turbulent. Behind me, I could sense not just Jax, but several of my top lieutenants. This wasn't a casual visit.


"Your Majesty," Marcus spoke, his tone strained with forced politeness. "The council demands an explanation."


I turned slowly, fixing them with a cold stare. Five of them had entered—Jax, Marcus, Nolan, Victor, and Henrik. My inner circle. The most powerful Lycans in the kingdom besides myself.


"Since when does my council demand anything from me?" I asked quietly.


The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Jax stepped forward, ever the mediator.


Chapter 28 - Chapter 28 - A Challenge to the Alpha's Judgment