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?

My eyes fluttered open to an unfamiliar ceiling—rough stone with veins of crystal that caught what little light filled the space. Not a hospital room. Definitely not Kael's mansion.


I struggled to sit up, my body aching from whatever drugs still lingered in my system. The space around me seemed to be a cave, but not the cold, damp kind from horror movies. This one felt lived-in. Comfortable, even. Blankets and pillows surrounded me on a surprisingly soft makeshift bed. A few battery-powered lanterns cast a warm glow throughout the space.


The gruff voice startled me. I whipped my head around to find a massive man standing at what appeared to be a small cooking station. His broad shoulders and scarred hands suggested someone dangerous, yet he was...making candy?


"Who are you?" My voice came out raspy. "Where am I?"


Chapter 80 - Chapter 80 - Sanctuary of the Stolen