His To Protect, Forbidden To Love
Irene
I thought the hardest part of my life would be watching my mother marry a man I didn’t trust but I was wrong. The moment I stepped into BlackWood Territory, everything changed. The rules, the danger and the way everyone looked at me even as it was my mother's union with the High Alpha.
And then there was Matthew. My stepbrother.
Watching me like I was something he needed to protect… or something he couldn’t have.
But the longer I stay, the more I realize this family isn’t what it seems. Love is fake. The alliances are fragile. And somehow, I’ve become the center of something far bigger than I understand. Now people are hunting me.
And Matthew?
He’s the only one standing between me and a war I never asked for.
~~~
Matthew
I knew the second I caught her scent that she was mine. It should’ve been simple and right. But she walked in as my father’s new stepdaughter… and the one person I’m not allowed to want.
Now there’s a prophecy. A war. Enemies from inside and out coming close. And Irene is at the center of it all.
If I claim her, I risk tearing my pack apart. If I don’t, I might lose her forever.
Either way, blood will be spilled.
And I’ve already decided…I’ll burn everything before I let her fall.
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Chapter: Chapter 5Irene's PovThe morning of the Unity Hunt was the kind of crisp, clear day that should have been beautiful, but it just felt like a countdown to an execution.The whole estate was buzzing. Guards were polishing boots, and the high-ranking wolves were preening.It was a show for the public, a way to say look how united we are, while beneath the surface, we were all bleeding.I was wearing leather hunting gear. My shoulder was stiff but functional, and I was hyper-aware of the folded piece of paper tucked into my waistband.Every time I looked at Matthew, my heart did a frantic little dance. He was acting like the perfect Enforcer today.He was standing at his father’s right hand, his face a mask of cold duty.The hunt began with a roar. We shifted and ran, a sea of fur and muscle tearing through the underbrush.But I did not stay with the main group. I waited for my moment, veering off toward the Old Creek.I knew Matthew would follow. He was the Enforcer; it was his job to bring back
Last Updated: 2026-04-17
Chapter: Chapter 4Irene's PovThe smell of burning sage and copper was everywhere. My shoulder felt like someone took a blowtorch to it and then decided to pour salt on the remains.Silver was the one thing every wolf feared. I had to go and take a blade of it to the collarbone during the first ten minutes of the fight.Everything after the skirmish was a blur of trees and the rhythm of heavy paws hitting the dirt. I remembered the feeling of Matthew’s massive dark form pressing against my side.He was guiding me away from the main estate, away from the prying eyes of the pack doctors. He did not say a word.But the vibration of his growl told me everything I needed to know: he did not trust his own people with my life.Now, I was sitting on a moth-eaten sofa in a cabin that looked like it had not seen a guest in a decade.The air was thick with dust and the sharp, medicinal scent of the herbs Matthew was crushing in a bowl across the room.I was stripped down to a camisole, clutching a blanket to my c
Last Updated: 2026-04-16
Chapter: Chapter 3Matthew's PovI had spent the last three days trying to scrub the scent of her off my skin, but it was like trying to wash away a scar. Irene was a glitch in my system.She was a variable I did not account for, and every time I saw her, my wolf started pacing behind my ribs like a caged animal.The council’s new law was supposed to be a deterrent. It was meant to be a cold splash of water to wake me up.Instead, it just made the fire feel more like a rebellion.It was nearly two in the morning, and the Sovereign Wing was thick with the kind of silence that made you hear your own blood rushing.I was in the library, the only room in this house that did not feel like it was closing in on me. I did not bother with a shirt; the air was cold, but my skin was burning.I had half a dozen maps spread out across the oak table, ancient vellum that smelled like dust and old secrets.My father thought he was a genius. He thought this marriage was about unity. But these maps told a different story
Last Updated: 2026-04-16
Chapter: Chapter 2Irene's PovBeing stuck in the Sovereign Wing was like living inside a very expensive, very quiet heart monitor. Everything was silent until it was not.When the noise happened, it was usually just the sound of my own heart thumping against my ribs. It had been three days, and I had already learned that boundaries were a joke here.The doors in this place did not have real locks. They had latches, but in a house full of people who could rip a door off its hinges, a piece of clicking metal was basically just a polite suggestion.I felt like a ghost. I moved through the hallways trying not to breathe too loud, trying not to leave a scent.But Matthew was everywhere. Even when he was not in the room, his scent was.It was that dark, earthy mix of cedar and something sharp, like lightning before a storm. It followed me into the kitchen, it sat on the furniture, and it mocked me from the hallway.By the fourth day, I was losing my mind. I needed to move.I found the private gym in the base
Last Updated: 2026-04-16
Chapter: Chapter 1Irene's PovI stood on the slab of cold stone, staring at the back of my mother’s head.All I could think about was how much my feet ached.One would think a life-altering treaty which was actually a wedding would feel more spiritual or at least meaningful.Instead, it felt like a long, drawn-out funeral where the person dying was my freedom.The air in the Blackwood territory was different from home. It was heavy with the scent of pine and damp earth, but mostly it just felt oppressive.Every wolf in the crowd stared at us like we were a pair of shiny new toys they did not actually ask for. I tried to keep my face like a mask.I told myself to just breathe, stay quiet, and stay small. Maybe then they would forget I was even there by morning, as that had always been my specialty.My mother looked radiant, which was annoying. She was glowing as the High Alpha took her hand, their palms pressed together to bind their lives.It was a power move, plain and simple. She got protection, he g
Last Updated: 2026-04-16
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