SHE RAN, HE HUNTED
She ran from the man her father sold her to. She never expected to run straight into her mate.
Lyra Cole has one rule: never stop moving. Three months after fleeing an arranged sale to Roman Ashford, Alpha of the Thornfield Pack, she crosses into North Ridge territory on the worst possible night — the Full Moon, when every wolf in the pack is hunting.
Alpha Kael Varga catches her scent before he catches her. But the moment he corners her, his wolf recognizes something his instincts can't ignore: she's his mate.
With his own pack closing in and pack law demanding he hand her over, Kael makes a reckless choice — he hides her, lies to his beta, and claims her as his own in front of the entire pack. Now they have one night to prove a bond neither of them is ready for, while the man Lyra escaped is still out there, and still wants what was promised to him.
Torn between duty to his pack and a pull he can't explain, Kael has to decide how far he's willing to go to keep her — before Ashford comes to collect his debt.
Read
Chapter: MineThe first light of dawn strikes.Soft golden light filters through the trees. The air is cool, scented with damp earth and pine. But the quiet doesn't last.They come in silence. Eight wolves. Darin leads the group, Mara at his right. The others spread out behind them with practiced precision, each one armed, each pair of eyes fixed on the cave like they already know what's waiting inside.I step out first, shoulders squared, keeping my face unreadable. Lyra follows a step behind me."Alpha." Darin's voice breaks the silence. His eyes flick briefly to Lyra before returning to me. "We're here for the stray."I don't move. "She's not a stray."Mara folds her arms. "Then what is she?" She says it flat, like it doesn't matter to her either way. I've known her long enough to hear when it does.The question hangs in the cold morning air. The ravine falls unnaturally still. Even the birds have gone quiet. I turn my head, just enough to look at Lyra.She stands with her eyes lowered, waiting
Last Updated: 2026-07-26
Chapter: Four HoursLyra's POVKael sits down across from me.Only the wind outside and my own steady breathing fill the space between us. Water drips somewhere deeper in the cave, each drop making the stillness feel heavier."Four hours," Kael says, his voice calm as usual. "Then I have to take you in."I give a small nod. I don't trust myself to speak. If I open my mouth now, I'm not sure what will come out.He rests his elbows on his knees, his gaze never leaving me. "So we're going to talk.""I don't have anything to say."A faint smile tugs at one corner of his mouth. "You have everything to say." His eyes lift to meet mine. They're gold again. Sharp. Alpha eyes. "Start with your name. Your real one.""Lyra.""Last name."I hesitate, just for a second. "Cole."He tilts his head. "Lie."My jaw tightens. "What?""You smelled like a lie when you said it." His voice never rises. He simply leans forward, forearms on his knees. "Try again."I look away. The cave wall suddenly becomes much more interesting
Last Updated: 2026-07-26
Chapter: The Alpha's LieKAEL'S POVThe voice outside is familiar."Darin," I mutter.My beta. My right hand. The one man in the pack who notices everything and never asks the same question twice.Behind me, Lyra presses herself farther into the dark at the back of the cave. I don't spare her another glance. I step toward the entrance and kick the fallen branch aside.Cold air rushes in, carrying the scent of pine, damp earth, and wolves.Darin stands outside with two others. All three are armed. All three watch me with the alert posture of wolves expecting trouble."You've been gone an hour," Darin says. His eyes drift past me and into the dark beyond. "Found anything?""Stray," I reply, keeping my voice flat. "Female. Sprained ankle. Tried to run."Darin's nose twitches as he draws a careful breath. "She's in there?""She's hurt." I shift slightly, blocking the entrance without making it obvious. "I'm bringing her in. For questioning."One of the wolves beside Darin steps forward. Mara.Her eyes narrow towa
Last Updated: 2026-07-26
Chapter: Cold and CloseLyra's POVThe cave smells like wet stone and old smoke.The air inside is cold enough to bite. It carries the scent of damp earth and ashes left behind by travelers long gone. Water drips somewhere deep in the dark, each drop drumming softly against the stone walls.Kael shoves me inside first.I stumble a step before catching myself against the rough wall, wincing as pain shoots through my ankle.A moment later, Kael ducks in after me. Without wasting time, he grabs a fallen branch from outside and drags it across the entrance, covering it with loose leaves and vines.It won't fool anyone for long. But it might buy us a few minutes. Right now, minutes are all we have.Outside, distant howls roll through the forest. Closer than before. His pack, searching in pairs.The sound sends another chill down my spine.I slide down the cave wall until I'm sitting on the cold ground and draw in a shaky breath. The adrenaline that kept me moving is wearing off, leaving nothing but exhaustion and
Last Updated: 2026-07-26
Chapter: Teeth In The DarkLYRA'S POVI don't look back.Looking back means slowing down. Slowing down means his hands on me. I won't give him that chance.The woods blur into black and silver. My legs grow heavier by the second, but fear is stronger than exhaustion. It drowns out the pain in my chest and the ache spreading through my muscles.Behind me, there's nothing. No branches snapping under a predator's weight. That's worse.A man like Kael Varga doesn't lose his prey. He's letting me run. Giving me hope before he takes it away.I hate how sure I am of that.He could have caught me at the cliff if he'd wanted to. Instead, he watched me go.A twig snaps to my left.My head whips toward the sound, but I don't stop. I veer right, weaving between two thick pines.Another snap. Behind me this time. Too close."You're fast."His voice drifts through the dark, calm, like we're on an evening walk."Faster than the last stray I caught."A chill races down my spine. I keep my mouth shut. Words aren't going to save
Last Updated: 2026-07-26
Chapter: The HuntLyra's POV The moon is too bright tonight.Its pale light spills across the forest, washing over the pines and trails until nowhere is dark. Every branch casts long shadows on the ground. The night is beautiful, but only wolves know the danger it holds.I feel it in my teeth.A dull ache has settled into my jaw. It creeps behind my eyes until I can't ignore it. My pulse won't steady. Every instinct tells me I should have turned back hours ago. The full moon always stirs something wild in wolves. Tonight, it feels like the whole forest is holding its breath.On a night like this, every wolf within fifty miles will be restless. Hungry. Alert.And I'm stupid enough to walk straight into their territory.North Ridge land.Kael Varga's land.For a second, I let myself think of the man I'm really running from. The one who smiled at me like I was already his, the one my father shook hands with over a map of pack borders. If he finds me before I find somewhere to disappear, none of this will
Last Updated: 2026-07-26
LOGIN
