Chapter 1: A heartbroken wolf

Lila 

I don’t know why I’m still surprised. After everything that happened, I should have known this was coming. I should have seen it in the way he looked at me—like I was a tool to be used, not the woman he promised to protect. But it wasn’t until today, in the middle of that damn council meeting, that the truth finally slapped me across the face.

“Lila, you’re no longer my mate,” Alpha Xavier’s words echoed in my ears,almost knocking me off my feet. “You’re weak. You failed us.”

The pack—the one I was born into, the one I swore my life to—was gone. Betrayed. Destroyed by the very man I trusted most. By the man who had once called me his fated mate.A message which didn't only hurt me but hurt my soul.

My heart ached, but my pride burned hotter than the pain. Weak? Me? I wasn’t weak. I wasn’t some fragile little girl who needed protection. If he thought he could break me with those words, he was wrong. I would survive this. I would make him regret ever thinking he could throw me away.

I stood there, my fists clenched like a boxer ready for a match, breathing through the fire in my chest, but I couldn’t hold back the tears that threatened to spill. Not out of sorrow, but out of sheer fury.

“You’re nothing without me,” Xavier added, his voice sharp. The smug look on his face made my blood boil. I wish he would stop.

"Watch me," I whispered, barely audible, but he heard. He always heard when I was close to losing it. He smirked, like he had just won some victory, but it was clear that he had no idea what kind of hell he had unleashed by making me an enemy.His little sworn enemy.

I turned to leave, my heart pounding in my chest as I walked out of the council room. The world outside felt colder than I remembered. A low growl rumbled in my throat, barely contained. The forest, my pack’s territory, felt like a prison now. The trees, the soil, the very air—they all seemed to suffocate me.

As I crossed the border of our land, the weight of being cast out finally hit me. Alone. Broken. Without purpose.

But I had no time to wallow in my despair. I had to move on. The world didn’t stop for a heartbroken wolf.

That’s when I saw him.

Maximus Vito.

I had heard the rumors. The Vito Mafia family. Cruel. Untouchable. Dangerous. Maximus, their heir, was the most feared mafia boss in the city. And now, he stood in front of me like he owned the damn place. His eyes locked onto mine, and I could feel his gaze like a weight pressing down on me.

He was a giant, towering over me. Broad shoulders, dark hair that framed his sharp features, and eyes so green they looked like they could see straight through me. He wasn’t just dangerous—he was magnetic. Like a predator who had found his prey.

"You’re far from home, little wolf," he said, his voice low and steady, like he was speaking to something beneath him. His lips curled into a smirk, though his eyes didn’t soften. “What’s a lone wolf like you doing on mafia turf?”

I swallowed hard, forcing myself not to back down. “None of your business.”

Maximus stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. "It is now." He looked me over with something that could only be described as interest. His eyes didn’t just assess me—they studied me. His gaze lingered on my face, my trembling hands, the way my breath quickened the closer he got.

“What’s your name, wolf?”

I stiffened, not sure if I wanted to tell him. But something in the way he stood there, so sure of himself, made me want to challenge him.

"Lila."

"Lila," he repeated, like the sound of my name was something new, something... worth remembering. "You don’t look like the kind of woman who runs from trouble. So tell me, what’s your story?"

I clenched my jaw getting ready to defend myself. “I don’t need your pity.”

Maximus tilted his head, watching me with a cold, calculating expression. He didn’t move, didn’t back off. If anything, he seemed more interested in me. “You might not need it, but I’m not here to offer it. I’m here because you’re in my way.”

Before I could react, he stepped forward, closing the distance between us so fast I didn’t even have time to react. My heart pounded as his hand brushed my cheek, the touch sending a shiver down my spine.

“You’re mine now, Lila,” he whispered, so quietly I almost didn’t hear it. “And you will be more than you know.”

His words hit me like a slap. His voice—deep, commanding, and terrifying—stirred something inside me. I wanted to push him away, but the pull between us was undeniable. I could feel it, something deep inside my chest tugging me toward him, against my better judgment.

“Stay away from me,” I growled, the werewolf inside me rising to the surface.

Maximus’s smirk deepened, and for a moment, I thought I saw something else in his eyes—a flicker of something softer beneath the cold exterior. But it vanished as quickly as it came.

“You’re not ready to fight me, Lila,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “But don’t worry, I’ll make sure you are.”

I stepped back, my heart pounding, but before I could get far, he grabbed my wrist, his grip tight, unyielding. His touch was electrifying, sending sparks through my body.

“I’m not the one you need to run from, Lila,” he warned. “You’re already in too deep. And you’re mine. Whether you like it or not.”

His words were final, and I realized that this—this was just the beginning