“I am not here for you Cade, I am here for myself and whether you like it or not, I'm breaking the damn bond no matter the consequences. I'm not living the rest of my life with someone like you”.
I poured out my mind and his expression said it all — he was heartbroken. But I didn't care No matter what, I wouldn't let this bond control me. I will make sure I cut this string between us, no matter what I have to lose. I'm not living the rest of my life with Cade. Not after all what he has done to me. He wished me death. I did some digging and I found a way to end this whole mate shit. I don't care what it cost me — I was going to do it. I was still deep in thought when I heard Beatrix's voice “can you just sit down and stop pacing” I shot her a look before finally sinking into the couch opposite her “So what's going on lil sis” “We are literally the same age so stop calling me that” I said, rolling my eyes as memories of my childhood flashed through my mind. I looked so petite and small that kids of my age looks bigger than me. I glanced at myself and smiled, I was chubby, healthier. “Are you seriously smiling to yourself?” Beatrix's voice snapped me back to the present and I gave her an awkward smile. “Okay, enough about me. What made you leave the city?” I asked, curiosity piqued. “’Cause you left,” she replied, a touch of seriousness in her voice. “You're joking, right? Last time I checked, you were a well-known fashion model.” I countered her. Beatrix was incredibly popular in the city. She never acted like she knew me—and I returned the favor. “Going down the hill to meet an old friend, have fun being alone in this creepy house” she announced, avoiding the question totally Was not expecting her to give a reply after all, Beatrix was always like that. Back to the ritual. I packed my bag, grabbing only the essentials. The time was a little past midnight, and the ritual was set to take place exactly at 2 a.m.—no sooner, no later. I slipped out through the back door and into the night, heading deep into the thick forest. Nothing was going to stop me. This ritual was happening—two hours from now, everything would change. Bones cracked, reshaping painfully—and then, in a flash, I shifted into my pretty white wolf. I took off through the thick forest, paws pounding against the earth, the night wind rushing past me. I ran until I reached the clearing, the forest suddenly giving way to an open. A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I stepped into the center, shifting back into human form. I laid out the ingredients one by one, careful and deliberate, my fingers trembling slightly with purpose. Candles flickered to life—white for purity, black for the dark magic I was about to awaken. Shadows danced around me, whispering languages I did not understand. It was going to be a long night. I inhaled deeply, steadying my heartbeat, and continued the preparation. At 2 a.m on dot, I sat in the center of the candles, legs crossed, chanting mantras from the sacred book. The shadows around me grew bigger, each whispering inaudible The atmosphere became thick and eerie, seconds turned into minutes and I was finally in the last stage of the ritual. I brought out Cade’s hair, the one I hideously got in our last meeting. I tangled it with mine and placed it on the star shaped rock I had crafted “By fang, by fire, by broken fate,” I whispered, voice low and sure. “I sever the bond that binds me, undo the tie destiny forged in cruelty.” The air thickened. The wind stilled. Then the ground beneath me began to hum—a low, bone-deep vibration that made my skin crawl. My chest tightened. Pain bloomed. Then—blood. Warm and metallic, spilling from my mouth. What the fuck did I do wrong? Where did I go wrong? A sharp ringing filled my ears, then nothing. Silence. Deafening. Blood trickled from both ears now, and I could barely breathe. The shadows circling the clearing twisted—shifting into shapes that weren't human. They watched. They waited. Then—they attacked. Dark tendrils lashed out, slamming me to the ground. My screams were swallowed by the forest. I tried to fight, but my limbs were heavy, useless. I lay in a pool of my own blood, body shaking, wailing as the last of my strength drained from me. The runes flickered dimly—then died out, like a heartbeat fading. Was this it? Was I really going to die here, alone?.“Get up, deadweight.”Cade’s voice cracked like a whip across the training field, and every head turned toward me.I blinked through the blood trickling from my eyebrow, and pushed myself up. Slowly, shakily.Dirt caked my hands. My knees throbbed. I should’ve stayed down. But his tone— the way it sounded so arrogant and cold made something twist inside me. “Oh, come on.” He huffed like I was wasting his time. “Even pups shift better than that.”Laughter rippled through the circle of trainees. No one stepped forward. No one offered a hand. Not like they ever did.I scoffed as I tried to even out my breathing.Pack unity - they say. But for an orphaned omega like me, unity never stretched far enough.“Maybe if you focused less on hiding in the kitchens and more on training, you’d actually be useful,” Cade said, strolling toward me with lazy arrogance. He looked like every girl’s fantasy—tall, golden-haired, eyes like storm clouds, muscles coiled and confident. But even with his go
CHAPTER ONE“Did you just put chili oil on strawberries?”Daniel looked at me like I’d committed a culinary crime.I grinned, balancing the bowl in one hand as I hopped onto the kitchen counter. “It’s a thing. Sweet, spicy, tangy. Try it before you judge.”He raised a skeptical brow, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled to his elbows as he reached for a berry. “If I die, I’m haunting you.”“Don’t be dramatic.”He bit into it and paused. Then his eyes widened. “Okay, that’s… weirdly good.”I nudged his side with my knee. “Told you.”Our little apartment smelled like roasted coffee and spring rain, windows cracked open to let in the breeze. The city hummed outside—car horns, laughter, a distant siren or two. But in here? It was peace. Warm, humming, real.Daniel walked over to his laptop, pushing aside a mess of blueprints and client sketches. “Remind me again why you’re not bottling your chaos genius into a restaurant?”“Because chaos genius doesn’t pay the bills,” I said, hopping dow
(CADE’s POV)The smell of blood hit me before I stepped into the clearing.Two bodies. Ripped open. Limbs twisted at unnatural angles. The third was barely clinging to life, breathing in ragged wheezes as the medic tried to keep pressure on the wound.“Rogues again?” I asked.Riven nodded, jaw clenched. “Same claw patterns. Same north ridge. No scent trail, though. Like they’re masking themselves.”I knelt beside the younger wolf. Jonas. Eighteen. Barely out of training.His eyes found mine. “Alpha…”“Save your strength,” I said quietly.He smiled. Smiled, gods damn him. “You should’ve seen the way I blocked that first hit…”His chest shuddered, then stilled.I stood, blood soaking into my boots, and something inside me twisted. Not with shock. Not even anger.With exhaustion.How many more young wolves do I have to lose for this to be over?Later, I sat in my office with a glass of whiskey I wasn’t even drinking and a map littered with red pins.The pack was fraying. We were losing
“No. No. No—this isn’t happening.”I walked fast. Too fast. The pine needles blurred under my feet, the scent of moss and packland stinging my nose like poison. My lungs heaved, my vision tunneled, and my body burned from the inside out.Mate.Mate?I nearly shifted from the sheer force of panic crawling under my skin.My mate bond was supposed to be a blessing.Not a punishment.Not him.“Ayla wait!” Cade’s voice called behind me but I kept walking.“Don’t follow me you badtard!!”I really shouldn’t be cursing out my Alpha but Cade wasn’t my Alpha and I’d be damned if I accept him as my mate too.My skin crawled just thinking about it.I found the edge of the burial clearing and collapsed against a tree, pressing my forehead to the bark. The cold bite of the wind did nothing to numb the chaos in my chest.The pull between us still vibrated under my skin and I could feel him. I hated it but I could feel him - his presence there with me like a thread tied tight between our souls.A th
I couldn’t breathe.Daniel was here. Daniel—my Daniel—with rain dripping from his jacket and desperation etched into every line of his face. “I’m sorry - who are you?” Daniel asked again and Cade grinned although his smile didn’t reach his eyes.“I’m Ayla’s mate.” He whispered and my heart dropped.Bastard.Daniel frowned and looked at me, “your mate?”I swallowed hard. “It’s not what it sounds like.”“I think it’s exactly what it sounds like,” he said, trying to smile but failing miserably.Cade stepped forward, slow and calm, but the tension in his body was barely leashed. “She is my mate. That bond snapped into place the second I saw her.”“Don’t,” I said, glaring at him. “Dont you dare try to sabotage my life more than you’ve already done you ass wipe.”“You want me to pretend that it doesn’t matter?” Cade’s tone stayed quiet, but there was steel beneath every word. “I’ve let you run once, Ayla. I won’t let you go again.”“You don’t own me,” I snapped, loud enough to cut through
That night, after returning home, silence lingered. Both of us in our own world of thought or perhaps we don't know what to say. I looked at Daniel, his facial expression says it all. He didn't say a word, the way his eyes dropped to the floor, like he couldn't bear to meet mine. There was a flicker of something in his eyes — grief, maybe betrayal — but it vanished before I could name it And when he finally looked at me, it wasn't anger I saw. The kind that says everything has just fallen apart.“Goodnight”, I manage to say — my voice is a bit dry. I looked at him one last time before sauntering to the bedroom, turning off the light on my way I heard him take a deep breath and soon enough, he followed me. “No matter how you fight. I'll keep coming for you”. His words live rent free in my head, I don't know why but I just can't seem to forget.Deep inside me, I knew this is just the beginning and this bond will soon start affecting me. As much as I know this, I want to run — a
Bloodhowl Pack Smell of blood lingers in the air as I and my Beta — Riven examine the young wolf's corpse. Guards watching from a distance. “Tell me Riven, am I not capable enough?”, I asked, frustration laced in my voice. “The rogues attack are getting too much and my people are starting to wonder if I am proficient” “You are capable Cade, maybe we just have a spy among us” “Huh, you think so?” I asked flatly “I guess”. Disappointed, we headed back to the Pack._______________________________________I walked into the room and glanced at the window. Floods of memories hitting me. The table would be too nice a spot for her. The girl disgusts me and I can't wait till she Crawls into the grave like her useless parents”.Seven years later, my words still echoed with regret. What I said made her run and that was the last time I saw her.“If you think that this means I get to forget everything then you are mistaken”. “You never had me Cade, Not in the way that matters, you were ju
“I am not here for you Cade, I am here for myself and whether you like it or not, I'm breaking the damn bond no matter the consequences. I'm not living the rest of my life with someone like you”. I poured out my mind and his expression said it all — he was heartbroken. But I didn't care No matter what, I wouldn't let this bond control me. I will make sure I cut this string between us, no matter what I have to lose. I'm not living the rest of my life with Cade. Not after all what he has done to me. He wished me death. I did some digging and I found a way to end this whole mate shit. I don't care what it cost me — I was going to do it. I was still deep in thought when I heard Beatrix's voice“can you just sit down and stop pacing” I shot her a look before finally sinking into the couch opposite her “So what's going on lil sis” “We are literally the same age so stop calling me that” I said, rolling my eyes as memories of my childhood flashed through my mind. I looked so petite
Bloodhowl Pack Smell of blood lingers in the air as I and my Beta — Riven examine the young wolf's corpse. Guards watching from a distance. “Tell me Riven, am I not capable enough?”, I asked, frustration laced in my voice. “The rogues attack are getting too much and my people are starting to wonder if I am proficient” “You are capable Cade, maybe we just have a spy among us” “Huh, you think so?” I asked flatly “I guess”. Disappointed, we headed back to the Pack._______________________________________I walked into the room and glanced at the window. Floods of memories hitting me. The table would be too nice a spot for her. The girl disgusts me and I can't wait till she Crawls into the grave like her useless parents”.Seven years later, my words still echoed with regret. What I said made her run and that was the last time I saw her.“If you think that this means I get to forget everything then you are mistaken”. “You never had me Cade, Not in the way that matters, you were ju
That night, after returning home, silence lingered. Both of us in our own world of thought or perhaps we don't know what to say. I looked at Daniel, his facial expression says it all. He didn't say a word, the way his eyes dropped to the floor, like he couldn't bear to meet mine. There was a flicker of something in his eyes — grief, maybe betrayal — but it vanished before I could name it And when he finally looked at me, it wasn't anger I saw. The kind that says everything has just fallen apart.“Goodnight”, I manage to say — my voice is a bit dry. I looked at him one last time before sauntering to the bedroom, turning off the light on my way I heard him take a deep breath and soon enough, he followed me. “No matter how you fight. I'll keep coming for you”. His words live rent free in my head, I don't know why but I just can't seem to forget.Deep inside me, I knew this is just the beginning and this bond will soon start affecting me. As much as I know this, I want to run — a
I couldn’t breathe.Daniel was here. Daniel—my Daniel—with rain dripping from his jacket and desperation etched into every line of his face. “I’m sorry - who are you?” Daniel asked again and Cade grinned although his smile didn’t reach his eyes.“I’m Ayla’s mate.” He whispered and my heart dropped.Bastard.Daniel frowned and looked at me, “your mate?”I swallowed hard. “It’s not what it sounds like.”“I think it’s exactly what it sounds like,” he said, trying to smile but failing miserably.Cade stepped forward, slow and calm, but the tension in his body was barely leashed. “She is my mate. That bond snapped into place the second I saw her.”“Don’t,” I said, glaring at him. “Dont you dare try to sabotage my life more than you’ve already done you ass wipe.”“You want me to pretend that it doesn’t matter?” Cade’s tone stayed quiet, but there was steel beneath every word. “I’ve let you run once, Ayla. I won’t let you go again.”“You don’t own me,” I snapped, loud enough to cut through
“No. No. No—this isn’t happening.”I walked fast. Too fast. The pine needles blurred under my feet, the scent of moss and packland stinging my nose like poison. My lungs heaved, my vision tunneled, and my body burned from the inside out.Mate.Mate?I nearly shifted from the sheer force of panic crawling under my skin.My mate bond was supposed to be a blessing.Not a punishment.Not him.“Ayla wait!” Cade’s voice called behind me but I kept walking.“Don’t follow me you badtard!!”I really shouldn’t be cursing out my Alpha but Cade wasn’t my Alpha and I’d be damned if I accept him as my mate too.My skin crawled just thinking about it.I found the edge of the burial clearing and collapsed against a tree, pressing my forehead to the bark. The cold bite of the wind did nothing to numb the chaos in my chest.The pull between us still vibrated under my skin and I could feel him. I hated it but I could feel him - his presence there with me like a thread tied tight between our souls.A th
(CADE’s POV)The smell of blood hit me before I stepped into the clearing.Two bodies. Ripped open. Limbs twisted at unnatural angles. The third was barely clinging to life, breathing in ragged wheezes as the medic tried to keep pressure on the wound.“Rogues again?” I asked.Riven nodded, jaw clenched. “Same claw patterns. Same north ridge. No scent trail, though. Like they’re masking themselves.”I knelt beside the younger wolf. Jonas. Eighteen. Barely out of training.His eyes found mine. “Alpha…”“Save your strength,” I said quietly.He smiled. Smiled, gods damn him. “You should’ve seen the way I blocked that first hit…”His chest shuddered, then stilled.I stood, blood soaking into my boots, and something inside me twisted. Not with shock. Not even anger.With exhaustion.How many more young wolves do I have to lose for this to be over?Later, I sat in my office with a glass of whiskey I wasn’t even drinking and a map littered with red pins.The pack was fraying. We were losing
CHAPTER ONE“Did you just put chili oil on strawberries?”Daniel looked at me like I’d committed a culinary crime.I grinned, balancing the bowl in one hand as I hopped onto the kitchen counter. “It’s a thing. Sweet, spicy, tangy. Try it before you judge.”He raised a skeptical brow, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled to his elbows as he reached for a berry. “If I die, I’m haunting you.”“Don’t be dramatic.”He bit into it and paused. Then his eyes widened. “Okay, that’s… weirdly good.”I nudged his side with my knee. “Told you.”Our little apartment smelled like roasted coffee and spring rain, windows cracked open to let in the breeze. The city hummed outside—car horns, laughter, a distant siren or two. But in here? It was peace. Warm, humming, real.Daniel walked over to his laptop, pushing aside a mess of blueprints and client sketches. “Remind me again why you’re not bottling your chaos genius into a restaurant?”“Because chaos genius doesn’t pay the bills,” I said, hopping dow
“Get up, deadweight.”Cade’s voice cracked like a whip across the training field, and every head turned toward me.I blinked through the blood trickling from my eyebrow, and pushed myself up. Slowly, shakily.Dirt caked my hands. My knees throbbed. I should’ve stayed down. But his tone— the way it sounded so arrogant and cold made something twist inside me. “Oh, come on.” He huffed like I was wasting his time. “Even pups shift better than that.”Laughter rippled through the circle of trainees. No one stepped forward. No one offered a hand. Not like they ever did.I scoffed as I tried to even out my breathing.Pack unity - they say. But for an orphaned omega like me, unity never stretched far enough.“Maybe if you focused less on hiding in the kitchens and more on training, you’d actually be useful,” Cade said, strolling toward me with lazy arrogance. He looked like every girl’s fantasy—tall, golden-haired, eyes like storm clouds, muscles coiled and confident. But even with his go