LOGINKAEL
I was in the back of the car, staring out the tinted window, fury etched into every line of my face. The city lights rushed past in silver and gold blurs, unnatural, gaudy, just like everything else about tonight. I pulled at my tie, getting it loose at the neck, around which obligation already seemed to be strangling me.
Werewolf and Lycan parties. Mate hunt ceremonies. Perfume-soaked, politics-infused, fake-ass balls. It was all, every bit of it, a farce. A well-rehearsed show in which nothing was true and everyone wore a mask behind it all.
A parade of fake smiles, sharp teeth, suits tailored, and glittering gowns.
Small talk between the ones who'd kill each other as soon as the lights went out.
I despised it.
And yet, as the Lycan Leader, not only had I been expected… I’d been demanded. That was the part of my title I hated most. I hadn’t asked for this role. But I hadn’t clawed my way to the top for applause or admiration. I led because there was no one else who could. Because the world had been chaos, and I was able to control it.
But gatherings of this nature, in which power took a back seat to appearances, irritated me like nothing else.
And they were fraught with desperate attempts to suck up, fake compliments, and hands that shook mine only to gauge how hard I squeezed.
It was all noise and theater.
I rested my back against the leather bench. I closed my eyes for a moment and ran a hand through my hair, hoping to smooth down the building frustration.
“Another evening wasted,” I muttered.
The driver, wisely, said nothing, keeping his eyes on the road.
I couldn't even remember how many of these fucking nights I'd already been through. How many potential mates had tried to make me notice them? How many fathers and Alphas had thrown their daughters in my face like pieces of meat for sale?
None of it made any difference in any case because they didn’t know me, and they didn’t want to.
To them, I was a crown. A throne. A prize to win.
But the price of being the most powerful man in our world came with a price: Isolation.
No one touched me without a reason. No one spoke to me without thinking. Even my closest pals were connected more by fidelity than genuine blood.
This world we inhabited was founded on pretense, control, and lies cloaked in tradition.
Even the Moon Goddess, our supposed creator, sat in silence while her children ripped each other to pieces in her name. And the mate bond? It was overrated nonsense. A trick of biology and desire that people garbed in prophecy and destiny.
I had no patience for it.
And yet there I was, rolling inexorably toward another sparkling jail, where I would once again have to feign a role I’d never wanted, killing time for hours until I could escape, until I could be alone.
We pulled up to the grand ballroom, and I glowered at the ostentatious building. Red carpet and bright lights were a façade, disguising what was, in fact, inside. Irritation surged through me. I didn’t belong here.
The door creaked, and my grandfather, Ashvale, marched out like a man half his years. His piercing eyes were focused on me while I remained in the car, not moving to come after.
He would demand that he come to make sure I showed up. And honestly? He wasn’t wrong to doubt me.
“Is this really necessary, Grandpa?” I asked. I was getting a touch resentful by the time I appeared, my voice thick with it. “I have better things to do than stand here so everyone can kiss my butt.”
Ashvale raised an eyebrow, unfazed. “As long as you’re the Lycan Leader, you have responsibilities… one of which is this. Until you come home with a mate, you’ll be forced to go to these galas and pairing ceremonies. It’s tradition.”
I rolled my eyes. “Tradition, my foot,” I scoffed. “You know I don’t give a shit about that. I’m not a lovesick puppy chasing a fated mate. And I don’t want you talking to me like I’m a child. I’m the Lycan Leader, remember?”
Ashvale’s gaze hardened. “You’re not a whole leader until you find a mate. I was married and had your father at your age,” he puffed. “This is not a command, Kael, it is an obligation. Now, go in. But I’ll be waiting, so don’t even think of slinking away.”
I grit my teeth, holding back a response. There was no use arguing with him when he was like this. I turned on the ball of my foot and marched into the ballroom.
The second I stepped into the room, the place went silent. Heads were turning, whispers were running through the audience, and I could feel every pair of eyes bearing down on me. I thought it was disgusting… people watching, the subtle ass-kissing. It was exhausting.
I retreated to the opposite side of the room, avoiding people who weren't worth a second glance. But before long, a steady stream of young Alphas and Betas approached, each more eager than the last. I suffered their hellos and their circuitous talks, smiling politely with my attention and thoughts elsewhere.
This was my pattern: show up, suffer, and get out of there as soon as I could. I was in the process of figuring out how to leave when something funny caught my eye.
A scent. Sweet, primal, and intoxicating... unlike anything I'd ever known. Through the specious perfumes and the cloying aftershave, it came, pulling at me like a magnet. I stiffened. I was awake, scanning the room, feeling the sandpaper fill my nose. My wolf, Fenrir, reared up and whimpered inside of me, pacing about in spirals and pushing me to track the origin.
Then I saw her.
A young woman was alone at the rear of the ballroom. She was flushed, her eyes open and wild, searching the room like a trapped animal. She didn’t fit in here… that was for sure.
She seemed out of place among the well-dressed crowd, an ugly shard of glass among the crystal. Flaxen tangles cascaded around her, shaping her face in messy swirls around her head. And her dress was sticking to her as if she’d been running.
It wasn’t just her appearance I was drawn to. It was the scent.
She reminded me of someone I’d seen.
An Omega who was desperate for me at one time, now shivering and flushed, seemingly wanting to fling herself into my arms, if she just handed herself over, that would somehow cross the chasm between us. This girl had that same edge to her.
But there was something else, too. Something I couldn’t yet name.
Those around her scrunched up their faces in disgust. The last was a word I’d learned to live without, but Fenrir stirred with a low growl, whispering one word through my bones: MATE!
I looked into her eyes, and for a moment everything went hazy. The sound of the gala receded as my heart thundered in my ears. The arousing scent made me come in despite myself. Fenrir surged forward, ready to have her, but voices around us made me return to myself.
“Why can’t she control her pheromones? Pathetic,” someone sneered.
“Guess that’s what you get when you don’t have a wolf. No wonder she’s by herself,” another crowed with laughter.
“Wolfless deviant. She doesn’t belong here.”
My jaw tightened. Fenrir snapped at the insult that was thrown at her, but I held him back. So this was it, a pariah, a werewolfless werewolf whose body she could not command. A deviant. Out of every woman the Goddess could’ve fated to me… she chose the one the world had already discarded. Cruel doesn’t begin to cover it.
I studied her for a moment. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want her. I’d never bought that premade mates crap, and a wolfless mate… it was even worse. I’d walked headfirst into a liability so dangerous, my reputation would be trampled, and I’d be pitted against those I led.
I went to leave, but Fenrir growled, and suddenly I was walking toward her. I shoved Fenrir back... barely. She was a complication, an inconvenient truth I wasn’t ready to claim, and I already had too many complications.
A last look at her. I looked askance. She’d always be an outcast, a freak with nowhere in my world. I would remain the untethered leader, not bound to an appointed mate.
As I made for the exit, a motion caught my eye.
A young Alpha had her cornered, with two of his tethered minions at his sides. I had his number immediately: rich, conceited, besotted with his rank, and stupid enough to believe that having power gives a person the right to touch whatever he pleases.
She was up against the wall, obviously cornered. She stiffened as he looked in, feeling his arm caging her in, his minions flanking him like guards.
Then he grabbed her.
His palm gripped at her breast painfully, and her body jerked in response… whether from fear or the insatiable tug of her heat, I couldn’t tell.
I just felt this rage hit me like waves of fire. It was abrupt. That was assault, and every part of me wanted to stop it, to claw him away from her and break his wrist and throw him to the ground for daring to touch her that way.
But I didn’t move. I restrained myself as fists balled at my sides. I didn’t know why I froze.
Perhaps what I’d already worn wore my attention tonight. Or perhaps it was the weight of the crown I bore that required self-discipline over impulse. Or, possibly, I was holding out to see exactly how much he would push it.
Then his hand inched down… and that was it.
A low, dangerous growl ripped out of my throat before I could stop it.
FINNWhy the hell is he here?I got to my feet, wincing at the sick feeling curling in my stomach as I made a respectful bow. “Lycan Leader,” I said, trying to sound formal and composed. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”“This is my son, Alpha Kael.” My dad stood next to me. “You were asking for him. He’s not in trouble, is he?”“Your son and I need to talk, Beta Tanner.” Kael’s eyes were cold as they glanced at me before moving back to my father. "Alone.”Dad instantly froze. When he glanced at me, I could see that he was torn between loyalty to the Lycan Leader and the overpowering need to guard me. “Yes, Alpha,” he said after a long pause. “I’ll be in the living room if you need me.”“Beta,” Kael’s voice cut like steel. “This is a private matter. So, wait outside. I came alone as well, left my Beta and soldiers at the gate so no attention would follow me.”This bastard is definitely here for her!My father's jaw clenched, but I nodded, telling him that I was okay. “It’s fine, Dad.
FINNA week and a half had passed since she had gone away. We’d been talking every day, mostly via text and sometimes through occasional video calls. It brought me comfort knowing she was alright.As I approached the front door, a familiar scent filled my nose. My stomach gave a loud rumble, and a smile tugged at my lips the moment I realized I wouldn’t be choking down another sad bowl of instant noodles tonight. I hurried inside.“Dad?” I called after the mouthwatering aroma made me follow into the kitchen. Standing by the stove in his apron was my father, Alaric Tanner, the hardest-working Beta of the Ashbourne Pack I’d ever known.“Dad!” I hurried over to him and wrapped my arms around him.“Finn!” he chuckled, hugging me back. “You’re back early. I was hoping to have this done before you got home. How was patrol?”“Very long,” I said, breaking our embrace. “You told me you’d be gone another week. What are you doing here?”He smirked as he arched an eyebrow. “What? Do you want me t
KAEL His words landed like a slap, and I could feel the firestorm ignite in my chest. I wanted to punch him. My head filled with blood, and I could feel Fenrir growling in my veins. I must have looked pathetic: Lycan Leader undone over a girl her own family cast aside, showing cracks in front of my warriors and her family. This wasn’t me. I was supposed to be stronger than this.I drew a deep breath, making my voice steady, though it shook with the suppressed fury. “It is my duty to ensure that packs treat their members, even their youngsters, with respect and protection.” I sounded like a robot, even to myself.The excuse was lame, I already knew it, but I couldn’t think of anything else.Tobias instantly covered for me. “Maybe we should just talk to Maya ourselves,” he said, "We will need her testimony concerning the Feral assault as part of our records, to learn what has happened and ensure that our healers are aware of the best procedure in the case of future casualties."Darius
KAELMy heart thudded with a blend of dread and trepidation as soon as I stepped out of my car in front of the Ashbourne’s Pack house. I wasn’t scared or confused. I knew exactly what I was doing, and I knew I had to do this. I wasn’t here for Maya. I only came to see her parents, have a little talk with them, and then drive back to my place. But who was I kidding? Because deep down, I wanted to catch a glimpse of her so bad, even if it were for a second. Ever since my chat with Tobias, Fenrir had been pacing back and forth in my mind. I thought I’d feel better once he finally responded, but my condition only worsened. He wanted her so badly it weakened him. And now the healer’s potions weren’t even working, no matter how strong the dose I took.I didn’t come alone. I wanted to, but being the king of the Lycans, I had to have protocols. Tobias walked beside me, and twelve other warriors accompanied us. Alpha Darius stood outside with his wife, Luna Seraphina, and their other daught
KAEL“What?” I let out a bitter laugh. “My mate? A wolfless deviant? That’s… awfully ridiculous.”“You can stop hiding it from me, Alpha.” Tobias’s words hit me like a blow. “You rushed to that forest for her, even after I told you it wasn’t wise. No other woman could’ve ever made you do that… except for your mate.”“Okay, okay,” I raised my hands in mocking defense. “You caught me. It was a mistake, alright. I told you, it’s her pheromones. They drive me insane. And just to make things clear… I rejected her.”“Yeah, I know you rejected her,” he taunted, lifting two fingers and squeezing them together in the air, pressing on the word like it was something sour. “And that was a dumb move. She’s not some Omega or Gamma. Her parents are Alpha blood.”“She’s wolfless goddamnit!” I stammered. “Why didn’t you tell me that you knew?”“Don’t do this, Alpha,” Tobias shook his head and then shrugged, letting out a low breath. “I was waiting for you to tell me yourself, but you didn’t, so I thou
KAELIf it’s tearing me up this bad, an Alpha with a powerful wolf to anchor me, how much worse must it be for her? I thought rejecting her would kill the bond, but it’s like hacking at a rope that just won’t break.I lay on the healer’s table. Sweat covered my body while I shook uncontrollably. I felt a wave of pain as though there was liquid fire trying to burn me from the inside out. My muscles contracted to the point where I was fairly certain they were in danger of ripping, and each joint in my body hurt as if it had been forcibly dislocated. I gripped my chest, willing the searing ache in my heart to end, but it kept hammering. I groaned, trying to stifle the cry. One week had passed since Maya left.But the agony worsened with each passing day, which kept reminding me that the connection was not some old wives’ tale to be shrugged off.The healer hesitated a moment, and then his brow furrowed in concern. “You’re condition’s worsening, Alpha,” he mumbled, sounding uneasy. “I’v







