They say fate chooses your mate. But what if fate is cruel? Aiden has always been a nobody—abandoned, cursed, forgotten. Raised by Jake, the stoic professor who saved him once. Aiden vanished at sixteen after confessing the one truth that shattered everything: “he loves him.” Now twenty-five and hiding a deadly secret—a feral lycan curse counting down the days—Jake walks into Aiden’s college classroom as his student. Aiden was older, obviously. But, he was bitter and still hurting. Jake left his pack, his title, and his past behind for a quiet life of just books and lectures. But nothing prepared him for Aiden’s return—or the soul-deep pull that threatened to destroy the walls he had built. As the time for curse creeps closer, only one thing can save Aiden- his true mate. Jake’s not just the professor. He’s the one thing Aiden can’t have… and the only one who can save him.
View MoreAiden’s POV
"I… I Like you, Jake." I stuttered, staring at the floor. "I mean…" I stuttered again. "What? Aiden?" Jake asked, brushing my head like a puppy. “Stop Jake, Listen to me.” I replied shyly. “I like you. Like... actually. I love you, Jake.” I finally confessed. It felt good to let it off my chest after years of obsessing over him but Jake didn't say anything. “Jake,” I called out, just to be sure he heard me and then I continued talking before he said anything. “I do like you and not in a weird way—well, I mean—I like like you. I want to be near you. I want more than just…Friends.” I wanted him to say something. Anything, but he didn’t even look up. “Your mate reading is in three days, Aiden,” he said coolly. “You should focus on that.” He walked off like I hadn’t just laid my heart out in pieces. And yeah, I laughed it off. Told myself he was being mature, responsible. Pack and alpha responsibilities, prolly other stuff too. But it gutted me. Deep down, I kept waiting for him to come back and say, “Me too.” He never did. I just watched him walk away. Growing up in the BlackMoon Pack, I practically lived in the Alpha’s house. Brute was my best friend and the Alpha's son—chaotic, funny, everything a guy needed to survive teenage years in a pack ruled by ancient traditions. But Brute wasn’t the one who made my throat go dry or my hands sweat. It was his father—Alpha Jake. He was the kind of man people lowered their eyes around. A hot, tall, cold man that wasn’t just physical—it was magnetic. He had a voice that could mesmerize anyone or reduce you to nothing with a single word. And me? I was a seventeen-year-old idiot nursing a hopeless crush on the most untouchable man in the pack. Yeah, Emphasis on “Idiot.” I spent the rest of the day pretending I hadn’t just humiliated myself in front of Alpha Jake. Pretending I hadn’t leaned in, heart pounding, desperately ready to kiss him like a fool—and he’d shut me down with that cold sentence about my upcoming mate reading. “Focus on your mate reading,” his words echoed in my head. Like I was some naive little boy. Like he didn’t feel it too. He felt it, I could swear there were instances that I could feel his intense gaze on me. I didn’t tell Sapphire. Goddess, no. My best friend would die laughing. Or worse—pity me. I couldn’t stomach either. So I grabbed my boots, skipped lunch, and I headed to the lake. The trail to the water was quiet, the kind of silence that felt personal. Like nature knows you're spiraling and gives you a little grace. I sat on the old dock, toes dipped into the freezing water, trying to forget the way Jake’s lips had twitched when I leaned in. Not quite a smile. Not quite rejection. But definitely not what I needed. I threw a rock. Then another, and another. Maybe if I threw enough, I’d hurl the shame out of my chest too. But I couldn't, I haven't felt my wolf yet. Damn! I'm just a dumb she wolf. I'm so stupid. I got up and with every courage in me, I made my way to the pack house. By the time I got back to the pack house, the halls were mostly dark. Soft chatter and laughter drifted from the common room. Someone was baking. It smelled like burnt cookies but that was the least of my problem. It was comforting but not to me at the moment. Still, I found myself smiling, just a little. Maybe I’d go talk to Taylor. He always knew what to say when I was spiraling. Even if he was overprotective and annoying sometimes. Though, I wasn't sure if I would tell him what I did. He had that big-brother wisdom thing going for him. I padded barefoot down the hallway, heart a little lighter. His door was slightly open. I pushed it open. Before I could say anything, everything stopped. I couldn't believe my eyes. There they were. Alpha Jake, my Alpha, my crush. His hands were buried in Taylor’s hair. His lips sealed over my brother's tongue so deep I heard it. A moan. Jake’s. Low and possessive. My heart broke into pieces, I felt my knees buckled. I didn’t speak. I didn’t cry. I just stood there, frozen. Like I’d been skinned open and I could feel the wind was whistling through my bones. They didn’t even see me. Or maybe they did. Maybe they just didn’t care. Nothing made any sense. Something inside me snapped, it didn't break, it snapped A hot pressure exploded in my chest, radiating down my arms and legs, crawling under my skin like fire and ice battling for dominance. It was a strange feeling that I had never felt before. I winced in pain. My bones popped. I felt my teeth elongate. Fur spilled over my skin. And then, my wolf had taken dominance. For the first time in seventeen years, he rose. Violent, untamed, feral and scary. “Mine,” he growled, not through my lips—but through every vein in my body. I don’t remember shifting. I remember the window shattering as I leapt out, fur rippled and my claws scraped the frame. I remembered trees flashing past me, ground digging beneath my paws. I remembered rage. I remembered betrayal. I remember the hate. Not for food. For answers to why I was so blind and I didn't see that coming. I didn’t even realize I was near the ravine until my foot slipped, skidded on the edge, and I crashed to my knees in the dirt. I was panting, naked, knees bleeding. I was in my human form again. But I wasn't the same. I doubt I'll ever be the same. Something had been unlocked inside me. My wolf had awakened. And I didn't want him to go back to sleep. I screamed out loud. From my gut, from my soul, from the part of me that had been shattered in that one cruel, disgusting moment.Aiden's POV“School’s been crazy. College stuff, assignments, group projects that drag on forever, you know how it is.” I keep my tone light, like I’m complaining but not too much.Hayden studies me for a moment, and I can feel the weight of it. He’s not a man you can easily lie to, but I’ve gotten better at it. His gaze lingers, then finally eases.“Hmm.” His mouth curves into a small smile. “Well, make sure you’re around for dinner tonight. We need to talk about moving forward with your mate's bond ceremony with Lila.”My stomach knots. I nod quickly, hoping he can’t hear the way my heartbeat stutters. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be there.”He claps a hand on my shoulder, the gesture friendly but heavy. “Good. It’s time we stop putting it off.”I give him another smile, then turn toward the stairs, forcing myself not to look like I’m running. Each step feels heavier than the last. By the time I reach my room, my hands are in fists, my breathing uneven.The irony isn’t lost on me. I just spent
Aiden’s POVI didn't realise when I fell asleep in Jake's arms until the sound of the shower running woke me up. My lips curled in a mischievous smile as I got up from the bed to join Jake in the bathroom. I walked into the bathroom and Jake’s gaze met mine with a smile on his face. The steam curls between us, heavy with heat and everything we’re not supposed to want. My back is already against the tiled wall, cool against overheated skin. Jake stands in front of me, water running in rivulets down his broad chest, over scars I’ve only traced in the dark before.His eyes don’t move from mine when he cups my jaw, his thumb brushing the corner of my mouth.“You shouldn’t be here,” he says slowly, almost to himself.“I know.” My voice is breathless. “I don’t care.”The first kiss is slow, like he’s testing me, but my hands grip his shoulders, pulling him closer. The warmth of him, the weight of his body, makes my chest ache.When he drops to his knees, my breath hitches. His lips are ho
Aiden's POV“You promised,” she’d said, crossing her arms. “You said you were okay with the marriage arrangement.”Those were the last words I heard Lila say before I stormed out of the library, barely holding back a growl. Lila had been on my case all through again.Yeah, I did. I said what I had to say. For her, for the pack, for my damn survival. But now, she wanted me home. Living full-time in the pack house like some obedient future alpha in training. Like I could just switch off the chaos in my head, ignore the way my wolf howled every time Jake crossed my mind, and pretend I was okay.I didn’t even realize where my feet were taking me until I was standing outside Jake’s house. I froze immediately.The wind was still but my thoughts weren’t. I wasn’t supposed to be here. This was the last place I should be right now. But my chest felt tight, like I couldn’t breathe until I saw him.“Fuck it,” I muttered, then knocked hard on the door.There was no answer so I knocked again. Lou
Lila POVMy dad had insisted I have dinner with him tonight because he's been so busy and we hardly saw each other even though we live in the same house. I pushed my fork around the edge of my plate, barely touching the roast lamb my father’s chef had made. I could feel him watching me from across the long oak table. His silence wasn’t strange, it was the usual him.“I’ve made up my mind,” I said quietly, looking up. “I want to go ahead with the arranged marriage but I want to finish college first. I don't want to go to school as a married lady.”He didn’t flinch, neither did he blink. He just leaned back in his chair and dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin.“You’re sure?”I nodded. “Yes.”There was a long pause before he spoke again. “Then I have one condition.”Of course there was a condition.“You and Aiden must remain in the pack house. At least until I’m confident he’s ready to lead.”I blinked. “You want him to live with us full time?”“You’ll be married in a few years
Jake's POV The full moon was approaching and I thought keeping my distance would help. That if I could just lock up this storm inside me, maybe the craving would go away. Maybe I wouldn’t think about Aiden when the night is cold and I could almost perceive his scent. So I did what I always do. I buried myself in work. I started training Brute more often, taking him to the field after dinner, dragging out our sparring until sweat poured down our faces and the moon rose high. “Dad,” he said one night, panting hard between swings, “what’s going on with you lately?” I blocked his punch, held his fist steady. “Nothing. Just focused.” He gave me that look. The one his mother used to give me when I lied straight to her face. “Why doesn’t Aiden visit at all?” he asked, stepping back. “We live, what, fifteen minutes from each other now?” I stiffened. That question came too easily. Too naturally. Like he’d been thinking about it for a while. I turned my back and picked up the
Aiden's POV “Then do it.” He didn’t move. “I’m right here.” His hand lifted but never reached me. He stepped back like I was a taboo. “I can’t,” he whispered. “Or you won’t,” I corrected. He turned, “Go home, Aiden.” I didn’t move. “You need rest,” he added. I laughed out painfully, “Right. So I can black out again and wake up in another bloody mess.” “I’ll figure this out.” “You won’t even look at me when I’m begging you!” I said out loud. Jake turned back to me, pain etched deep on his face. “You think this is easy for me?” “I think you’ve had years to figure out how to not want me, and you failed.” “I’m trying to protect you.” “Then stop,” I said. “Stop protecting me. Just—be with me.” “I can’t,” he said again. “If I touch you tonight, I’ll never stop.” The silence was unbearable. The air between us was thick with everything unsaid. “Then go,” I said. He didn’t. “Leave, Jake.” He turned slowly, face pale, and walked away. I stood there
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