CHAPTER 4: MINE

KAEL’S POV

I smelled her before I saw her.

Blood. Fear. And something else—something that made my Lycan surge forward so violently I almost shifted right there.

Mate.

The word echoed through my mind like a gunshot.

No. Impossible.

I’d already had a mate. Sera had died five years ago, and second chance mates were rare. The Moon Goddess didn’t hand them out like party favors.

But my Lycan didn’t care about logic or probability.

MATE, he roared. OURS. FIND HER.

I was running before I consciously decided to move.

My territory stretched for miles—dense forest, steep ravines, and enough warning signs to keep out anyone with half a brain. Trespassers were dealt with swiftly and without mercy.

That was the reputation I’d built. The reputation that kept my pack safe.

But this trespasser… this one was different.

I found her at the bottom of a ravine, crumpled against the rocks like a broken doll.

Female. Early twenties. Curvy build, chestnut hair matted with blood, wearing a torn gray servant’s dress.

She wasn’t moving.

My Lycan went feral.

I dropped to my knees beside her, pressing two fingers to her throat. Faint pulse. Barely there.

“Don’t you dare die,” I growled. “Not before I figure out what the hell is happening.”

Up close, the mate bond slammed into me with the force of a freight train.

Golden thread. Unbreakable. Binding me to this unconscious woman I’d never met.

My second chance mate.

And she was dying.

I scooped her up carefully—she weighed almost nothing despite her curves—and ran.

My mansion sat in the heart of my territory, surrounded by guards and wards. I burst through the front door, shouting for my healer.

“Marcus! Get Elena! NOW!”

My Beta appeared instantly, took one look at the woman in my arms, and his eyes widened.

“Is she—”

“Get. Elena.” I bit out each word.

He ran.

I carried her to my bedroom—the cleanest, safest place—and laid her on the bed.

Blood soaked through her dress. Her face was pale, lips blue. Scratches and bruises covered every visible inch of skin.

Someone had hurt her. Badly.

My Lycan snarled, demanding revenge.

“Soon,” I promised him. “First, we save her.”

Elena, my pack healer, rushed in with her medical bag.

“Kael, what—” She stopped when she saw the girl. “Oh Goddess. What happened?”

“I don’t know. Fix her.”

Elena’s hands worked quickly, checking vitals, examining wounds.

“She’s got three broken ribs, a fractured wrist, severe bruising, and she’s malnourished.” Elena’s voice was grim. “Kael, these injuries… some are new but others are weeks old. She’s been hurt repeatedly.”

My hands clenched into fists.

“Can you save her?”

“Yes. But she needs rest and time to heal.” Elena started cleaning wounds. “Who is she?”

“I don’t know.”

That was the truth. I had no idea who this woman was.

Only that she was mine.

And someone was going to pay for every bruise on her skin.

ARIA’S POV

Pain.

That’s the first thing I felt when consciousness returned. Sharp, throbbing pain radiating from my ribs.

The second thing was softness. I was lying on something soft. Not my cot in the servants’ wing.

My eyes flew open.

Unfamiliar ceiling. Unfamiliar room. Massive bed with silk sheets.

Where—

“You’re awake.”

The voice was deep, smooth, and came from the shadows near the window.

A man stepped into the light and my breath caught.

He was huge. At least six-six, with broad shoulders and muscles that strained against his black shirt. Jet-black hair, sharp jawline, and eyes… his eyes were the most striking thing about him.

Silver-gray. Like storm clouds.

And they were fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

“Who are you?” I whispered.

“Kael Blackthorne.” He moved closer. “Lycan King. And you’re in my territory.”

Oh God.

The Lycan King.

I tried to sit up but pain lanced through my ribs and I gasped.

“Don’t move,” Kael ordered. “You’ve got three broken ribs.”

“I need to leave,” I said, panic rising. “I’m sorry for trespassing. I didn’t mean—”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

His tone left no room for argument.

“But I—”

“What pack are you from?” He crossed his arms. “Who hurt you?”

I hesitated. “Crescent Moon Pack.”

Something flickered in his eyes. “Alpha Derek Stone’s pack.”

I nodded.

“And the injuries?”

I looked away. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me.”

The possessiveness in his voice made me look up sharply.

Why would the Lycan King care about some nobody Omega who’d stumbled into his territory?

“What’s your name?” he asked, his voice softer now.

“Aria. Aria Winters.”

“Aria.” He said my name like he was testing it. “Why did you run into Lycan territory? Everyone knows that’s suicide.”

“I wasn’t thinking.” The truth spilled out before I could stop it. “I just… I needed to get away.”

“From what?”

Everything. The rejection. The torture. The humiliation. Watching Derek and Celeste celebrate while I suffered.

But I couldn’t say that to this dangerous stranger.

“From my pack,” I said simply.

Kael studied me for a long moment.

“You’re malnourished. Covered in old and new injuries. Wearing a servant’s uniform despite smelling like Beta bloodline.” His eyes narrowed. “What did they do to you?”

“Nothing I didn’t deserve,” I whispered, repeating the words I’d heard for six months.

His expression darkened. “Who told you that?”

“Everyone.”

Silence stretched between us.

Then Kael did something unexpected. He pulled a chair close to the bed and sat, his massive frame somehow less intimidating at eye level.

“Listen carefully, Aria Winters,” he said quietly. “Whatever happened to you in that pack—whatever they told you—you didn’t deserve it. No one deserves to be hurt like this.”

Tears burned behind my eyes. “You don’t know what I am.”

“I know you’re brave enough to run into Lycan territory rather than stay where you were being hurt. I know you’re strong enough to survive injuries that would’ve killed someone weaker.” His silver eyes held mine. “And I know you’re my mate.”

The world stopped.

“What?”

“You heard me.” He leaned forward. “The moment I found you, the bond snapped into place. You’re my second chance mate.”

“That’s… that’s impossible.” I shook my head, ignoring the pain. “I already had a mate. He rejected me six months ago.”

Understanding flashed across Kael’s face. “Derek Stone.”

I nodded miserably.

“He’s an idiot.” Kael’s voice was flat. “And you’re better off without him.”

“He rejected me because I’m—” I couldn’t say it. Couldn’t voice the words that had destroyed me.

“Because you’re what?”

“Too fat to be his Luna.” The words came out broken. “That’s what he said. In front of the entire pack.”

Kael went very, very still.

“He said that to you.” Not a question. A statement filled with barely controlled rage.

“Yes.”

“And then what happened?”

I told him. Everything. The rejection ceremony. Being demoted to servant. Celeste becoming Luna. The six months of torture and humiliation. The nursery. The celebration. The warriors who’d chased me.

All of it came pouring out like a dam had broken.

When I finished, Kael’s hands were clenched so tight his knuckles were white.

“They did all of that to you,” he said softly, “because of how you look.”

“I’m not… I’m not what an Alpha’s mate should be.”

“Look at me, Aria.”

I forced myself to meet his eyes.

“You are exactly what a mate should be. Strong. Brave. Beautiful. And anyone who made you feel otherwise is a fool.”

“You don’t have to lie—”

“I don’t lie.” He stood, towering over me again. “And I don’t make mistakes. The Moon Goddess gave you to me for a reason. Do you feel it? The bond?”

Now that he mentioned it… yes. There was something there. A golden thread, faint but present, connecting my chest to his.

“I feel it,” I whispered.

“Good.” His expression softened slightly. “Now here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to stay here and heal. You’re going to eat proper meals and rest. And you’re never going back to that pack.”

“But I don’t have anywhere else—”

“You have here. With me.” He moved toward the door. “I’ll have Elena bring food. You need to eat.”

“Wait.” I struggled to sit up despite the pain. “Why are you doing this? You don’t know me.”

Kael turned back, his silver eyes intense.

“Because you’re mine, Aria. And I protect what’s mine. Always.”

He left before I could respond.

I sat there, stunned, trying to process everything.

The Lycan King—the most feared wolf in North America—was my second chance mate.

And he’d just claimed me.

My wolf, silent for months, finally stirred.

Safe, she whispered. Finally safe.

Maybe she was right.

Or maybe this was just another nightmare waiting to begin.