LOGINWhen Emma’s fated mate rejects her to marry the Alpha King’s only daughter, she thinks losing him is the worst betrayal of her life. But then he destroys her family’s pack and dares to offer her a place—as his secret mistress. Her answer? “I’d rather warm your father’s bed than be your dirty little secret.” Adrian Blackthorn—the Alpha King’s father—is a ruthless, dangerously charming Lycan with the kind of power that makes enemies vanish overnight. He never touches the same woman twice… until Emma crashes into his world with vengeance burning in her eyes. What starts as revenge spirals into an intoxicating game of dominance, secrets, and forbidden desire. But behind the passion lurks a deeper danger—because in this war for love, loyalty, and power… someone always bleeds.
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The scent of roses and champagne clung to the air like a cruel reminder of what I’d just lost. My fingers tightened around the velvet box in my palm, the engagement ring Lucas had given me two weeks ago now digging into my skin like a mockery. It was supposed to be our wedding day. Instead, I was standing at the edge of the ballroom, watching him kiss another woman in front of the entire pack. Clara Whitmore. Daughter of the Alpha King. The perfect, polished prize every man dreamed of having on his arm. She wasn’t just wearing the gown I had dreamed of—she was wearing my future. Lucas didn’t even look guilty as he announced to the guests, “I’ve chosen Clara as my mate. The union between us will unite our packs and strengthen the kingdom.” My throat burned. “And what about the mate bond?” I shouted, my voice echoing over the gasps in the crowd. “The bond you swore to honor, Lucas?” He glanced at me, expression cold. “You were never enough for me, Emma. This is bigger than love. It’s about power.” The crowd murmured, some looking away in shame, others grinning at the drama. But Lucas wasn’t finished humiliating me. He walked toward me, lowering his voice just enough for only I could hear. “You could still be mine… just not as my wife. I’d make you my mistress, Emma. Keep you hidden, spoiled, but mine. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” My blood boiled. “I’d rather—” I stopped, my pulse hammering as the words formed on my tongue. “I’d rather sleep with your father than ever let you touch me again.” His smirk faltered. Gasps rippled through the crowd. I didn’t care. My heart was pounding too hard, my rage too hot to notice anything but the shadow moving at the edge of the ballroom. Adrian Blackthorn. The Alpha King’s father. Lucas’s father. And the most dangerous man in the kingdom. He was taller than I remembered, his silver-streaked hair giving him a distinguished edge that only made his lethal beauty more intimidating. Those piercing grey eyes swept over me once, lingering just a moment too long before flicking to Lucas. There was something in Adrian’s expression—interest, calculation, amusement. And I realized, with a chill, that he had heard every single word I’d just said. The music stopped. Clara was smiling like she’d won a war, but Lucas’s jaw was tight now, his eyes darting between me and the man whose approval he could never quite earn. Adrian took a slow step forward, his gaze fixed on me. “Is that so?” His voice was deep, velvet over steel. Every head in the room turned toward us. “Yes,” I said, my chin lifting in defiance. “That’s exactly so.” A slow smile curved his lips—dangerous, knowing, and far too seductive. “Then perhaps,” he murmured, “we should talk.” The ballroom went silent, the weight of his words pressing down like a storm about to break. And in that moment, I knew two things: Lucas had just made the biggest mistake of his life… And Adrian Blackthorn was going to make sure I never forgot it.Three days of restless quiet passed before the storm finally moved. Scouts came running through the southern valley at dawn, breath steaming in the cold air, mud splattering up their legs.“They’re marching,” one gasped. “Two columns—east and north. Corrin’s banners in the front.”The news spread faster than wind through dry grass. Within the hour, the clans were packing supplies, sharpening blades, and posting lookouts on the ridges. Every hammer strike, every shouted order echoed like a drumbeat of approaching war.Adrian stood at the center of the camp, maps pinned beneath stones on a makeshift table. Lyra hovered nearby, her cloak still wet from travel. Emma stayed beside her, listening to the rhythm of their planning, forcing herself to breathe through the rising panic.“They’ll reach the river in three days,” Lyra said, tracing the map with one gloved finger. “If they bridge it, the valley falls within a week.”Adrian nodded
The southern valley woke under a pale sun. Smoke from cooking fires curled through the trees, mingling with the mist rising off the river. For the first time in weeks, Emma felt the faint rhythm of ordinary life again—children running between the huts, the hum of conversation, the smell of bread and damp earth.But beneath that fragile calm, the air still hummed with tension. Every sound seemed a little too sharp, every glance a little too cautious. The clans had agreed to stand with Adrian, but no one truly believed the Council would let them do so in peace.Adrian studied a rough map on the long table inside the hall. “If Corrin’s army marches through the northern pass, they’ll reach us in six days,” he said. “If they split and come from the east, four.”Lyra, the former guard, leaned over the map beside him. “He’ll use both routes. He wants to surround you before you can move the southern packs.”Emma stood near the doorway, listening,
By the time they reached the southern border, dawn had burned away the mist, leaving the sky clear and pale. The air was warmer here, touched by the scent of cedar and salt from the distant coast. The land felt different—open, waiting—but Emma could sense the unease beneath its calm surface.Villages that once greeted travelers with open gates now barred their doors at night. Smoke rose from hearths, not beacons. The southern clans had learned to survive between loyalty and fear.Adrian stopped on the ridge overlooking the valley. “They’re watching us,” he said quietly. “Every eye, every whisper. They remember who I am, but they don’t know whether it’s safe to remember out loud.”Emma pulled her cloak closer. “Then we give them a reason to speak.”They approached the first settlement by mid-morning. The villagers scattered when they saw them, though not in panic—more like animals testing the wind before deciding whether to flee. Only one
When morning finally broke, the forest smelled of smoke and wet leaves. Patches of mist still clung to the ground where the battle had raged hours before. The ruins stood scarred but unbroken, black streaks of soot marking every stone.Emma walked the perimeter in silence. Each step crunched over damp earth and broken branches. The signs of struggle were everywhere—prints in the mud, a shattered arrow lodged in a tree, the faint trace of blood already fading into the soil.Adrian waited near the old well, cloak draped over his shoulders, watching the forest with the stillness of someone listening to what the world wasn’t saying.“They retreated farther than I expected,” he murmured as she approached.“Because they were afraid?”“Because Lucas learned something last night.” His gaze shifted toward the horizon. “He knows I’m willing to fight smart, not desperate. And that means the next strike won’t be small.”Emma stopped b
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