On the day of the Mate ceremony, Zara is devastated when her fated mate, Adrian, rejects her. As a half-blood werewolf, she can only have one mate, and unlike pureblood wolves, she cannot sever the bond. Once rejected, she cannot be claimed by a second chance mate. Zara flees to the pack's border, longing to escape to the human world. Six months later, the Alpha forces her return. She discovers her father has passed, and twin Alphas have taken his place. They are her second chance mates, but if they find out, Zara will never be able to leave...
View More“By the laws of the Moon and the vows once spoken, I revoke my claim and cast aside our union. You are no longer mine, Zara Sawyer.”
“You’re a half-wolf, Zara,” he added, loud enough for everyone to hear. “You’ll never bear strong offspring.” I felt the sting of his words like claws raking through my chest. But he wasn’t finished. “I’m sorry, but today I realized your stepsister, Chloe, is the one I truly love.”
The words cut through the silence of the forest, heavy and final. I stood frozen among the towering trees, my wedding gown clinging to me—another weight I didn’t need. The pack watched in stunned silence, the ceremonial fire still flickering between us.
Adrian’s voice had been steady No remorse, no hesitation. Just finality.
That was the moment the bond cracked. Not gently, not gradually—violently. I couldn’t stop the tears that blurred my vision or the way my wolf whimpered deep inside, fractured and betrayed. Nearby, Chloe—my stepsister—stood watching with that smug, satisfied smile she always wore, like she’d won before the game even began.
The pain of the bond breaking was unbearable, but worse was the knowledge that for me—it wouldn’t truly break. I was a hybrid. Half-wolf, half-human. I didn’t get a clean break or a second chance. Our kind mated once, and if rejected, a pureblood wolf could heal and move on. But not me.
“Why today?” My voice was rasp and my eyes pierced straight through to his soul. “Why wait until now, in front of everyone?” Adrian shifted uncomfortably, but before he could answer her hands folded neatly, her expression composed, calculated and practiced, like she knew exactly how to play this moment.
“I’m so sorry, dear sister,” Chloe said sweetly, her voice soft and full of false sympathy as the crowd’s eyes watched over her shoulder. “I never wanted it to come to this, but Adrian and I… we’ve always had something real. I hope someday you’ll understand.”
The slight curl of her lips and the sharp glint in her eyes told me everything—this was a performance, meant to fool everyone but me. She was enjoying every moment of my pain. Her words carried victory, not guilt.
I should have seen it. Of course it was Chloe. Ever since she came into my life—blonde curls, perfect smile, sweet as poisoned honey—she’d tried to take everything from me. First my father’s attention. Then my place in the pack. And now, the one person I’d believed I could trust.
Adrian had been hers all along. I had just been too blinded by the mate union to see it. My father stood silently on the steps of the ceremonial platform. Not by my side—but by Chloe’s. That was the final blow.
Alpha Arthur Sawyer, my father, didn’t say a word in my defense. He didn’t even meet my eyes. I felt the final cord of loyalty snap in my chest.
I wasn’t just heartbroken. I was alone. And yet, I didn’t scream, I didn’t cry out, I didn’t run.
Instead, I straightened my spine, lifted my chin, and looked around at all of them. All the wolves who watched in silence and said nothing. Not one stepped forward. Not one howled in protest.
I turned without a word and walked away, my bare feet silent on the cold stone of the ceremonial alter. They could have their ritual. Their betrayal. Their lies. They would never see me break.
I left the pack’s main territory that night and didn’t look back. I retreated to the edge of our lands, to a small abandoned cabin that smelled like dust and old firewood. There, I tried to stitch myself back together.
At first, I wanted to leave completely. I imagined vanishing into the human world, blending in, finding a quiet life where no one cared if I could shift or not. But my father—ever the Alpha—refused to release me from the pack.
Without his permission, I was bound to this territory like a ghost chained to her grave. So, I waited. I trained.
Every morning before the sun rose, I ran through the forest trails, barefoot and furious. I pushed my body until my lungs burned. I fought trees, shadows, my own memories.
I let my fury shape me. Pain was the only thing that made me feel real. Sometimes I’d look up at the Moon and wonder if my mother ever saw it this way—if she knew I existed, if she had felt this kind of bone-deep loneliness.
No one ever spoke of her. She was a ghost in my father’s story, never named, never mourned. But I thought of her often. A human woman, brave or foolish enough to love a wolf. What had she been like?
Had she run too? Had she been cast aside like I had? Maybe the only thing we ever truly had in common was the way this pack had tried to erase us.
Six months passed in silence. Six months of icy solitude, of running through the frozen forest trails, my breath steaming in the cold air as my bare feet crushed frost-hardened leaves beneath me. I kept my wolf locked tight inside, barely letting it breathe. Every step was a battle against the memory of betrayal—against Chloe’s smirk, against Adrian’s cold dismissal.
The abandoned cabin at the edge of the pack’s land became my sanctuary—and my prison.
Then, one early morning, the silence broke. A silver-coated runner arrived at the cabin. His breath steamed in the air, his eyes avoiding mine. He said nothing as he handed over a tightly rolled scroll bearing the unmistakable mark of the Alpha. No explanation, no personal note. Just a summons.
My hands trembled as I held it. The human in me screamed to ignore it, to toss it into the fire. But my wolf stirred, ancient and bound by laws older than memory. Summons from an Alpha weren’t invitations—they were commands. And no matter how far I ran, I was still tied to the pack by blood, legacy, duty.
And so, I returned. The moment my boots crossed onto pack land, I felt it. The shift. The great trees that once felt like home now loomed like strangers. The clearing where the fire had blazed for generations lay silent, broken only by the soft murmur of uneasy voices. Waiting. Something was wrong, I could feel it. And it didn’t take long to find out what.
My father was dead. A brutal fact delivered by a high-ranking wolf with little empathy. In the place where my father once ruled stood two figures—twins, identical in every detail, their presence impossible to ignore. Their eyes were sharp and unreadable. New Alphas.
And the reason I was summoned? Not to inform me. Not to give me time to grieve. No—this wasn’t about the past.
One of them spoke, silencing the whispers rippling through the pack. His voice sliced through the cold air. “We gather you here for one purpose.” Their gaze swept over the crowd, finally landing on me, unblinking and intense. “To find our mate.”
Kieran was watching, his eyes dark and unreadable, probably waiting for me to slip up—to embarrass myself in front of Chloe’s smug entourage. Chloe lived to put me in my place, like I was some kind of nuisance she enjoyed stepping on. But this time, I wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction.Just as Chloe opened her mouth to lash out, I cut her off, iIsn’t it exhausting, Chloe?” I asked, voice thick with mockery “Always dragging yourself through life jealous and bitter because you’ll never be anything more than second best.”Her smile faltered, like I’d caught her off guard. The usual confidence wavered, just a flicker, but it was enough.“What did you say?” she snapped, eyes narrowing.I leaned in just slightly, smirking. “If I’m just a lowly half-wolf, then what’s your reason for always trying to outdo me? What’s your prize if a half-wolf poses no threat to your precious status?”Her expression twisted. She was actually considering my words, wrestling with the truth I’d thrown at
Lucian’s grip tightened so I could feel the weight of the threat. His eyes burned with something dark—anger, fear, both. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t look away. I finally understood something critical. They wouldn’t kill me. Not now. Not when I was the only thing keeping them from unraveling.“I’m not your enemy,” I said, voice steady despite the pressure on my throat. “But I am the one thing keeping your wolves from breaking free and tearing this place apart.”Lucian’s eyes narrowed.“I know what’s happening,” I continued. “The loss of control. The bloodlust. You and Kieran are spiraling, and you know it.”He said nothing. But his silence wasn’t denial—it was hesitation. Doubt.“I can calm you,” I said, low and deliberate. “You felt it last night, Lucian. When your wolf nearly took over, who brought you back? Who kept you from losing it completely?”The fingers around my throat twitched. And then, slowly, they uncurled. Lucian stepped back, his expression unreadable, the storm in his e
Lucian remained on top of me, my throat in his hand but his mind was miles away. His eyes were blank, distant vacant.“Let go,” I whispered.His fingers loosened. He moved stiffly, with almost puppet-like obedience. When I reached out and placed my palm against his cheek, he leaned into it. Obedient. Passive. Gentle. Too gentle. His breath was steady, slow.I watched him for a moment longer, then cautiously guided him to sit on the edge of the cot. He followed, compliant, saying nothing. I sat beside him, still alert for a snap or growl, but none came.My fingers trembled as I reached out again—partially to soothe, partially to test a theory. When I brushed his hair back from his face, Lucian leaned into the touch like it was instinct.A memory flickered.It wasn’t something I’d ever believed until now—something the older wolves whispered late at night. About alpha wolves who ruled too many packs, spilled too much blood. That the more power they held, the closer their wolves came to m
Kieran didn’t respond to my question. He just stared for a long moment, his jaw tight, then released me without a word. It was unlike him not to have the last say. His silence was more unsettling than any threat he could have made. But I didn’t wait around to question it.I slipped out of the room, my heart pounding, muscles still tensed from the confrontation. I didn’t feel safe—but at least I was alone. Finally.Back in the narrow servant quarters, I didn’t collapse in exhaustion. I trained. Push-ups, sit-ups, shadowboxing in silence until sweat soaked my collar. The only thing that kept me sane was motion—reminding myself I still had control over my own body, even if I was under theirs.The guards rarely spoke to me. The servants avoided eye contact, their gazes flicking to the collar at my neck like it was a live wire. I wasn’t just different, I was a warning. A symbol of what happened to defiant wolves. No one dared ask what I'd done. But I saw their whispers, their pity, and som
“That collar belongs to the dog I owned,” Kieran said, stroking the small metal tag that hung from the black leather strap around my neck. His voice was soft, almost fond, as if he were reminiscing. “I want you to always remember—you need to be a good pup.”The words were meant to humiliate, to put me in my place. I swallowed the bitter taste rising in my throat, forcing myself to meet his eyes. My lip curled, but I didn’t move. I had learned my lesson the hard way. For now, playing docile was safer. He liked the illusion of control, the illusion of obedience. And I was excellent at illusions.He said I could only take the collar off when he allowed it. As if my body was his territory now. As if wearing that thing somehow meant I was his. I almost laughed. If he thought owning me was that easy, he didn’t know what he’d gotten himself into.“You know,” I said sweetly, “that means your dog doesn’t have a collar anymore.”Kieran’s expression froze. A pause. Just long enough to be noticea
I woke to the scent of cedarwood. A bed—an actual bed—cradled my aching body, its plush mattress so foreign after the cold stone floor that for a moment, I wasn’t sure I was still alive. The light was soft, golden, filtered through heavy curtains. Warmth radiated from somewhere near, wrapping me in comfort I didn’t trust.Then I noticed the walls. Dark wood. Framed photographs. A hunter’s rifle mounted above the doorway. This wasn’t a dungeon anymore. This was a bedroom. And not just any bedroom.I turned my head slowly, trying not to jar my stiff neck. On the nightstand beside me sat a small framed photo. Four figures stared back at me from the picture—two men, a woman, and a large hunting dog, all caught mid-laughter in some happier time. The woman had warm, honey-blonde hair that curled at the ends and the same piercing silver eyes as Lucian. The man looked strong and calm, with a broad hand resting gently on one boy’s shoulder.Kieran.Even as a boy, his smile had been wide, open.
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