Ezra’s never been wanted. An omega with no pack, no rank, and a mouth that gets him in trouble, he’s spent most of his life just trying to stay invisible. In a world where alphas rule and omegas are expected to kneel, Ezra has learned one thing: keep your head down, and maybe you’ll survive. Then Kael chose him. Kael—powerful, cursed, and heir to a crumbling legacy—was supposed to pick the perfect mate. Someone noble. Obedient. Safe. But under the moonlight, in front of the entire shifter council, he broke every law and claimed Ezra—the outcast nobody. Now Ezra’s caught in a bond he never asked for, tethered to an alpha who’s barely holding back the monster inside him. Their connection is dangerous. Their enemies are gathering. And as Ezra starts to feel something real for Kael… He can’t help but wonder: What if the wolf who chose him is the one who will destroy him?
Voir plusThe moon was fat and heavy, spilling silver light over the clearing like it was trying to make everything look holy. The air smelled of pine needles crushed under boots, smoky firewood, and the nervous sweat of too many wolves standing too close. Everyone was dressed up—blacks and golds, ceremonial nonsense—like they were part of something ancient and sacred.
Moon Choosing night. The night alphas played king, and omegas lined up, hoping to be chosen. Ezra lingered at the edge of it all, half-hidden in the shadows, leaning against a gnarled tree like he didn’t care. He didn’t. At least, that’s what he told himself. He tugged his hoodie lower, the fabric rough against the back of his neck—bare skin, unmarked. No bond. No claim. Just him—packless, statusless, and mostly forgotten. A mouthy omega with a reputation sharp enough to keep people away and a past he didn’t talk about. He wasn’t even supposed to be here. No one had invited him. Omegas like Ezra didn’t get picked. They got passed over. Pitied. Sometimes used. Never wanted. He preferred it out here, anyway. Past the torchlight. Beyond the judging eyes. Invisible. Ezra watched another omega step into the fire circle—perfect posture, perfect smile—tilting his neck just so for the alpha beside him. The crowd howled, the sound thick with approval. Another bond made. Another golden couple sealed by tradition. Ezra let out a quiet snort. “Yeah. Real sweet,” he muttered, barely moving his lips. Fated mates. The whole choosing thing. It was a show—painted in old symbols and fake smiles. Alphas strutted around like they were doing omegas a favor. And omegas? Most of them played along, hoping someone would see them. Choose them. Maybe even love them. Ezra had stopped hoping a long time ago. Suddenly, the air shifted. The energy in the clearing dipped, like something ancient had walked in wearing a human face. All the noise died at once. The silence was sharp, almost expectant. Ezra looked up. A figure entered the circle—tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in black that somehow looked more like battle armor than ceremony. The moonlight caught on his face just enough to make the tension in Ezra’s chest pull tighter. The whispers started almost instantly. “Who’s that?” “Not from this pack…” “Is that—Kael Blackthorn?” Ezra’s breath stilled in his throat. Kael. Of course he’d heard of him. Everyone had. The cursed heir of the Blackthorn pack. The one with the unstable wolf. The one with a bloodline the elders whispered about when they thought no one was listening. They said he carried a mark no alpha should have. That he shouldn’t have survived his first shift. Ezra had never seen him—until now. Kael walked like someone barely holding something back, each step slow and deliberate. The sharpness of his suit did nothing to hide the wild tension in his frame—or the fire in his eyes. He didn’t glance at the lined-up omegas like the others had. Didn’t even slow down to pretend. He was looking for something. Or someone. Ezra’s skin prickled. He should leave. Now. Fade into the trees, slip out before anyone noticed him at all. But Kael stopped walking. And looked straight at him. Their eyes locked across the firelight, and Ezra’s breath caught before he even realized it. His heart punched against his ribs. No. No, this couldn’t be happening. Kael’s head tilted slightly, like he was listening to something no one else could hear. He didn’t look away. Didn’t blink. Ezra’s wolf stirred inside him—alert, confused, anxious. The kind of feeling that came right before a storm. He swallowed hard and pushed off the tree, ready to disappear. Then— “You.” Kael’s voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the clearing like it had been waiting centuries to be said. Ezra froze. All around him, the crowd fell silent. Kael stepped forward, eyes locked on Ezra. “You. Step into the circle.” Ezra turned slowly, blinking like he was trying to wake up from a dream. Or a nightmare. Someone laughed awkwardly. “Is he serious?” another voice whispered behind him. Kael didn’t waver. “It’s not a mistake.” Ezra’s heart was a mess of noise now—loud, panicked, disbelieving. He wasn’t supposed to be seen. He wasn’t supposed to be chosen. But Kael’s voice came again, low and certain, like it came from the earth itself. “I choose you.”The forest felt wrong.Too quiet. Too still. Like it was holding its breath.Ezra felt it in his gut before Raen even stepped out of the shadows. The air shifted—sharp, electric, like something old and dangerous had just crossed the line.Raen looked nothing like the wolves Ezra had seen so far. No worn armor, no dust or dirt on his boots. Just a long, dark coat, clean-cut confidence, and a face too calm for someone trespassing on enemy territory. No weapons in sight, but he didn’t need them. Raen was the kind of man who was a weapon.Kael went rigid beside Ezra. He didn’t say a word, but his stance changed—shoulders squared, claws already sliding out, ready to tear.The fire from the Firebind still crackled behind them, casting flickering light across the clearing. Ezra’s palm still ached from the cut, the blood bond that now tethered him to Kael. But that wasn’t what made his breath hitch.His mark was burning again. Not just warm—blazing. Like it recognized Raen.Danger, his wolf w
The Ritual Hall felt like a damn icebox. The kind of cold that didn’t just hit your skin—it sank into your bones and made itself at home. Ezra stood at the edge of the stone circle, arms locked tight across his chest. His mark tingled beneath his sleeve, subtle but persistent, like it knew something was coming long before he did.Across the room, the elders whispered in the dark like always—half threats, half tradition, and all eyes on him. You didn’t need wolf senses to smell their fear.It’d been hours since the Hollow Pines scouts showed up, dropped that “Marked One” title like it meant something sacred, then disappeared back into the trees.Kael hadn’t left Ezra’s side since. Not completely. He stood now, solid in the center of the circle, holding the silence like a line drawn in blood.The oldest elder—Marwen, sharp-eyed and stuck in the past—finally stepped forward.“This one’s not Veilwalker. He’s cursed,” he said, his voice dry as stone. “That mark on his arm? It’s a warning.
The moon hung heavy over Blackthorn territory—low, red, and swollen like it had bled into the sky. Ezra stood right where the trees met the clearing, arms folded tight across his chest, his jacket doing a crap job against the cold. The mark on his arm wasn’t glowing now, but it felt alive, like it was humming secrets just beneath his skin.He hadn’t slept. Not after that Ritual Hall freakshow. Not after hearing his name whispered in a voice that definitely didn’t belong to anyone living.Kael had walked him back to his room afterward. No words, just that intense silence between them. He paused at the door like he wanted to say something—but then turned and disappeared down the hallway, leaving Ezra alone with a thousand unanswered questions.Now he was here, the trees looming like quiet watchers. The air was sharp in his lungs, and his thoughts wouldn’t quit spinning.Behind him, slow footsteps crunched the frost.“Figured you’d be out here,” Kael said, voice rough like gravel and exh
Ezra didn’t sleep. Not even close.He tried—buried himself under the heavy furs Kael had dropped on him like a quiet apology, counted his breaths like they owed him peace, squeezed his eyes shut until they burned.Didn’t work.The mark on his arm still throbbed from the pain-bind. Not just the sting of a cut—but something deeper. Like it was pulsing in his bones, echoing with something ancient and not entirely… his.But that wasn’t the worst of it.The whispers were back.Not the kind that came from hallways or passing wolves. No. These were in his head. Slithering at the edge of his thoughts. At first, they sounded like leaves rustling too far off to understand. But slowly, through the long stretch of night, they grew louder. Sharper. Pressing against his skull like they were trying to crawl out.By the time dawn started bleeding gray through the window, Ezra was sitting on the edge of the bed, fists clenched so tight his knuckles had gone white. His heartbeat thumped fast, wild. He
The Blackthorn training grounds looked more like a war zone than anything resembling a gym. No padded floors or wooden dummies. Just a wide stretch of hard-packed dirt, half a fence leaning like it had given up the fight, and the sharp, metallic tang of blood clinging to the morning air.Ezra followed Kael through the frost-bitten silence, trying not to trip over his own anxiety. Wolves were already out there—sparring, grunting, moving like they’d been born to bruise. Their breath rose in puffs as knuckles cracked against flesh. And every one of them turned to look at him.Not with curiosity. With calculation.“Morning drills,” Kael said, voice calm but final. “You’re in.”Ezra blinked. “Me? You’re serious?”Kael just looked at him. Not a glare. Not a challenge. Just… sure. Like he was handing Ezra something more important than a command.“They need to see you’re more than just a name,” Kael sai
The main hall felt colder than it had the night before.Ezra stood just behind Kael, trying not to fidget as the Blackthorn pack filtered in. Wolves in dark clothes filled the room, all hard eyes and stiff shoulders. If this was family, it looked more like one that hadn’t spoken in years—more cold war than warm welcome.No one smiled.No one nodded.They didn’t want him here—and they weren’t hiding it.The only sounds were the wind slipping through the high rafters and the occasional cough from one of the elders seated near the fire. Then came the voice Ezra had been waiting for—sharp, unimpressed, already halfway done with him.“So, Kael. Explain this.”Alric. Silver-haired, sharp-tongued, and still bitter from last night’s power shift. He’d been Kael’s second once—maybe still was—but the way he was glaring now made it clear: Ezra had screwed up the order of things just by existing.Kael didn’t blink. “Ezra’s my mate. That’s all they need to know.”Alric scoffed, loud and full of bit
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