Bonds Of Brass

She wasn't running from fate—she was running toward freedom. Laney Thorne spent years trapped under her father's control, her wolf suppressed, her power locked away. When she escapes to Iron Fang Pack territory, seeking passage to safety. What she finds instead are twin brothers who make her wolf stir for the first time in her life. Alpha twins, Cade and River—protective and dangerous, bound by blood and brotherhood—recognize her immediately. Mate. The bond snaps into place for both of them, a rare triad that should be celebrated. But Laney's emergence comes with a price. Her father, Alpha of a rival Pack, won't accept her defiance. She has been bartered off to a ruthless Alpha of Black Talon pack who wants Laney as his breeder. They claim she's been kidnapped, influenced, and held against her will. It's a lie—and every shifter with eyes can see the mate bonds blazing on her skin, proof. But lies don't need to be true to start a war. When her wolf finally emerges, it triggers the opportunity for war, the conflict with the Iron Fang Pack her father has been waiting for. He allies with the Black Talon pack and launches an attack on territory under the guise of "rescuing" her. Now Laney must stand before the Council and prove what her father refuses to accept: she chose this life. She chose her mates. She chose herself. The mate bond marks are a source of strength when enemies breach their borders. A promise that she will never be caged again. This isn't a story about a helpless woman claimed by fate. This is a story about a woman who claimed her freedom and her mates—and she will burn down anyone who tries to take either from her. When a wolf finally breaks free… she fights.

Three years ago, Moon-Lake Pack — once a proud member of Lupus Celestial, the central pack alliance — lost everything in a brutal defeat to the Rogue Packs that had long plagued us. The Lycan King believed my father — the Alpha of Moon-Lake — had conspired with the Rogues, and our pack paid the price. My father and I were enslaved and cast out, becoming the laughingstock of all the packs. Even my mate, Chase, turned his back on me. But three years later, I was sent back to Lupus Celestial by Chase’s order — just as he was preparing to bond with his future Luna. Everyone assumed I had returned to sabotage the ceremony. “Taryn, do you still think you stand a chance of becoming his Luna?” “Chase never liked you. He’s always adored Wynette.” “Why would you show up now — just before he bonds with his mate?” Warnings, veiled threats, and even silent beatings made one thing painfully clear: I was not welcome. And Chase — the one I had once believed was my fated mate, the one I’d felt an unexplainable pull toward — stood by, cold and detached, watching it all in silence. His eyes held nothing but loathing. “You still think you can live freely outside Lupus Celestial after betraying us time and again? What exactly are you plotting at my bonding ceremony?” I let out a bitter laugh and wiped the blood from my lips. He didn’t know my wolf had been gravely wounded by a silver dagger — and I didn’t have much time left. “Don’t worry. If I hadn’t been dragged back, I’d never have returned. And if I truly wanted to cause trouble, I’d have killed myself first.” Chase didn’t respond. He just scoffed. But when I walked away — from his pack, from his world — he was the one who crumbled. He begged me to return, as if losing me shattered something deep inside him.