For six years, I was Hazel, girlfriend to the future Alpha, Julian. I thought we had forever, a cherished place in our werewolf pack, even as a human. Then Mate Hunt night ripped it all away. I woke up lost in the forest, only to find Julian with her – his true fated mate. His words hit harder than the forest floor: I was just a 'placeholder.' Six years together, and he tossed me aside, his fingers bruising my throat as he growled that I meant nothing. My world, my heart – shattered.

Left for dead, freezing and injured, a different kind of predator found me. A colossal black wolf, eyes glowing gold, big enough to swallow me whole. But instead of tearing me apart, he curled around me, a warm, terrifying shield against the biting cold. For a moment, I felt safe.

That safety vanished when my pack, my family, found us. The Alpha who raised me, Maxen, didn't see a survivor. He saw a disappointment. Turns out, he’d only taken me in hoping I’d magically become a werewolf like my mother – the fated mate who’d rejected him. When I couldn't shift, he cast me out, branding me an omega, the pack’s punching bag.

Now, I'm less than nothing, surviving on scraps and enduring their cruelty. What they don't know, what I don't know, is that my monstrous protector is no ordinary rogue. He's Lykos, the wolf of Kael, the Lycan King. And Lykos has decided I am his fated mate – a human. Kael is furious, but his wolf has a will of its own, dragging the King himself towards my abusive pack.

My old life is over. My only ally is a creature of legend. And the most feared Lycan in existence is on his way. Is he coming to save me, or is the King's arrival just another nightmare waiting to begin?

Jax's voice grated against my already frayed nerves like sandpaper. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles white with strain.


"There was no fucking turn," I growled, checking the rearview mirror.


Behind me, Liam and Silas sat in tense silence. Smart move. My patience had evaporated hours ago, replaced by a simmering rage that threatened to boil over at any moment.


"Sera says we need to find Spruce Avenue," Jax insisted, staring at his phone screen. "It should be right here."


I slammed on the brakes, earning a startled grunt from the backseat as my passengers lurched forward. The SUV screeched to a halt on the empty forest road.


"There is no Spruce Avenue!" I roared, gesturing wildly at the dense forest surrounding us. "Look around you! There are trees, more trees, and absolutely no street signs!"


Jax remained infuriatingly calm. "Sera was very specific—"


Chapter 83 - Chapter 83 - Apex Predators vs. GPS