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?

The makeshift home I'd created for the children in the hidden cave system felt anything but safe at the moment. My limbs ached with exhaustion. Between Pip's earlier meltdown and getting the rest of the children settled, I was running on fumes.


I collapsed onto the worn sofa, letting my head fall back against the cushions. Five shifter children with unpredictable abilities and emotional triggers. What was I thinking? I wasn't equipped for this. Not even close.


The sound of footsteps echoed through the cave entrance. I tensed, ready to protect the children if needed, but relaxed when Orion appeared carrying several pizza boxes.


"Dinner has arrived," he announced, setting the boxes on the rickety table. But something was off. His usual confident demeanor seemed strained. Nervous, even.


His eyes darted toward the cave entrance. "Listen, there's something—"


Chapter 86 - Chapter 86 - The Witch's Grand Entrance