A Scent Like Betrayal The air smelled wrong. Not the usual musk of the palace corridors, where fresh pine and aged oakwood mixed with the ever-present hum of power. No-this scent was thick with something cloying, something intimate. Something forbidden. My wolf, restless beneath my skin, went deathly still. I shouldn't have been here. I knew that. But something had called me, an undeniable pull, dragging me through the winding halls of the Lycan palace. A force stronger than reason. Stronger than fear. Stronger than me. And then, I heard it. A low, husky laugh. His laugh. My stomach twisted. I stepped forward, pressing against the cold stone wall, breath shallow. The grand doors ahead, gilded with ancient carvings, were cracked open just enough for shadows to slip through. And inside... them. King Kieran. The fated mate I had yet to claim. The one the Moon Goddess had bound my soul to. And Princess Ileana, draped over him like she belonged there. Her fingers traced his jaw, the same way a mate should. The way I should. She tilted her head, lips curving into a smile I felt like a blade across my throat. "You're tense," she murmured, voice syrupy sweet. "Don't tell me you're still thinking about her?" Her. Me. Kieran exhaled sharply, as if the mere thought of me was exhausting. "It doesn't matter." The world tilted. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter? The bond between mates was sacred. Absolute. A tie that no force-not time, not distance, not even death-should break. And yet, he dismissed it as if it were nothing. As if I were nothing. I should have left. Turned away. Spared myself from what came next. But I didn't. Because Ileana slid a hand down his chest, fingers curling into the fabric of his tunic. And then-gods help me-she kissed him. My breath left me in a sharp, soundless gasp. The mate bond inside me twisted, agonized and furious. My wolf snarled, thrashing against my ribs, demanding I do something. But what? Fight for a man who had already chosen another? Beg for a love that should have been mine by right? No. I swallowed down the pain like broken glass, forcing my limbs to move, to carry me forward. The doors groaned as I pushed them open, the sound echoing like a war drum. Kieran stilled. Ileana turned lazily, unimpressed-like I was some servant who had interrupted at the wrong time. For a heartbeat, none of us spoke. Then, I smiled. Sharp. Cold. Deadly. "Well," I said, my voice softer than it should have been. "I suppose congratulations are in order." Kieran's gaze snapped to mine, something dark flickering in his storm-gray eyes. "Xenia-" "Don't." One word. A command. A warning. A promise. I stepped closer, keeping my chin high, my spine unyielding, even as the mate bond clawed at me, begging me to reconsider. Begging me to forgive. I wouldn't. Not when he still stood so close to her. Not when the scent of their intimacy burned my lungs. I turned my gaze to Ileana. "Is this how princesses behave? Latching onto men who aren't theirs?" She tilted her head, feigning innocence. "I was under the impression that your mate hadn't claimed you." The words hit harder than they should have. Because she was right. Kieran and I had never completed the bond. Never sealed it in blood or oath. But that didn't make it any less real. Did it? I swallowed past the lump in my throat, forcing myself to look at him. "Tell me, Kieran." My voice wavered-once. I steadied it. "Is this what you want?" His jaw clenched. My heart pounded. Then, finally-"Xenia, I-" A pause. Hesitation. Coward. I laughed, the sound colder than the mountain winds. "That's all I needed to hear." I turned on my heel. I was leaving. Not just this room. Not just him. I was leaving it all-the mate bond, the expectation, the fate I never asked for. Kieran caught my wrist. "Xenia, wait-" The growl that tore from me was raw, guttural, dangerous. My claws slipped free, slicing through his grip as I ripped myself away. "Reject me." Silence. Kieran went still. "What?" I lifted my chin, letting the words settle between us like a challenge, like a warcry. "I said reject me," I repeated. "You clearly don't want me. So say it." Say the words. Break the bond. Set me free. But he didn't. Instead, something flickered in his expression. Something that looked almost like panic. His hand fisted at his side. "I can't." My stomach lurched. "What do you mean, you can't?" "I mean I won't." His eyes darkened. "You're my mate, Xenia." I huffed out a laugh, hollow and bitter. "Funny way of showing it." His expression hardened. "You don't understand-" "No," I snapped. "I do understand. I understand that you want to have it both ways. To keep your mate bond intact while still warming someone else's bed." Ileana smirked, as if pleased by my anger. I ignored her. She didn't matter. Not anymore. I turned back to Kieran, voice dropping to something lethal. "You don't own me, Kieran. Not anymore." Then, without waiting for another excuse, another betrayal, another wound-I turned and walked away. The night air hit like a slap as I stepped outside, the weight of everything crushing down on me. My heart hurt. My wolf howled in agony. But I wouldn't break. Not for him. Not for anyone. I raised my chin to the moon, inhaling deep. Then, I made a vow. If fate wanted me bound, I would break fate itself.

The Weight of Rejection Pain was supposed to fade. That's what they told us-the elders, the warriors, the ones who spoke of mate bonds as if they were fairy tales wrapped in fate's golden thread. But they lied. Pain doesn't fade. It carves. It digs deep, sharp and merciless, shaping you into something else. Something unrecognizable. And right now, I was being carved apart. I knelt on the cold stone floor of the Lycan court, my hands clenched into fists, nails cutting into my palms. Every breath was a battle, my chest aching, burning, unraveling. Because Kieran had spoken the words. "I, Kieran Valenholt, King of the Lycans, reject you, Xenia Asher, as my mate." His voice was steady. Unshaken. Final. A heartbeat of silence. The moment the last syllable left his mouth, the bond snapped. It wasn't gentle. It wasn't kind. It was a beast with razor-sharp teeth, sinking into my soul and ripping it to shreds. I gasped, clutching my chest as my wolf let out a strangled howl, the force of it sending a violent tremor through my body. She was fading, shrinking, as if part of her had just died. My vision blurred. My lungs wouldn't fill. I had known this was coming. I had demanded it. But I never knew it would feel like this. Above me, the throne room was deathly silent. Then-laughter. Low, mocking chuckles at first, then a slow-building chorus of amusement. They were laughing. I lifted my head, blinking through the pain, through the ringing in my ears. Noblemen. Courtiers. His pack. Their smirks cut like knives. They were laughing at me. A pathetic little she-wolf who thought she was worth something. The King's discarded mate. A joke. Ileana stood beside Kieran, her lips curved in satisfaction. She didn't even try to hide it. And Kieran? He wouldn't look at me. His fists were clenched, his jaw tight, but his silence spoke louder than anything. Coward. My stomach twisted, nausea rising like a storm. He had done this. He had humiliated me. And he wasn't even man enough to face it. Fine. Let them laugh. Let them think this broke me. I would show them all. I forced myself to my feet, though my limbs trembled. My breath came in shallow bursts, my wolf a weak whimper in the back of my mind. I was alone now. The bond was gone. And yet, as I met Kieran's gaze one last time, something inside me whispered, this isn't the end. I turned on my heel and walked away. I did not look back. The moment I stepped outside the palace gates, the guards shut them behind me. The sound was final. I was exiled. A chill ran through me, though the night air was warm. My body still trembled from the severed bond, but I wouldn't let myself collapse. Not here. Not when I knew they were watching. I forced one foot in front of the other, moving through the cobbled streets, past the noble districts, past the place I had once called home. No one stopped me. No one dared. To them, I was nothing now. A wolf without a pack. A mate without a bond. And soon, I would be forgotten. I didn't know how long I walked. Hours. Maybe longer. The further I got from the city, the heavier the air became-thick with magic, with something ancient and waiting. The Blackwood Forest loomed ahead. A place no one entered willingly. A place no one returned from. Good. I stepped forward. And the shadows swallowed me whole. The Blackwood Forest was alive. Not in the way a forest should be-with rustling leaves, whispering winds, and the quiet scurry of creatures in the undergrowth. No, this place breathed. It watched. It waited. And I was prey. I stumbled forward, every step sending a sharp jolt of pain through my body. My muscles ached, my throat was raw, and my wolf-what remained of her-curled in the back of my mind, silent and wounded. The rejection had shattered something inside me. I had felt it break-like the snapping of a tether that had once held me steady. Now, I was adrift, lost in a storm of exhaustion and hollow rage. The forest floor was uneven, riddled with twisted roots and jagged rocks. My bare feet were cut, raw and bleeding, but the pain was distant. A dull, throbbing reminder that I was still here. Still alive. Not that it mattered. The Blackwood was a cursed place, a land no wolf dared to enter. If the creatures lurking in its shadows didn't tear me apart, then the hunger, the cold, or the madness would. Maybe that was the point. Maybe this was where I was meant to die. A sharp snap echoed through the trees. I froze. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I wasn't alone. Something-someone-was watching me. I swallowed, forcing my breath to steady. My senses were dull, weakened from the mate bond's destruction, but my instincts screamed at me: Run. I didn't. I lifted my chin, squared my shoulders, and turned. And met a pair of eyes-dark, cold, and full of hatred. He stood just beyond the tree line, a towering figure cloaked in shadow. His presence was a force, crackling with raw energy. A wolf. But not just any wolf. An Alpha. My breath hitched. He was powerful-dangerous. His scent was nothing like Kieran's. It was darker, richer, laced with something primal and untamed. His gaze raked over me, sharp and assessing, before his lips curled in disgust. "You don't belong here." His voice was deep, rough-a blade dragging over stone. I forced my spine straight, meeting his stare. I refused to bow. "Neither do you." Something flickered in his expression. Amusement? No. Annoyance. He took a slow, deliberate step forward. The moonlight caught the hard planes of his face-strong jaw, sharp cheekbones, a scar cutting through his left brow. He was devastating in the way only a predator could be. And he hated me. "I should kill you," he said flatly. My pulse spiked, but I held my ground. I wasn't afraid to die. Not anymore. "Then do it," I shot back. "You'd be doing me a favor." Something in his eyes darkened. For a long moment, neither of us moved. The forest around us pulsed, waiting. Then-a flicker of something in his gaze. Recognition. His expression twisted. His eyes flashed-anger, denial, something deeper. His fists clenched. "No." The word was hoarse, strangled. Like he had just seen a ghost. And suddenly, I knew. He felt it too. The pull. The bond. The Moon Goddess's cruel joke. He steps closer, eyes burning with fury. "You are not my mate." His voice is ice, final, like a death sentence. The words should break me. They don't. I lift my chin. "Good. I don't want to be." A muscle in his jaw ticks. He wasn't expecting that. But before either of us can move-something stirs in the shadows. Watching. Waiting. Hunting. And in an instant, everything changes.

The wind howled through the Blackwood, whipping against my skin like a warning. The trees groaned under its force, their twisted limbs clawing at the sky. And in front of me, the Alpha stood like a stone fortress-unmoving, unyielding, merciless. His jaw was locked, his broad shoulders tense, and his black eyes burned with something close to hatred. "You are not my mate." The words came out low and sharp, slicing through the tense air between us. Good. Because I didn't want him either. The bond clawed at me, trying to tether me to him, but I shoved the feeling down so hard it nearly made me dizzy. "I don't care," I said flatly. "Reject me, and we can both walk away." His nostrils flared. A muscle in his jaw ticked. But he didn't speak. He didn't say the words. I narrowed my eyes. He can't. The thought sent a thrill of something dark through me. The mate bond still had its hold, no matter how badly he wanted to rip it apart. "Say it," I pressed. "Tell me I mean nothing to you. End this." His hands curled into fists at his sides. The air around us thickened. Then-he stepped closer. Too close. I caught his scent-smoke, pine, and something wild. It should have repulsed me. Instead, it burrowed under my skin, igniting something primal in my blood. I clenched my teeth. No. I would not break for another Alpha. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "You don't command me, little wolf." Little wolf. I bristled. "Then do us both a favor and kill me." The words hung between us, bold and unforgiving. His expression didn't change, but something flickered in his dark eyes-something unreadable. He stepped even closer, until his breath was warm against my cheek. The mate bond burned, pulling us together. Then-his lips curled into a cruel smirk. "No." And with that single word, he turned and walked away. Leaving me standing there, breathless and furious. I didn't follow him. I wouldn't beg. Not for him. Not for anyone. Instead, I turned toward the deeper part of the forest, toward the unknown. If he wouldn't reject me, then I'd carve my own path. The Blackwood pulsed around me, watching, waiting. Then-a sound. Low. Feral. Wrong. Every instinct in me went rigid. I wasn't alone. The hair on my arms stood on end. My weakened wolf stirred, restless, sensing the danger before I saw it. Then-I saw it. Glowing red eyes. Not one. Dozens. Stalking through the darkness, circling, closing in. The air turned thick with the scent of rot and blood. Shadow wolves. Corrupted. Mindless. Starving. And they wanted me. A growl rumbled behind me. I turned sharply-the Alpha stood there, staring into the darkness. His face was unreadable, but his stance was lethal, his hands loose at his sides, ready to strike. I should have run. Should have let him deal with it. But I didn't. Because I wasn't weak. And if this was my fate, I would fight for every breath. The first wolf lunged. I dodged, barely. Its massive jaws snapped shut inches from my throat, a guttural snarl ripping through the air as its claws scraped against my shoulder. Pain flared, hot and sharp, but I didn't stop moving. The shadows came alive around us. More wolves emerged-twisted things, their fur matted with filth, their red eyes glowing with mindless hunger. They were larger than any normal wolf, their bodies warped, their movements erratic. Shadow wolves. Corrupted. Unnatural. I'd heard stories about them before, but no tale could have prepared me for this. A second wolf lunged. I twisted, bringing my arm up just in time to block its bite. Teeth sank into my forearm, tearing through flesh, but I didn't scream. I couldn't. There was no time. The Alpha moved. One second he was beside me, the next-he was a blur of motion. A sharp crack echoed through the clearing as his fist connected with a wolf's skull, sending the beast flying. His power was undeniable, raw and devastating, but there was no mercy in the way he fought. He didn't just fight to survive. He fought to kill. A wolf lunged at my back. I spun, ducking low, and drove my dagger into its side. The creature let out a hideous shriek, black blood spilling over my hands. I yanked the blade free and turned just in time to see the Alpha grab another wolf by the throat and crush it. Power. Lethal, effortless power. But I didn't have time to watch him. A wolf barreled into me, knocking me to the ground. The impact forced the air from my lungs, and before I could move, jagged teeth clamped around my ribs. I gasped, pain searing through me as the weight of the beast pinned me down. I struggled, vision swimming. My wolf was still weak, still broken from the rejection. She tried to rise, but the pain of the severed bond held her back, a chain around her throat. The wolf above me snarled, tightening its grip. Then-suddenly-it was gone. Ripped away. The Alpha stood above me, his chest heaving, his claws dripping with blood. His dark eyes locked onto mine, unreadable, before he turned and tore through the remaining wolves like a god of war. He didn't hesitate. He didn't falter. By the time the last wolf collapsed, the ground was soaked in blood. Silence fell. I pushed myself upright, my body screaming in protest. My breaths were ragged, my vision hazy, but I was still alive. The Alpha stood in the center of the carnage, his muscles coiled, his expression unreadable. His shirt was torn, his arms streaked with blood-not all of it his own. His gaze flicked to me. "You're injured." It wasn't a question. I pressed a hand to my ribs, wincing. "I'll live." His jaw tightened. "You shouldn't be here." Anger flared in me. "I didn't exactly have a choice." He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his bloodstained hair. "You're reckless." I let out a short, bitter laugh. "And you're welcome." His eyes snapped to mine, something dark flashing behind them. Before he could respond, another sound broke the silence. A deep, guttural howl. Not from the wolves we'd just killed. Something bigger. Something worse. The Alpha stiffened. His expression turned to stone. "We need to move." I swallowed hard, the air around us thick with something primal and ancient. "Whatever was hunting us-it wasn't finished. And this time, we might not survive."