They told me fate was a blessing. Tonight, fate had blood on its hands.
The alley reeked of iron and smoke. Not the kind from a hearth or kitchen, but the sharp, choking kind that clings to you and never lets go. My boots splashed through puddles that weren't rainwater. The walls, slick with grime, pressed in on me from both sides.
I pulled my hood lower and kept moving.
This part of the city wasn't safe — not for humans, and definitely not for someone like me. My wolf stirred under my skin, restless and uneasy, as if she knew we didn't belong here. I ignored her. She'd been silent for years, and I wasn't about to start listening now.
I had a mission.
For months, I'd been following whispers, chasing rumors, and bribing drunk guards for scraps of information. Every path led me here — to this wretched place, to the man I'd sworn to kill.
The Lycan King.
The monster who slaughtered my pack.
My fingers tightened around the dagger hidden in my sleeve. The silver blade was small, but it was the only thing that could pierce a Lycan's heart.
A sound broke the night — a low growl, so deep it rattled through the bricks around me.
I froze.
That wasn't a stray dog. That was power, distilled into sound.
The shadows shifted ahead, and a voice cut through the air.
"Step into the light."
The words weren't loud, but they rolled over me like a command I had no right to ignore. Something ancient and primal stirred inside me, a pull I didn't understand.
Slowly, I stepped forward.
And then I saw him.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark hair falling in careless waves over a face that looked carved from stone. His eyes caught the faint torchlight — molten silver, unblinking, predatory.
He looked exactly as the stories said. But the stories hadn't warned me about the way his presence felt, like the air had thickened, like the world had narrowed until there was only him.
The scent hit me.
Wild forest after rain. Winter storms. And something that set every nerve in my body alight — mine.
No. No, no, no. This couldn't be. Fate couldn't be this cruel.
My wolf surged forward, clawing at my skin, and for the first time in years I heard her voice.
Mate.
Panic spiked through me. He was my enemy. My fated mate? Impossible.
His gaze swept over me slowly, lingering on the dagger at my side. "Who are you?"
I forced my chin up. "Your worst mistake."
One corner of his mouth curved, but it wasn't amusement. It was possession.
"Wrong," he said, taking a deliberate step closer.
I took one back. My heart pounded, my wolf growled, and I hated how my body seemed to lean toward him anyway.
"You're not supposed to be here," he said, voice low. "And you're definitely not supposed to smell like that."
"I'm not here for you," I lied.
"You're a terrible liar." He moved closer, slow enough to give me the chance to run — but I couldn't. My legs wouldn't move.
The air between us crackled.
"You're mine," he said finally, the words like a seal locking around my heart.
I gripped the dagger tighter, my pulse thundering in my ears.
"Not if I kill you first."