Fated to the exiled wolf

The first time I saw Kael Blackthorn, I was standing at the altar, waiting to marry his brother. And before the night was over, I would discover that the man everyone called a traitor was my mate. The worst part? He didn't look happy about it. Neither did I. “Stop moving.” I froze. My cousin Seraphina stood behind me, her fingers tightening around the silver clasp at the back of my ceremonial dress. “I'm not moving.” “You're practically shaking.” “I'm about to stand in front of half the Northern Territory and promise my life to a man I've known since childhood. Give me a minute.” Seraphina laughed softly. “You're dramatic.” I looked at her reflection in the mirror. That was rich coming from Seraphina Vale. She stood behind me looking like she had personally been created to make other women insecure. Long golden hair spilled over her shoulders, framing a beautiful face that was far too pleased with itself. I, unfortunately, wasn't doing much better. The silver gown clung to my body before flowing down to the floor, leaving my shoulders bare. My dark hair had been pinned away from my face, exposing the mark of my family—a crescent-shaped birthmark beneath my collarbone. A future Luna. That was what I looked like. What I was supposed to become. Tonight, Lyla Vale would become the promised bride of Rowan Blackthorn. Tomorrow, the entire pack would begin treating me like the woman who would one day rule beside him. I stared at myself. “You're thinking about running.” Seraphina's voice broke through my thoughts. I looked at her. “Was it that obvious?” “Yes.” “Maybe I should.” She rolled her eyes. “You don't want to run.” I looked back at the mirror. No. I didn't. That was the problem. Rowan wasn't a monster. He wasn't cruel. He wasn't some stranger my family had dragged out of the shadows and forced me to marry. He was handsome, powerful, charming when he wanted to be, and next in line to become Alpha of the Blackthorn Pack. On paper, I had won. So why did my wolf feel restless? A low growl sounded inside my head. Not fear. Anticipation. “Behave,” I muttered. Seraphina frowned. “What?” “Nothing.” My wolf had been acting strangely all evening. Pacing. Whining. As if she could sense something I couldn't. The door suddenly burst open. My aunt stepped inside, her face pale. “Lyla.” The smile disappeared from Seraphina's face. “What happened?” My aunt looked between us. “Your father wants you downstairs. Now.” I frowned. “The ceremony starts in twenty minutes.” “I know.” “Then why isn't he here?” Her silence made my stomach tighten. “Aunt Mara.” “He's arrived.” For a second, I didn't understand. Then the air seemed to disappear from the room. Seraphina went still behind me. “No.” I looked at her reflection. “Who?” My aunt swallowed. “Kael Blackthorn.” The room fell silent. Even my wolf stopped pacing. Kael. One name. One ghost. One man whose absence had shaped the Blackthorn Pack for years. I had never met him. No one my age really had. But everyone knew his story. Kael Blackthorn was the firstborn son of Alpha Darius Blackthorn. The original heir. The future Alpha. Until he betrayed his father. Until blood was spilled. Until Kael disappeared from the territory and was declared an enemy of his own people. No one spoke of exactly what he had done. Not openly. Children were warned not to ask questions about him. Adults lowered their voices whenever his name came up. And Rowan? Rowan had inherited everything his brother left behind. The title. The pack. The future. Me. “He can't be here,” I whispered. “He is.” “Why?” My aunt's face tightened. “No one knows.” My wolf began pacing again. Harder this time. My pulse started racing. Downstairs, somewhere beyond my bedroom door, the most feared man in the Northern Territory was standing in my family's home. And I was about to marry his brother. “Lyla.” I looked at my aunt. “Your father is waiting.” The entire house had changed. I felt it the moment I stepped into the corridor. The guards standing outside looked tense. Servants hurried past without meeting anyone's eyes. Somewhere downstairs, people were whispering. My heels clicked against the marble floor as I followed my aunt toward my father's study. Seraphina walked beside me. “He shouldn't have been allowed inside.” I glanced at her. “Do you know him?” “No.” “Then why are you so sure?” “Because everyone knows what he did.” I stopped walking. My aunt turned. “Lyla?” “What exactly did he do?” Her expression immediately closed. “Not now.” “That's what everyone says.” My aunt's voice dropped. “You are getting married tonight. Do not involve yourself in Blackthorn family problems.” I stared at her. Then continued walking. Blackthorn family problems. I had a feeling that statement was going to become very inconvenient. When we reached my father's study, two guards stood outside. My father was inside. So was Rowan. And one other man. I knew immediately. No one had to tell me. The stranger stood with his back to me beside the fireplace. Tall. Broad. Still. The room was full of people, yet somehow every ounce of attention seemed to bend toward him. My wolf went silent. Then she whispered one word. Mine. I stopped breathing. The stranger turned around. And everything inside me shattered. He was beautiful. No. Beautiful wasn't the word. Beautiful was soft. Kael Blackthorn looked dangerous. Dark hair fell carelessly over his forehead. His face was sharply cut, almost severe, with a strong jaw and high cheekbones that made him look as though he belonged in some ancient painting of a king who had taken his throne through bloodshed. But it was his eyes that destroyed me. Dark. Intense. Locked directly on mine. My entire body went still. The world narrowed. The room. The people. Rowan. My father. Everything disappeared. There was only him. Kael Blackthorn. My wolf slammed against me so violently that I nearly gasped. Mate. The word didn't enter my mind. It tore through it. Mate. Mate. Mate. No. My heart began hammering. No. This couldn't be happening. Not tonight. Not here. Not with Rowan standing only a few feet away. Kael's expression didn't change. But his eyes did. For the smallest fraction of a second, something dark and shocked flashed through them. He felt it. Oh, Goddess. He felt it too. I had spent twenty-two years hearing stories about the mate bond. The pull. The recognition. The certainty. No one had ever explained that it felt like being struck by lightning while drowning at the same time. My wolf was practically screaming. Go to him. My feet moved. Just one step. Kael's gaze dropped to my bare shoulder. To the mark beneath my collarbone. Then back to my eyes. His jaw tightened. “Lyla.” Rowan's voice snapped me out of it. I turned. He was watching me strangely. “What?” His eyes moved to Kael. Then back to me. Nothing. He couldn't possibly know. Not yet. I forced myself to breathe. “Nothing.” Kael finally spoke. “She's the one?” The sound of his voice went straight through me. Low. Controlled. The kind of voice that didn't need to be loud for people to listen. My father stiffened. “Yes.” Kael looked at Rowan. “You're marrying her.” It wasn't a question. Rowan placed a hand on my waist. A familiar gesture. A possessive one. “Yes.” Kael looked at the hand. Then at me. My skin burned beneath Rowan's fingers. I wanted to step away. I didn't. Because I was not going to humiliate myself. Not in front of him. Not when Kael was already staring at me as though I was an unexpected problem. “Congratulations,” Kael said. My wolf whimpered. I almost hated her. Almost. “That's all you came to say?” Rowan asked. The tension between them was immediate. I looked from one brother to the other. Rowan was handsome in a polished, effortless way. Kael was something else entirely. Rowan looked like a future king. Kael looked like the kind of man who would burn kingdoms down and sit on the ashes. “I came to speak with my father,” Kael replied. Alpha Darius stepped forward. “Then we will speak.” Rowan's hand tightened on my waist. “Alone.” Kael's gaze flickered toward him. “Afraid of what I might say?” The room became deathly quiet. “Enough,” my father snapped. I stood there, trapped between men whose history I didn't understand. But Kael wasn't looking at his brother anymore. He was looking at me. And the more he looked, the harder it became to pretend I wasn't feeling the same thing. I should have been afraid. Instead, heat crawled beneath my skin. I hated it. I hated him. I hated my wolf most of all. Because she had chosen the worst possible man at the worst possible moment. Kael suddenly took a step toward me. Every muscle in my body tightened. Rowan immediately moved in front of me. The growl that came from Kael wasn't human. It was low. Primal. The sound vibrated through the room. My eyes widened. Rowan stared at him. “Control yourself.” Kael's eyes never left mine. Then, slowly, deliberately, he looked away. Something inside me broke at the rejection. He had felt the bond. I knew he had. But he was pretending I didn't exist. “Lyla,” my father said sharply. I looked at him. “The ceremony will begin shortly.” Of course. The ceremony. My marriage. My future. I looked at Rowan. He smiled at me. The man I was supposed to marry. Then I looked at Kael. The man my wolf had chosen. For one terrifying second, his gaze returned to mine. And I knew. Tonight wasn't going to end with me becoming Rowan Blackthorn's Luna. Tonight was the night everything I thought I knew about my life would begin to fall apart. Because Kael Blackthorn had returned. And somehow, impossibly, the most dangerous man in the pack had just become the one person my soul recognized as home.