HER HIDDEN ALPHA BOND

The night I crossed into Shadow Moon territory, I expected to die. I just didn’t expect my greatest enemy to look at me like I was the woman he had spent his entire life mourning. “Aria, don’t go.” Lyla’s trembling fingers wrapped around my wrist as another wave of fever tore through her body. The woman who had raised me was dying. Not my mother by blood. But Lyla Veyra had held me when I cried as a child, defended me when the pack called me cursed, and loved me when no one else did. Now she was slipping away because I was too weak to save her. The healers had failed. The Moon Goddess remained silent. And the only cure grew beyond the border of the most dangerous territory in the valley. Shadow Moon. The land ruled by the monster who collected the heads of his enemies. Alpha Kael Draven. Every wolf knew the story of the Beast of Shadow Moon. He had destroyed three packs before he turned twenty. He showed no mercy, weakness or regret. And if he caught me stealing the sacred Moonshade flower from his land, my body would never return home. Still, I crossed the border. Because some people were worth dying for. The forest noticed me immediately. The trees whispered. The mist curled around my ankles like fingers trying to drag me back. My wolf paced inside my mind. Leave. “We don’t have a choice,” I whispered. The silver petals of Moonshade glowed beneath the ancient trees. I fell to my knees. Thank the Goddess. I had found it. With careful hands, I reached for the flower. Almost there. Almost— A branch snapped behind me. My heart stopped. My wolf snarled. Run. Slowly, I drew the silver dagger hidden beneath my cloak. “Show yourself.” The darkness obeyed. A man stepped from the shadows. No. Not a man. An Alpha. Power crashed into me so violently my knees almost buckled. Black hair. Golden eyes. A body covered in scars earned from wars I had only heard about in nightmares. Alpha Kael Draven. The Beast himself. And he was staring at me as if I had destroyed his world. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said. I tightened my grip on the Moonshade. “My Luna is dying.” “You crossed my border.” “I know.” “You stole from me.” “I know.” A dangerous smile touched his lips. “And you still refuse to beg.” “I would rather die with dignity.” For the first time, something unexpected entered his eyes. Respect. No. Something deeper. Something that made my wolf restless. “Tell me your name,” he demanded. The words sounded less like a question. More like a prayer. My heartbeat stumbled. “Aria Veyra.” The world stopped. The Alpha’s expression shattered. “No.” The whisper was full of horror. No fear. Not rage. Grief. “What?” His gaze dropped to my wrist. A burning pain exploded beneath my skin. I screamed. Silver flames raced across my pack mark, tearing away the symbol I had carried my entire life. A new mark emerged. A crescent moon wrapped around the head of a wolf. A mark I had never seen before. A mark that made the most feared Alpha in the valley step backward in terror. “This is impossible,” Kael whispered. “What did you do to me?” “I did nothing.” “Then explain!” His jaw tightened. His voice broke. “They told me you were dead.” The words froze my blood. “Who told you that?” Silence. A silence filled with years of hatred. Years of loss. “The same people who murdered your family.” My breath disappeared. “No.” “You were only a newborn when they came for your bloodline.” “My parents would never lie to me.” His eyes darkened. “Those people are not your parents.” Everything inside me shattered. Every memory. Every truth. Every person I trusted. A lie. And before I could deny it, my wolf moved closer to his. Not with fear or hatred. With recognition. Mate. Impossible. The Beast of Shadow Moon was my mate. The monster I had been taught to fear looked at me like he would destroy the entire world just to keep me alive. “You are my fated mate, Aria.” “No.” “It is the truth.” “You’re a killer.” “Yes.” No denial. No excuse. Only pain. “But I would have burned every kingdom in existence to find you.” The confession shook me more than any threat ever could. Before I could respond, Kael suddenly turned toward the forest. His entire body went rigid. Fear entered his eyes. Not fear for himself. For me. “They found you.” The words were barely a whisper. The trees erupted with howls. One. Ten. Twenty. An army. My blood turned cold. “Who are they?” Kael’s claws extended. His golden eyes became those of a beast preparing for war. “The wolves who slaughtered the Moonborn family.” I stepped backward. “Moonborn?” His expression softened. The next words destroyed the last piece of the life I knew. “You are the last surviving Moonborn princess.” The forest fell silent. Then the first pair of red eyes appeared between the trees. Then another. And another. Kael moved in front of me. A wall of muscle. A shield. A monster protecting his mate. “Run,” he growled. “I’m not leaving you.” “You have to.” “I don’t even know who I am.” “You will.” His eyes met mine. A promise. A goodbye. “And when you discover the truth, come back to me.” A tear slipped down my cheek. “Kael—” “Go.” The enemy wolves emerged from the darkness. Dozens of them. Kael smiled. Not because he was unafraid. Because he had finally found something worth dying for. His claws extended. His wolf roared. And the last words I heard before I disappeared into the mist were: “Come and take her.”