The vampire's fated wolf

WARNING / Introduction ​This novel is a high-stakes Dark Paranormal Romance containing mature themes, enemies-to-lovers angst, explicit violence, blood, toxic family dynamics, and ruthless political warfare. ​Enter a world where peace is a lie and love is a lethal vulnerability. Prepare for a brutal proxy war where apex predators are stripped of their powers and forced to survive in a cage with their greatest enemies. Bloodlines will clash, mates will be rejected, and the line between a soulmate and a monster will be written in blood. ​Welcome to the Thornewood. CHAPTER ONE: LYRA The Moon Goddess does not make mistakes. That was the first lie I ever learned. As the only daughter of the Alpha of Alphas, I was not raised to be a daughter. I was raised to be a weapon. My bloodline was a political prize, meant to be mated to a conqueror, a lord, or a king to secure dominance. But when my fated mate bond finally snapped into place, it did not tether me to a king. It tethered me to Kaelen Aldric. A Beta’s son. A boy with no title, no land, and no power. The rules of my world were simple. A royal wolf had the authority to reject a mate beneath her status. Alpha Vane demanded it. The Northern Council begged me to do it. Every elite pack in the country expected me to speak the words of rejection and walk away without a second glance. But I refused. Growing up in a palace where affection was a myth and weakness was severely punished, Kaelen felt like a sanctuary. He held my hand when I failed. He looked into my eyes and promised that he loved Lyra the girl, not Lyra the crown. For that lie, I went to war. I defied the most terrifying Alpha in the world. I swallowed the mocking whispers and the public shame of my peers. I abandoned my legacy, packed up my life, and followed a Beta's son to Norway. I was willing to burn my own reputation to the ground just to feel loved. Tonight was supposed to be the reward for my sacrifice. Tonight, beneath the silver moon, I was going to be marked. I was going to prove to my father and the entire werewolf race that my choice was right. That love was stronger than status. Escaping the crowded ballroom felt like a relief as I hurried down the quiet corridor to find Kaelen. My chest fluttered with anticipation. We had arranged to use this private suite right after the engagement. A smile touched my face, already imagining his warm embrace the moment the door opened and he set his eyes on me. I thought the hardest battle of my life was finally behind me. I thought defying my father was the most dangerous thing a girl could do. I did not know that trusting a liar was much worse. A muffled moan leaked through the wood. My boots skidded to a halt. Straining to listen, a desperate part of my mind prayed my ears were just playing a cruel trick. "Moan louder for me," my mate growled from the other side of the door. The sound was unmistakable. Crisp, clear, and definitely not a trick. Freezing on the spot, my hand hovered mere inches from the brass handle. The heat radiating from the suite carried a devastating scent, twisting my stomach into tight knots. Tonight was supposed to be the marking ceremony. Beneath the silver moon, my soul would finally belong to him. Yet, the second voice echoing from the room did not belong to me. I could deduce whose voice it was just as easily as I could tell the difference between day and night. It was my best friend's voice. Ava Christopher. My own best friend was moaning my mate's name in the very bed where he had promised to devour me tonight. She was the exact same girl who had spent the last four hours pinning up my silver hair, ensuring perfection for tonight. The very person who had sworn to my face that I was the most beautiful wolf in the school. For one agonizing second, denial clawed at my brain. Surely, that deep, possessive growl could just be for something else. It could just be a joke. I refused to believe the same voice that had promised me forever could do that to me on my engagement night. Then Ava moaned again. A long, needy sound of pure pleasure. The floor seemingly vanished beneath my boots, leaving nothing but a free fall. Staring blankly at the closed doors, the overwhelming stench of sweat and betrayal poured from the room. Ava’s jasmine perfume was everywhere. Saturated in my clothes, haunting my bedroom, lingering on my very skin. Having smelled it for years, it had always just meant friendship. Not once did it occur to me that it was the scent of a predator marking my territory. She had been slowly stealing pieces of my life until nothing remained for me to hold. My fingers curled into tight fists. Forty minutes. That was the countdown. Soon, Kaelen Aldric was scheduled to stand before the gathered elite of the school. The Alphas of the North, the visiting dignitaries from London, and the heirs of the great packs were all waiting for him to sink his fangs into my neck. To claim my soul and seal the bond. Instead, he was occupying our private room, using the bed we were supposed to share to ruin my life. The sharp sound of skin slapping against skin echoed through the hallway. A rhythmic, cruel vibration rattled straight to the bone. "Kaelen," Ava gasped from the other side. Savage fury ripped through my veins. The air in the corridor grew incredibly thin. The wallpaper near the door frame began peeling backward, while the lightbulbs overhead flickered and buzzed. The environment itself was reacting to the raw, suffocating aura of an Alpha’s daughter pushed to her absolute limit. The muffled thrum of the orchestra downstairs vibrated through the floorboards. A brutal reminder. A grand celebration awaited my arrival, while the reality behind this wooden door was currently destroying my world. Another sharp thud hit the wall, followed immediately by a breathless moan. "Oh, Ava," he called her name, moaning slowly. It was the genuine sound of a man exactly where he wanted to be. "Careful," he murmured, his voice so close the wood seemed to vibrate with it. "We do not want the Alpha's daughter hearing us before the ceremony. She is sensitive enough as it is." That shattered the last of my restraint. I had heard enough. If Kaelen Aldric truly wanted to see what an Alpha’s daughter could do when pushed to the brink, I was more than ready to show him.