The mark burned for the first time on Lila Moore’s eighteenth birthday.

Not a sting.

Not an itch.

A deep, searing heat that spread beneath her skin like something waking up.

She gasped, clutching her wrist as the strange symbol she’d hidden all her life pulsed faintly, glowing silver for one terrifying second before fading again.

“What’s wrong?” her aunt asked from the kitchen.

“Nothing,” Lila lied automatically.

She always lied.

Because nothing about her life had ever been normal.

The summons arrived that night.

A black car. No plates. No explanation.

“Lila Moore,” the man said, his eyes too sharp, his voice too calm. “You are required at Blackfang Pack Territory immediately.”

Her heart dropped. “I’m human.”

The man’s lip curled. “That’s not what the Alpha believes.”

Blackfang Pack Territory felt alive.

The moment Lila stepped onto the land, the air changed—thick, heavy, charged with power. Wolves surrounded the clearing, their gazes sharp, predatory, dismissive.

She had never felt so small.

At the center stood Alpha Kael Blackfang.

Tall. Broad. Dominant in a way that pressed against her chest and made it hard to breathe. His dark hair brushed his shoulders, eyes glowing amber as they locked onto her.

The world tilted.

Her mark ignited again—hotter this time.

Mate.

The word slammed into her mind with brutal clarity.

Gasps rippled through the pack.

Kael took one slow step forward… then stopped.

His jaw clenched. His eyes hardened.

“No,” he said.

The word cut deeper than any blade.

“I refuse,” Kael continued, his voice carrying through the clearing. “She is human. Weak. Unworthy.”

Lila’s legs trembled.

“I, Alpha Kael Blackfang,” he said coldly, “reject you as my mate.”

The pain was instant.

White-hot. Crushing. Like something vital tearing loose inside her chest.

She cried out, dropping to her knees as the bond snapped violently—leaving behind a raw, aching emptiness that stole her breath.

Laughter followed.

Whispers. Judgment.

Humiliation burned hotter than the pain.

Kael turned away.

Or at least—he tried to.

Because the moment another wolf stepped closer to her, Kael froze.

A growl ripped from his chest—deep, dangerous, uncontrollable.

His eyes flashed to Lila.

Possessive. Furious. Burning.

The pack went silent.

Lila looked up at him through tears, heart pounding.

“You rejected me,” she whispered. “So why do you look like you want to kill anyone who touches me?”

Kael’s fists clenched.

Because rejection didn’t erase the bond.

And fate was far from finished with them .

Lila didn’t remember being lifted from the ground.

She only remembered the pain.

It clawed through her chest in waves, sharp and relentless, like something had been torn out and left bleeding inside her. Every breath felt wrong. Heavy. Broken.

“Move her.”

Voices echoed above her, distant and distorted.

“She’s human—she won’t survive the shock.”

“Not our problem.”

Humiliation burned hotter than the bond pain.

Lila forced her eyes open.

She was no longer in the clearing. A rough wooden ceiling hovered above her, lantern light flickering. The scent was overwhelming—pine, earth, smoke, and something darker beneath it all.

Wolves.

She tried to sit up.

A sharp gasp tore from her throat as agony surged through her again.

“Don’t move.”

The voice was female. Firm. Not unkind.

A woman stepped into her line of sight—tall, dark-haired, her eyes a striking gold. Beta, Lila realized instinctively, though she had no idea how she knew that.

“Where am I?” Lila whispered.

“The healer’s lodge,” the woman said. “You collapsed after the rejection.”

The word made Lila flinch.

Rejection.

It replayed in her mind with cruel clarity.

Weak. Unworthy. Human.

Her fingers curled into the blankets. “I want to leave.”

The beta’s expression tightened. “You can’t. Not yet.”

“Why?” Lila demanded weakly. “He made it clear I don’t belong here.”

Silence fell—thick, uneasy.

Before the woman could answer, the air in the room shifted.

Pressure slammed into Lila’s chest, instinctive and overwhelming.

She didn’t need to look.

She knew.

Alpha Kael Blackfang stood in the doorway.

His presence filled the room like a storm held barely in check. His eyes were no longer cold—they were blazing, amber glowing brighter than before, locked entirely on her.

Every part of Lila reacted.

Her mark burned again, pulsing with painful awareness.

She hated it.

She hated him.

“You should not be here,” Kael said.

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

Lila found her anger through the pain and pushed herself up on her elbows. “Funny,” she rasped. “You said that before you destroyed me in front of your entire pack.”

A flicker—something dark and dangerous—crossed his face.

“You were warned not to come to our territory,” he said.

“I was summoned,” she shot back. “Dragged here like a criminal.”

“You are a liability.”

The words landed like a slap.

Lila laughed weakly. “Then why are you standing in my room?”

The beta stiffened. “Alpha—”

“Leave us,” Kael ordered.

The woman hesitated, then nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Kael took one step closer.

Lila’s body reacted immediately—heart racing, heat coiling low in her stomach, the bond screaming for recognition.

She clenched her jaw. “Don’t.”

He stopped.

Good.

“You rejected me,” she said, voice shaking despite her effort. “Publicly. You humiliated me. So whatever this is—” she gestured weakly between them “—it’s over.”

Kael’s jaw tightened. “You don’t understand what you are.”

“Then explain it to me,” she snapped. “Because from where I’m standing—or lying—I look like a mistake you want to erase.”

His gaze dropped to her wrist.

The mark.

It shimmered faintly under his stare.

“You are not human,” Kael said quietly.

The world stilled.

Lila’s breath caught. “That’s not possible.”

“It is,” he replied. “And it’s exactly why I rejected you.”

Tears burned her eyes. “That makes no sense.”

“It does to me,” he said, voice hardening again. “You are dangerous.”

She stared at him. “To who?”

His eyes met hers, unflinching.

“To my pack,” he said. “And to me.”

Before she could respond, his nostrils flared.

A low growl vibrated through his chest.

Someone was outside.

Another male.

Kael moved instantly, placing himself between Lila and the door, body tense, possessive, furious.

“You rejected me,” Lila whispered again, realization dawning. “So why do you look like you’re guarding what you claimed you didn’t want?”

His fists clenched at his sides.

“Because,” he said through gritted teeth, “rejection doesn’t sever fate.”

The door creaked open slightly.

Kael’s growl deepened—primal, threatening.

Lila watched him, heart pounding, and understood something terrifying.

The Alpha who rejected her…

Was losing control.

And this was only the beginning