Chapter 1

Keira’s pov

The iron bars of the cage rattled violently as the transport wagon slammed into another mountain pothole.

I grabbed the rusted grates with both hands, bracing myself before sliding into the bruised, terrified men crammed around me. Beneath the thick layer of mud and grease caked onto my face, my skin burned with sweat. I adjusted the rough cap pulled low over my forehead, tucking a stray lock of dark hair back into place.

If anyone in this kingdom discovered I was a woman, my life was over before we even reached the Lycan fortress.

"Sit down, kid," an old farmer muttered beside me, his voice trembling. "You'll only draw the trackers' eyes."

I didn't sit.

Through the rear bars of the cage, I stared back down the mountain path into the dense pine fog. My little sister, Calla, was hidden in an abandoned cellar three miles back, wrapped in my heavy coat with three days' worth of dried meat.

Stay hidden, Calla. Don't make a sound until the sun goes down.

When our stepfather, Baron Nightshade, slaughtered our parents to steal our family’s territory in Oakhaven, I cut my hair, bound my chest till I could barely breathe, and took up my father’s blade. I became my sister's sole protector.

I took the name Caelen and became a boy in the eyes of the world.

When the Lycan King's border patrols swept through the valley, grabbing every living soul they could lay their hands on, I’d led them away from Calla’s hiding spot.

I’d let myself get caught.

The wagon lurched to a sudden halt, throwing me forward against the iron bars. The stench of wet fur, raw meat, and heavy ozone filled the icy air.

"Out! Every one of you, move!"

A massive guard slammed the butt of his spear against the lock. The iron door swung open with a screech. Hands grabbed my tunic collar, yanking me out of the wagon and shoving me face-first onto the frozen stone courtyard.

Dozens of cages lined the perimeter. Hundreds of captives, humans, shapeshifters, and rogues from every neighboring territory, stood shivering in long, ragged lines. Tall walls towered above us, carved directly into the sheer cliffside.

"Why are they doing this?" the farmer whispered, falling onto his knees beside me. "We aren't warriors. We haven't declared war on the Lycans."

"It isn't a war," an older prisoner muttered, staring up at the dark keep with wide, bloodshot eyes. "It's their King. King Lucian went feral three nights ago."

My pulse hammered against my ribs. Feral?

"He’s been searching for his true mate for years," the old man continued, his voice barely audible over the icy wind. "His beast completely took over and tore his own palace apart. The High Council ordered every patrol to sweep the borders. They're bringing everyone before him. If he doesn't find his mate today, he'll burn the whole kingdom to ashes and us with it."

A sudden, earth-shattering growl echoed from deep inside the palace, shaking the very stone beneath our feet.

Shouts of panic erupted from the upper balconies.

"He's broken free!" a guard screamed from the top landing, his sword scraping wildly against his sheath as he backed away. "The Alpha has broken his chains!"

A terrifying wave of pressure hit the courtyard. The air instantly turned suffocating, thick with the scent of dark amber and crushed pine. The weight of his aura slammed into the crowd, forcing half the captives straight to their knees in pure submission.

The doors at the top of the grand staircase detonated inward, shattering off their hinges and crashing onto the stone steps.

Captives screamed, scattering in every direction, shoving and trampling one another to reach the outer walls. Guards scrambled into a chaotic line, drawing broadswords and spears in a desperate attempt to contain the threat.

When the beast appeared, it was like the whole world froze in place.

Towering at over six feet four, he wasn't fully wolf, but he wasn't human either. Dark, thick fur covered his broad shoulders and arms, his claws digging into the stone floor as he stalked down the steps on all fours. Blood dripped from his knuckles, his chest expanding in ragged, violent gasps.

His eyes weren't dark, they were glowing, luminous gold, entirely swallowed by his feral mind.

He snarls and throngs, snapping his fangs at the air as if fighting invisible ghosts. He didn't see subjects or guards; he saw enemies standing between him and his starved mate bond, whoever that is.

He lunged forward, throwing a two-hundred-pound armored guard thirty feet across the courtyard with a single swing of his forearm. The metal chestplate crumpled like paper against the outer wall.

"Contain him!" the Alpha commander roared, his voice cracking with terror. "Archers, hold your fire! Do not shoot the King!"

The beast whipped his head around, his nostrils flaring wildly as he sniffed the icy wind.

Suddenly, his movements froze.

His glowing golden eyes locked directly onto me and the thunderous snarl in his throat cut off instantly.

I froze in the center of the chaotic square, completely trapped in his gaze.

With a violent, explosive leap, the massive beast launched himself off the stone stairs, flying straight across the ten-foot gap toward me.

I gasped, bracing for impact, but before I could step back, his massive weight slammed straight into my chest.

We crashed onto the frozen cobblestones, the wind knocked completely out of my lungs as the back of my head hit the stone.

"Caelen!" someone screamed in the distance, but the sound was drowned out by the pressure pinning me down.

The beast loomed directly over my body, his giant paws planted on either side of my shoulders, his sharp claws digging into the cracks of the stone flags. His broad chest rose and fell violently against my ribcage, his massive jaw dripping hot foam inches from my face.

He lowered his snout, his hot, heavy breath hitting my bare neck right where my collar pulled open. He snorted, taking a long, ragged inhale against my skin, his thick fur brushing against my jawline.

Guards instantly swarmed around us in a tight circle, their spears pointed at his back, their faces pale with sheer horror.

"Don't move!" the commander yelled, his hands shaking as he raised his broadsword. "He's going to tear the boy apart! Clear the line!"

Fear seized my throat in an iron grip. My eyes squeezed shut, tears of pure terror burning behind my lids.

"Please don't hurt me," I whimpered, my voice cracking into a whisper. "Please... don't hurt me..."

Instinct took over. Panicking, my hands flew up between us, my fingers accidentally tangling into the thick, dark fur along his neck and shoulders.

I didn't mean to touch him, but my trembling fingers kept moving, running continuously through the coarse hair at the base of his neck, stroking him in a desperate plea for mercy.

The moment my bare hands brushed through his fur, the beast went dead rigid.

A deep, shuddering exhale burst from his lungs.

The violent twitching in his broad shoulders stopped. The terrifying, murderous pressure suffocating the courtyard instantly vanished, melting away.

My eyes snapped open.

Underneath my palms, his thick fur began to recede into his skin. His sharp claws shortened, his face smoothing back into the harsh, sharp jawline of a man.

The wild, blinding gold in his pupils shuddered, bleeding rapidly back into a black orbs.

He leaned down further, pressing his face directly into the crook of my neck, taking one more deep, shuddering breath of my clean skin.

His large, warm hand came up, his broad palm flattening over my waist, pinning me gently to the floor.

"Mine," he growled.