The Alpha’s Royal Mate by Joy at Inkitt

Summary

For eighteen years, Aurora lived as a repressed human outsider in a powerful wolf pack, suffering abuse from her stepbrother until she caught the attention of Alpha Xander. After Xander claims her as his fated mate, he discovers she carries a long-lost Royal Seal, deliberately suppressed by poison to keep her true power dormant. As they work to break the seal and awaken her hidden wolf, they become targets for enemies across the supernatural world. Xander promises to protect Aurora as she navigates her newfound lineage and fights to reclaim her true identity, regardless of the war it may spark.

Genre: Romance

Author: Joy

Status: Ongoing

Chapters: 5

Rating: n/a

Age Rating: 18+

Chapter 1

THE ALPHA’S ROYAL MATE

Chapter 1

The encounter

The bass from the music vibrated straight through the floorboards of the pack house, but it did nothing to calm the frantic beating of my heart. I kept my head down, trying to blend into the shadows near the back wall. To my stepfamily, I was just a glitch—a useless human born into a bloodline of powerful wolves, a burden they took pleasure in reminding me of every single day.

"Look at you, hiding in the dark like a stray dog," a cruel, familiar voice sneered.

I flinched as my stepbrother, Austin, stepped into my line of sight. He caught my chin tightly between his fingers, forcing me to look up into his cold eyes. "You don't belong at a pack celebration, Aurora. You're an embarrassment. Get back to the kitchens before I make you regret breathing the same air as the rest of us."

Tears stung my eyes, but I didn't dare fight back. I didn't have a wolf to protect me.

Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the grand hall slammed open, hitting the stone walls with a deafening crack. The entire room went dead silent. The music cut out instantly, and every single pack member in the room immediately dropped to their knees, their heads bowed in absolute submission.

A heavy, suffocating aura filled the room—a scent of rich vanilla mixed with dark, crisp rain.

I looked up through the strands of my hair. Standing in the doorway was a man who looked like he had been sculpted from shadow and raw power. He was massive, his broad shoulders filling the frame, his dark eyes scanning the room with lethal indifference. It was Alpha Xander. The most ruthless, feared Lycan leader in the northern territories.

Xander took three slow, deliberate strides into the room. Suddenly, his head snapped in my direction. His nostrils flared, his dark eyes locking onto me with an intensity that made my breath catch in my throat.

“Mate,” a deep, thunderous growl vibrated from the alpha, shaking the very glass in the windows.

Austin, oblivious to the danger, tightened his grip on my jaw, trying to pull me behind him. "Alpha Xander, please excuse the human girl—"

Before Austin could finish his sentence, Xander vanished into a blur of motion. A split second later, a horrific crack echoed through the hall. Xander had slammed Austin across the room, sending him crashing through a heavy wooden banquet table. Splinters exploded everywhere as Austin slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Xander turned to me, the lethal fury in his eyes instantly melting into something fiercely possessive. Before I could even process what was happening, he stepped forward, scooped me up into his massive arms, and turned on his heel, racing out into the dark night.

Chapter Notes

Chapter 2 The escape The wind rushed past us like a roaring river, tearing at my clothes and whipping my hair across my face as Xander tore through the dark forest. Trees blurred into solid walls of green and black around us, but his eyes saw perfectly in the dark. In his arms, I felt impossibly light, like a delicate bird trapped in a storm. I had my eyes shut tight, my small fingers clutching desperately at his shirt. His chest was practically vibrating with a low, deep rumble, thrilled to finally have me close, but he couldn't slow down yet—the distant, angry howls of the guards echoed behind us. Suddenly, the tree line broke, revealing a wide, rushing river slicing through the territory line. The water crashed violently against massive, jagged boulders. Without breaking his stride, Xander calculated the distance in a split second. He pushed off the muddy bank, launching us into the air. I gasped, my arms locking tightly around his neck as we airborne. His boots slammed hard onto the first slippery river rock, then the second, and the third, using them as stepping stones with lethal precision. By the time the guards reached the opposite bank, we had already crossed. The rushing water would mask our scent completely. Ten minutes later, the distant howling finally faded into nothing. Xander slowed his pace, arriving at a small, hidden cabin masked by heavy vines and shadow. It was his private sanctuary. He pushed the heavy wooden door open, stepped inside the warm, quiet room, and gently set me down on my feet. I had absolutely no strength left in my trembling legs, yet the sheer, overwhelming aura radiating from the man in front of me forced me to move. He made me feel a dizzying, confusing mixture of absolute safety and primal terror all at once. Instinct taking over, I stumbled a step backward, my wide eyes locked on him in pure fear as I put distance between us. Xander stayed rooted to the spot, forcing himself not to close the gap between us. I could see the restraint it took, but he raised his hands slowly, showing me his empty palms. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said, his voice softer than I ever knew an alpha's could be. "You are safe here, Aurora." I froze, my back hitting the wooden wall of the cabin. I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering from the cold and the adrenaline. "How do you know my name?" I whispered, my voice cracking. "And why... why did you do that? Why did you attack him?" "Because he was touching my mate," he answered without hesitation, a possessive growl rumbling deep in his chest just thinking about it. I stared at him, a single tear finally spilling over my dark lashes. I slowly shook my head, looking at him as if he had lost his mind. "That's impossible," I choked out, my voice barely above a whisper. "I don't even have a wolf. And that man you just nearly killed... is my stepbrother."