Fated to the Lycan King

The crescent moon hung high in the velvet night sky, casting a pale glow over the Stormborn Pack’s estate. The mansion stood proud and regal, its grand halls buzzing with life as pack members gathered for the so-called “Celebration of Unity.” It was supposed to be a night of joy, a night that promised a new future.

Aria adjusted the flowing silk of her crimson gown, her fingers trembling slightly as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her long chestnut hair spilled over her shoulders in loose curls, and her hazel eyes, though weary, shimmered with something dangerously close to hope.

It was the first time in months that Kael had smiled at her.

Her hand instinctively drifted to her belly, not yet showing, but warm with new life. She hadn’t told him yet. She was waiting for the right moment, perhaps tonight, when the night felt full of possibilities. They’d been distant for weeks, but maybe this dinner was his way of trying again.

Maybe they’d finally be a real couple.

She shook the thought out of her mind as she stepped out of the guest wing. Though they had been married for two years, Kael had stopped sharing a bedroom with her six months ago. Everyone knew their union had been arranged, a strategic move to unify two influential packs. Still, Aria tried to make the best of it. She had fallen in love with him. Despite the coldness, the silence, the loneliness, she had loved him with everything she had.

And now, she was carrying his child.

The grand hall was glowing with golden chandeliers, the scent of roasted meats and sweet honeywine thick in the air. Aria was greeted with polite nods, the usual tight-lipped smiles from she-wolves who never approved of her. She had always been the quiet one, the gentle one. Her only family, her younger sister Lara, had only just returned to them a year ago, after having been kidnapped at thirteen. The trauma of her return had shaken their household, and though Aria had tried to bridge the gap between them, Lara had grown up into a stranger.

Now, Lara stood at the head of the ballroom, radiant in a silver dress that sparkled like frost under the lights. She looked... powerful. Her pale blonde hair was twisted into an elegant braid, her icy blue eyes scanning the room like she owned it. Something in her gaze unsettled Aria.

And then Kael appeared beside her.

Aria’s heart stuttered.

Kael was dressed in his ceremonial Alpha regalia, deep navy and gold, the crest of the Stormborn Pack embroidered across his chest. He didn’t look at Aria. Didn’t search for her in the crowd. Instead, he stood beside Lara as if... as if she belonged there.

Aria’s stomach turned.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Kael’s deep voice echoed over the crowd, silencing the murmurs. “Thank you for joining us tonight for this special occasion. Tonight isn’t just a celebration for the pack... it is a celebration of destiny.”

Aria blinked, confused.

He reached for Lara’s hand.

The room seemed to vanish around her. The blood in her ears roared louder than the murmuring guests. Her eyes locked onto Kael’s lips as they moved, every word like a dagger.

“Tonight, I announce what the Moon Goddess herself has ordained... Lara Valen is my true mate.”

Gasps spread through the crowd. Aria’s breath caught in her throat.

No. No, this couldn’t be happening.

Kael turned finally, his blue eyes meeting hers with nothing but cold detachment. “Aria,” he said, his voice carrying over the shocked silence. “Our marriage was one of duty, not fate. We were never meant to be.”

A cruel smile touched his lips. “The Goddess has spoken.”

Aria stood frozen. The room spun. The chandeliers blurred into streaks of light. Her fingers dug into her gown, knuckles white. The baby.

The child in her womb, Kael’s child.

Her lips trembled as she tried to form words, but nothing came out. Not when Kael kissed Lara’s knuckles in front of the pack. Not when cheers and laughter slowly began to replace the shock. Not when her heart cracked and spilled into a thousand pieces.

She turned and fled.

Down the long corridor, past the servants and guards who didn’t meet her eyes. Out into the gardens where the cold air slapped her face. She could hardly breathe. She pressed her hands to her belly and fell to her knees beneath the twisted branches of an old ash tree. Her wolf stirred faintly, confused, then dulled again into silence.

She should have known.

She should have known when he grew distant.

When he stopped touching her.

When he avoided her scent.

But why her sister? Why now?

A soft crunch of boots on the gravel warned her too late. Kael stepped into the moonlight, his face calm, almost gentle.

“Aria,” he said softly.

She rose shakily, trying to wipe her tears away. “How could you?” she whispered.

He shrugged. “It was fate. You always knew our bond was weak.”

“I’m carrying your child,” she said, almost in disbelief that she had to say it out loud.

His face darkened. “That’s impossible.”

“It’s true. I haven’t told anyone yet, not even- ”

“No,” he interrupted, voice cold now. “You must be mistaken.”

“Kael- ”

He stepped closer, now only inches away. “You don’t understand. Lara is my mate. You… you’re just a mistake. A past I need to leave behind.”

Pain clawed up her chest. “You’re going to reject me.”

“I already have,” he said simply. “And soon, no one will remember you.”

Before she could comprehend the meaning of those words, his hand clamped around her arm.

“Kael, what- ”

He dragged her through the garden’s outer gates, to where the forest met the riverbank, fast and icy under the moonlight. She struggled, her strength no match for his.

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be,” he murmured.

“You’re insane,” she whispered, heart hammering. “You can’t- ”

“I can,” he said, and shoved her hard.

She hit the water like stone.

The cold stole the breath from her lungs instantly. Darkness swallowed her. She fought to the surface, but the current was too strong, her limbs too heavy. Her wolf howled in panic, distant, fading, fading..

Then everything went black.