Isla Blackthorn has spent her life running from the expectations of her pack, refusing to be bound by tradition or fate. When a tragedy forces her to return to the pack's territory, she never expects to cross paths with Alpha Xavier Storm, a man as powerful as he is enigmatic. Xavier has always known that Isla was his mate, but convincing her to accept him isn't going to be easy. Isla is determined to resist, unwilling to surrender to a destiny she never asked for. But the chemistry between them is undeniable, and as their lives become increasingly intertwined, Isla must confront the truth: Can she continue to fight against fate, or will she finally allow herself to be claimed by the one man she never wanted?
Chapter 1 The Return
The scent hit him first.
Xavier Storm stood on the porch of the pack house, his hands resting on the wooden railing, his gaze locked on the forest beyond the village. The scent curled around him like smoke, wild and untamed, edged with something achingly familiar. A scent he had spent years trying to forget.
Isla Blackthorn was home.
A slow exhale left his chest, but it did nothing to loosen the tension gripping his muscles. He had imagined this moment too many times. Sometimes, he thought she would return broken, weary, realizing that no matter how far she ran, she could never outrun fate. Other times, he imagined her angry, defiant, ready to throw every cruel word she could at him just to see if he would break.
But this? This was worse.
She walked through Blackthorn Village with a quiet, measured pace, her shoulders squared, her expression unreadable. No hesitation. No fear. No visible reaction to the bond that burned between them even now.
Xavier clenched his jaw.
The years had changed her. The girl who had run from him was gone, replaced by a woman who knew how to build walls no one could climb.
A cruel twist of fate, really. Because if anyone could have climbed them, it would have been him.
He should have turned away. Should have let her pass, should have honored the choice she made all those years ago. But his body had already decided before his mind caught up.
He stepped off the porch.
She sensed him before she saw him. Her shoulders tensed the slightest bit, her head tilting just enough to catch his movement in her periphery. When she finally turned, the air between them shifted, the tension snapping so sharply it felt like the night itself had stilled.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
And then her gaze locked with his.
Silver against deep storm-blue.
A collision of past and present.
For the first time in five years, Xavier Storm faced the one woman he had never stopped wanting.
"You're back." His voice was steady, but there was a bite beneath it.
Isla didn't flinch. Didn't waver. Her chin lifted slightly, her expression cold, detached.
"Not for you."
A slow, almost imperceptible smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. A dangerous thing. Not amused, not pleased-just acknowledging the lie she so effortlessly told herself.
He could feel it. The bond between them still burned, still pulsed beneath the surface like a slow-building wildfire. She might have spent years pretending it wasn't there, but Xavier knew better.
Isla Blackthorn was back.
And no matter how much she fought it, this time, she wasn't leaving.