Tasha's life is turned upside down when she is forced to marry Kyle Potter, the powerful alpha of the werewolf pack. As they navigate their forbidden love they must confront the dangers of Lance betrayal, ancient curses and the secrets of their own pasts
Chapter 1 Fateful Encounter
Tasha tipped the coffee pot over a mug, barely watching as it filled up. Her eyes were on the diner's corners,the same old cracks in the walls, the same flickering light. Her brain was somewhere else, stuck on the notebook sprawled on the counter, full of scribbled ideas for a book she'd probably never finish. She was 23 and done with this,pouring coffee, wiping tables, going nowhere. She kept telling herself she was bigger than this crap job, but then that voice in her head would kick in: "Maybe this is all you've got. Maybe you're stuck."
The bell above the door dinged, and she looked up. This guy walked in,tall, like 6'2, built solid, with blue eyes that hit her straight in the chest. Her heart did this dumb little jump, and she didn't get why. He didn't fit here, not with the greasy spoons and burned-out truckers. "Coffee," he said, his voice low and scratchy, like he'd been up all night. She just stared until he went, "Uh, you gonna get it?"
"Yeah, sorry," she mumbled, grabbing a mug. Her hands were shaky as she poured, and when she slid it over, they were close,he loomed over her 5'11, making her feel like a kid. "Rough night?" she asked, trying to play it cool even though her voice cracked a little.
"Sort of," he said, staring right at her. "You're Tasha."
She froze, the mug banging the counter. "How do you even-" Her stomach flipped. She didn't have a name tag. Nobody here knew her name unless she told them. Was he some creep? But weirdly, she didn't want to run. She wanted to figure him out.
"Kyle Potter," he said, stepping in close,too close. She could feel the heat off him, and her head got fuzzy, like she'd seen him before. But that was impossible, right?
The door slammed open before she could say anything. Two guys barged in, and her chest went tight. The big one,6'4, all muscle had a nasty scar over his eyebrow that moved when he smirked. "Kyle," he yelled, "what, you're crashing in diners now? Lame."
"Get out, Lance," Kyle said, his tone sharp. "I'm not kidding."
Tasha's eyes bounced between them, her heart thumping. This wasn't just some bar fight waiting to happen it felt off, like trouble she didn't sign up for. Lance laughed, this loud, ugly bark. "You think she's safe with you? She's already screwed." He looked at her. "You've been feeling it, huh? Like something's off?"
Her mouth went dry. "I don't know what you mean," she said, but it sounded weak. She *had* been off antsy, paranoid, like something was creeping up on her. She'd brushed it off as burnout, but now? Now she wasn't sure.
Kyle grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the back door so fast she almost tripped. "Run!" he said, shoving her ahead. Her brain yelled at her to stop, to dig her heels in and demand what the hell was going on but her feet kept moving, like they trusted him even if she didn't. She could hear Lance and the other guy chasing, their steps loud and heavy.
Kyle turned and swung at Lance, his fist smacking into his jaw with a nasty crack. Lance stumbled but didn't drop, yelling as he swung back. Tasha bolted through the kitchen, her mind a mess. Run back, she thought. Go back to the diner, to normal. But normal was slipping away, and she hated how part of her didn't even care.
Kyle caught up outside and pushed her behind a beat-up car. "Stay here," he said, breathing hard. "Don't move, no matter what." His eyes they looked weird, almost glowing in the dark, and it made her stomach lurch.
"What is this?" she thought, hugging her knees. He wasn't normal,nobody moved that fast, hit that hard. She wanted to scream, to wake up from whatever this was, but she was stuck, torn between bolting and staying put like he'd told her.
Footsteps got closer. She peeked out, and her breath caught Kyle's hands looked wrong, his nails long and sharp, like claws. That wasn't real. "Stay there," he said again, then ran at Lance.
The fight was fast and ugly. Kyle ducked a punch and slashed at Lance's side blood splattered, but Lance just laughed, like it was nothing. The otherguy crept up behind Kyle, and Tasha didn't thinkshe grabbed a busted plank off the ground and swung it hard. It cracked into his head, and he went down.
Lance spun toward her, his face twisted, but Kyle tackled him, slamming him into the pavement. "Go!" Kyle yelled, holding him down. "My truck's at the end of the road,run!"
Tasha took off, her legs shaky. She didn't know Kyle, didn't get any of this, but he felt like someone she knew like a piece of her she'd forgotten. It scared her how much she wanted to stick with him, even with all this craziness. The truck was there, old and scratched, keys in the ignition. She climbed in, gripping the wheel so tight her knuckles hurt. Kyle slid in a second later, blood on his face.
"Drive," he said, sounding worn out but calm.
She hit the gas, peeling out fast. Her head was all over the place,scared, mad, confused. She wanted to yell at him, ask why her boring life was exploding. She did not say anything but kept quiet in fear and curiosity.
Kyle looks at her and saw the burning questions on her face then wiped the blood off his lips. "You are wondering what is going on,uh?
"Yeah," she said, barely above a whisper. "Who the hell.... I mean what the hell are you? She said in a firmer voice.
He shook his head, his blue eyes steady on her. "I am Kyle Potter and you Tasha, are my mate"
Her eyes widened, her mind reeling. "Mate?" she repeated, her voice shaking. "What do you mean?"
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