The Alpha's Forsaken Bride

r the grand hall. Every member of the pack had gathered, their voices humming with exc

votion, the delicate fabric hugging her curves. Her long, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, the silver pendant at her throat shimme

ned into her, his expression unreadable. The ceremonial fire flickered behind him, illuminating his s

ention. "Tonight, I stand before you all, prepared to take my mate," he announc

moment his teeth would sink int

he took a

idal wave. "Ryker?" Her voice c

of the Silverclaw Pack, reject you,

her chest like a physical blow, stealing the breath fr

ing her veins, her wolf howling in agony. "Why?" sh

d, stepped forward, slipping her hand into his. "Because I

a-her confidante, her sister in everything but

ed. Elena's hands curled into fists. "You knew," she

s. "Fate can be rewritten, E

th its weight. The bond, meant to be unbreakable, shattered into a m

y. "Leave, Elena. You

e satisfaction of seeing her crumble. With every ounce of str

keletal fingers. She didn't stop. Twigs snapped beneath her feet, the wind howling through

the exposed skin where Ryker's mark should have been. The rejection

he Shadowwood was forbidden for a reason. Stories spoke of wolves who entered but never return

a massive oak, her breaths ragged. The world spun, shadows shifting around her. The pain

r lungs. A foreign warmth enveloped her, shielding her from the bitter

atching her, assessing her. The figure moved with the grace

ak, to ask who he was, but her lips wouldn't part. Her mind

ainst her ear. "You're

ss took he

Elena stirred, her body aching from the cold and the deep wound of rejection. The s

ts and ancient artifacts. The flickering light of the fireplace cast long shadows across

ce loome

his dark hair dusted with snow. Power radiated from him, coiling through the space like a living f

wed hard. "W

is gaze unwavering. "Cassian.

egend, a whisper of wolves who lived beyond the reach of any known pack. S

htened. "Why d

readable. "Because fate has a way of correcting its mist

everything. Yet in the depths of the Shadowwood, under the watchfu

ond c

never sa