Tyler Hart

People imagine the Lycan throne as a seat of glory, wealth, power, and adoration. They forget it is also a seat built on blood. Many have tried to take it from me, foolish enough to believe the crown is easy to claim.

They learned the hard way that war with me is war with extinction. I have erased entire bloodlines from history. This throne is my family’s legacy, carved over centuries, and I will not be the Hart who lets another lineage steal what we bled to protect.

But of all the battles I’ve fought, none are as relentless as the one inside me: loneliness.

I have watched pack brothers, warriors, and even my enemies find their mates while I remain cursed, locked between fate and choice. The three women I chose as mates — each of them died within days of being marked; the wound never healing.

Loretta’s death cut the deepest. We had agreed to wait, to bring in the most powerful witch we knew before sealing our bond.

But she grew impatient, so I gave in and marked her. Five days later, Lena found her lifeless in her chambers.

The guilt has been my shadow ever since. So I swore, no matter the pressure from the elders or the kingdom, never again. If the Moon Goddess refuses me a mate, then my pack will remain without a Luna. I’ll find another way to secure an heir, and the curse can rot with me.

A knock broke my thoughts. I already knew the scent: Declan, my Beta. He didn’t wait for permission before stepping inside.

“The elders are in the throne room,” he said, dropping into the chair opposite me. “Waiting again.”

I exhaled heavily. “When they summon me, it’s always the same song: choose a mate, choose a mate. You’d think they would spare a thought for the women who died because of this curse.”

My voice dropped, hard with sarcasm. “Maybe this time I’ll choose one of their precious daughters.”

Declan smirked. “That would shut them up, briefly. But with the curse spreading, they’re desperate. Fear makes people restless.”

I rose from my seat. “I have my own fears to wrestle, but I don’t go breathing down their necks for the sins of their predecessors. The curse is their legacy too.”

I sent a sharp mind link to my Gamma, ordering her to join us, and strode toward the throne room with Declan close behind.

***

The air in the throne room was tense. Six elders sat in a crescent before me, exchanging glances like cowards deciding who will be the sacrificial speaker.

“Speak,” I commanded, my voice cutting through their hesitation. “I have no time for your staring contests.”

Abbot, the eldest and most cunning among them, finally rose. His tone was careful, but his eyes held that calculating glint I’ve learned to despise.

“Your Majesty, the council shares your concern for the curse. If we do not act, our race may weaken to the point where even humans might see us as vulnerable.”

My lips curled into a sharp smile. “Humans? They would not dare. If they so much as blink in our direction, I will wipe them from the map.”

Abbot pressed on. “Which is why we sought the guidance of a seer. Not another prophecy,” he added quickly, “but a true vision. She confirmed that breaking the Moon Goddess’s curse is bound to you finding your true mate. Only then will the healer be born.”

I laughed, cold and humorless.

“Three centuries I’ve searched, and still she hasn’t come. Now you expect me to believe the kingdom’s salvation hinges on a woman who likely doesn’t exist? If the Moon Goddess wants me to find her, she can deliver her to my gates. Or you can find her yourselves. I’m done hunting ghosts.”

I moved to leave, but Elijah’s voice halted me.

“Your Majesty, if you do not find your mate before this year ends, the council will strip you of the throne.”

The room trembled with my growl; the raw force of my power sent them staggering back.

“You dare threaten me in my own palace, for a curse your forefathers birthed?” I stepped forward, my voice low and lethal. “Test me again, and I will make the Hart legacy an outstanding achievement of slaughtering its own council.”

The elders stood, turning their backs to me — a silent declaration that their decision stood.

I let the silence stretch, my anger pulsing in the air. “Very well,” I said finally, my voice like steel. “By year’s end, I will be here waiting, and if you come for my throne, you had better bring an army — and your last prayers.”

I walked out, leaving the weight of my promise hanging in the air like the scent of blood.

GINA

Stretching my neck forward and backward did little to soothe the throbbing tension. I sat slumped behind my desk, rotating my head slowly from side to side in an attempt to loosen the knots forming after a long, grueling day.

I had no business still being at the hospital because my shift ended hours ago, but I had agreed to cover for Eric again.

Luckily for me, Dr. Laser took one look at my pale, drained face and insisted someone else handle the remainder of the shift — perks of dating the director’s son. I hadn’t realized how badly I needed saving until he intervened.

Eric had promised to make it up to me this weekend with something quiet and romantic, just the two of us. I had been looking forward to it more than I cared to admit. We have been together for two years now. We met back in med school: him, charming and ambitious; me, top of my class and totally focused on my future.

Somehow, despite our differences, we’d found a rhythm. He even convinced his father, the director of the most prestigious hospital in the country, to give me a position here. With my grades and accolades, it hadn’t taken much convincing.

This hospital served both humans and werewolves, although the supernatural rarely needed medical care thanks to their abilities to heal themselves. The facility remained open to both. Still, it was mostly humans walking through these halls, walking in sick and walking out healed.

I gathered my things with a sigh of relief, grateful to finally head home. But as I approached my apartment, a small frown crept across my face. Eric’s car was parked in front of the building. Strange.

Dr. Laser must have told him I was relieved early. Was he that eager to see me? My heart warmed slightly at the thought.

And Adele’s car was there, too. I smiled again. My best friend — we have lived together since university. Maybe we’d all hang out tonight, order takeout, watch something trashy on TV, and unwind.

But the second I stepped into the apartment, that warmth began to wither. Eric’s shoes, his shirt, his belt — tossed carelessly in the hallway. Fear gripped me; I wasn’t ready to discover any funny play. My chest tightened as I saw Adele’s blouse draped over the armrest. Her bra, her underwear — all scattered around the place, too.

No. No, it couldn’t be. This had to be a misunderstanding.

I walked on numb legs. My breath grew shallow. I climbed the stairs like a ghost, dreading what I might find but unable to stop.

And then I opened her bedroom door. There she was, riding him — my boyfriend. My best friend was riding my boyfriend.

They didn’t even notice me at first, too caught up in their feral rhythm, moaning and panting like animals in heat. I stood there, rooted in place, watching the man I loved grip my friend’s waist like she was his salvation. He had never touched me like that, never moaned like that.

Never looked that unhinged, that hungry.

My hands trembled as I raised my phone and hit record.

I don’t know how long I stood there, but eventually I cleared my throat. They froze. Adele gasped. Eric’s eyes met mine, horror blooming across his face. They scrambled for the sheets, fumbling with and looking at their clothes that were dumped in the hallway as if modesty could erase their betrayal.

“To think…” I began, my voice hoarse, cracking, “you tricked me into covering your shift just so you could come fuck my best friend.”

Eric opened his mouth, his voice a mess of stutters and regret. “Baby… I… I didn’t plan this. It just happened. I’m sorry, please—”

I let out a bitter laugh, tasting iron at the back of my throat. “You made me believe you had a meeting. I stayed behind, exhausted, covering your damn shift, thinking I was doing it for love. Meanwhile, you were here… screwing Adele.”

Adele couldn’t even meet my eyes. The woman I had trusted with every secret, every heartache, now stood before me wrapped in a sheet; her silence louder than any confession.

“How long?” I demanded. “How long have you two been fucking and pretending like I was the clueless idiot in the room?”

She looked down like someone who was guilty. Coward. That was answer enough.

“You know what?” I said, shaking my head as tears welled in my eyes. “It’s over. I’m done. I hope… no, I pray that whatever pain I’m feeling right now comes back to you both a thousandfold.”

Eric reached for me, but I stepped back. “Don’t.”

I walked out, slamming the door in his face.

Tears blurred my vision as I climbed the stairs to my room. Every part of me shook with rage, heartbreak, and disgust. I wanted to scream and I wanted to break things.

But most of all I wanted to never see either of their faces again. I needed to move out — tonight, tomorrow, as soon as possible. Because if I stayed here a minute longer, I might just lose the last piece of myself I had left.

I collapsed beside my suitcase, but I couldn’t even see what I was packing. The tears were relentless, and the betrayal was unbearable.

Tyler

I came back from the bathroom to find the werewolf I had just slept with still lying on my bed.

“Leave!” I said.

My tone made it clear there was no room for argument. She looked displeased but didn’t dare defy me. Without a mate to share real intimacy with, I spent my nights with random females, making sure they understood it was nothing more than pleasurable sex.

On her way out, Lena barged into the room without knocking, shooting the woman whose name I couldn’t even remember a sharp glare.

Ziti, my wolf, was immediately on edge. “She’s been disrespecting us lately, and that’s because you can’t keep it in your pants,” he growled.

“Shut it and let me handle her, grumpy!” I shot back.

“Your Majesty,” Lena said in a sickly sweet voice that stopped working on me a long time ago. “I waited for you downstairs and thought I’d check your room.”

Lena and I had a thing once. Not serious. Until she started hinting that if I didn’t find my mate in time, I should make her my Luna.

She used to be attractive to me, but her desperation for the title killed any interest I had. My wolf never liked her anyway, so I ended it before she took it too far. That was a hundred years ago, and she still hasn’t found her mate.

I don’t know if she’s cursed too, but even if I remain unmated, I’ll never take Lena as mine.

“Don’t ever come to my room without my permission. Let this be the last time,” I said, my voice low with warning.

“I’m sorry,” she replied, though her face didn’t match her words.

“Leave!” I commanded.

I headed downstairs to my office and found her already there with Declan.

“I’ve got trackers on the borders, ready for anyone who tries to step into our territory. Good morning, Alpha,” Declan said as I took my seat. He is my friend and Beta; we grew up together. Calling me Your Majesty feels awkward, so he sticks with Alpha.

“We will come back to that,” I said. “I want to know why the elders decided to give me an ultimatum to marry before the year ends.” I looked at Lena. Her mother sits on the council, so she’d know.

“It’s about the prophecy and breaking the curse,” Declan said. “I think we should take them seriously and start looking for your mate.”

“For over three hundred years, I’ve searched, and my wolf yearns for her. I have crossed countless borders, scoured different countries. And now the elders think some ridiculous deadline will make me find her in a few months? Their stupidity amazes me.”

“Maybe we didn’t search hard enough,” Lena suggested. “We could try a new strategy.”

“Well, good luck finding her on my behalf, because I’m done searching. And as for their threats, I’d love to see them try.”

“Maybe a powerful witch or seer could tell us where to start looking, or if she’s even alive,” she added.

Ziti growled at her last words, refusing to accept the idea of our mate being dead.

“I wish we could find Celeste,” Declan said. “She’s the only one capable of that kind of spell.” Celeste, the South Pack’s most powerful witch, vanished years ago and hasn’t been seen since.

“Your Majesty, we’ll find another witch,” Lena said. “But this is a journey you have to take yourself.”

I hated the elders’ threats, but my responsibility is to keep my people safe. More than that, I need to protect my little sister. She’s been under the curse for five years, and I had to get a witch to bind her soul to keep her from going mad.

“I can’t leave Bella alone. I need to know she’s safe.”

“I could call Dr. Chase, have him send his best doctor to care for her,” Lena offered.

At least then I could focus on finding my mate. The thought of her stirred my wolf, pushing toward the surface.

“Call him now. Tell him I’ll come to the hospital myself to meet this stay-in doctor and have a word.” I watched her leave to make the call.

“I’m glad you’re finally listening to the elders,” Declan said with a smirk. “In the end, you’ll be the one to benefit. You’ll get the healer and your true mate.”

“Wipe that smirk off your face. The next time they think about threatening me, I’ll have their graves dug that day.”

I stood to check on Bella. She’s my only surviving family since our parents died. When the curse hit her, it destroyed her wolf first before madness took over.

Most in her condition are killed, since there’s no cure. But I couldn’t do it, lose my only family. So I had a witch trap her soul in her body until we found the healer. No matter how long it takes, even if it takes centuries, I’m willing to wait. I won’t lose my sister.