Bound by Shadows

His Defiant Mate: The Lycan King's Chosen Luna

MAINUMBY

I was waiting at the Registry Hall to formalize my mate bond with Gabe, my childhood sweetheart and the Alpha of our pack. He was thirty-two minutes late. When I finally found him in a private VIP lounge, his hands were buried in my cousin's hair, their lips locked together. Hailee was supposed to be my maid of honor. Instead of apologizing, Gabe looked me dead in the eye and used his Alpha authority to publicly reject me. The severing of our ten-year bond tore my soul apart, but the nightmare didn't stop there. My grandfather immediately called, demanding I clean up a mess Hailee had made. When I refused, he disowned me on the spot, froze every single one of my bank accounts, and stripped me of my family name. Within hours, my entire pack erased my existence, gleefully announcing Hailee as their new Luna. I had given my entire life to a family and a man who discarded me like worthless trash the second I became inconvenient. I was left broken, humiliated, and utterly penniless in the blink of an eye. But as I stumbled out of that sterile hall, a terrifyingly beautiful stranger stepped out of the shadows, radiating a primal power that made my knees weak. He was Caden Sinclair, the ruthless Lycan King, and he was dodging a forced political union of his own. "You need a shield. I need a wife. Marry me." Without hesitation, I signed the Eternal Vow.

Werewolf Alpha Dark Romance

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(Isla POV)

The evening was intended to be just like any other.

I wore silk, my golden-brown hair perfectly styled, a glass of wine elegantly held as I exchanged smiles with men who shouldn't have been looking at me that way.

Yet, beneath the glamorous veneer of yet another Laurent gala, something felt amiss.

My father's smile appeared forced, his laughter lacked joy. He drank excessively, his fingers nervously clenching around the crystal glass as if trying to grasp something that was slipping away.

I had witnessed his reckless gambling before, always leaving with a sense of victory, oblivious to the dangers. But tonight, he seemed like a man on the brink of losing it all.

A wave of unease settled in my stomach.

I excused myself and navigated through the sparkling ballroom filled with women adorned in diamonds and men in finely tailored suits, heading towards the dimly lit hallway that led to my father's study. I meant to knock and confront him about the unsettling mood.

Then I heard his voice.

"I have nothing left to offer."

I froze, breath captured in my throat.

It wasn't just him. A second voice calm, low, and menacing responded. "Then you know what must happen next."

I shouldn't have stayed. I should have turned back, dismissed what I had heard. Instead, I pressed closer, ear against the solid wooden door, heart pounding in my chest.

"My fortune is gone," my father's voice trembled with desperation. "My assets, my businesses, everything. Please, Valenci, I need more time."

Valenci.

Dante Valenci.

Just hearing his name sent a chill down my spine.

I had never encountered him, yet I was aware of his notoriety. He was more than a man he was a legend, spoken of in hushed tones across New York, his power derived not solely from wealth but from bloodlines.

"I do not forgive debts," Dante replied smoothly.

My father gasped. "I I have something else. Someone."

Silence followed.

Then came Dante's voice again. "Continue."

I could hardly breathe.

"She's beautiful," my father stammered, his voice quivering. "Well-mannered. The perfect price for what I owe."

No.

A cruel laugh echoed back. "You're offering me your daughter?"

No. No. No.

"She's all I have left."

I recoiled, pressing a hand over my mouth to stifle any sound. The walls felt as though they were closing in, and the air was thick and suffocating. This was impossible; it couldn't be true.

My father had been many things a gambler, a deceiver, a man more devoted to money than ethics but he wouldn't stoop so low. He wouldn't sell me.

Would he?

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