THE ALPHA BILLIONAIRE CLAIMED BY MY FATED MATE

"Fine. I'll go for the peace bond."

My words hung heavy in the air, shattering the tense silence of the Imperial Pack's Great Hall.

Every pair of glowing wolf eyes snapped towards me, and my father, the Alpha King, bared his fangs in a silent snarl. As his favored daughter, I, Yuki Carrington, should have been the last to be sacrificed in this political union.​

"Preposterous!" His growl reverberated through the hall.

"I said the candidate would be chosen differently! You and Jocab are fated mates-how could I separate you? And Greyfield? Caleb Morgan is a bloodthirsty Alpha!"​

I stood my ground, my inner wolf pacing restlessly.

"You decreed that the bride must be of royal blood. I am your daughter, and I accept my duty." The mention of Jocab sent a pang through my chest.

"You set today as the deadline. He didn't come. He lost his chance."​

My eldest sister grabbed my arm. "Yuki, Greyfield wolves eat their own kind! Let us go instead!" The second sister howled in agreement.​

I dropped to my knees, baring my neck in submission.

"I've made my choice. The rumors about Caleb may be lies. If not, I'll survive."​

Just as the Alpha King signed the decree, a thunderous howl split the air.

Jocab burst into the hall, his red cloak billowing, his wolf form barely contained. "Yuki! I'm here to claim you!"​

"It's too late," I said flatly.​

He laughed, confimanort. "The Alpha would never send you to Greyfield."​

"Why are you late?" I demanded.​

He shifted uneasily.

"Sophie... she's being persecuted. I want to take her as a secondary mate first."​

My wolf howled in agony.

Our childhood chases, his gentle dominance, the Festival when he howled my name to the moon .

His secret guard's dying howl still echoed in my ears.

"Protect... Sophie..." Those words shattered the bond we'd built.

Once, Jocab's wolf would have torn the world apart for me.