I Was Saved By the Lycan King Who Claimed Me

The feral wolf's teeth snapped inches from my throat.

I twisted left, drove my blade up through its ribcage, and felt the hot spray of blood across my knuckles. It dropped with a gurgling whine. Around me, the Rogue Lands stretched in endless gray—dead trees, cracked earth, and the constant stink of decay.

"Arielle!" Silas's voice cut through the chaos. "Three more on your six!"

I didn't turn. I could hear them—the scrape of claws on stone, the ragged breathing of wolves who'd lost their humanity years ago. My wolf, Kira, surged beneath my skin, eager and vicious. She'd only awakened two years into my exile, born from rage and survival, and she was nothing like the gentle creature I'd imagined as a child.

I spun, caught the first attacker mid-leap with a kick that sent it sprawling. The second lunged low. I sidestepped, grabbed its scruff, and slammed it into the third. Bone cracked. They didn't get up.

Silas appeared at my side, blood streaking his jaw. "That's the last of them."

"For now." I wiped my blade on my thigh, scanning the camp. Twelve rogues—my pack, though we'd never call it that—were checking the perimeter. We didn't trust easily. Couldn't afford to.

I was Arielle Hoffman, the girl the Moonshadow Pack threw away. Now I was the Queen of Rogues, and I trusted no one.

Two hours later, I was patrolling the northern border when Kyler's scent hit me.

Pine and arrogance. My stomach twisted, but I kept walking. Kira snarled in my head. *He's here. Let me rip his throat out.*

*Not yet,* I told her.

"Arielle." His voice came from the shadows, smooth and commanding. Alpha tone, like he still had any right to use it on me.

I stopped. Turned. Kyler stepped into the dim light, flanked by six enforcers. He looked the same—sharp jaw, cold eyes, the kind of face that made people forget he had no soul.

"You're trespassing," I said.

"I'm here to bring you home."

Home. The word was a knife between my ribs. "I don't have a home. You made sure of that."

His jaw tightened. "Reyna's dying."

I laughed. Couldn't help it. "And?"

"She needs your blood. You're the only one with the right type."

"Let her die."

Kyler's eyes flashed. "You don't mean that."

"I mean every word." I took a step closer, let him see the scars on my arms, the coldness in my face. "You threw me to the wolves, Kyler. Literally. Now you want me to save the woman you chose over me? Go to hell."

He raised his hand. Red dots appeared on my chest—sniper lasers. I froze.

"Look around," Kyler said quietly. "My men have your entire camp in their sights. Silas. The others. One word from me, and they're dead."

Kira roared, but I forced her down. My hands shook with the effort. "You're bluffing."

"Try me."

I stared at him. Saw the desperation beneath the Alpha mask. He wasn't bluffing.

"You