UNWANTED MATE

CHAPTER 1

Fear pulsed through the halls of Blackwood Pack like a living thing. Every wolf, from the youngest pup to the oldest elder, felt the tension spiderweb through the walls as a single, electrifying rumor raced ahead of midnight: Alpha Daniel Hussel was coming.

Daniel was not just another Alpha. He was the Lycan.

The only one of his kind in living memory, the one every pack whispered about in trembling voices.

His power was unmatched, his cruelty infamous, his dominance absolute.

Mothers warned their children never to cross him, and seasoned warriors lowered their eyes when his name was mentioned.

He was everything a wolf feared and secretly admired, which is hot, cruel, arrogant, and a man who took what he wanted without asking.

The house buzzed with frantic activity as every servant scrambled to polish floors, prepare food, and set everything in its perfect place. A shadow of terror pressed down on every heart.

Mia Reed stood at the center of it all, her slender fingers gripping the hem of her apron as though it were her shield.

Her chest rose and fell quickly, but her eyes stayed down, fixed on the stone floor beneath her feet.

She had long ago learned the punishment for speaking out of turn or meeting the wrong gaze.

She was the daughter of the late Alpha of Blackwood Pack, though no one treated her as such. When her father died, her mother's new mate, Beta Adrian, had claimed control. The pack bent to him easily, and Mia had been forced to bend even lower.

Her mother, beautiful and cold, now wore the title of Alpha Mistress.

To her, Mia was little more than a shadow of the man she had lost, a reminder better left broken.

To the rest of the pack, Mia was a servant.

Adrian's son, Marcus, treated her as his personal handmaid, snapping commands at her with the arrogance of one born to power he did not earn.

Still, Mia obeyed. She always obeyed. The weight of humiliation pressed her shoulders down, but she never lifted her head. She scrubbed floors until her knees bled, carried trays until her arms ached, and bowed until her neck stiffened. She lived in silence because silence was a matter of survival.

Yet, beneath the stillness of her surface, a storm churned.

She had her mother's beauty, which is silken dark hair, eyes as bright as the full moon, and the kind of grace that once made her the pride of the pack.

But where her mother thrived on control, Mia was forced into submission.

Every mocking glance from the wolves who had once been her family cut deeper than claws.

They wanted her small. They wanted her forgotten.

The day of Alpha Daniel's arrival was a test unlike any other. The pack was frantic, rushing to make the halls shine, the feast perfect, the air welcoming. But beneath the polish lingered fear, because Daniel was known for finding imperfection and punishing it without mercy.

"Mia," Marcus barked from across the room, his smirk sharp as a blade. "Polish those goblets again. If Alpha Hussel sees a single smudge, I will make sure you regret it."

"Yes, Marcus," she whispered, taking the silver cups in trembling hands.

Hours passed in a haze of work. Her body screamed with exhaustion, but she moved without pause, hands careful and precise.

She had learned the art of invisibility, of existing only to serve, of never drawing attention.

And yet, with every moment that passed, a knot of dread coiled tighter in her stomach.

Evening came, and with it the sound of approaching paws. The rumble of engines followed, sleek black cars rolling into the clearing. Wolves stiffened, eyes wide, hearts pounding. A hush fell over the pack as the door of the lead car opened.

He emerged.

Daniel Hussel was taller, broader, and more dangerous than any rumor had captured. His mere presence seemed to darken the air, to bend the world around him into submission. His dark eyes swept the gathered wolves, sharp and commanding, daring anyone to challenge his authority. None did.

Mia stood at the back, head lowered, hands folded neatly before her. She tried to shrink further, to disappear entirely into the shadows. But her heart pounded so violently she feared someone might hear it.

Daniel strode forward, his expression carved in steel, his aura a tangible weight pressing down on every wolf. The pack bent their heads lower, throats bared in instinctive submission.

Then, suddenly, he stilled.

The sharp scent of polished wood, roasted meat, and freshly cut pine faded from his senses. Something sweeter slid into him, something soft, intoxicating, and undeniable. Vanilla.

His Lycan stirred, claws scraping against the walls of his control. His gaze sharpened, his nostrils flared, and his lips curled into something dark.

He had found it. He had found her.