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> On her 18th birthday, Alera's life changes forever. Instead of shifting into her wolf and meeting her fated mate like every other she-wolf in her pack, she's claimed-by a rogue. Not just any rogue, but the most feared Alpha in the land: a man her people are sworn to kill on sight. Torn between the mate bond pulling her toward him and the duty that binds her to her pack, Alera must choose: love or loyalty. But the Rogue King has a secret. One that could shatter everything she thought she knew... including who she really is.

Chapter 1 The Howl that called me

The moon was full the night I turned eighteen.

My heart raced as I stood by the lake, bare feet pressed into the cold grass. The water shimmered under the stars, whispering secrets I wasn't ready to hear.

Tonight was supposed to be my mating ceremony - the night my wolf would awaken. But nothing happened.

No shift.

No bond.

No mate.

Until a howl split through the silence.

It wasn't from my pack. It was deeper. Wild. Ancient. It pulled at something buried inside me - something raw and dangerous.

My body trembled as my wolf stirred for the first time, not with joy, but with fear... and desire.

And then I heard it again. The howl.

Calling me.

Claiming me.

I shouldn't have followed it.

But I did.

Each step into the woods felt like walking away from everything I knew - my pack, my family, my future. I didn't know if I was being pulled by instinct or madness. But I couldn't stop.

And that's when I saw him.

Tall. Bare-chested. Eyes glowing gold. A scar across his cheek like a warning. Muscles coiled like a predator ready to strike.

"Mine," he growled, his voice more beast than man.

"I've waited eighteen years to claim you."