Mate! Lucas cackled, high and insane in his mind. Our mate!! Daphne shrieked as the wolf leaped at her and tackled her to the ground. She stared up at the wolf looming over her, frozen in terror. She hissed at the pain in her neck as he removed its paw from her throat and stepped back just a bit. He growled, low and almost tender, “Mate.” Oh goddess, he was looking for his mate? He was going to kill her. “P-Please don’t k-kill me…” She pleaded, “P-Please, I…” The wolf flinched and trembled, “No. No. I wouldn’t-- Never-- I’m sorry…”

Astrid lives alone with her dad; she has no idea she is a werewolf or that they even exist! It turns out the man that helped raise Astrid isn't her father at all, he tells her that her mother wanted her to have a ""normal"" life until the day she turned eighteen when she would have no choice but to tell Astrid the truth about her identity. After a tragedy that killed her mother, her father turns abusive towards her over the years for her mother's death. Astrid remained completely unaware of her heritage, until a man named Ryker comes into her life claiming they are mates!

He’s the alpha king, my crush, my guardian. And he’s 20 years older than me. ** “How old are you?” “T-Twenty,” I bit my lower lip, stuttering on the lie. “I’m an adult.” I trembled but turned my head, allowing him to drag his nose along my neck and breathe in my scent. I didn’t know what I smelled like to him. Did I smell like I was lying? I held still. He shifted just a bit, seemingly retreating, and I flung my arms around his neck, holding him down. “Please, Alpha King,” I said. My voice trembled even as I tried to sound sultry. “I’m… sure I can please you.” “Do you know what happens when you lie to the Alpha King, little girl?” He knew. I should have known that he would know I wasn’t twenty. “You seem so deliberate, but I’m not interested in your offer. How about we play a game?” “A-A game?” He narrowed his eyes and gave me a slow, cruel smile. “If you win, I’ll grant you sanctuary.” My eyes widened with a spark of hope. “But if you lose….”