Ten Years Ago.
The roar of the Alpha Selection Games was a distant, irritating noise. Net Asher had no intention of winning the trials, much less claiming the mantle of Alpha. He participated only out of obligation, certain his older brother would-and should-claim the title.
He was waiting for an excuse to quit when he heard it-a muffled, desperate sound of struggle, like someone being dragged under. Abandoning the challenge felt like a far better prospect than fighting for a crown he didn't want. He bolted toward the sound, adrenaline surging.
He found the source not in a river, but in a small, muddy tributary hidden beneath a canopy of dead leaves. A small, trembling figure-a child, barely old enough to be alone-was being held face-down by two older wolves.
Net didn't hesitate. He attacked, a blur of muscle and inherited skill, driven only by the fierce need to stop the drowning. He pulled the figure free. It was a boy, small-boned and slim, with dark hair clinging to a strikingly fine-featured face. The struggle left Net injured and breathing heavily, the child limp and unconscious in his arms.
Just as the boy stirred, his eyes cloudy, he twisted and buried his teeth deep into Net's wrist. The bite was brief, brutal, and utterly feral.
Net shoved the attackers away and turned back, but the small figure was already gone, swallowed by the trees. Net had no idea he had just saved his future, or that the price of that impulse would find him ten years later, naked and smiling, in his living room.
"Well," I say, throwing my hands up, "I'm drunk. I'm tired. I'm wearing a dress that's cutting into my ribs. And I smell like club lighting and regret. So unless this bond of yours also comes with a shower and a bottle of water, I'm out."
She was sunlight in a world of claws and power.
He was a war-forged alpha, possessive and feared.
Isla never wanted a mate.
She was happy skipping class, stealing sunshine, and ignoring the shadows of the werewolf-ruled world around her. Her powerful family let her live freely, as long as she stayed in line.
But everything changes the night the infamous war alpha steps into her city.
And claims her.
He's dangerous. Ready for a battle.
And he doesn't take no for an answer.
But Isla isn't a girl you can keep in a cage.
Even if fate says she's his.