Retrogade of Expectations (MxM)

In a world where fate is a bond, and a bond is a chain, one young man is about to discover that his destiny is his greatest nightmare.

Hale Schneider has always been an outsider in his own pack. Quiet, artistic, and introspective, he sees the world differently-and for that, he has paid a price. His entire life, he has been the favorite target of Jacob Storm, the Alpha's golden son. Charismatic, powerful, and beloved by all, Jacob's public persona is flawless. But when the crowds are gone, his "lessons" for Hale are brutal, and everyone-from Hale's own family to his closest friends-dismisses it as "boys being boys," convinced Hale is just too sensitive, too dramatic.

On his eighteenth birthday, the one day every young werewolf dreams of, Hale's world shatters. In a moment of painful irony, he discovers the truth that will forever bind him to his tormentor: Jacob Storm is his fated mate.

In their world, the submissive wolf is the first to sense the bond, tasked with the sacred duty of revealing themselves. But how can Hale approach the man who has made his life a living hell? Consumed by self-loathing and defiance, he makes a choice that is both unthinkable and unforgivable: he hides the truth.

As weeks turn into months, Hale retreats further into himself, a ghost haunted by a secret that is slowly eating him alive. Meanwhile, Jacob begins to suffer. The unmated bond, left unclaimed, twists inside him, transforming the pack's golden boy, future alpha, into something weak, sick, and dangerously unstable. He knows his mate is near, hiding from him, and the humiliation fuels a raging fire.

The entire pack is on edge, desperate to find the one responsible for their future Alpha's decline. To deny a fated bond is the ultimate cowardice, a betrayal of their most sacred law. The hunt for the mysterious, disgraceful mate begins.

Trigger warning:
This novel contains themes surrounding- Depression, anxiety, mental health, Sui*cide, abuse, trauma, ptsd