ASTRID

“You shouldn’t be here,” Jeremiah said, his voice a low growl. “Not when you smell like that.”
“Like what?” I whispered, stepping closer until I could feel the heat rolling off him.
He turned slowly, eyes dark, locked on mine — then lower, to the dip of my dress, to the bare line of skin he’d once kissed like a vow. “Like temptation.”
My breath caught as he closed the space between us. One hand lifted, brushing a strand of hair from my face, knuckles grazing my cheek with agonizing gentleness.
“You think I don’t dream of you?” he murmured, his voice thick with restraint. “Of touching you? Tasting you? Every night I remember what you sound like when you beg.”
My knees weakened.
“Then why do you push me away?” I breathed.
He leaned in, his mouth barely grazing the shell of my ear. “Because if I take you again, Astrid, I won’t stop.”
I turned my face, just enough for our lips to nearly touch. “Then don’t.”
A heartbeat. His chest rose hard against mine.
Then he stepped back, eyes burning.
“Not yet,” he said roughly. “But soon, little wolf. When I take you, it won’t be gentle. It’ll be war.”
Astrid was never meant to be ordinary. She stands as the heir to her father's throne. Yet, her path to power is fraught with danger, for many despise her existence and refuse to accept a female as their future ruler. Astrid must summon her inner strength and resilience to overcome relentless attempts on her life.
The complexities of Astrid's life deepen when she discovers her destined mate, Alpha Jeremiah. He is cold, ruthless, and unapologetically cocky, with a profound distaste for her kind. Jeremiah marks her, not out of love, but because he envisions her as the key to seizing the mighty Lycan King's territory and pack, a bid for ultimate power.
Love and betrayal intertwine as Astrid navigates a treacherous path, torn between her heart's desires and the demands of her destiny.