Marked By The Monster: The Lycan King's Bride

I stood at the altar, ready to bind my soul to Holden, the man I had loved since we were pups.

But the moment his stepsister, Jaidyn, let out a shrill scream, he ripped his hand away from mine.

He abandoned me in front of the entire pack, cradling her in his arms and claiming his wolf had chosen her over me.

The humiliation didn't end there.

When I tried to leave, Holden kidnapped me.

He locked a silver collar around my neck, searing my skin and cutting off my connection to the world.

He dragged me to a filthy dungeon, ignoring my screams, and began draining my blood to "save" Jaidyn.

As my life force faded into the IV bag, I watched Jaidyn smirk behind his back, her "wounds" healing instantly.

Holden called me a monster for hurting her, blind to the truth.

To him, I was just a weak, latent wolf—a spare blood bag for his mistress.

But they made a fatal mistake.

They didn't know that the "weakness" inside me was actually a dormant power waiting to explode.

And they certainly didn't know that my rejection of Holden had already summoned a new mate.

The terrifying Lycan King, Alphons, was coming.

And when he arrives, he will burn their world to the ground.

Chapter 1

Eloise POV:

The Moon Stone was cold against my bare feet, a sharp contrast to the humid summer air, but it did nothing to cool the nausea churning in my gut.

This was supposed to be a rehearsal. Just a practice run for the Mating Ceremony that would bind my soul to Holden’s forever.

The pack gathered around the altar, their murmurs low and respectful. The Bowers Pack territory was beautiful tonight, bathed in the silver light of the full moon.

I looked at Holden. My fiancé. The man I had loved since we were pups. He looked handsome in his ceremonial robes, but his focus was entirely elsewhere.

His gaze kept snapping toward the front row, where his stepsister, Jaidyn, sat. She looked fragile, wrapped in three layers of blankets despite the heat.

"Eloise," Holden said, his voice trembling slightly. "Are you ready to recite the vows?"

"I am," I smiled, though my wolf paced uneasily inside me. She didn't like this. She didn't like him. But as a latent wolf with dormant powers, I usually ignored her instincts.

Just as I reached for Holden’s hand, a shrill scream pierced the air.

Jaidyn collapsed.

She fell from her chair like a broken doll, convulsing on the grass. A scent hit my nose immediately—not the fresh pine of the forest, but something cloyingly sweet, like rotting lilies. It was the scent of a dying wolf.

"Jaidyn!" Holden screamed.

He didn't just turn. He abandoned me. He ripped his hand away from mine so violently I stumbled back against the stone altar.

He was at her side in a second, scooping her up.

"Her wolf is fading!" Jaidyn’s mother shrieked, pointing an accusing