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My lips curve in a cold and cruel smile. We are free. And now I’m going to make all of them pay.

I stroke Maya’s hair. I like her name. The man who always brought her food used it. I don’t know if she’s aware, but he was quite interested in her. I smelled the slightest hint of his arousal whenever he was around her, more so she when she became mouthy with him.

I watch her nudge her head into my hand.

She’s not good at hiding her emotions. Or perhaps I’ve spent so much time watching her, fascinated by her, that I can tell what she’s feeling. Either way, I saw the distrust and wariness when she was looking at me.

She doesn’t fear me yet, and I don’t plan ever to give her a reason to.

But the distrust made me want to smile. It both amuses me and insults me at the same time. Of course, I’m not being entirely truthful with her. I know who I am. And I know that I was betrayed by my trusted right-hand man.

When I saw Quentin about to attack Maya, a memory returned, a stark one that sent me down a rabbit hole of anger and raw, unadulterated fury.

I was sold out by that man. I remember being injected with something and shifting into my wolf form in a retaliatory response. I remember being weakened. He was there, dragging me, handing me over to the people who held me captive for so long. But that is all I remember.

I know my identity. Griffin Wild, King of the Human Wolf Kingdom. I have a brother, Erik. He must have searched for me.

I don’t know why I feel compelled to hold back this information from Maya. I just know I have to be careful. I have to find a way back to my kingdom.

We are far away from our captors now. Even if they wanted to search for us here, they could not enter this witch’s territory. She hates our kind with a passion. Which is why it is the safest place to hide.

I chose this place deliberately. Each witch marks her territory, and I recognized the mark of the oldest bloodline. The witch is going to come soon, once she realizes that her barriers have been breached.

Shifters and witches have a shaky relationship. We generally tolerate each other. But even a witch who hates shifters will not dare to refuse the orders of a king.

And as for this little spitfire, I plan to take her back with me.

Not every shifter finds their fated mate. However, I always wanted to find mine. As a boy, I held on to this dream, but I soon grew out of it. Once I assumed responsibility for the kingdom, I was less focused on the romantic aspects of my life.

The Human Wolf Kingdom is different than the two kingdoms in the realm across the Veil. Humans believe that the world they live in is the only one in existence. The truth is that while we did coexist with humans once, on the same plane,they reproduced with an intensity that put our kind in danger of being wiped out. During that era, witches and shifters lived in harmony, and the witches helped our kind find a new home. Three different families stepped forward, and blood sacrifices were taken from them to create the other realm, where the Northern and Eastern Wolf Kingdoms now exist.

These three families were considered the royal families, and they are the only ones who can lead the wolf kingdoms on both sides of the Veil. Their blood sacrifice is deeply rooted in the earth, which makes any other family incapable of ruling their territory. It was a way to prevent war and greed for more land.

However, we could not entirely ignore the human world, so one of the families decided to stay there, and the Human Wolf Kingdom was born. We grew alongside the humans, only a scant few knowing of our existence. We controlled economies from the background, entered every field and industry.

While the North and the East have continued to practice their archaic laws, the Human Wolf Kingdom has evolved. We had to if we wanted to live unnoticed by the humans.

I don’t know what the state of my kingdom is going to be when I return. I don’t even know how long I’ve been missing.

I hope Erik is alright. My brother was always the lighthearted one. He was not built to rule, preferring to be on the battlefield. He always said he belonged with the fighters. He couldn’t understand how anybody could bear the stuffy life of running a kingdom, but he must have had to step up during my absence.

I smile slightly. Knowing Erik, he’s not going to let me hear the end of this.

Letting out a sigh, I tilt my head back to stare at the ceiling. There is no sign of the rain letting up outside. Thankfully, this cabin was stocked with food and water. But I need to eat meat. My strength is still not up to par. Once this rain stops, I’ll have to go hunting. Entering a witch’s territory is different from huntingin it, though. The animals that live within a marked territory are under the protection of the witch. Only she can kill them. I’ll have to get permission from her before I can hunt in this area.

I run my fingers down Maya’s cheek. She needs to eat, as well. She’s too thin. And I’m aware of how dangerous head injuries can be in humans. Fragile little beings.

But a human as a fated mate? I’ve never heard of such a thing.

There have been shifters who have mated with humans. It is not unprecedented. Those humans have cut their ties to the human world and integrated with our society. However, fated mates are different. And more importantly, I’m not just any shifter.

I am a king.

Whom I mate is never going to be a private matter. The pack elders will definitely have their opinions about this, but I’m not going to budge. Fated mates are a gift from the Goddess, in my opinion. A gift that should not be taken lightly. And this tiny woman is perfect for me in every way.

Her nose scrunches, and I smell the stench of fear coming from her. Straightening up, I see her begin to thrash in her sleep, her arms outstretched as if she’s trying to push somebody away.

“No! I don’t want to!” She suddenly covers her head with her arms, curling her body into the fetal position. “I said no!” She lashes out with her hand, and I grasp it before she accidentally hits me. Her eyes fly open, and I see unimaginable terror in them. The scream that follows chills me to the bones.