Liora stood frozen at the edge of the grand hall, her breath shallow as the world blurred around her. The heavy weight of her bridal gown felt suffocating—its silk layers draped down like chains, dragging her into a future she never wanted.

She had dreamed of this day, but never like this. Not like this.

Her heart raced, thudding in her chest as if it, too, wanted to flee. The sounds of hushed whispers buzzed in the air, the scent of flowers thick and cloying. The grand doors creaked open, and every eye in the room seemed to turn to her, the adopted daughter of the Darrow family, who was about to marry the most feared ruler in the kingdom.

The Lycan King.

But her thoughts weren't on him yet. Not fully.

Liora took a shaky breath, trying to steady herself as she stepped forward. The hall seemed to stretch before her, the long aisle a path she had never chosen. She had always felt like an outsider in this family, a stranger in her own life, and today, that feeling was overwhelming. A part of her wanted to run, to find the girl she once was before the weight of the world had crushed her. But that girl was gone now, replaced by a woman forced to marry a king she had never met.

Her footsteps echoed through the hall, a soft counterpoint to the oppressive silence around her. She kept her gaze lowered, her eyes flickering nervously from the floor to the crowd, and then, finally, to the altar.

He stood there, tall and regal, his back straight as he faced her. King Kasian, the Lycan King.

Liora's throat tightened at the sight of him. His presence was like a storm—dark, brooding, and impossible to ignore. He was a monster, they said, a tyrant who ruled the kingdom with an iron fist, striking fear into the hearts of everyone who crossed his path. His hair was jet-black, slicked back from his face, and his eyes—those pale silver eyes—seemed to pierce through her, cold and calculating.

A rush of dread flooded her veins. The stories were true. He was terrifying.

But he wasn't supposed to be here.

Liora's chest tightened. She had known for some time that her marriage to Kasian was inevitable. After all, she was to marry the man who would solidify the political alliance between the Darrow family and the Lycan Kingdom. But there had been a different man in her future, a rich playboy, someone who had been promised to her twin sister, Alina, not her.

And yet, here she was, standing in front of Kasian.

She tried to ignore the whispers of fate that echoed in her head. It didn't matter that she was being married to a stranger. What mattered was the truth that had come to light over the past few weeks—the truth that shook her entire world.

She wasn't truly a Darrow.

Liora wasn't human. She wasn't from the bloodline she had grown up with.

No, she was something else—something dangerous, something royal. She was of Lycan blood. The royal bloodline.

The discovery had come so suddenly, so violently, that she hadn't known how to react. A letter had appeared one morning in the library, sealed with a silver insignia—the symbol of the royal Lycan family. The letter had revealed the truth: she was born a princess, stolen from her true family at birth, and raised in the human world by the Darrows. A midwife had swapped her with Alina, leaving her in the wrong arms and her rightful family searching for her for eighteen years.

And now, here she was, a pawn in a game that had been set in motion long before she was born.

She wasn't the bride of a playboy. She wasn't even the bride of the King she had been led to believe.

Kasian wasn't the monster everyone feared. Not entirely.

He was her fated mate.

Her blood raced at the thought.

Her real family was the Lycan Royalty. They had been looking for her, needing her to solidify the bloodline. And Kasian—the cold, cruel king—was her fated mate. The one person who could rule by her side.

But that didn't mean she wanted him.

She had never wanted this.

Liora shook her head, trying to ignore the tightness in her chest, the overwhelming sense of wrongness that clung to her.

The crowd parted as she reached the altar. Kasian turned toward her, his eyes never leaving her face. The rest of the world faded as their gazes locked, and Liora felt a strange tug in her chest, like an invisible thread pulling her toward him.

Her breath caught in her throat.

What was this? This… connection?

Her mind screamed at her to look away, to run, but her body didn't obey.

The High Priest stood to the side, his voice booming in the silence. "Liora Darrow, do you accept Kasian of the Lycan Kingdom as your mate, your king, and your husband?"

Liora's pulse quickened. The question was only a formality, a necessary step in a contract she never chose. But still, she hesitated, her mind whirling. She wanted to say no. She wanted to run away, to escape this twisted fate that had been thrust upon her.

But instead, her lips parted, and the words slipped out before she could stop them.

"I do."

The room seemed to hold its breath. Liora barely heard the cheers, the applause. Her world was spinning, her thoughts a blur.

She had just sealed her fate.

King Kasian's hand reached for hers, his touch cold but firm, his grip unyielding. She shuddered beneath the weight of it.

And as he pulled her closer, his voice, low and commanding, reached her ears. "You are mine now. Forever."

Liora swallowed, a strange feeling coursing through her. She wasn't sure if it was dread or something else. She wasn't sure if she even wanted to know.

But she would have to learn.

Kasian was her fated mate. And now, there was no escaping the twisted fate they were bound to share.