The Mate He Rejected Married the Alpha King’s HeirChapter 1

Before he left for the border wars, Fenris Ashclaw promised he would mate me the day he returned victorious.

I waited three years.

On the day of his triumphant return, my father went to the Ashclaw Den with the mating contract sealed under the Moon Goddess's witness. He was thrown out.

Fenris's words were simple: "I'll take her, sure. But only as a kept she-wolf. No ceremony, no courtship marks, no mating bond."

The ceremonial procession passed the Ashclaw Den that day.

He and his war-bonded wolves were doubled over with laughter. "It was a joke! I can't believe you actually took it seriously."

"She'd stoop to being a kept wolf just to be mine. Briar Thornheart, how can you be so pathetic?"

The crowd of gathered wolves kept growing, but he didn't stop. He ordered his men to strip the courtship scent-marks from my skin, accused me of stealing the Alpha Prince's moonstone amulet, and dragged me through the territory grounds toward the Pack Council.

Then the Alpha Prince arrived in a rush and pulled me into his arms.

The color drained from Fenris Ashclaw's face.

——

I had been hauled from the procession by Fenris, stumbling and disheveled.

The wolves behind him were howling with laughter, shoving each other's shoulders.

"The great firstborn she-wolf of the Thornheart bloodline, willing to be a kept wolf for our Fenris. Aren't you ashamed of dragging your bloodline's name through the mud?"

"Even as a kept wolf, she'd need Fenris's approval first."

"Come on, Fenris. The girl's clearly head over heels for you. Just take her in. She threw herself at your gates. It's not like you're losing anything."

Another roar of laughter.

I swallowed the humiliation and looked at Fenris without thinking.

He gripped my chin, tilting my face up, and gave my cheek a few patronizing pats. His scent hit me then, close enough to choke on: woodsmoke and iron filings and something bitter underneath, like old blood that never fully washed out. It wasn't the scent I remembered. "Briar Thornheart. Three years apart, and you've grown quite the thick skin."

"The kept-wolf thing was a joke. You really couldn't tell?"

I didn't understand. He was the one who said he would mate me. He was the one who told me to wait three years.

He broke his word. What had I done wrong?

I forced the tears back before they could spill.