Lycan's Prey by Jessica Hall

Chapter 1 -Aubrey- The chill of the morning hasn't quite lifted, despite the sun being high in the sky, I navigate through the crowded. sidewalk, my boots click against the concrete as I stare down at my phone.

The sharp scent of car exhaust and the warm aroma of street vendor food and coffee fill the air; it would usually comfortany other day. Today, however, the city's pulsing life is just background noise to my own racing thoughts.

Rhett's words from last night echoed in my head, each one laden with a weight that pressed coldly against my chest. “You think it's so easy to just cut someone out of your life? Bianca and I have a past; we were together for years, Aubrey!" “As my fiancé, yes! How can you not see she still has feelings for you?" I yelled back at him, and he just shook his head and laughed, makingfeel even smaller than I had moments before. I couldn't believe what Rhett had said to me, clearly forgetting that I cut everyone out of mine for him. I gave up my position as the next alpha of my father's pack to be with him, and he can't give up his ex for his mate. His words sting still, but not as much as his following ones.

"Look, I didn't ask for this bond any more than you did. Bianca and I built something real over the years. You can't just step in and expect to replace all that history. You need to get over this jealousy, Aubrey. I'm not going to fire her just because you feel threatened. That's not fair to her or to me." He had DOO ||| later apologized, but the apology was empty, devoid of warmth. It is just another reminder that things between us are fracturing, the bond we shared disintegrating because he refuses to acknowledge that Bianca is the root of all our issues.

But there is still hope, isn't there? A part ofclings to that possibility like a lifeline-a thin, fraying thread that I am terrified to let go of. The idea of fixing what has been broken seems like a distant dream, but I have to try for the sake of our mate bond. It has to work out because I have nothing left to go hto since my father declaredrogue if I chose him, but how could I not? He is my mate; mate bonds are sacred, yet mine is starting to feel like a curse with how much we fight. But there is still hope, he wouldn't have askedto meet him if there wasn't.

So, my heart races with both excitement and fear. I am excited about the opportunity to see my mate, and I am also afraid of why he askedto meet him at work in the first place. Especially after our argument last night when he forbadefrom coming here after I had an argument with his secretary Bianca, who is also his ex.

As I pause at the intersection, waiting to cross, the hum of the city seems to quiet just a fraction, allowing the past to play out vividly in my mind's eye. Rhett's smile, once so easy and genuine, now seems forced at the best of times. His touch, which had once sparked fires within me, has turned cold lately.

I glance down at his message on my phone and can't help but smile.

23.12% Chapter 1 Chave lunch withat work.

"Maybe today," I whisper to myself, the words barely audible. over the sound of honking horns and chattering pedestrians. Perhaps today, we could clear the air and start fresh.

Hopefully, today, I could look into those piercing blue eyes and see a glimmer of the man I once knew-the alpha who had declaredhis. Yes, a fresh start would be good. We are due to wed in a couple of weeks, and I'd rather not go into a marriage with all this hanging over our heads.

A deep breath fills my lungs as I wait for the light to turn. green at the pedestrian crossing. Tucking my phone in my handbag, I double-check that I have everything, like the venue contract for the wedding and the seating arrangements, which I need his help with since I don't know any of these people and no one from my side will be attending when a commotion breaks out behind me.

"Stop him!" The urgency in the shout cuts through my reverie, makingjump. My gaze snaps away from the traffic light, and I twist around, searching for the source of the commotion.

A young boy, no more than six, is barreling through the crowd, his small fra darting shadow against the city's concrete jungle. Desperation and defiance are etched into the boy's features as he runs from the men chasing him.

As the child nears the curb, a cold spike of fear pierces me. His feet are not stopping as he runs straight for the bustling street. The boy being cut off by another man in a suit has him darting left straight onto the road.

"Watch out!" My voice is lost in the screeching of tires and city PAO sounds. Tseems to decelerate; each second slows, and then it feels as if it stops altogether.

The car-a sleek black sedan, makes its turn, tires biting into the asphalt. Horror constricts my throat as the vehicle veers, the driver's eyes locked on anything but the boy who has stepped onto the road.

"Max!" another cry rings out, tinged with a familiar terror that resonates within me. It echoes the sprimal panic that that surges through my veins, having lost my little sister similarly when I was twelve; she was only eleven years old. She had been run over by a drunk driver while we were riding our bikes at my grandmother's place. I don't think, I react out of pure panic. My feet are pounding against the concrete like paws thundering through the underbrush on a full moon.

"Hey!" My voice is a commanding bark, slicing through the noise of the city as I shove past pedestrians to get to him with a lunge born of ΕΠ desperation, I reach the boy, my hands. finding the fabric of his shirt in a vice grip. I hurl him back. toward the sidewalk. The momentum, however, betrays me. My world tilts violently as I stumble forward, my body careening into the path of the oncoming vehicle. Tires screech as metal meets flesh. Searing pain erupts up my side when I am thrown through the air.

I hit the ground, the impact stealing the breath from my lungs. as I slid across the asphalt. The rough ground tears at my exposed skin as I stop. The ground bites into my palms as I push myself up, needing to ensure the child's okay, not knowing if I was quick enough. But when my gaze finds him, Chapter! he is a crumpled figure on his knees on the sidewalk.

I stumble over to him while the shouts of men racing toward us resonate through the air, and I feel someone's aura ripple out violently.