The Lykan King Stolen Mate

Adele Williams had always known she was different. She could sense emotions before people expressed them, hear whispers of the wind that no one else noticed, and feel an unexplainable pull toward the moon. But she had spent her entire life suppressing those instincts, convincing herself she was just overly perceptive, nothing more. Tonight, however, something was different.

The air was thick with tension as she walked home through the dimly lit streets of Hollowbrook, a sleepy little town tucked away from the rest of the world. Her shift at the diner had dragged longer than expected, leaving her exhausted and eager to collapse into bed. Yet, as she approached her small cottage at the edge of town, an unsettling feeling crept up her spine... She wasn't alone.

Adele paused, gripping the strap of her bag as she scanned the tree line bordering her home. The night was silent, but her gut told her otherwise. Something- or someone- was watching her.

"Get a grip, Adele," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head as she forced herself to keep moving. But just as she reached for her keys, a low growl rumbled through the night. Her heart slammed against her ribs.

The sound was deep, guttural, predatory. Before she could react, a massive figure emerged from the shadows, moving with deadly grace. He was tall, his presence commanding, his golden eyes glowing like twin embers in the darkness.

Adele staggered back, every instinct screaming at her to run. But her feet refused to move. It wasn't fear that paralyzed her-it was something else. Something primal, ancient... inevitable.

The stranger inhaled sharply, his expression hardening as he took a step forward.

"You have no idea what you are, do you?" His voice was deep, laced with authority.

Adele swallowed, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He tilted his head, studying her with a look of dark amusement. "You will."

Then, in the blink of an eye, he lunged. A Predator's Claim Adele barely had time to react before the stranger closed the distance between them, his movements too fast for any normal man. She yelped as he gripped her wrist, his touch searing against her skin like a brand.

"Let go of me!" she hissed, struggling against his hold.

But the moment their skin connected, a wave of heat shot through her veins, a foreign sensation that made her gasp. Her knees nearly buckled beneath her as a strange bond crackled between them, raw and electric.

The man's jaw tightened, his golden eyes burning with intensity. "You feel it, don't you?"

Adele clenched her teeth, refusing to acknowledge the undeniable force pulling her toward him. "I don't know who the hell you are, but you need to back off."

He smirked, the corner of his mouth tilting in a way that sent a shiver down her spine. "My name is Frank Robinson. And you, Adele Williams, are my mate."

Her breath hitched.

Mate.

The word echoed in her mind, foreign yet oddly familiar. Something deep within her stirred, as if awakening from a long slumber.

She shook her head violently. "That's impossible. I'm human."

Frank's expression darkened, his grip tightening just enough to make her pulse spike. "You were never human."

The ground beneath her seemed to shift, her reality fracturing with his words.

"That's not true," she whispered, but the denial tasted bitter on her tongue.

Frank exhaled, his gaze softening slightly. "Come with me. I'll show you the truth."

Panic surged through her veins. "Like hell I will."

With a sudden burst of adrenaline, Adele twisted her wrist free and bolted toward the safety of her house. But she didn't make it far.

In a blur of movement, Frank was in front of her, blocking her path with ease.

"Don't fight this," he warned.

Adele's chest heaved as she glared up at him. "And if I do?"

His golden eyes flashed. "Then I'll have no choice but to claim what's already mine."

She had no idea that tonight would be the beginning of a battle she never saw coming-one that would force her to choose between the life she knew and the fate she was born for.

Adele Williams had always trusted her instincts. They were the reason she had survived on her own for so long, the reason she had learned to read people with uncanny precision. But tonight, those same instincts were screaming at her to run.

Yet, something in Frank Robinson's presence rooted her to the spot.

The night air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, but beneath it, Adele caught something else- something musky, wild, dangerous. Her pulse thundered as she clenched her fists, staring up at the man who had just turned her world upside down.

"You're lying." Her voice was steadier than she felt.

Frank's golden eyes glowed, flickering like molten fire. "You know I'm not."

She shook her head. "I'm just... normal. I grew up in this town. I've never -"

"Never shifted," he interrupted, his tone measured. "Never understood why the full moon made your blood burn, why your senses are sharper than any human's, why you feel an unnatural pull toward the forest."

Adele opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Because he wasn't wrong.

She had felt those things. The way the moon called to her, the way she could smell a rainstorm hours before it arrived, the way she could hear a heartbeat from across a room when she concentrated.

But she had spent her entire life ignoring it.

"What do you want from me?" she demanded, forcing herself to sound defiant.

Frank's lips curled into a smirk, but there was no humor in his expression. "I told you already. You're my mate."

A shiver ran down her spine, though whether from fear or something else, she wasn't sure.

"I don't belong to you," she snapped.

Frank took a step forward, and instinctively, Adele moved back- only to find herself trapped against the wooden porch railing.

His large frame loomed over her, radiating an unnatural heat. "That's where you're wrong," he murmured. "The bond between us is written in blood, in fate itself. You can't escape it."

Adele's breath hitched. His scent surrounded her, intoxicating, even as her mind screamed to resist.

She shoved against his chest, expecting resistance. Instead, he let her push him away.

"You're not taking me anywhere," she bit out. "I don't care what kind of... bond you think exists. I have a life here. I don't know you. And I sure as hell don't trust you."

Frank's expression darkened.

For a long moment, silence stretched between them.

Then he sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't fight me on this."

Adele barely had time to react before he moved, faster than her eyes could track.

One second she was standing on her porch.

The next, she was slung over his shoulder, her world flipping upside down.

"What the hell?!" she shrieked, kicking wildly. "Put me down, you crazy bastard!"

Frank didn't even flinch as he strode into the forest with her, his grip unyielding. "You're only making this harder for yourself."

Adele pounded her fists against his back. "I'll scream! I'll-"

"Go ahead," he said lazily. "There's no one out here who can help you."

Damn it.

She was alone.

Most of the houses in Hollowbrook were spread out, separated by dense woods. If she screamed, maybe a passing hiker would hear- or maybe not.

She needed a different plan.

Grinding her teeth, she went limp, pretending to pass out.

Frank stopped. "Really?" His tone was almost amused.

Damn it again.

She growled in frustration, reaching up and yanking his hair hard.

That got a reaction.

Frank hissed, a low, warning growl vibrating through his chest. "You're testing my patience, mate."

"Good," she spat. "Because you're testing mine."

Then, without thinking, she twisted in his hold and sank her teeth into his shoulder.

Frank froze.

Adele expected him to curse, to drop her, something-but instead, a deep, guttural sound rumbled from his throat.

Not pain.

Satisfaction.

Her stomach lurched as realization struck-she had just bitten a Lycan King.

And worse?

He liked it.

"Bad idea, sweetheart," he murmured, his voice dangerously low.

Before she could react, Frank grabbed her waist, flipped her upright, and pinned her against the nearest tree.

His hands caged her in, golden eyes burning into hers. "I was trying to be patient," he rasped. "Trying to ease you into this."

Adele swallowed hard.

"But you just had to make things difficult, didn't you?" His breath was warm against her skin.

"I don't belong to you," she whispered, but it lacked the fire from before.

Frank exhaled sharply. "You keep saying that. But your body tells a different story."

Adele's cheeks flamed. "You're insane."

He smirked. "You're mine."

She opened her mouth to retort-but before she could, a low, menacing snarl cut through the night.

Frank's smirk vanished. His entire body tensed, his muscles coiling like a predator sensing danger.

Adele's pulse spiked. "What was that?"

Frank's golden eyes flickered toward the shadows. "We're not alone."

A second later, a massive black wolf emerged from the trees, its fangs bared. Then another. And another.

Adele's breath caught as more wolves materialized from the darkness, their eyes gleaming with hunger.

Frank cursed. "Rogues."

Her stomach dropped.

She didn't know much about Lycans, but everyone in Hollowbrook had heard the stories. Rogues were wild, lawless werewolves who had lost control, existing on pure instinct and violence.

And they were staring straight at her.

Frank shifted his stance, his body moving in front of hers, shielding her.

One of the wolves growled, saliva dripping from its fangs.

Then, without warning, it lunged.

Frank moved so fast he was a blur. One moment he was in front of her-the next, he had caught the rogue mid-air, his claws slicing through flesh.

Adele stumbled back, eyes wide.

Holy shit.

Frank wasn't just strong-he was deadly.

The other rogues hesitated, but only for a second.

Then they attacked at once.

Adele barely had time to react before chaos erupted around her.

Frank shifted mid-air, his massive Lycan form dwarfing the wolves around him. Claws slashed, jaws snapped, and the air filled with the scent of blood and fur.

Adele's heart pounded as she pressed herself against the tree, her breath coming in short gasps.

She should run. She should run. But her feet wouldn't move.

Instead, her gaze stayed locked on Frank, mesmerized by the way he fought-like a king defending his queen.

Within moments, the rogues were dead, their bodies strewn across the forest floor.

Frank stood among them, his massive form heaving with exertion. Then, he turned to her, golden eyes blazing.

"You're coming with me." His voice was rough, edged with something dark.

Adele hesitated- just for a second. Then, with a deep breath, she nodded. She had no idea what awaited her in Frank's world. But one thing was certain- her life would never be the same again.