Varek Duskryn | The Wolf’s Stolen Mate

Varek Duskryn should never have left his pups alone—not even for the few minutes it took to hunt down the rabbit whose scent had drifted too close to their den.

He sensed something was wrong before their frightened cries reached him. The forest had fallen unnaturally quiet, and the sharp scent of fear threaded through the damp evening air. Then came the howls—small, panicked, and unmistakably belonging to his young.

Varek abandoned the rabbit and ran.

Powerful paws tore through the undergrowth as he raced between ancient trees, his black fur bristling and his ears pressed flat against his skull. Every terrified whine sharpened the fury gathering inside him. His pups were all he had left. Since the death of his mate, Seraya, he had raised them alone, protecting them from rival packs, hunters, and the humans who littered his territory with iron traps.

When he burst into the clearing, rage consumed every rational thought.

His youngest daughter, Luma, dangled upside down from the branch of an oak tree, a thick rope cinched tightly around her hind leg. She twisted helplessly in the air, squealing as the snare cut into her fur. Her brothers, Tavi and Nox, circled beneath her, whining and snapping at the rope they could not reach.

And kneeling among them was a human.

You.

Varek’s snarl rolled through the clearing like thunder. You froze as an enormous black wolf emerged from the shadows, nearly as tall as a horse at the shoulder. His lips peeled back from long, gleaming fangs while his dark amber eyes fixed upon you with murderous intent.

He did not see the small blade in your hand or the blood covering your palms from pulling at the rough rope. He saw only a human standing near his frightened offspring.

You slowly extended an empty hand toward him.

“Easy. I’m not going to hurt them.”

Varek prowled closer, circling you with his head lowered. A guttural growl vibrated inside his chest, warning that one careless movement would end with his jaws around your throat. Your fear was obvious—he could hear the frantic pounding of your heart—yet you did not run. Instead, you turned your attention back to Luma.

“I have to cut her down. If you attack me, she could fall.”

He understood more of the human tongue than most wild shifters, but distrust held him rigid. His claws dug into the earth as he watched you saw through the rope. Fiber by fiber, it began to fray. Luma whimpered above you, her little body trembling from exhaustion.

The rope snapped.

Luma plummeted from the branch, but you lunged beneath her and caught her against your chest. The force knocked you onto your back. Varek surged forward with a savage roar, only stopping when Luma began licking your face instead of crying in pain.

You sat up slowly and cradled the pup in your lap while cutting the remaining rope from her swollen ankle. Tavi and Nox immediately crowded around you, sniffing your clothing, pawing at your knees, and covering your hands with eager licks. Luma burrowed beneath your chin as if she had known you her entire life.

Varek stared.

His pups avoided humans. He had taught them to fear the scent of smoke, iron, and tanned leather. Yet now they surrounded you with wagging tails, accepting your touch as naturally as they had once accepted Seraya’s.

“There,” you murmured, gently examining Luma’s injured leg. “Nothing is broken. You’re going to be all right.”

Something old and instinctive stirred inside Varek.

You possessed the warmth his den had lacked since his mate’s death. You touched his pups with patience rather than fear, and when Luma cried, you whispered to her until she settled. The sight awakened an ache Varek had buried beneath years of grief—a need far more dangerous than hunger.

His pups needed someone gentle.

They needed a mother.

Varek released a low, commanding rumble. Tavi reacted first, reluctantly retreating to his father’s side. Nox followed, though he continued looking back at you. Luma was the last to leave your lap, limping toward Varek before pressing herself against his foreleg.

You exhaled shakily and tucked the blade away.

“You’re welcome,” you muttered, apparently deciding that lingering near the enormous growling wolf would be unwise.

You turned toward the narrow path leading out of the forest.

Varek shifted.

Bones cracked and reshaped behind you. Black fur withdrew into bronzed skin as the monstrous wolf rose onto two human legs. Within seconds, a tall, powerfully built man stood where the beast had been. Tangled black hair fell around his shoulders, and primitive markings stretched across his chest and arms. His face was striking but severe, untouched by civilization and hardened by years spent surviving beyond its reach.

Varek watched you walk away.

Then his gaze dropped to the stone near his bare foot.

Humans could not be trusted to return willingly. Seraya had taught him that much before death took her. If he allowed you to leave, his pups would continue growing without the warmth they so clearly craved—and Varek would once again be alone with the emptiness clawing beneath his ribs.

He picked up the stone and followed you without making a sound.

You sensed him one heartbeat too late.

The forest tilted as something struck the back of your head. Varek caught you before you hit the ground, gathering your unconscious body into his arms. He studied your face with distant curiosity, then carried you deeper into the wilderness while his pups bounded excitedly after him.

When awareness returned, you were lying upon a nest of pelts inside a vast cavern illuminated by firelight. Your head throbbed. Strange herbs had been pressed against the injury, secured with a strip of hide. The air smelled of pine, smoke, and wild animals.

Something warm nudged your cheek.

Luma stood beside you, wagging her tail. Tavi licked your fingers while Nox attempted to burrow beneath your arm. Their delighted cries brought heavy footsteps from the shadows.

Varek approached in his human form, completely unconcerned by his lack of clothing. Modesty was a meaningless human custom, one he neither understood nor cared to learn. His imposing body was marked with scars, while his amber eyes remained fixed on you with the same unsettling intensity they had possessed in the clearing.

You tried to sit up, but dizziness forced you back against the furs.

“What did you do to me?”

Varek crouched beside you. He did not apologize. He merely inspected the bandage around your head, seemingly satisfied that the bleeding had stopped. When you recoiled from his touch, a warning growl rumbled from his chest.

The pups swarmed you again, nuzzling into your sides as though ensuring you could not escape. Varek observed them for a long moment. Something possessive and deeply satisfied flickered behind his otherwise detached expression.

Then he pointed at you.

His pups immediately sat at attention.

Varek raised his chin, giving them the single word he expected them to understand—the role he had already chosen for you.

“Mother.”

Your blood turned cold.

“I’m not their mother.”

Varek’s gaze moved back to you. His head tilted slightly, as though your objection confused him. Then he placed one large hand over your ankle, his grip firm enough to make the promise unmistakable.

You had saved his pup.

Now the wolf intended to keep you.