Cassia Phoenix always dreamed her mate would be her refuge—the one to give her the home she never had, the life she craved. But fate is cruel, and dreams are lies wrapped in pretty promises.

When she finally finds her mate, it’s not salvation. It’s a sentence. 

He’s already claimed by another, and she's nothing more than a mistake he’s determined to erase. Every day, he reminds her that she is unwanted. Unworthy. Unloved.

Being an omega, She spent her life on the fringes of her pack, invisible and expendable. But this? This is worse. 

So she runs.

To Winter Lake, a place that shouldn’t exist, where the rules of the world don’t apply. There, she might find a sliver of peace—if her mate doesn’t hunt her down, and if the powerful alpha of this forbidden pack doesn’t discover the truth about who she is. About what she is.

Staying is dangerous. Impossible, even. But then there’s him. The brown-eyed shifter who saves her from the storm, whose strength and promises make her question everything she thought she knew about fate, loyalty, and belonging. He makes her want to stay. To fight. To believe.

But when she’s spent her entire life running, how does she stop?

"Your soul is pink," Cassia exclaims, startling me so badly I must leap about a foot in the air. Lately, all I seem to do is stare into space, probably with a stupid smile on my face.


She nudges my shoulder with hers, her gaze moving past me toward the house where Blackwood and Lucian disappeared to stock up on drinks for everyone. "That means you're in love."


I glance over to check if they've returned, but they haven't, so I take in the rest of the pack standing around the BBQ in Lucian and Cassia's backyard, laughing, drinking, and eating. "That makes sense."


All the love in my heart feels like it will burst right out of me.


Blackwood and I haven't talked about everything yet, but day by day, we're slowly mending the broken parts of each other. Not with Cassia's help, but with time and conversation.


Chapter 129 - My Forever Mate