How Does Arlen Become 'The Warded Man'?

When Alpha Lorenzo finds his mate and discovers she is a twelve-year-old orphan, he is certain the Moon Goddess has lost her mind. Why would she allow him to feel the mate-bond when they can't claim one another yet? What he doesn’t know is that this young girl has been delivered into his care for a reason. Arla is not only a powerful werewolf but also a powerful witch, and who better to fiercely protect her from those who wish to exploit her power, than her own fated mate. Arla’s journey of development and discovery, as she learns to harness her powers and navigate her new life, takes her from timid pre-teen to a strong and influential young woman. With Alpha Lorenzo as her protector, can she fight off the evil threats that lay in her path? And when the time finally comes for her to feel the mate-bond, can she forgive him for keeping it a secret all these years? *Completed*

Cora was once the human ward of the Silver Moon Pack, a “charity case” tucked away in the shadows of a world ruled by predatory shifters. For five years, she shared a secret, soul-deep bond with Silas Vane, the powerful Alpha-Heir who promised her a future beyond her servant-class status. On the night of his coronation, Cora discovers she is pregnant with Silas’s heir—a miracle she believes will finally bridge the gap between their worlds. However, the dream is shattered when Silas publicly announces his betrothal to Lady Elara, a Pureblood Luna, to solidify his political power. When Cora confronts him, he ruthlessly dismisses their five-year history as a mere “distraction,” ordering her to remain in the servant’s wing and never speak of their past. Realizing that Silas would likely seize her child while keeping her in a gilded cage—or worse—Cora decides to die so that she can finally live. Years later, when a chance introduction forces them face-to-face, Cora must maintain her mask against Silas’s predatory instincts. Though her appearance is altered and her scent chemically suppressed, the raw, visceral hatred in her eyes captures Silas’s attention. Suspecting that the “ghost” of his past is standing right in front of him, Silas begins a lethal game of cat-and-mouse. Cora must now protect her son and her secrets from a King who has realized that the woman he erased was never truly gone.

The kingdom of Valdris has survived a thousand years through blood and fear, ruled by kings who never flinched and never forgave. Corvin, the current ruler, is no different. He is beautiful in a dangerous way, undefeated in battle, and feared by every soul who speaks his name. He has never wanted anything he could not take. Until the spy. On the eve of his coronation anniversary, a fox is discovered inside the inner palace. It shifts into a young man named Elowen, a shifter from the eastern wildlands who carries ancient magic and a smile sharp enough to cut. By every law, he should be executed. Instead, Corvin makes a shocking decision and claims the spy as his personal “pet,” a living trophy meant to remind the world of his power. Elowen, however, did not end up in the palace by accident. He was sent to infiltrate Corvin’s court, earn the king’s trust, and destroy him from within. What he did not anticipate was the man beneath the crown. Corvin is the one person who sees through his lies, challenges him in unexpected ways, and becomes difficult to resist. As influence shifts and their loyalties blur, desire turns into a weapon neither man can fully control. Corvin’s Crown Sight cannot read Elowen’s heart, and Elowen cannot decide whether the king is his target or greatest weakness. War brews at the borders, treachery spreads within the palace walls, and their growing connection becomes the most dangerous secret in Valdris. If Corvin’s court uncovers the truth, he could lose his throne. If Elowen’s people discover his feelings for the man he was sent to kill, he may never escape alive. Their bond threatens the kingdom, and the decision they face could set Valdris on fire.

My family is human. We were gifted a long life by the Thorne clan, something close to immortality. For generations, we’ve been their most loyal guardians. And I fell in love with Cedric, the vampire lord I was sworn to protect. For a hundred years, I was his secret. His sin. His only bedmate. I was his shield against dark magic. The sworn protector of his vast clan. I thought I’d earn the mark of an eternal bond. I was even ready for him to turn me. After all, on every blood moon, he would claim my body. Then, at the peak of an agonizing pleasure, he’d sink his fangs into my neck and drink my blood. He’d press his cold lips to my skin and whisper that I was his one and only. That no other blood, no other body, could make him lose control like this. But this time, the moment he was finished with me, he announced his eternal bond with Elsie, the pureblood princess of the Valerius clan. He smirked at the shock on my face. "You're just a human, gifted a long life by my ancestors. My bed warmer. You didn't actually think you could be my mate, did you?" In that moment, I understood. I was just a renewable blood bag. A tool with a purpose. For an alliance, for her, he sacrificed me. He cast me into the abyss and let the darkness swallow me whole. He thought the Guardian's Pact would chain me to him for eternity. But he forgot one thing. Every pact has a loophole. So I destroyed everything he ever gave me. Then, with my family's help, I vanished. But when the Lord of Eternal Night couldn't find his favorite toy… he went mad.

I spent five years weaving this pack's wards. But my mate, Alpha Jayden, tore that power from my hands. He gave it to her. To Chloe, the new Beta. The girl can't even conjure a simple shield. How could she ever hold the pack’s wards? I confronted Jayden, furious. He fed me a line about wanting Chloe to learn. To ease my burden. He claimed it hurt him to see me so drained, so overworked for our pack. And like a fool, I fell for it. I actually believed he cared. But on our tenth mating anniversary… On our tenth anniversary, Jayden skipped the one ceremony that mattered. The full moon ritual to forge our eternal bond. He was with Chloe. He claimed it was pack business, but I felt it. He gave her a temporary mark. A mark reserved only for a true mate. Our bond fractured. The pain was a constant, searing agony. The final straw? Jayden gave Chloe the Luna’s sacred heirloom. Right in front of me. That's when I gave up. I left. And I took my power back. The wards collapsed. When the enemy pack attacked, Jayden’s wolf nearly shattered. Only then did he cast that useless Chloe aside. He crawled back to me, fell to his knees, and begged me to return and protect him.

Evren Draven was born with a mark no one could explain. For nineteen years it remained silent. Then ancient ruins buried beneath the northern mountains awaken, and the symbol hidden on his chest begins to burn. Pearl Ashbourne has spent her life hunting monsters and uncovering forgotten history. When several Wardens vanish near the newly discovered ruins, she is sent north to investigate what lies beneath the mountains. The mission should have been simple. Instead, every answer leads to another question. Why do the ruins react to Evren? Why do ancient symbols seem to recognize Pearl? And why do forbidden records speak of a forgotten race erased so completely that even their name should no longer exist? As buried secrets rise to the surface, Evren and Pearl uncover a conspiracy older than kingdoms, older than Lycans, and perhaps older than the gods themselves. Someone has been manipulating events for centuries. Someone has been waiting for them since before they were born. And if the truth is revealed, the world may never be the same again.