Reborn For The Lycan King E-Book

Laura Dutton

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2026

Beschreibung

She died at twenty-three. Betrayed by her own blood. Now she's back, and this time she's fighting for her fate.
Diana never expected to be special. As the unwanted daughter blamed for her mother's death, she learned to survive in the shadows while her beautiful stepsister Ivy claimed every spotlight. But when Ivy's dagger found Diana's heart, death wasn't the end.
The gods gave her something impossible: a second chance.
Reborn five years before her murder, Diana knows exactly how her story ends. Unless she changes it. At the choosing ceremony, where unmated wolves shoot arrows to claim their mates, Diana's aim flies wild. It lands at the feet of Alexander, a mysterious wolf with dark eyes and ancient secrets.
He accepts her claim. The bond is sealed.
But Alexander is no ordinary wolf. He's the hidden Lycan King, and their connection threatens everything Ivy has been plotting for years. As Diana fights to rewrite her destiny, her stepsister's schemes grow deadlier. The mate bond with Alexander remains fragile, untested. And the closer Diana gets to the truth about his past, the more she realizes fate gave her back her life for a reason.
Ivy won't stop until she takes what she believes is hers. Alexander's secrets could destroy them both. And Diana is running out of time to save herself before history repeats.
In a world where arrows choose mates and betrayal runs in the blood, one woman must decide: accept the fate that killed her once, or fight for a love powerful enough to defy death itself.

Leseprobe

Reborn For The Lycan King

Fated Lovers Betrayal Romance

Laura Dutton

Copyright © 2026 LAURA DUTTONAll rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the author, except for brief quotations used in reviews or other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Table of Contents

PROLOGUE

Chapter 1: The Arrow's Flight

Chapter 2: Blood on the Altar Stone

Chapter 3: The King Beneath the Pelt

Chapter 4: Oaths Spoken in Moonlight

Chapter 5: The Sister's Venom

Chapter 6: Claws and Courting

Chapter 7: Secrets in the Ancient Grove

Chapter 8: The Mark That Burns

Chapter 9: Hunters at the Gate

Chapter 10: When Wolves Remember

Chapter 11: The Poison in Her Cup

Chapter 12: Beneath the Blood Moon

Chapter 13: The King's True Form

Chapter 14: Betrayal's Second Bite

Chapter 15: Fire Through the Pack Lands

Chapter 16: The Breaking of Bonds

Chapter 17: She Who Runs with Lycans

Chapter 18: The Reckoning Hour

Chapter 19: Fangs Bared, Hearts Laid Bare

Chapter 20: Reborn in His Arms

EPILOGUE

PROLOGUE

They say you don't know you're dying until it's already done.

I know now. I knew the moment the blade slid between my ribs.

My name is Diana, and this is the second time I've drawn breath in this world. The first time, I died at twenty-three winters old. My stepsister Ivy held the dagger. My father watched.

But let me tell you how it started, so you'll understand why I'm still here—why the gods saw fit to send me back.

I was never meant to be special. Da always said I had my mother's eyes but none of her grace. She died bringing me into this world, and I think he blamed me for it every day after. When he took a new wife five winters later, I thought maybe things would change. Maybe he'd smile again. Maybe I'd have a family.

I got Ivy instead.

She was beautiful. Golden hair that caught the sun, eyes like summer sky, a laugh that made grown men stumble over their own feet. Where I was dark and quiet, she was light and music. The pack adored her. Da adored her. And I—I was just the shadow in the corner, the girl who'd killed her own mother.

I didn't mind. Not really. I learned to hunt, to track, to fight with bow and blade. The woods became my family. The wolves knew my scent. I belonged there, among the wild things, more than I ever belonged in Da's hall.

Then came my twenty-third winter. The year everything ended.

The choosing ceremony happens once every five years in our pack. Unmated wolves gather in the old clearing, and the women shoot arrows into the crowd of men. Wherever your arrow lands, that's your mate. The gods guide it, they say. Fate and moon magic and all that.

I never wanted to participate. I told Da as much.

"You'll do your duty," he said, not looking at me. He was sharpening Ivy's arrows, making sure they flew true. "You're a burden on this house. It's time you became someone else's problem."

His words didn't sting anymore. I'd heard worse.

What I didn't know was that Ivy had already chosen. She wanted Marcus—the pack's champion, strong and fierce and destined to be Beta. Everyone knew they'd be matched. She'd been planning it for months, practicing her shot until she could hit a rabbit's eye at fifty paces.

I didn't care who my arrow hit. I just wanted it done.

The ceremony started at moonrise. Torches lit the clearing, casting long shadows through the ancient oaks. The unmated males stood in a half-circle, bare-chested, proud. I counted maybe thirty of them. Marcus stood at the center, his eyes only on Ivy.

The Elders called us forward one by one.

Ivy went first. Her arrow sang through the air, straight and perfect. It landed at Marcus's feet. The crowd roared. She ran to him, and he lifted her up, spinning her around while everyone cheered.

I was happy for her. I was.

Then they called my name.

I stepped forward, bow in hand. I'd never been good at archery—give me a knife any day—but I pulled the string back and aimed at the crowd. Not at anyone in particular. Just... somewhere.

I let go.

The arrow flew wild. It sailed over Marcus, over the other wolves, and disappeared into the shadows at the edge of the clearing. Everyone went quiet.

Then he stepped forward.

I didn't recognize him at first. He was dressed plain, like a common wolf. Dark hair, darker eyes, a scar running down his left arm. But the way he moved—gods, the power in it. The air itself seemed to bend around him.

He held my arrow.

"I accept this claim," he said. His voice was rough, like gravel and smoke.

The Elders looked confused. "State your name, wolf."

"Alexander."

Just that. No family name, no rank. The Elders whispered among themselves, but the law was clear. My arrow had chosen. The bond was set.

I walked to him on shaking legs. When I got close, I caught his scent—pine and iron and something ancient. Something that made my wolf sit up and pay attention for the first time in my life.

"Do I know you?" I whispered.

His eyes met mine. "No. But you will."

We were bound that night under the moon. Simple words, simple vows. He kissed me once, chaste and brief, and I felt something crack open in my chest. Something that had been locked away my whole life.

Ivy hugged me after. "I'm so happy for you, sister," she said, her smile bright and perfect.

I believed her.

Alexander didn't have a home in the pack lands. We made our own place in the woods, a small cabin by the stream. He hunted, I gathered, and for three months I knew something I'd never felt before.

Peace.

He was gentle with me. Patient. He taught me to fight properly, to use my wolf strength instead of just human skill. At night, we'd lie under the stars and he'd tell me stories about the old days, when Lycans walked the earth and magic was thick as fog.

"You believe in Lycans?" I asked one night, my head on his chest.

"I believe in a lot of things you don't know yet."

"Like what?"

He was quiet for a long moment. "Like second chances."

I didn't understand then.

The bond between us grew, but slowly. He never pushed. Never demanded. Sometimes I'd catch him watching me with this look—like he was memorizing my face, like he was afraid I'd disappear.

"Why did you accept my arrow?" I asked once. "You could have refused. Stepped back."

"Because it was meant for me," he said simply. "Some things you just know, Diana. Deep in your bones."

I started to love him. Not the wild, burning kind of love the songs talk about. Something quieter. Steadier. Like roots growing deep.

Then Ivy came to visit.

She arrived on a cold morning, her smile as bright as ever. "I missed you, sister. The hall is so empty without you."

We had tea. We talked. She admired the cabin, complimented Alexander, asked about our life. Everything seemed normal.

"Da wants to see you," she said before she left. "He's been ill. Won't say what's wrong, but... I think he wants to make peace. Before it's too late."

My heart twisted. For all his coldness, he was still my father.

"I'll come tomorrow," I said.

Alexander was hunting when I left the next morning. I didn't wake him—he'd been restless lately, patrolling the borders, watching the shadows. I left a note and headed to Da's hall.

The place was empty when I arrived. No servants, no guards. Just silence.

"Da?" I called.

Ivy appeared at the top of the stairs. "He's in his chamber. Go on up."

I climbed the stairs, my wolf suddenly uneasy. The door to Da's room was open.

He sat in his chair by the window, his back to me.

"Da? Ivy said you were ill—"

"He's not ill," Ivy said behind me.

I turned. She held a dagger.

"He's just weak. Like you."

I didn't understand. Not until Da stood and turned around. His eyes were empty. Dull.

"What did you do?" I whispered.

"Wolfsbane tea. For months now. Just enough to cloud his mind. Make him... suggestible." She smiled. "Did you really think I'd let you have Alexander? Do you know who he is, you stupid girl?"

My hand went to the knife at my belt, but she was faster. The blade caught me in the side. Pain exploded through my ribs.

I fell.

"He's the Lycan King," Ivy hissed, kneeling beside me. "Hidden away for decades, waiting for his true mate. And that arrow—that gods-damned arrow—it chose you. You. The unwanted one. The burden."

Blood pooled beneath me. Hot and thick.

"So I'm fixing it. When you're gone, the bond will break. He'll be free to choose again. And I'll be there, ready, perfect."

"Alexander..." I gasped.

"Won't make it in time. I made sure of that." She wiped the blade on her dress. "Goodbye, sister. Tell Mother I said hello."

She left. Da followed her like a ghost, not even looking back.

I lay there, bleeding, dying. The pain faded after a while. Just cold remained.

I thought of Alexander. Of his smile. Of the way he said my name. Of all the things we'd never get to do.

I died alone on my father's floor.

Then I woke up.

Eighteen winters old again. Five years before the choosing ceremony. Before Ivy's blade. Before everything.

The gods gave me another chance.

And this time, I won't waste it.

This time, I'll shoot that arrow true. I'll find Alexander before Ivy's poison touches my father's mind. I'll protect what's mine.

This time, I'll choose my own fate.

And anyone who stands in my way—sister, father, or fate itself—will learn what happens when you give a dead girl her life back.

I've already died once.

I'm not afraid anymore.

Chapter 1: The Arrow's Flight

I woke up screaming.

My hands went to my ribs, searching for the wound. For the blood. For the pain that had stolen my last breath.

Nothing. Just smooth skin and an old linen nightdress.

I sat up so fast the room spun. My room. The small chamber in Da's hall that I'd left behind five years ago—or would leave behind. My head couldn't sort out the time. Was it five years forward or five years back?

The wooden chest at the foot of my bed. The crack in the window shutter. The water stain on the ceiling shaped like a running wolf.

All of it exactly as I remembered.

"Gods," I whispered. My voice sounded wrong. Too young. Too whole.

I stumbled to the small mirror on the wall. The face staring back made my breath catch.

Eighteen. Smooth skin, no scars from hunts gone bad. Hair still long—I'd cut it short after the bonding ceremony in my first life. Eyes wide and dark, the same ones that had watched the light fade on Da's floor.

I touched my reflection. The glass was cold.

This was real. I was here. Alive.

The door burst open. "Diana, if you don't get up right now, you'll miss morning meal and Da will—"

Ivy stopped in the doorway. Golden and bright, just like I remembered. Sixteen winters old. Two years before she'd start poisoning our father. Seven years before she'd put a blade in my gut.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I stared at her. My sister. My killer.

She tilted her head, concerned. "Diana?"

"Nothing." The word came out steady. Good. "Bad dream."

"Well, shake it off. Da's in a foul mood already." She crossed to my wardrobe and pulled out a dress. "Here. The blue one. It makes you look less like you've been sleeping in the stables."

In my first life, I would've taken the insult quietly. Put on the dress. Gone downstairs with my eyes down and my mouth shut.

Not anymore.

"I'll wear what I want," I said.

Ivy's eyebrows shot up. "Since when do you talk back?"

"Since now."

We looked at each other. Something shifted in her eyes—confusion, maybe annoyance—but then she laughed. "Fine. Wear your hunting clothes to the table. See if I care when Da yells."

She left, humming.

I sat on the bed, shaking. That was stupid. Drawing attention to myself on the first day back was the last thing I needed. I had to be smart about this. Careful.

But gods, seeing her face. Knowing what she'd do.

I dressed slowly, pulling on wool trousers and a tunic. My hands remembered the motions even though this body hadn't done them in years. Or had done them. Time was a mess in my head.

Focus. I needed to focus.

The choosing ceremony was five years away. That gave me time. Time to find Alexander. Time to stop Ivy before she started her schemes. Time to save Da.

But first, I needed information. In my first life, I'd been blind. Kept away from pack business, from politics, from anything that mattered. I'd let myself be invisible.

That ended today.

The morning meal was tense. Da sat at the head of the table, working through a plate of venison and bread. His face was harder than I remembered, but his eyes were clear. No wolfsbane. Not yet.

Ivy sat across from me, eating delicately. Perfect posture, perfect manners.

"Diana." Da didn't look up. "Elder Margot needs help with the younglings today. You'll assist her."

"No."

The word dropped like a stone.

Da's head came up. "What did you say?"

"I said no." I kept my voice level. "I'm going to the training grounds."

"The training grounds are for—"

"Wolves who want to learn to fight. That's me." I met his eyes. "I'm eighteen, Da. Old enough to train properly."

His face darkened. "You'll do as you're told."

"Why?" The question came out sharper than I meant. "Because I'm a burden? Because I'm not worth the effort of real training?"

Ivy gasped. Da's hand slammed on the table.

"You forget yourself, girl."

"No. I've remembered myself." I stood. "I'm going to the grounds. You can send me to the Elders after if you want."

I walked out before he could respond. My whole body shook, but I kept walking.

Behind me, I heard Ivy's voice, sweet and soothing. "Da, I don't know what's gotten into her. Let me talk to her."

I didn't wait to hear his response.

The training grounds sat at the north edge of pack lands, a wide clearing ringed by old oaks. Young wolves sparred with practice weapons while older ones shifted and ran drills in wolf form.

I'd never been allowed here. In my first life, Da said it wasn't proper for an unmated female to train with the males. I'd taught myself to hunt in the woods, alone.

Now I walked straight to the weapons rack.

"Oi, you lost?" A large male stepped in front of me. Garrett. I recognized him from gatherings. He'd be a mid-rank wolf, loyal to Marcus.

"No. I'm here to train."

He laughed. "This ain't a place for—"

I grabbed a practice staff from the rack and swung. He barely blocked it.

"For what?" I asked. "Say it."

His face flushed. "Look, I don't want trouble—"

I swung again. This time he had to step back. Around us, other wolves stopped to watch.

"Anyone else think I don't belong here?" I called out.

Silence.

"Good." I lowered the staff. "Someone spar with me."

Garrett rubbed his arm where he'd blocked my strike. "You're serious."

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

A female wolf stepped forward. Tall, red-haired, arms corded with muscle. "I'll go."

We circled each other. She was good—better than me in this younger body. But I had five years of future memories. I knew how she'd move because I'd watched her train in my first life from the edge of the woods.

She struck high. I ducked and swept her legs. She went down hard.

The watching wolves muttered.

"Again," she said, grinning.

We went three more rounds. She won two of them, but I made her work for it.

When we finished, she offered her hand. "Name's Kira. You've got decent form."

"Diana."

"I know who you are." She lowered her voice. "Everyone knows. The Alpha's daughter who never trains. What changed?"

I looked around the grounds. At the wolves who'd ignored me my whole life. At the weapons I'd never been allowed to touch.

"I died," I said quietly. "And I came back."

Kira's eyes widened, but before she could respond, a commotion started at the edge of the clearing.

The wolves parted.

A stranger walked through.

Dark hair. Dark eyes. A scar running down his left arm.

My breath stopped.

Alexander.

But it couldn't be. He shouldn't be here. Not yet. Not for five more years.

He looked directly at me. Something flickered in his expression—recognition? Impossible.

"I'm looking for the Alpha," he said to the group. His voice was exactly as I remembered. Gravel and smoke. "I've come to request sanctuary in these lands."

My wolf stirred inside me. Not with recognition. With something deeper.

The bond.

It was already there.

Which meant everything I thought I knew about my first life was wrong.