The Bond I Choose: an Alpha Wolf Fated Mates Shifter Romance About Survival, Freedom, and Slow-burn Devotion

They said a mate bond was sacred. Mine was a leash.Rhea was kept under a brutal Alpha’s control, her body forced to obey his command and punished for even thinking about running. Then Ares Verran shattered that cage and called her his fated mate… but instead of claiming her, he did something no one’s ever done — he asked her what she wanted.In his territory, she’s not a possession. She’s dangerous. Sacred. Worth protecting. The healer calls the curse on her an abomination. The Beta puts a blade in her hand and tells her she can say no now. And Ares — the Alpha everyone else fears — keeps choosing her safety over his pride.But freedom isn’t simple. The dark bond that still knots her to her former captor is alive, angry, and won’t let go without blood. To break it, Rhea will have to confront the past that tried to own her, and decide whose bond — if any — she’ll let live in her skin.This isn’t a story about being saved. It’s about taking herself back.