Title: A Forced Bond
Series: Dark Pack Series Book 1
Author: Ann D. Lang
Release Date: May 15, 2026
Forced together. Fated forever.
She was supposed to find her fated mate under the full moon.
Instead, she is ordered to bond with a stranger.
The full moon after Rhia’s twentieth birthday was meant to be the happiest night of her life. Among wolf shifters, it is the first full moon after turning twenty when a wolf might finally recognize the mate chosen by the Moon Goddess.
Rhia has always hoped that mate would be Caleb, the boy she has loved for years.
But when an entire neighboring pack is brutally wiped out, everything changes.
Fearing they could be next, the Red Moon Pack forms a desperate alliance with the powerful Silver Lake Pack. And alliances between alpha families require one thing above all else: a mating bond.
As the only unmated alpha daughter of Red Moon, Rhia’s future is decided for her. Instead of discovering her fated mate under the coming full moon, she is ordered to form a bond with Jalen, the future alpha of Silver Lake.
Leaving her home, her family, and the life she thought she would have.
Jalen never wanted a forced bond any more than Rhia did. But protecting their packs comes before everything. What neither of them expected was the instant pull between them, a connection that feels far too real to be political.
But if the Moon Goddess had a plan for their bond all along, it may be because the Dark Pack is not finished yet—and their own may be the next target.
"Race you to the rocks?" Rhia points to the little collection of rocks well off the shoreline.
"They are further away than you think," I try to warn her from experience, but she has already taken off.
As I soon realize, she is not only an excellent fighter but also a very good swimmer. I love it. I am a decent swimmer myself, but it is not exactly my strongest form of movement. Plus, I am still a little slower than usual. At least that is what I am telling myself as I try hard to keep up with Rhia.
I am right behind her, but there is no hiding my labored breathing when we reach the rocks. On warm days, my friends and I love to climb onto the smooth stones and sunbathe. Unfortunately, it's not quite warm enough for that yet.
Unlike me, Rhia is not even a little winded, and I admire her strength. "You're an amazing athlete. I can't wait to see what you can do without the necklace," I grin at her.
'Oooh, well she's hot!' Hunter's voice comes through the mind link, and I let out a growl. Turning to the tree line behind me, I easily spot his wolf in the bushes.
'Leave now, or I will end you! This is your future luna!'
'Jealous, huh? Relax, man, I was just going for a quick hunt. I'll leave you two lovebirds to it.' His wolf actually gives me a wink before he turns around.
"Are you coming in?" As I turn back around, Rhia is already swimming away from the shore.
We head back at a slower pace, leisurely swimming next to each other.
"Do you think they would mind if we skipped the communal dinner tonight?" Rhia asks.
"Not in the mood for a crowd?"
"Not really. It's just all a little much," she shrugs, then adds quickly: "I'm sorry, I don't want you to get the wrong impression. I am looking forward to spending more time with your pack. Just not quite yet."
"You need some time to process everything, I get it."
She gives me a questioning look when I reach for her hand before I get up, pulling her with me. The contact sends tingles up my arm. "We need to head back and talk to our parents if we want to avoid dinner. They might whip us and throw us in the dungeon, and I don't think I could take that." I wink at her to make sure she knows I am joking about that last part.
She chuckles, gripping my hand a little tighter. We are silent on our way to the packhouse, and it feels good to be walking with her like this. Her smaller hand fits into mine just right.
When Ann D. Lang isn’t writing, she can be found with her family and her cats — who treat everyone in the house as their personal servants and are entirely unbothered by deadlines. A lifelong lover of paranormal romance in all its forms, from vampire courts and fae kingdoms to witch covens and wolf pack politics, she has spent years falling in love with other people’s worlds — and one day simply decided to open the doors to a world of her own.
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