Heir Chosen

HEIR CHOSEN FORGED BY FATE BOOK 3 LANA MELYAN Copyright © 2023 by Lana Melyan All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual locales, organizations, events, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. Lana Melyan Cover Designer: Orina Kafe Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 EPILOGUE Also by LANA MELYAN Chapter 1 SPENCER It was one a.m., and I was standing at the empty bus station parking lot with Eric, who gazed at me with a triumphant smile. He was sure I came to him to be his mate, that I finally gave in. He had no idea how wrong he was. “Let me take this.” Eric reached for my bag. I handed it over and he deposited the bag in the back seat of his car. Then he turned to me, laid his hand on my back, and pulled me to his chest. “I’m so happy to see you.” He didn’t seem to care that I could hear his rapidly beating heart, but whichever road his wild imagination was taking him, I had to set an electric fence across it right away. I took his hand and gently pushed it down. “I’ll come with you on two conditions,” I said coldly, looking him straight in the eyes. “First, I hope you have a spare room for me somewhere. Just for me. And second, I won’t tolerate any pressure. I’m here to get to know you, Eric. If I sense any disrespect, I’ll be gone before you get a chance to ask why. And believe me, no pack would be able to stop me.” “Granted.” With his triumphant smile still intact, he took a step back and opened the passenger door for me. The thoughts about Mom and Finn pushed in. The guilt of leaving them without warning made me nauseous. But as I slid on the seat and Eric shut the door behind me, I knew I had to turn my thoughts about what I did off and concentrate on what I came here to do. Now, when I knew the others were safe, I had to focus on my mission. My life was at stake, and I was the only one who could save me. Go be your own hero, Spencer. If I managed to get the relics and claim my powers, I would be able to help all the hybrids out there, and my mom would never have to hide again. Eric got in the car, and we took off. “Sorry for doing this in the middle of the night.” I gave him a fleeting glance. “I hope I didn’t wake you.” “No, you didn’t. And you can call me to you at any hour. Though,” he squinted, “I do wonder why you chose the nighttime. You didn’t have to run away from them, did you?” “I see,” I scoffed. “You still think they were keeping me with them against my will?” “Weren’t they?” I heard angry notes in his voice. “Spencer, if they were—” “I’ve told you already—no one can keep me against my will,” I cut him off. “I chose this hour because I don’t know anybody from your pack. Not a single soul. Meeting you first and spending a couple of hours with you before morning when everybody starts staring at me like I’m some alien or intruder seemed like a good idea. Tomorrow, it will give me some confidence to push you before me and say, Hey, I’m with him.” He chuckled. “Trust me, you have nothing to worry about.” We were now out of town, and with woods on both sides, the road was much darker. I couldn't believe I was actually going with Eric to his den in the middle of the night. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. All I knew was I had to make my plan work before he finds out who I was and kills me. He was visibly happy right now, and I had to keep him that way. “Is there food wherever you're taking me?” I tilted my head as I glanced at him. “I’m starving.” “Yeah, me too.” Apparently, I looked funny because he bit his lip to suppress the laughter. He pulled out his phone and made a call. “Ash, I need dinner for two at my place. And speed up,” he looked at me and added in a smug, jubilant tone, “my mate is coming home, and she’s hungry.” Kill me now. Couldn't you just say you have a guest? I had no idea how this whole thing worked, but I definitely didn’t expect him to raise his mating flag right away. And it didn’t seem to bother him at all that I never said that he was my mate too. “Your place?” I raised a brow. “I thought we had a deal.” “We do,” he nodded. “It’s just for tonight. I want to spend some time with you. It’s like you said—to eat, to talk, to get to know each other a bit better.” “All right.” I gave him a curt nod. I didn’t trust him, but this would be our first time alone with each other, and I believed he wouldn’t want to ruin his first impression as a mate. Wouldn’t he? Then why were his blue eyes glowing every time he looked at me? It must be his wolf. Too impassioned to introduce