Fated to Be Alpha

Royal Rejection #1

by Skye Alder

I’m not supposed to be here.

That’s what I keep telling everyone but no one will listen. I just wanted to see the castle nestled deep in the woods.

Instead, I end up getting kidnapped.

The problem is that I have a plane to catch. I can’t be stuck in some weird castle for who knows how long.

So, I try to appeal to the King Koda’s compassionate side.

Too bad for me, he doesn’t seem to have one.

I don’t want to be here.

I’ve ruled my pack just fine on my own for years.

I’m all set to scare off this latest batch of girls brought in for the mating ceremony, until she walks in.

Salem.

Just like her name, she’s a witch who has me under her spell.

She’s also human and the last person that I want for a mate.

For the first time in my life, I’m at war with my wolf. He wants his mate but he has to know that she’s not suitable for us.

So, I kidnap her and lock her away in my castle until I can figure out what to do with her.

With my head and my wolf at war, there’s no way this story has a happy ending. I just need to figure out a solution. One where we both win.

Genres: Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Werewolves, Contemporary

97 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 26, 2022

Reviews

[Darlene I read WAY to many books · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Koda been waiting for his mate his kingdom host balls and stuff couple times so maybe he'll find his mate. And he does its just not who he wants a Human.

Salem is enjoying backpacking around and castles are what she's looking at now shes trapped in a "cell" for something she doesn't know she did by Koda the king. When he explains to her what Shifters are and mates and tells her she is not the one. She banters back and when the right moment happens she runs away. Salem is not giving him the easy way out when he comes grovling. I love that he had to work for her hand.

We get a sneak of the other kings can't wait to see there stories.

No ow/om drama, no cheating, slight secondary character, sexy times, virgin gal and idk I'm say yes

Recommend
Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat level-🌶🌶.5


Slowinsta
Age gap
Push away from both more H
No condom
Shifters
Hea

[Grisette · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A nice and effective rejected mate novella, written neatly and with a fast plot. This sweet romance had big potentials to be a really great rejected mate story. The grovelling scenes were well done, being both endearing and fulfilling. The H, Koda, came across as very sincere in his heartfelt apologies and he was really emotionally tortured for what he made the h, Salem go through (see further comments on this below under spoiler tag). And the sexy scenes were well written, very steamy and hotly graphical 🔥🔥🔥!

I think that the biggest weakness of this book is its novella format, which was too constraining to fully develop the angst from rejection theme. As much as the grovel part was emotional and well done, it was severely unmatched by the 'light' way the rejection angst was written. Specifically, at the beginning of the book when they met, Koda imprisoned Salem several days in his prison tower, to give himself time work over his trauma of accepting that his fated mate is a human, as his mind was fighting his wolf over this, and at the same time, he could not bear to let her go. However, though he initially fought the pairing, he never treated her badly or hurt her. He simply refused to share his trauma and let her go back to her country. They even had long conversations each day where they tried to outwit each other, to their mutual enjoyment (most conversations being told about and not shown). When she attempted to escape, he grovelled well and even knelt in despair to plead for her forgiveness in a really magnificent way. However, based on the lack of indepth details of the sequestration and Salem's resentment in these moments, Koda's grovel efforts came through as disproportionately too much. I can't believe I am saying that, but I would have preferred that the author sacrificed one of the steamy sex scenes (there almost 3 chapters' worth!) and instead work on deepening the angst during the sequestration. The hurt, anger and stress supposedly endured by Salem should have been written on page, and with a punch. Only then, the book with its satisfactory grovel would have been more balanced out.

Other plot elements that could have been better rounded:

# Salem's emotions towards her fated mate: while it was clear that Koda was deeply anguished by his instinct to mate her (right from the very first minute) and his human mind still traumatised by what his cruel dad taught him on human mates, Salem's feelings seemed much milder. While he suffered viscerally, she did not seem to suffer from separation or even really crave for him. At most, she felt an intriguing 'tingling' attraction. And no explanation is really provided on the difference. And again, it gave the sentiment of imbalance in their fated status.

# The shifter status of Koda: Again, I know that the book is only novella length, but Salem did not seem much phased by Koda's revelations of being a shifter and her mate. From what we were privy too, she at most thought he was talking crazy things to her. Once she forgave him, they immediately jump into bed and mate, without them even discussing important things like him shifting (he never shifted in front of her at this point), the finality and importance of the mating bite and even the fact that she is a virgin!

To be read if you are in the mood of a nice and short rejected mate story, with low angst and good grovel.

-----

P.S. To clarify on the blurb that can be read as misleading, Salem is not at all a witch, in the paranormal sorceress sense 😅

[Georgia Herpen · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUCH A GREAT STORY. LOVED IT! I simply loved Koda and Salem's story. The first 2/3 of the book was tough to read as Koda grappled with the revelation that Salem is his mate. I liked how Salem was not cowed by Koda. She gave as a good as she got, and their verbal sparring made me laugh. Their chemistry was also off the charts and Adler wrote some of the best sex scenes I've read in a long time. Just wow! The last 1/3 focused on Koda & Salem's growing love for one another.

As this book starts a new series, I thought Adler did a nice job introducing the other characters. I can't wait for Ryker and Malia's story!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[S]

He keeps calling her "mate" 😭. Sorry I can't, really not it, I keep imagining it in british accent

No rate from me

[Lucinda’s Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick and Easy Read

If you’re looking for something quick, full of smut, and are a fan of shifters, this is the story for you!

[Lissa Smith Reads'~A Bookaholics Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated
3 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐
Kindle Unlimited Read

[april ♡ probably reading smut - safety reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Every part of me yearns for you, to protect you, to keep you safe and happy.”

Koda is King and Alpha ever since he battled his father for the throne. His pack is hosting a gathering for eligible women to come through his castle, in the hopes of one of them being his fated mate. He meets her... but she's not what he expected.

Salem is just trying to investigate a beautiful castle... and she gets kidnapped by Koda. What happens next?

I'm a sucker for fated mate books. This one was short and sweet and reallyyy spicy, I loved it! Five stars!!

important bits:
no virgins
praise
rough sex
no cheating
no OM/OW
safe
HEA & epilogue ♡

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Aspen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok I am tired of the stupid fucken mating moon fixing everything! It's absolutely retarded and ruins the story. Yes, I get it's a thing in her writing but it's a poor "fix it all" excuse to put problem couples together. Oh, he hates humans? decides to kidnap her and lock her away? they argue the whole time? Eh the mating moon will make it all better.

Aside from that, Koda refers to her as Salem (her name) but then goes to see her and asks her what her name is? Like I know it's a stupid mistake made by the author but for some reason it really pissed me off in this book.. maybe because they were already sparring and I knew the author was just going to fix it with the mating moon it irked me more than it should've. Salem also reiterates where she's from because reasons? I mean she already told him that the first time they spoke after he locked her in a tower.

I also really couldn't bring myself to like Koda. He locked her away for most of their interactions (well about 45% of the book), and even knowing her abusive past he still kept her locked up and he had the audacity to say he'd be visiting her dad? I know it was in his head but seriously? He's no fucken better. Just because he hasn't hit her doesn't mean he's the good guy here. I will say I did like him in the beginning though and I was interested in his story but his whole treatment of Salem bothered me. You would think he would want to be better than his dad. I mean sure, he was as bad as him but his prejudice was there.

Salem .. where do I start with her? While I appreciate the whole abusive father arc and all, her first thoughts when the maid brought her to the bathroom should have been to get out that window , and while yes, she briefly thought about it, apparently the bath was calling her too much so she decided to bathe, change her clothing and THEN finally squeeze through that window. So stupid. Who cares if the bath goes to waste? It would've given her more time to get away.

It's also weird that Ryker's castle seems to be literally next door through a very short hobble through the woods.

Not that anyone is going to know the answer to this but there have been a few of her books now where the guy (always the shifter) who says something along the lines of wanting to reject their mate or at least considering it.. but it's never really a thing. In one book, he does reject her and then immediately regrets it but it's never a painful thing or something that breaks the mate bond... so why is it ever mentioned? it's not like there are any repercussions or anything like that.

The weirdly confusing thing about this book is the story about his mom and dad. She apparently wasn't his fated mate but in all this author's books they can only ever have sex with their fated mate because their junk just doesn't work otherwise... but in this instance his dad just bit some random human girl in the village? I don't understand

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Royal Rejection series with a sexy royal shifter and the girl they entrap to keep her as his mate 😊. Koda now the head alpha in charge after the challenge to dethrone his father so having a celebration is in order bring all the eligible women to the castle in hopes the alpha will find his mate. Salem isn’t a mate or shifter anything she is just on vacation in Europe trying to visit a beautiful castle she thought was open to the public when she is kidnapped by none other than the alpha king himself, but she is human knows nothing of their world, and it can’t be because she is human. He doesn’t treat her so nicely when he takes her especially with her being human what he didn’t realize she is no wallflower and her feisty women give as good as she gets, staying kidnap isn’t a part of her plans but he needs to convince her that there are fated mates but since he has treated her so badly, she wants nothing to do with him what she wants is to go home back to her life but can he convince her that she is his fated mate, can he even explain mates to her a human, will she forgive him for kidnaping, locking her up. Both of them struggle with issues him with an abusive father and Salem was also abused and she trust no one but can they come to some middle ground where he can show her, he is his fated mate, will she ever learn to trust him after his actions, and can they find their own happiness?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Carol · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 53%

As always, I'm a big fan of shifter romances and especially the fated mate trope. So, I'm always open to trying new authors if a book catches my interest. However...

This, I didn't like. I started it about two weeks prior to finally deciding to end it. I literally put it down for two weeks and then picked it back up only to read two more chapters and decide NOPE! I don't wanna!

Honestly this could probably be chalked up to a it's me not you type of situation. Either way, I didn't like what I managed to read.

The writing style was okay. Easy to follow but nothing spectacular. World building was weak and lacking any depth in regards to history and the characters. The characters themselves were just plain boring. The entire story and the way it was executed was boring. I felt nada about the story or the characters. No emotion whatsoever.

It read a bit juvenile for me. The way the characters spoke and thought felt silly and teenager like for me even though they were both in the new adult age range. I didn't see the hero Koda as this badass alpha king of his kind. He was super beta and stale. And the heroine Salem was hardly anything worth remembering. Neither had even an ounce of personality between the two of them. And chemistry? Forget about it. Nonexistent.

Overall I was bored. No more of this series or author for me.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fate may bring you what you need regardless of form.

I really liked this shifter story. It was entertaining, enjoyable, and funny. The characters were interesting and likable although frustrating at times. King Koda had the best friends since they didn’t let him get away with being a stick in the mud. King Koda was “forced” to have a party once a year to help him try to find a mate/wife. He was positive that he wouldn’t find her at this year’s party either. Salem had heard about the party and decided to go so she could check out the castle. Once she got to the castle she found out that it was a formal event and she didn’t blend in. The fireworks began as soon as Koda and Salem met and grew from there. There was some drama and angst but it resolved well. I loved their happily ever after. I recommend reading this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3 Stars
POV(s): Dual—First Person
Relationship: M/F
Genre(s): Paranormal Romance, Novella

I know that as a novella/short story, proper world and character building is challenging—with this in mind, I don’t want to be too critical. What I will say is that the fast-pacing made it difficult to connect with the story.

Title: “Fated to be Alpha (Royal Rejection #1)” by Skye Alder
Interconnected Series: Yes
Standalone: Yes
Cliffhanger: References to past abuse
HEA: Yes
Triggers: No
Tags/Tropes:
➢ Alpha-MMC
➢ Fated-MateS
➢ Human-FMC
➢ Kidnapper-Captive
➢ Royalty (King MMC)
➢ Wolf-Shifter (MMC)

[Tima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Koda, the male wolf shifter lead, and Salem, the female human lead, are both orphaned survivors of abusive fathers. When Koda realises Salem is his fated mate, he’s distraught. Not wanting a human mate but unable to let her go, he locks her up in his castle, alienating her. When he lets her go, she runs away. Now he has to convince her that he knows the error of his ways and can be trusted…

This novella is dual POV, well written, and a tale of two people broken by their childhood helping each other heal. I particularly empathised with their lack of trust. I enjoyed the character and relationship development, and the input of secondary characters that I assume will get their own stories later in the series - looking forward to them.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Book 1 of Royal Rejection. I’m not usually one for shifter books but this was more love story. Salem is on a European vacation when she visits a castle she thought was open to the public. Koda is the King of the castle and waiting for his forever mate. When he discovers Salem he knows it’s her but she’s human and he is completely against that. He treats her so poorly before he realizes he’s behaving badly. He must convince her they are fated mates before he loses her forever. Such a great storyline and characters. I wanted to dislike Koda but he grows on you. I would definitely recommend this book and I’m looking forward to more in the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[casvec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salem is human on vacation and exploring the areas in Scottland, when she was happy that she was able to visit the castle of the Laurel Kingdom as it was only open once a year.

Koda is alpha of the pack, after taking it from his father. He hated the annual ball they through, but knew it was important to find their mate. Koda did not expect to find his mate, and he did not expect her to be human.

Koda's past lead to mix feeling about Salem, not knowing what to do he locked her up in the tower. When she escaped, she forced Koda to look in himself to see what he wanted.

Great start to an amazing series that will keep you on the edge.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This night comes around once a year and King Koda really hates it, it is not as if he will find his fated mate. Until he runs into her, she is a human, she cannot be his mate. He decides to lock her up until he figures what to do with her. As the days go by he realizes he may have be a little harsh, but how is he going to make it right.

Salem is just a librarian on vacation, when she hears about the castle being open for one night. She is way under dressed and run straight into a large man in a tux. When he locks her up, she makes sure she gives him a hard time and verbally spars with him.

Can King Koda convince her that she is his mate or will he have to let her go?.

I received an Advance Readers Copy of this book with no obligation to write a review.

[Natasha Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolf shifter and alpha, Koda, needed his mate. Each year he held a ball to look for her. Salem was on a trip around Europe when she stumbled into the ball. As soon as he saw her Koda knew she was his mate, but she was human, he didn’t want a human mate. Koda couldn’t let her go so locked her up! He struggled to come to terms with his mate due to his childhood and abusive father. Salem had abuse and trust issues of her own. Very emotional story with lots of twists and turns and real struggles to overcome. Hot and steamy with amazing chemistry and a hard fought for HEA.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cherie Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

At an annual gala for the alpha king to find his fated mate, Koda was not expecting the human woman that fate chose. Koda was raised by a cruel father that was disgusted by humans. So, when his mate is a human, he does the only thing he thinks he can. He locks her up!!! Salem thought she would just get to tour a castle. The next thing she knows, she's being locked up in a cell in the castle. As days go by, Koda doesn't know how to understand his feelings for his human mate. When Salem gets the chance, she runs! When Koda chases her, will she even talk to him? How can she forgive him after all he's done? This was a great start to this series!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A king needs a mate and Koda has already found his. Only problem is, he needs to find her again or he needs to make a choice- pick someone else or give up his kingdom.
Salem cut ties with her old life but still get brought back for the mate ball. No one is exempt.

Koda does NOT handle seeing his mate again well. I loved how his friend called him on it.
Even after a rough start, Koda finally finds his footing and proves he can be all she needs him to be.

A fast pased story with a shifter Cinderella feel.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[kymagirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koda, the wolf shifter King of the Laurel Kingdom, is shocked when his mate, Salem (h), walks into his castle and he realizes that she's a human, the last things he wants in a mate. He can't process how to handle this and reacts by imprisoning her in his castle's tower. Salem is not impressed and wants nothing to do with Koda. As the two get to know one another, they realize just how suited they are to one another, but Koda has his work cut out for him trying to convince Salem to trust and love him. Lovely curvy girl fated mates romance with hot and steamy action.

[Sarah Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic PNR/ fated mates romance. I’m such a fan of the way Skye Alder does fated mates romances and I have yet to read one that I didn’t love, this one included. I loved the sort of Cinderella vibes going on in the storyline, it was new. Koda was a bit gruff in the beginning but once his walls crumbled, he was such a sweetheart. I loved Salem, even in the worst situations she didn’t loose her spark. This was a great way to start a series and I’m impatiently waiting the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sabrina Flachsmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man did Koda blow this from the start! He is attending the yearly ball where he hopes to meet his mate. He does, but she is the last one he expects with her being human. Salem is just trying to take her big vacation before starting her new job. She isn’t expecting to be kidnapped by a man claiming she is his mate…and he doesn’t want her. Lots of angst in this one for both characters. Koda does a great job groveling and I loved his friends. Good read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ani · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐

This book was shorter than most novellas but it felt sooo looonggg...😩😩😩

Koda and Salem both had daddy issues. Because of this, Koda did questionable things and Salem questionably forgave him. The hero was playing the victim card a bit too much for my liking. Honestly? Koda was trying too hard to sound all hot and growly alphahole. And Salem was meh.

The dialogues between the characters were awkward and without any originality to boot. All in all, it was giving wattpad written by a 13 year old.

P.S:

What was up with the sudden back-to-back smut scenes at the end?🤔🤔🤔

[MsV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voluntary ARC review
Rating: 3.5 ⭐️
Top emoji used: 🥵
Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Favorite highlight: ——
This was a short, instalove with minimal plot and a HEA but man were the smut scenes abundant and hot af!!! Koda can Kama Sutra his way out of any argument and I wouldn’t even care 🫠 Dual pov, 12 short chapters with the last 3-4 being mostly smut. A good read when you’re dealing with a book hangover from a different series.

[Syd Springer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this was a really good book and well worth the ways. Both Salem and Koda have issues stemming from their childhoods that in pact their relationship, most trust issues. Once Koda realizes what he has done and how badly he messed up, he doesn't the one thing that he always stated that he would never do... I enjoyed this book and I can't wait for the rest of this series.

I received a free e-book copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Bego · Rating 3 out of 5]

Koda is a j3rk at the beginning because he lets his demons lead him, and he kidnaps Salem and treats her like a prisoner, when he knows that she is his mate, and even thinks on rejecting her just because she’s human. When he realizes of his huge mistake, he tries to fix it.

Details:
- Virgin h, not sure about H.
- No OP drama.
- HEA.
- Epilogue 5 years later.



I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

When King Koda discovers his mate in his castle he does what any rational wolf shifter would do... he kidnaps her and locks her in the tower! But he had a good reason, after all, she was human and he was raised to believe all humans were bad. Salem is drawn to the King and enjoys verbally sparring with him, however, she doesn't understand why he's locked her up. I found Koda and Salem's story engaging and heartwarming.

[Crista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit of fun, I am liking this authors writing style and wit she gives her characters.

FL is on holiday and checks out a castle that is open to the public for one day only. What she doesnt realise is that it is open as the shifter King that lives there is looking for his mate and this is the one day a year all are invited to give him a chance to detect her. ML does and then doesn't know what to do, so he kidnaps her and locks her in the tower. I really liked that the FL made the ML work to make up for locking her away and that when she runs away his mates stick up for her and tell him what for, very refreshing.

[Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salem and Koda

I've procrastinated starting this series. I don't know why, but I kind of see what made me think I should wait until now. It's fast-paced and steamy.
Koda is just a big, misunderstood man. I didn't like him at all in the beginning. I still don't like him that much. His whole reason for locking Salem up is still kind of iffy for me. Also, I needed him to grovel more. I don't know. I really want to read Ryker's story now.

[Lizette Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been waiting for this book for quite awhile and Skye has not disappointed with this awesome shifter story. Koda is theking and when he meets Salem he is unsure what to do with her. After kidnapping her he tries to figure out how his mate could be a human. I love how these two get their perfect ending. Always a huge fan of every book this author writes.