Category: Werewolf Books

  • The Alpha’s Destined Mate: Similar Book to Alpha Hayley’s Destined Mate novel

    The Alpha's Destined Mate: Similar Book to Alpha Hayley's Destined Mate novel

    Overnight, Alora went from being the Alpha’s daughter in the Gemini wolf pack to a fugitive with a shattered family. Her uncle, who had seized power, had murdered her father, and her mother had been imprisoned and was being sought by her uncle’s men. She gave it everything she had but couldn’t get away. She was led to the edge of the cliff, but she refused to give in. After jumping off the cliff, she ended up falling to her death.
    On the lakeside, Xavier, who was on his way back to his wolf pack, saw Alora. A quick check of her breathing revealed that she was still alive, so he dashed over.
    “Hey! What are you doing?”
    Alora struggled to open her eyes. Her eyelids reflected a handsome face. She made a painful lip movement.
    Save me, save me, I want my vengeance.”
    “What’s your name?”
    “Alora”
    After uttering a few words, she collapsed to the ground.
    Finally, Xavier came to the conclusion that he couldn’t risk getting himself into any more trouble. The voice in his head that had been silent for years returned just as he was about to abandon her and let her die.
    “Her life is in danger! Alora! Your situation is in her hands.”

    The Alpha’s Destined Mate Chapter 1 One

    Damon stared through the sky, he could picture the rising the of the moon, this was the third full moon that set for the year, there was one thing werewolves enjoys in full moons, the warmth of the full moon which radiates on their body when they change to their wolf form.

    Damon smiled, but that wasn’t the only reason he loves full moons, full moons meant seeing Anna, the woman who had been forcefully taken away from him right from the moment he laid his eyes on her.

    As if knowing he was thinking about her, he felt a slender hands on his shoulders, slowly, he turned to stare at the woman who had captured his heart, her scent alone was able to relax his inner battles.

    “You aren’t asleep yet?”

    Anna asked, staring at Damon, the brother to her mate.

    “A wounded lion can never be found asleep.”

    Damon whispered, touching her face tenderly, he heard a gasp emit from her lips, he smiled, she was so damn beautiful.

    “What Is the issue? you can share your thoughts with me.”

    Anna said, her eyes glistened with unwavering affection for the man who had first captured her heart right from the start.

    “I want you……”

    Damon phrased, he stared at her longingly, slowly tracing her lips with his fingers…..slowly and affectionately

    “….but…. I can’t have you. You aren’t mine, the goddess have always been cruel with me, first taking my birth right, then taking one thing I always desired which is you.”

    Damon said, watching as she quivered under his touch, he affected her in so many ways but that was where it all end. His touch on her body was to have a little glimmer of hope.

    “Your birth right wasn’t taken by the goddess, it was taken away from you forcefully by the culture, our tradition took you away from your right and me.”

    Anna said, smiling bitterly as a tear fell off from her tender face.

    “Don’t cry my love. I promise to fight and take you away with me to a far away land, there you will get pregnant for me and bear my pups.”

    Damon said, quickly holding her two cheeks, he smashed his lips on hers.

    The full moon covered their entwined body as they savored each others tongue. Damon wasn’t ready to quit tasting every inch of her mouth, she always tasted like vanilla, the flavor that always draws him closer to her.

    Slowly they detached from each others hold, Anna bent low as she stared down at him.

    “But that can’t happen, you are only lucky to be alive, your brother only keeps you alive because he promised your parents to do so.”

    Anna said, quickly hugging him as she cried sorrowfully.

    “Shhhh, you don’t need to cry, I hate hearing you cry.”

    Damon said, each choke that wobbles out from her lips caused his heart to squeeze with anger.

    “But I can’t be with you.”

    Anna said, staring at him.

    “Perhaps that is our fate, but I promise to be with you always. That is a promise.”

    Damon said, slowly detaching her from his body.

    “You brought more twins to the pack?”

    Damon asked.

    His brother Damien, who was the alpha of the pack immediately after their parents had died always came to the barren land which belongs to his pack whenever there was twins to deliver.

    He was in charge of taking care of this twins which have been brought to the barren land.

    That was the price he had to pay to survive until he leaves the barren land.

    “Yes, your brother brought more twins, since you have been kept alive, there wasn’t a need to kill the last twins in the pack. The pack will term it to be partial. I wish this whole tradition will stop.”

    Anna whispered, but something kept raking in her mind, something terrible which she was about to do.

    “I see, my brother is treating you well?”

    Damon said, staring at her.

    Anna stared at him for a while, slowly closing her eyes, all she could see was light blue eyes which stared back at her in pain.

    How could she forget that day, the first day she had been sent to the banished land to cater for the little twins who have been forcefully taken. Then Damon parents ruled the pack of the Gemini, at first when she saw Damon, she had taught him to be the arrogant son of the alpha who had been wooing her before they found out they were true mates. 

    Later on she realized he was the second twin whose story have been constantly discussed within the pack.

    Damon had captured her heart totally at first sight and It was the same for him too, his bare chest which had shun under the sparkling sun had captivated her teenage self and at that moment she decided he was the one for him, but fate had her ways of playing games. They could not be together, her parents been one of the great elders of the werewolf clan cannot allow her be mated to an abominable child. 

    But that never stopped them from seeing each other, every little chance she had, she would use it to visit the barren land which was almost seven hundred miles when she uses a horse.

    “Anna….you seem lost, is my brother treating you well, if he is not treating you well, I won’t waste a single moment to rip him apart, I don’t care about the consequences.”

    Damon said, glaring down at the threshold that lead to where his twin brother might have been laying.

    “I got carried away by the past. Damien is still Damien.”

    Anna whispered, there wasn’t much to say about the other twin, Damien was an arrogant bastard whom she had been forced to marry.

    “That is not an answer, my brother is an arrogant man who doesn’t know how to treat anyone with respect. I can sue him to death if he ever tried harming you……”

    “Shuuuuu, you need to keep your voice low, your voice might be heard and if that happens, we both will be in a big trouble. Damien will have a reason for detaching your body.”

    Anna said, touching his beards slowly, watching as his breathing calmed down a little. There was something peculiar about this two brothers, they are hot blooded fellow.

    “I am sorry for throwing such an outburst.”

    Damon said, circling her within his arms as he placed his forehead on hers.

    He breathed in her scent slowly and deeply, his one wish was to have her but he could not have her.

    “It’s fine, you care so much for me that is why you threw such an outburst.”

    Anna said, hugging him back.

    “When do you leave with the others.”

    Damon asked, they never stayed less than two days when ever they visited the barren lands, watching her leave the barren land was the hardest thing he had learned to endure.

    “We leave by first light tomorrow morning.”

    Anna said, she felt his breath stopped for a while and she felt her heart broke into pieces.

    “There is a problem.”

    Damon said, still hugging her.

    “There Is always a problem.”

    Anna said, laughing lowly.

    Damon chuckled at her words.

    “Well it is true. We always have problems and I wish for that to stop.”

    Damon said, smiling quite sadly.

    “I won’t see you anymore.”

    Damon said, Anna slowly detached her self from his hug.

    “What do you mean I won’t see you anymore. Are you planning on running away, while I remain with your brother.”

    Anna said, watching as Damon shook his head frantically.

    “No I am not running away. My brother must have suspected our closeness. In the meeting he mentioned something about him coming alone to the barren land from now on and if I ever said a word in the discussion, he will question me and perhaps find the truth about us, then he will hurt you at the end of it, which I don’t want it to happen.”

    Damon said, Anna nodded her head in understanding.

    Damien was a bitch, Anna thought.

    Anna breathed in slowly, there wasn’t any other option left, she will have to do the last thing in her mind.

    “Come let’s have some drink in your chambers, who knows when I will meet you again, maybe In two years or ten years or so.”

    Kira said, leading him to his room in the dark night when no eyes was watching.

    Damon followed after her, he needed a drink to clear his mind off.

    When they reached his room, she dragged him to sit on the wooden bed.

    “I came to your room with wine but I couldn’t find you so I decided to check on you.”

    Anna said, handling him a glass as she filled it with wine, she took a glass for her self, filling it with wine.

    “You came prepared already, hmmm I love the taste of this wine.”

    Damon whispered, gulping the wine at once, the wine was insanely sweet and makes one forget themselves for long.

    “Yes it is, take more, sometimes you got to free your mind by drinking.”

    Anna said, she only but tasted a single drop of the wine.

    “Yes I will, you aren’t drinking?”

    Damon asked, watching as her cup still have a huge amount of wine left in it.

    “Of course I take wine but a little, I am a terrible drinker.”

    Anna said, adding more wine to his cup, watching as he drowned it shakily.

    “I feel drunk already but I need more wine.”

    Damon said, stretching his hands towards the cup.

    Anna smiled down at him, filling his cup with more wine, she quickly walked to close the door, her plans had been activated, this was the last moment she might spend with him, so she had no other option than to make him drunk, she will bear her actions alone. He was drunk and it was time to make him hers, she was not going to regret this when she wakes up the next morning, Never!

    The Alpha’s Destined Mate Chapter 2 Two

    The whole pack gathered around, only consisting of men and women within the range of eighteen since it was considered to be a great welcome, but Alora, the daughter of the alpha of the Gemini pack, was seen, standing with the entire pack which consist only of the people within the age of eighteen but Alora was not eighteen yet, she was two years and a month old, she was a little child, but she had every right to attend to a meeting which was only meant for the grown ups.

     They were awaiting for the arrival of someone who they have been told was unknown, someone who they have been told belonged to the Gemini pack, but was never accepted at birth, because it was an abomination to accept a being like him in the pack. 

    The carriage made a stop, slowly two guards stepped down from the carriage, slowly opening the carriage door, a young man within the age of the alpha stepped down from the carriage, his light blue eyes, was enough to capture the whole attention of the entire pack.

    Then there came a gasp, coming from the pack members, they whispered in hushed tone among themselves, their voices got louder at every minutes they spent staring at the strange but familiar man who stood few feet away from them.

    “Who is he?”

    “Why is he familiar and look just like the alpha”

    “Why is he strange”

    “Who is he”

    The little Alora stood amidst them, she was been carried by her mother, Luna Anna, her few years old self could not understand what was going on in the pack. Not knowing what was going on among the pack, sucked unto her fingers.

    But whatever it was, she could not wait to leave the scene, and instead play with her toys and have a good sleep.

    Anna stared at the second twin, Damon, who had been hidden for years, away from the law which had placed him on a death sentence. 

    But he survived through all odds.

    Damon looked around the whole pack, his eyes in search for a light blue eyes, with thick dark hair just like his. 

    Slowly his eyes met his twin, he stoic form standing amidst the crowd, glaring down at him.

    Alpha Damien was not the type who could accept his twin so quickly into the pack, but that was the rule, a rule given by their parents, when his twin brother who had been hidden away from the law, when he have been crowned the alpha of the pack for three years, then he shall be brought back to stay among the people. Among his fellow pack and he shall not be killed.

    The noise in the pack was getting louder and quickly, alpha Damien turned towards the Beta of the pack, giving him a light stare, Beta Zach understood what he meant, slowly turning to stare at the members of the pack, his eyes filled with anger.

    “Be quiet everyone, the alpha stands with you, yet you cause a chaos among your selves. Please behave!”

    Beta Zach said, and quickly, the whole pack became still at his words, no words were whispered, no words was spoken.

    When the pack became silent, alpha Damien cleared his throat, he knew the whole pack was confused about the new member of the pack, who have a striking resemblance with him. 

    “Welcome Damon, my twin, welcome to the Gemini pack, the pack of our late parents.”

    Alpha Damien said, but his smiles were fake, because he was not happy to accept his twin into the pack.

    Another whispers broke through the entire pack.

    Everyone knew the law, the rule which had taken lives, that it was a crime for a second twin to live, when two twins were born, the younger would be killed and the older will remain living among them.

    But it seems the former alpha and Luna had hidden the second twin away from them, they had not killed him as the rule had said, but not just him, other twins.

    “I know everyone of you is confused, why would a younger twin survive, everyone knew the rule, any twin born in the Gemini pack will have its younger one killed in a second, but, I was not in the position to change what had happened, if I was, I wouldn’t have kept him Alive.”

    Alpha Damien said, glaring at his brother, he hated competition and seeing his brother here felt like a competition.

    “And he is back today, to live among us, but first, he will live like a commoner, he will till the soil like each and every one of you and he will pave a way for himself. But one thing for sure, he would not take my crown, I still remain your alpha.”

    Alpha Damien said, glaring at his brother once more, he walked out from the scene. 

    But not without throwing a glance at Anna, who held their child. 

    Damon stared at the his brother as he left the scene, slowly he turned to stare at Anna who gave him a light stare before quickly leaving the scene.

    Waving his head lightly, he turned toward the carriage, still feeling the heavy stare the pack gave him, some were leaving while some remained standing, whispering in hushed tones. 

    They knew not to anger the alpha by speaking behind his backs, so quickly, they walked out, leaving the alpha twin standing to tender to his business.

    Damon looked around, he had returned only with two bags, which contained his clothes and arrows, his sword was carefully kept behind his torso, making him more dangerous and sexy.

    The guards were not there to help him out, because his brother had commanded that he should not be given any help what so ever.

    Slowly he turned, walking towards the pack mansion, where his brother and family resides. 

    He still has some little right, which was, living in the family’s house.

    As he passed through the corridors, he could hear the whispers which came forth from the pack.

    He waved his head, quickly, turning to the other direct, but instead, a figure came, crashing on him so hard, making the bags he held fall on the floor. 

    Quickly he held the figure from falling, the person who had crashed into him was slender woman, her thick dark hairs cascading on his arms. He had rammed into his twin brother’s wife.

    Quickly, she left his hold, bending her head low. 

    He could feel how she trembled under his stare, he looked surprised, marveled at the sight in front of him.

    She haven’t changed for once, she was still beautiful, slender, yet she looked scared, and for a Luna like her, she had no right to be scared, especially of someone like him. Her first love and a mere wolf who had been detached from his birth right.

    “I am sorry Luna Anna.”

    He said, staring at her, as she still kept her gaze on the floor, hiding her face.

    The Alpha’s Destined Mate Chapter 3 Three

    Anna looked down, she knew the alpha was watching her, she could feel his intense gaze on her, he watches her, and if she looks up, the mark on her face would be visible, and that was something she never intend on showing to any one.

    “Are you ok Luna Anna?”

    Damon asked, walking closer to his brother’s mate, his love, but quickly, she backed off from him, taking four paces back.

    “I am fine and sorry for not looking.”

    Anna said bluntly, then quickly, she strode out from his presence.

    He watched her as she left his presence.

    Damon closed his eyes for a moment, he was playing the games of been cool with her, he knew his brother was watching and he knew not to put her in danger. Slowly waving his head, he picked up his items, slowly walking to the room which have been prepared for him.

    Anna stepped into the room, her body shook with fear, she knew she could be in another trouble, for talking with her mate’s brother.

    “You spoke with my brother, why?”

    She heard a hard voice said, it was coming from her back, quickly she turned back, her slender form became stoic with fear.

    “I had mistakenly rammed into him, by mistake. I never spoke to him intentionally. You know I wouldn’t.”

    Anna said, hoping she believed him. But Damien was not someone who you could place your hope on, In the bedroom, he was ruthless, a devil, a beater, but In the eyes of the pack, he was the best alpha with a cheerful face. 

    “Why do you think I would believe you, you both once had a thing, also knowing the fact that you had been forced to marry me, so why would I believe you, why do you think I won’t believe the fact that you both were planning on escaping or maybe…..”

    Damien said, striding towards her like a predator, who was about to capture his prey. 

    “You both are planning on committing treason, taking away my crown and making him your alpha.”

    Damien said, Anna gasped at his words, how would the alpha said such foolish words, such insane words.

    She have been forced to marry Damien, who had done nothing but abuse her on a daily basis.

    “Damien, you know I would never do t….”

    Before she could be finish her words, she felt her body, been slammed on the wall, a low scream escaped from her lips. 

    This was the second time he was hitting her for the day and this was not going to be the last either.

    “How dare you lie to my face. How dare you speak back to me.”

    He said, this time he picked her up, throwing her on the bed, quickly mounting on her.

    Anna stepped back, she knew what he was planning on doing.

    “You spoke back to me, how dare you, I am your mate, your half, not that bastard.”

    Alpha Damien said, quickly dragging her legs back, tearing her clothes into shreds.

    Anna cried In pain, she hated him, she hated his guts.

    “Lay low and spread your legs apart now!”

    Damien said, it was few words, which she was meant to obeyed.

    Anna knew she had no option, she knew what would happen to her If she disobeys his words.

    “Please do not do this.”

    Anna begged, Damien was trying to have sex with her, when she was not ready to do so, and she knew if she disobeys his words, he would not hesitate to maybe, slash her throat.

    “NOW!”

    Damien said, glaring at her as he removed the last remnant of his clothes, leaving him standing stark naked In front of her, with his huge length which had instantly became hard, he was a man of no patience and he could not bear the pathetic plead that escaped from her lips.

    Slowly, Anna parted her legs, slowly but widely.

    But as said, Damien was no man of patience because quickly, he pushed her legs apart, quickly opening her legs wider, to his delight, the sight of her clit sent him wild, making his wolf growl with excitement. 

    Anna whimpered weakly, Damien was always a beast, a wild terrible beast and she hated his guts, and there was no option for her than to allow him do what so ever he planned on doing on her.

    Quickly, she felt him thrust his huge length into her, a heavy cry elicited from her lips, she groaned, feeling the heavy thrust he was giving her.

    Damien was not the type of man to do romance, so his pace on her was fast and rough. 

    Quickly dragging her head, trying to elicit more pain from her, this sure made Anna to scream with more pain and he got delighted at it.

    And with a heavy grunt, he cum in her, filling her with his release, he hated her guts, so damn well, and he do have to inform her to whom she belonged to. 

    He hated the fact that his twin was here and his guts kept informing him that his mate would or might run into the hands of his twin, he gritted his teeth, quickly throwing her off the head board as he walked out from the room to the bath.

    He loved her, but there was a feeling that kept cladding in his mind that his mate would leave him for his brother, so the best option was to make her know whom she belonged to.

    Maybe, he could lower Damon and make him look like a threat in the eyes of the entire pack, sure that would make him leave the pack and then he would not have anything to worry of.

    Slowly Anna stepped out from the bed, her thighs still hurt over what the alpha had done to her. 

    Slowly wearing another clothes since the former one had been thorn into shreds.

    Quickly, she walked out from the room, she needed to be far away from him, normally, Damien would hit her until maybe she passed out, but today, he had not just hit her, instead, he had taken her forcefully. 

    She was so lost in thoughts that she did not see a figure coming from the other direction, she groaned in pains, hissing again, thinking she had made a contact with a wall.

  • The Alpha’s Discarded Luna: Similar Book to Separate Hearts novel by micaelatecossi

    The Alpha's Discarded Luna: Similar Book to Separate Hearts novel by micaelatecossi

    I was three months pregnant when the car hit me.

    Lying there, barely hanging on, I called my husband-Alpha Ethan-over and over. No answer. When I finally woke up from the pain, I saw a post from his first love, Ivy. “Thank you, Alpha, for knowing how scared I am of the dark and staying with me all night. He even cleared his whole schedule today to take me to the auction, just to give me the best gift in the world. I’m so happy!”

    Right then, it hit me. While I was fighting to protect our child, he was with another she-wolf. I calmly liked her post and put my phone away.

    Since he chose his first love, I chose to let go.

    Seven days from now, I’d leave his world for good-with our child.

    The Alpha’s Discarded Luna Chapter 1 Sign The Rejection

    Lianne’s POV:

    Three months into my pregnancy, I, Lianne Riley, was caught in a car accident.

    Half-conscious and shaking, I kept calling my husband, Alpha Ethan Voss, but he never answered.

    When the pain finally eased enough for me to stay awake, I opened my phone and saw a post from his first love, Ivy Brooks.

    “I have to thank Ethan for staying with me all night because he knows I’m afraid of the dark. He even canceled all his meetings today to take me to an auction and bought me the most beautiful gift in the world. I’m so happy!”

    That was the moment I understood everything. When I was seriously injured while protecting my child, he chose to stay beside another she-wolf.

    Without a word, I liked the post and closed the app.

    If he wanted his first love back, then he could have her.

    Seven days from now, I would disappear from his life forever-with our child.

    Clutching the freshly printed Rejection, I dragged my injured body back home.

    I shoved open the heavy oak door. The living room sat in darkness, with only the faint glow from the wall lamps cutting through the shadows.

    In the faint light, a tall figure sat on the couch, his presence heavy and suffocating. The pressure rolling off him belonged only to a top-tier Alpha.

    He was none other than my mate, Ethan.

    “So you still remember this is your home?” His voice cut through the silence like frost.

    Before I could answer, he rose from the couch and crossed the room in a few long strides.

    His hand clamped around my wrist with brutal force, pain shooting through my arm as though he meant to snap the bones.

    “Lianne, what was the point of that like on Ivy’s post?” he snapped, glaring down at me with open contempt. “She only just came back, and her condition isn’t stable yet. She can’t deal with stress right now. Were you trying to remind her that you’re my Luna?”

    I lifted my eyes to him, my blurred vision making his face hard to see clearly.

    Three years ago, Ethan had been poisoned with silver. The toxin ruined his legs.

    After Ivy dumped him and ran overseas, he spiraled completely, numbing himself with alcohol day after day.

    The Elders of the Thorn Pack arranged our bond.

    For the last three years, I’d stayed by his side as his mate, calming the rage and pain eating away at him. At the same time, I’d given him my blood again and again, using my healing ability to help repair his body until he could finally stand on his own once more.

    But now, there wasn’t even a trace of warmth left in him. His breath brushed lightly against my neck while his voice stayed cold. “I already told you before-stop letting your jealousy control you. Can’t you act reasonable for once?”

    Reasonable.

    The word hit harder than a slap against my already numb heart.

    He didn’t know that not long ago, I’d been trapped in a wrecked car after the crash.

    Pinned inside the overturned vehicle with blood running down my face, I’d called him again and again, hoping he would come to save me and our unborn baby.

    But before I could explain anything, all he said was, “Ivy’s not feeling well right now. I can’t leave her side. Whatever it is, deal with it yourself.”

    Then he ended the call.

    I forced myself out of the crushed driver’s seat with the last bit of strength I had left. After that, I walked three miles through heavy rain before a passing car finally stopped for me.

    “I’m sorry,” I whispered, lowering my gaze so he wouldn’t see the sadness in my eyes. “It won’t happen again.”

    Ethan looked caught off guard by how quickly I apologized. He fell silent for a moment, the anger in his eyes easing slightly, though suspicion soon took its place.

    Letting go of my wrist, he looked me over slowly, from my tangled hair to my pale face.

    “The staff said you were out all day, and you weren’t answering your phone.” He frowned. “And those calls you kept making… were you throwing a fit because of Ivy?”

    “No.” I took a slow breath, forcing down the turmoil churning inside me. “There was an issue with the pack’s supply deliveries, so I went to deal with it. I must’ve lost my phone during the mess.”

    I pulled out a stack of documents and handed them to him. “These are the financial reports for this quarter, along with a few documents that need your signature. The admin office needs them by tomorrow morning.”

    Ethan took the papers from me and casually tossed them onto the coffee table without even checking them.

    He trusted me completely. For the past three years, I’d been the perfect Luna in his eyes, handling every responsibility without fault.

    I took care of the endless pack matters for him. Whenever the silver poison pushed him into violent, uncontrollable episodes, I stayed beside him and used our mate bond to calm the beast inside him.

    Ethan sat back down, picked up a pen, and signed the documents one after another with quick, practiced strokes.

    He didn’t realize the Rejection was hidden beneath the stack of documents.

    Once he signed it, the Rejection would take effect in seven days.

    After that, the bond forcing us together would break completely. He would finally be free. And I would disappear from his life forever.

    “It’s done.” He slid the papers back toward me, his fingers brushing lightly against the back of my hand by accident.

    I pulled my hand away instantly, as though his touch had scorched me.

    A shadow passed through Ethan’s eyes. He stared at me for a long moment before asking, “Lianne, are you avoiding me?”

    He rose to his feet, his tall frame closing in until his shadow swallowed me completely.

    Then he reached for me. His fingers caught my chin and lifted it, forcing me to look straight at him.

    There was something fierce burning in his eyes. Possessiveness. The instinctive dominance an Alpha held toward his mate.

    “Today’s our wedding anniversary,” he said quietly. His hand slid from my chin to my throat, his rough thumb brushing slowly over the sensitive skin there. “By pack tradition, I should stay with you tonight.”

    His touch felt burning hot against my skin, yet my heart remained cold and unmoving.

    At that moment, his phone suddenly rang.

    The glowing screen showed a name I knew too well. Ivy.

    Ethan’s body stiffened.

    He answered immediately, and Ivy’s trembling voice drifted through the call, “Ethan, I’m scared. The thunder’s really loud tonight. Can you come stay with me?”

    Ethan glanced at me, hesitation flickering briefly across his face.

    I pressed a faint smile onto my lips and urged, “You should go. Ivy only just came back, and she’s still not fully recovered. As the pack’s Alpha, you should look after your pack members. I’ll be fine here alone.”

    Ethan kept staring at me, as if trying to find some trace of resentment hidden beneath my words. But there was nothing for him to find. I looked empty enough to fool even him, like a doll with nothing left inside.

    “You’re finally beginning to understand what it means to be a Luna,” he said after a moment, satisfaction creeping into his tone as he put his phone away. “I know this hasn’t been easy for you. Once Ivy’s settled in, I’ll make it up to you.”

    Make it up to me?

    What I wanted was never compensation. I only wanted the one thing he had never truly given me-his whole heart.

    “Okay,” I answered with a nod.

    Ethan turned and headed for the door, his hurried steps making it seem as though he couldn’t leave fast enough.

    He never looked back, so he never saw my legs buckle the moment the door shut behind him. I slid slowly down the wall, too weak to keep standing.

    Lowering my eyes, I looked at the Rejection while my trembling fingers brushed across his signature.

    This would be the last thing I ever did for Ethan.

    In seven days, I would no longer be his Luna.

    I would take our unborn child and disappear from his life forever.

    The Alpha’s Discarded Luna Chapter 2 Eternal Devotion

    Lianne’s POV:

    The next morning, sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows and filled my room.

    I endured the constant ache in my fractured ribs, then covered the lifeless color of my face with thick concealer before changing into a clean, tailored business suit.

    Ethan wasn’t only the Alpha of the Thorn Pack. He was also the CEO of Voss Group. And I was his chief secretary.

    To everyone in the company, I was the person he relied on most. Calm, capable, efficient. The perfect secretary who handled every problem without hesitation.

    Only a few in the pack knew I was his mate.

    I knew Ethan hated the fact that I had lost my wolf. That was why he’d never acknowledged our bond in public. For a long time, I’d waited quietly, hoping one day, he’d accept me openly.

    But now, none of that mattered anymore.

    I walked into the company building and went straight to the HR department. Then I placed my resignation letter on the manager’s desk.

    “You’re resigning?” The HR manager adjusted her glasses in disbelief. “Lianne, you’re the person Mr. Voss trusts more than anyone. The company would fall apart without you. Does Mr. Voss know about this?”

    “He won’t mind,” I replied calmly, keeping the same polished smile I used at work every day. “I’ll finish the transition over the next few days. Nothing at the company will be affected.”

    The manager looked like she wanted to say more, but in the end, she only sighed and signed the resignation letter.

    After leaving her office, I stopped in the hallway and took a slow breath. A sharp pain spread through my chest, reminding me that the injuries from the car crash were far worse than they looked.

    I was about to return to my desk when quiet voices drifted out from the break room nearby.

    “Did you hear? The one Alpha loves is back.”

    “You mean Ivy? No wonder Alpha spent so much at the auction. He paid fifty million for the ‘Tears of Moonstone’ necklace.”

    “Seriously? That’s the necklace that represents eternal devotion. He really treats her like a queen.”

    I stopped walking.

    Tears of Moonstone.

    Three years ago, on the day Ethan and I formed our mate bond, I’d seen that necklace in a magazine.

    The crystal was said to glow blue beneath moonlight, a gift blessed by the Moon Goddess for true mates.

    Back then, I’d pointed at the picture shyly and whispered to Ethan, “It’s beautiful.”

    He hadn’t even looked at the picture for more than a second before answering casually, “That necklace is meant for she-wolves who’ve gone through the official Luna ceremony. You don’t even have a wolf, Lianne. If you wore it, the pack would only complain. Stop making things harder for me.”

    So that was the truth. It had never been about pack traditions. I simply wasn’t worthy enough in his eyes.

    “Lianne, this document needs Alpha’s signature right away. Could you bring it in for me?” A junior secretary hurried toward me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

    I accepted the document, though my fingers shook slightly around it.

    Then I walked to the CEO’s office and pushed the door open. The moment I stepped inside, the scene before me froze me in place.

    Ethan sat behind his large desk while Ivy perched casually along the edge beside him.

    She wore a flawless silk dress that made her seem delicate enough to break.

    The coldness in Ethan’s eyes had completely disappeared. He let her wrap her arms around his neck, and when she leaned over to kiss his cheek, he didn’t pull away.

    Suddenly, the document slipped from my numb fingers. Papers scattered across the floor with a sharp rustle, as though my heart had shattered along with them.

    Both of them looked toward me at once.

    The tenderness on Ethan’s face vanished instantly, replaced by the familiar icy expression I knew too well. Irritation flickered in his eyes.

    “Do you not know how to knock before entering?” he said sharply.

    Ivy quickly jumped off the desk, acting startled by the situation. Then she walked over to me and took my hand, as though she was trying to comfort me. “Lianne, please don’t misunderstand anything. I’m just really happy today. Ethan gave me such an amazing gift.”

    Her fingers tightened around mine while she tilted her head to show off the necklace resting against her throat.

    The huge moonstone shimmered beneath the sunlight pouring through the windows, its glare so bright it almost hurt to look at.

    “It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Ivy smiled sweetly, but the provocation in her eyes was meant only for me. “Ethan told me I’m the only person worthy of this symbol of eternal devotion.”

    A sharp pain twisted through my chest, dull and brutal, like a blunt knife dragging back and forth inside me.

    Still, I forced myself to remain standing. Somehow, I even managed a steady smile. “It’s beautiful. It looks perfect on you.”

    I crouched down slowly, pain shooting through my ribs as I gathered the scattered papers. After straightening them neatly, I placed them on Ethan’s desk. “Alpha, this document needs your signature.”

    My composure seemed to unsettle Ethan.

    A trace of discomfort crossed his face as he watched me turn toward the door. Then, almost awkwardly, he spoke up to explain himself. “Ivy just returned to the pack. The necklace was only meant as a welcome-back gift. Don’t overthink it.”

    “Alright.” I nodded lightly, said nothing else, and walked out without looking back.

    That evening, I returned home and quietly began packing my things.

    Everything in the house carried traces of the life Ethan and I had shared together. Now all of it felt like a cruel reminder of how foolish I’d been.

    I folded my clothes carefully and placed them inside the suitcase one by one. As for the expensive jewelry Ethan had given me over the years, I left every piece behind.

    I only wanted to take the things that truly belonged to me.

    The moment I closed the suitcase, hurried footsteps sounded from behind me.

    Then Ethan’s voice rang out in panic. “Lianne! What do you think you’re doing?”

    The Alpha’s Discarded Luna Chapter 3 Ethan, Help Me

    Lianne’s POV:

    I hadn’t expected Ethan to come back so early.

    Before I could say anything, he crossed the room in a few quick strides and grabbed the wrist I was using to close the suitcase. His grip tightened hard enough to hurt.

    Then he seemed to have realized something. Dark anger stirred in his eyes as he stared at me. “Didn’t I already explain the necklace was only a gift to celebrate Ivy’s return? And now you’re packing your things to threaten me? Lianne, you’re not a child anymore. You’re the Luna of this pack. Start acting like one.”

    I looked at his familiar face, handsome as ever yet completely devoid of warmth, and a deep sense of bitterness rose quietly inside me.

    No matter what happened, he always treated my pain like some immature attempt to gain attention.

    But I didn’t want to argue with him. Most of all, I couldn’t let him discover the Rejection.

    “I’m not threatening you,” I said, lowering my eyes. “The closet’s just too crowded, so I thought I’d clear some of the clothes out. Sometimes, old things should make room for new ones.”

    Ethan stared at me for a long moment, as though trying to determine whether I was lying to him.

    But my face remained calm, without the hurt and resentment he usually expected to see. Gradually, the tension in his expression eased. “Good. I’m glad you understand.”

    “Ethan?” A soft voice drifted in from the doorway.

    I looked up sharply. Ivy stood in the doorway wearing a thin silk nightdress, a man’s jacket draped loosely over her shoulders. It carried Ethan’s scent.

    She leaned weakly against the doorframe, her pale face making her look like a fragile white flower ready to collapse at any moment.

    “What is she doing here?” The words escaped before I could stop them, and a sharp ache pierced my chest.

    “Ivy’s going to stay here for a while.” Ethan walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders with natural familiarity, as though he’d done it countless times before. “Some of her fans have been crossing the line lately. They even found the place she’s staying at now. It isn’t safe for her anymore. Until she finds somewhere suitable, staying here is the best option.”

    Then he looked at me, warning clear in his eyes. “Treat her properly. I don’t want people spreading rumors that the Luna of the Thorn Pack is bullying another pack member. Do you understand?”

    I stared at the two of them standing together, and the whole thing felt strangely unreal.

    My mate had brought the woman he loved into our home. And now he expected me to welcome her with a smile.

    “Alright,” I replied with a bitter smile. “I’ll make sure she’s well taken care of.”

    The staff moved quickly after that. They cleaned out the room beside mine, the nursery Ethan and I had once planned to use for our future child, and turned it into Ivy’s bedroom.

    Ethan personally stayed with her while the servants arranged everything. He even instructed them to replace the scent diffuser oils with lavender because it was Ivy’s favorite fragrance.

    The laughter drifting from the room next door grated against my nerves like a blade scraping over raw skin, tearing deeper into a heart that was already falling apart.

    Late that night, I forced my exhausted body into the bathroom.

    Warm water poured over me, but no amount of heat could drive away the cold buried deep inside my chest.

    I lifted my eyes to the mirror. My face looked pale and drained, and dark bruises spread across my chest from the crash. At that moment, the tears I had been holding back finally fell.

    Just six more days.

    If I could endure six more days, everything would be over.

    After changing into a simple silk slip dress, I stepped out of the bathroom through the lingering steam. My vision was still hazy, so I didn’t notice someone standing inside the room.

    Suddenly, my foot slipped against the floor, and my body pitched backward.

    But instead of crashing down, I fell into a firm, burning embrace.

    One of Ethan’s arms locked tightly around my waist while his other hand pressed protectively against the back of my head, pulling me hard against his chest.

    The sharp cedarwood scent that always clung to him surrounded me instantly.

    “Can’t even stand properly anymore?” His voice came out low and rough beside my ear.

    “Let me go,” I insisted, struggling to steady myself. “Shouldn’t you be with Ivy right now?”

    His eyes darkened instantly. Instead of letting me go, Ethan pulled me tighter against him. His fingers slid slowly through my damp hair before settling at the back of my neck, right over the sensitive gland every werewolf guarded instinctively.

    “Lianne, I’m your mate,” he murmured against my skin. His warm breath brushed across my collarbone, sending a shiver through me. “Yesterday was our anniversary. I told you I’d make it up to you.”

    His hand moved slowly along my skin, rough fingertips brushing lightly against me and leaving heat in their wake.

    Three years of marriage had taught him every weakness I had. He knew exactly how to break down my defenses.

    “No…”

    My protest was swallowed by his possessive, punishing kiss.

    There was no gentleness in the kiss. It was fierce and possessive, filled with a hunger that felt more like claiming than affection.

    He kissed me hard enough to steal the air from my lungs, as though he wanted to erase every thought in my mind except him.

    The next moment, he pushed me down onto the bed, his body pressing heavily against mine.

    During the struggle, the straps of my silk dress slipped from my shoulders, exposing bare skin beneath the dim light.

    Desire burned openly in Ethan’s eyes. His lips moved slowly down my neck, leaving heated marks along my collarbone.

    “Ethan…” A shaky sound escaped my throat as my fingers gripped his shoulders tightly, my nails pressing into the hard muscles beneath his shirt.

    For that brief moment, I let myself sink into the illusion he created. Even knowing it wasn’t real, I still reached desperately for the warmth he gave me so rarely.

    His hand slid beneath the hem of my dress, his touch burning against my skin.

    Just as he was about to go further, a terrified scream suddenly rang out from Ivy’s room next door.

    “Ethan, help me!”

  • The Lycan King Curse: Similar Book to The Lycan King’s Army

    The Lycan King Curse by Bobbie_

    “Our marriage was only a deal between me and my father. I don’t love you. The woman I love is pregnant and in critical condition… This marriage is cancelled!”
    Those words shattered Quinn on what should’ve been the happiest day of her life. Betrayed by her fiancé and best friend in one brutal moment, she spirals into heartbreak-and lands in the arms of a dangerous stranger after a reckless, wild night.
    But the man she gave herself to wasn’t just any stranger.
    He was the cursed Lycan king-a feared beast of legends who disappeared from the world long ago. And now, he’s back… for her.
    Framed for murder by the same people who betrayed her, Quinn finds herself hunted-until the king rises from the shadows to claim what’s his. Her.
    And she’s not alone.
    She’s carrying his pup.
    Cold. Possessive. Lethal. He will burn kingdoms to protect her, shed blood for her vengeance, and tear apart anyone who made her cry. Because she isn’t just his mate…
    She’s his cure.
    And no one touches what belongs to the cursed king.

    The Lycan King Curse Chapter 1 The Rejection

    I should’ve known.
    The moment Dylan stepped onto that stage with his tie undone and his lips pressed into a flat, miserable line, I should’ve known something was wrong. Something was always wrong with Dylan, I just didn’t want to see it.
    The guests murmured. My heart thumped in my ears. I took a shaky breath and stepped forward in my ivory dress, the veil clutched in one hand. My smile wavered.
    He didn’t even look at me.
    “Dylan?” I whispered.
    He turned to face the crowd instead, jaw tight. “I-I can’t go through with this.”
    Silence. Pure, suffocating silence. Then-
    “What?” I choked, the word barely leaving my throat.
    “I’m sorry,” he said, like it meant anything. “But I’m not marrying Quinn.”
    Gasps broke out across the pack house hall.
    My chest caved inward.
    “My mate is in the hospital,” he said louder now, for everyone to hear. “She’s carrying my child. And she’s in critical condition.”
    The room spun. My body turned to ice.
    Mate?
    Pregnant?
    My feet moved on their own. “Dylan, what are you talking about?” My voice cracked, shaking.
    “I can’t let her die while I stand here pretending to love someone I don’t.” His eyes finally met mine, hard and cold. “I never loved you, Quinn.”
    Pain hit like a slap. I stepped back. My wolf whimpered in my mind.
    He kept going. “I needed to prove to my father that I was responsible. That I could commit. That’s why I proposed. That’s why I played along.”
    Played along?
    I laughed. It was sharp and hollow. “You used me.”
    “I had no choice,” he snapped. “You think my father would’ve let me near the Alpha title if I didn’t prove myself with the perfect, obedient she-wolf? You were convenient.”
    I clenched my fists. “Say that again.”
    But he turned his back to me.
    That was it. No explanation. No guilt.
    Just cold-blooded betrayal.
    I could hear someone crying in the crowd. I didn’t know if it was my aunt, my cousin-or me. My throat burned. I couldn’t breathe.
    My mother stood at the far end of the room, arms folded, face unreadable.
    Of course she wasn’t surprised.
    Of course she knew.
    She always knew everything before I did.
    I turned toward her, and for once, I saw what she really thought of me. No pity. Not concerned. Just disgust.
    “Don’t make a scene,” she mouthed slowly.
    Don’t make a scene?
    I stormed down the aisle, ripping off my veil and tossing it to the floor. My father avoided my gaze like getting has always done when things get sour. Coward.
    Outside, the wind howled. My hands trembled as I tugged off the heels. I didn’t care that I was barefoot on the gravel path. I didn’t care that I was still in my wedding dress.
    I needed answers.
    I needed a name.
    I needed to know who Dylan threw everything away for.
    So I ran.
    The hospital smelled like bleach and betrayal. I charged up to the nurse’s station, my voice steel. “I need to know who was just admitted for an emergency pregnancy. Critical condition. The father’s name is Dylan Reid.”
    The nurse blinked. “Ma’am, we can’t-“
    “I’m his fiancée. Or… I was,” I bit out. “Tell me where he is.”
    The nurse hesitated, then pointed. “Room 213. Maternity emergency wing.”
    I didn’t thank her. I didn’t slow down.
    I burst through the door like a hurricane.
    And there she was.
    Cassandra.
    My best friend.
    In the hospital bed, propped up by pillows, looking pale and beautiful, was the girl I’d grown up with. The girl who laughed with me in high school, shared secrets, painted my nails, and told me Dylan was “just her cousin” when they met two years ago.
    She looked shocked when she saw me. But not guilty.
    “Quinn…”
    I laughed bitterly. “You?”
    She blinked, pretending to be confused. “W-What are you-“
    I marched to the bed. “Cut the crap. You’re the one carrying Dylan’s baby?”
    Her hands went to her stomach. Protective. Possessive.
    Like she had any right.
    “He said you’d hate me,” she whispered.
    “Hate you?” I seethed. “You sat in my house. Ate with my family. Planned my engagement party. All the while, screwing the man I was supposed to marry?”
    “He was never yours Quinn, you were just a temporary replacement” she said, a tone of mockery evident in her voice.
    “Oh, that makes it okay?” I barked out a harsh laugh.
    The door opened behind me, and Dylan stepped in, panting, sweaty, looking like he’d just run a marathon.
    His eyes widened when he saw me.
    “You,” I said quietly. “Told me she was your cousin.”
    He didn’t respond.
    “She’s pregnant,” I continued, voice rising. “With your child. And you introduced her to me as your goddamn cousin.”
    “Quinn, I-“
    I slapped him.
    The sound echoed in the room.
    Cassandra gasped. Dylan reeled back, but I wasn’t done.
    “You humiliated me in front of the entire pack,” I hissed. “You lied. You used me. For what? To earn Daddy’s approval?”
    He looked ashamed, but not enough.
    “I should’ve known. You were always a coward.”
    “Don’t talk to him like that,” Cassandra said, frowning.
    I turned to her. “Shut up. You don’t get to defend him.”
    “Please leave,” Dylan said, voice low. “She’s not well.”
    “I don’t give a damn.” I stepped closer. “You could’ve told me the truth. You could’ve broken it off like a man. But instead you waited till our wedding day to throw me away like garbage.”
    “You were always garbage,” he said, his voice rising.
    “I gave you people to rely on when no one wants to play with a cursed and weak omega like you so be grateful for that” he said scorn
    “I was just a tool to get what you wanted.”
    He didn’t deny it.
    My eyes burned with unshed tears, but I refused to let them fall.
    “You’re dead to me, both of you.”
    I turned to leave, then paused. “Oh, and Dylan? You better pray your father never finds out the truth. Because I’ll make sure he does.”
    “Too bad, his father died this morning and that’s why your engagement was broken” Cassandra said with a smirk playing on her lips
    My face went pale.
    I slammed the door on my way out.
    It is raining now. Of course it was.
    I stood on the sidewalk, wedding dress soaked, mascara running. People stared. I didn’t care.
    My phone rang. My mother.
    I declined the call.
    It rang again.
    I picked it up.
    “What?” I snapped.
    “You made a spectacle of yourself,” she said coldly. “We’ll never live this down.”
    “I don’t care,” I spat. “I’m done pretending.”
    “I warned you about Dylan. You didn’t listen.”
    “You didn’t warn me. You just hated me so much you wanted me to fail.”
    She was silent.
    I continued, voice shaking. “You never loved me. You just tolerated me because it made you look good in front of the pack.”
    “You’re being dramatic.”
    “No. I’m finally seeing things clearly.”
    I hung up and tossed the phone into a puddle.
    Let it drown like the trust I once had in everyone around me.
    I didn’t go home. I walked for hours, barefoot, cold, and furious. I ended up at the old training field, the one Dylan and I used to sneak into when we were younger. The gate creaked as I pushed it open.
    I let out a scream.
    One long, raw, animalistic scream that tore from my throat like a wound being ripped open.
    Then I shifted.

    The Lycan King Curse Chapter 2 The Stranger

    The wind stung my face as I tore through the woods, paws thudding against the wet earth. I didn’t care where I was going-I just needed to run, to escape the crushing weight in my chest.
    Branches snapped underfoot. Trees blurred past. My wolf didn’t stop. Not until the pain dulled to a low throb and even she was tired of being angry.
    By the time I shifted back, my skin was damp with rain and sweat. My hair clung to my face, and I was somewhere deep in the northern edge of Graybridge-far from the pack, far from home, if I could even call that place home anymore.
    I didn’t plan on going back. Not tonight. Maybe not ever.
    In the distance, I spotted flickering neon lights-Blue Moon Tavern. Fitting.
    I walked barefoot toward it, mud caking my feet, still wearing the tattered remains of my shift clothes from under the wedding dress. A few people outside started, but I didn’t stop. I pushed the door open and was greeted with loud music, stale smoke, and the clink of glasses.
    The bartender blinked as I approached.
    “You alright there?” he asked, eyeing my torn dress and matted hair.
    “I need a drink,” I croaked. “Something strong.”
    He poured without another word. I downed the first shot, then the second, then three more. The burn didn’t bother me. I wanted it.
    I wanted to forget.
    “Rough night?” the bartender asked after a while.
    I slammed my sixth shot glass down. “You have no idea.”
    “Maybe a bed would be better than the bar.”
    “Maybe,” I muttered, swaying slightly. “You rent rooms?”
    “Upstairs. We’ve got a few for overnight travelers.”
    “I’ll take one.”
    He handed me a key. “Room twelve. Down the hall, second left, past the stairs.”
    “Got it.” I nodded… or tried to.
    I grabbed the key, slid off the stool like a newborn deer, and made my way toward the hallway. I forgot the number immediately.
    Was it ten? Or twenty? No-twelve.
    I squinted at the numbers on the doors, my vision dancing. I stopped at a door that looked vaguely right. 210? 201? 120? Who cares.
    The key fit.
    I turned it and stumbled in.
    Dim lights. A warm scent of cedar and something spicy.
    I yawned and dropped my purse, letting my dress fall from my shoulder.
    Then I heard the door to the bathroom open.
    “What the hell?” a deep voice rumbled.
    I froze, heart lurching.
    A man stepped out, towel slung low on his hips, hair wet, water dripping down his abs like a slow tease from the goddess herself.
    He stared at me, stunned. “Who are you?”
    I blinked. “This is my room.”
    “No. It’s not.”
    I looked down at the key still in my hand, confused. “Room twelve?”
    He raised a brow. “This is twenty-one.”
    Shit.
    “Oh,” I mumbled. “My bad.”
    He walked forward, still dripping, still towel-clad, and just-why did he look like that? The body of a warrior, but the face of a man who could ruin someone without saying a word.
    “I’ll leave,” I said quickly, trying to back up.
    But I stepped on the hem of my dress and slipped.
    “Whoa-!”
    He caught me before I hit the floor, one strong arm around my waist.
    And just like that, the room shifted.
    Our eyes locked.
    There it was. That damn electric snap. Like the universe had grabbed my spine and yanked.
    My hands were on his chest. His skin was hot. My head spun-but not from the alcohol anymore.
    “Don’t,” I whispered.
    “Don’t what?” he murmured, his voice low, steady.
    I should’ve pulled away.
    I should’ve walked out.
    But I didn’t.
    Instead, I leaned in and kissed him.
    Hard. Desperate.
    He froze for half a second, then gripped my waist and kissed me back-deeper, rougher, like he’d been waiting for something to break him open too.
    My dress dropped to the floor.
    His towel hit the ground.
    There was no name, no promise, no future. Just breath and skin and pain and need.
    He pressed me to the wall, lips grazing my jaw. “What’s your name?”
    I closed my eyes. “Does it matter?”
    He paused. Then, “No. Not tonight.”
    That was all it took.
    He lifted me with ease, laid me on the bed, kissed every broken part of me like it could be stitched together by mouth and tongue and fire.
    It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t sweet.
    It was raw.
    And somewhere between the gasps and the tangled sheets, I gave something I’d never given anyone else-my body, my heart, my firsts.
    My virginity.
    To a stranger.
    And I didn’t regret it.
    Not even a little.
    I woke up to sunlight slanting through the window and the weight of an arm draped across my hip.
    For a moment, I forgot where I was.
    Then I turned and saw him.
    God, he was even more beautiful in the light.
    His face was relaxed, lashes dark against his cheekbones, jaw rough with stubble. He looked peaceful. Untouchable.
    I slipped out of bed carefully, grabbing my dress from the floor and wincing at the soreness between my legs.
    Last night came back in pieces-drinks, heat, skin, his voice whispering something I didn’t understand in my ear as I collapsed on top of him.
    I didn’t even ask his name.
    And I still didn’t want it.
    Not yet.
    I needed the illusion-that just once, I’d done something reckless for myself. That just once, I wasn’t someone’s pawn.
    I scribbled a note on a hotel notepad:
    “Thanks for the rescue. No regrets. – Q.”
    I placed it on the bedside table and slipped out quietly.
    I didn’t even look back.
    Outside, the town was waking. I stood at the corner of the street, unsure where to go. No home to return to. No pack to belong to.
    But for the first time in years, I felt something close to free.
    Still hurt. Still pissed. Still burning.
    But free.
    My phone buzzed. I’d forgotten I even had it.
    Caller ID: Mom.

    The Lycan King Curse Chapter 3 The Truth Revealed

    I stared at the screen like it owed me a damn explanation.
    Caller ID: Mom.
    Of course.
    The second I picked up, her screech nearly shattered my eardrum.
    “Where the hell are you, Quinn? Do you think this is some kind of game? Get back here right now!”
    I held the phone away from my face and blinked into the sky. Still gray. Still miserable. I exhaled through my nose, trying not to punch a wall or dissolve into flames.
    “I’m coming anyway,” I muttered and hung up before she could spit another insult.
    I should’ve tossed the phone into traffic.
    I walked the rest of the way home. No one stopped me. No one cared. The stares I got? All pity. The same pity I hated when Dylan rejected me, the same pity I spat on when I ran away, barefoot and broken.
    But now? I didn’t feel broken anymore. Something inside me had snapped clean, like the last chain unhooked from my ribs. It still hurt, but I could breathe for once.
    When the Arledge estate came into view, I paused at the gate and stared up at it like it was a stranger’s home. Technically, it always felt like it.
    My hand gripped the cold handle of the front door, and just before I pushed it open, I froze.
    “…the cursed Lycan King’s envoy will be here shortly,” my father’s voice floated out the open living room window.
    I froze. My stomach turned.
    “She’s lucky,” Mother added. “After humiliating us, this is the least she can do.”
    “Sold,” I whispered to myself. “They’re selling me off like I’m… livestock.”
    My nails dug into the door.
    “Is this a goddamn joke?” I roared as I burst in, slamming the door behind me.
    Father turned, barely blinking. “Watch your mouth, girl.”
    I marched in. “Tell me what I just heard isn’t true.”
    “It is. You leave today. The King’s guard will arrive shortly,” he said like he was reading off a weather report.
    My chest caved in.
    “You’re selling me to the cursed Lycan King? The murderer? The one with a trail of blood behind him longer than his shadow?”
    “It’s an honor-“
    “It’s a death sentence!” I snapped. “And you didn’t even ask me? You didn’t think to-“
    A flash. A crack. My face whipped sideways as his palm smacked hard against my cheek.
    I gasped, tasting iron.
    “Be grateful,” he growled. “You’ve embarrassed this family enough.”
    I blinked at him, stunned for maybe half a second. Then I laughed. Laughed so hard I thought I’d choke.
    “You mean after your perfect deal with Dylan fell apart? That’s what this is about? Saving face?”
    “Don’t speak unless spoken to,” my mother cut in coldly.
    “You hate me so much you’re throwing me to a beast,” I hissed.
    “If you hadn’t failed at keeping a man-“
    I lunged forward, but one of the guards stepped between us. “Back off.”
    That’s when I noticed the three men by the hallway-pack guards I hadn’t seen in years. Muscle-bound, silver-armed, ready for war.
    “You’re seriously doing this,” I breathed. “You’re giving me away like a sack of rice?”
    My mother narrowed her eyes. “It’s done. Accept it.”
    “No.” I spun and bolted for the door.
    Before I could reach it, cold fingers yanked my wrist. Mother’s grip was steel.
    “You’re not leaving.”
    I jerked, twisted, tried to shake her off. But she pushed me toward the staircase, and the guards flanked me.
    “Don’t touch me!” I shrieked.
    “Put her in her room!” Father bellowed. “Now!”
    One of the guards hoisted me like I weighed nothing and shoved me up the stairs while I kicked and punched and screamed.
    “This is illegal! I’m not a damn toy! I’m not-“
    They pushed me inside my room and slammed the door shut behind me. A key turned. Then the bolt.
    Trapped.
    Like always.
    I roared, a deep growl tearing from my chest as I punched the wall. My hand ached. Didn’t matter. I grabbed the dresser and threw it against the door. Not that it’d stop anyone.
    My breaths were ragged. My pulse, wild. My wolf was clawing to the surface, as angry as I was.
    They were really going to send me off to the cursed king like some gift-wrapped offering. And no one was coming to save me.
    Fine.
    I’d save myself.
    The window. I ran over, threw it open. Wind howled through, cold and sharp. The branches of the tree beside my room were thinner than I remembered. But they were there.
    And I had nothing to lose.
    I climbed onto the window ledge, looked down at the drop.
    Then I jumped.
    The wind snatched my breath as I hit the first branch, bounced, scraped my arm, then landed hard in a pile of dead leaves.
    Groaning, I scrambled to my feet.
    “GO!” I hissed to myself, feet pounding the dirt as I sprinted away from the house.
    I didn’t make it far.
    Just two blocks down the private trail that led toward the old woods, a black SUV screeched to a halt in front of me.
    Four men in dark leather stepped out. Lycans. No doubt about it.
    One sniffed the air, checked the picture in his hand and grinned. “She’s the one.”
    I turned on my heel and ran.
    Another SUV behind me. They’d blocked both exits but I smirked crazily, “this is my hood bitch”.
    One of them shifted, mid‑air. Fur erupted, bones cracked, and a massive gray beast landed on all fours, snarling.
    I veered into the woods. My legs were on fire. My heart? A thunderstorm.
    Branches slapped my face. My foot snagged on a root. I tripped, fell, rolled, and scrambled up again.
    Behind me, I heard them yelling. One of them burst through the tree line and lunged.
    I ducked just in time. His claws missed my back by inches.
    I turned and screamed, “STAY AWAY FROM ME!”
    He snarled. “We don’t want to hurt you, but keep fighting and I can’t promise anything.”
    Another one lunged, this one in human form. He grabbed me by the waist, but I elbowed him hard. He grunted and lost his grip, and I took off again.
    Straight toward the old creek.
    I leapt over it, almost slipped on the mossy rock, and kept running until my lungs give out.
    A hand caught my ankle.
    I crashed forward, breath knocked out of me.
    He flipped me over and pinned me down.
    “You’re done running,” he said.
    I screamed. Bit his wrist. Kicked. He growled, shifting mid‑hold, muzzle snapping toward my face.
    Just then, another voice cut through the chaos.
    “Let her go.”
    The man froze.
    A shadow moved behind him. One of the guards who’d been quiet this whole time stepped forward, dark eyes locked on me.
    “She’s the King now. You don’t rough her up before she even gets there,” he said calmly.
    “I was following orders-“
    “Then follow them better.”
    The one pinning me hesitated, then released me slowly and backed off.
    I lay there gasping, blood on my lip, knees scraped, heart racing.
    “We’re taking you now,” the calm one said, extending a hand.
    I didn’t take it.
    “You’ll have to drag me,” I said.
    He gave a small smirk. “Then I will.”
    He stepped forward.
    But I was faster.
    I yanked the dagger from my boot-one I’d hidden there months ago for emergencies-and stabbed it into his thigh.
    He roared in pain.
    I jumped back and sprinted into the thickest part of the woods, branches tearing at my skin, hair flying behind me.
    They were shouting, chasing me again, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to stop.
    Not now. Not ever.
    I didn’t know where I was going.
    But I knew what I was running from.
    And that was enough.

  • The Fake Luna: Marked By The Alpha King by Krystal

    The Fake Luna: Marked By The Alpha King by Krystal

    Contract Marriage+Kickass Heroine+Hidden Identity+Regret
    For two long years, Aria Smith devoted everything to Ethan Holt, convinced she was his beloved Luna and his fated mate.
    Until a trip to replace her lost marriage certificate shattered every lie.
    Ethan had never loved her. Her closest best friend Clara was his real destined mate. The adopted son Aria had raised with all her love for two years was actually their biological child.
    Before she could process the brutal truth, a sudden call overturned her whole life. She was not a lonely, powerless human orphan as she had always believed. She was the sole legitimate heir to Vincent Smith’s staggering cross-realm fortune, inheriting his massive business empire that dominated both human and werewolf worlds.
    Her heart completely broken, Aria made her choice without hesitation.
    “I am single. Legally, I have never been anyone’s wife.”
    She cut off all ties with the Silver Creek Pack and stepped into her rightful identity as a billionaire heiress overnight.
    Ethan and Clara mocked her relentlessly. They believed the helpless human orphan could never survive outside the pack, and she would soon come crawling back begging for forgiveness.
    They never foresaw the day they met again.
    When Aria returned, she was no longer the humble, gentle human Luna who lived for Ethan. She stood powerful, wealthy, and untouchable, holding unmatched commercial power that shook the entire werewolf realm.
    And right by her side stood a dominant, peerless Alpha King-someone far more powerful than Ethan could ever dare to rival, ready to burn the whole world down for her revenge.

    The Fake Luna: Marked By The Alpha King Chapter 1 How could our certificate possibly be fake !

    Aria’s POV
    “Ma’am, I’ve checked the system three times. There’s no marriage record under your name. Are you certain about the date?”

    I stood frozen outside the County Clerk’s office, the clerk’s words still ringing in my ears.

    Two years. Two years of believing I was Ethan Holt’s wife, his Luna.

    As the only human Luna, we had also applied for a marriage certificate in my human community, and it now sat in the nightstand drawer in my bedroom. Real enough that I never questioned our relationship, even though we never had a mating ceremony with his pack.

    Until three days ago, when Marcus tore it to shreds during one of his tantrums. That was what brought me here today-to get a replacement copy.

    But now, standing here with trembling hands…

    How could our certificate possibly be fake?!

    My phone buzzed. An unknown number. Normally I would have ignored it, but something made me answer.

    “Ms. Smith? Aria Smith?”

    “Speaking.” My voice sounded distant, like it belonged to someone else.

    “My name is Richard Castellano. I’m the attorney handling the estate of Vincent Smith. I apologize for the abrupt contact, but it’s imperative that we meet as soon as possible. You are the sole heir to your father’s estate.”

    I blinked. “I’m sorry, what? I don’t have a father. My parents abandoned me when I was born.”

    “Ms. Smith, Vincent Smith passed away two weeks ago. The DNA test and his will are both conclusive. You are his only legitimate biological child.”

    Vincent Smith. That name was nothing short of legendary in both human society and the werewolf world. Orphaned as a child, taken in by a wolf pack, he’d displayed extraordinary business genius from an early age. As an adult, with the backing of his adoptive Alpha brother, he forged a massive commercial empire connecting the human and supernatural realms.

    And now someone was telling me that I, as his sole daughter, stood to inherit the bulk of his fortune?

    “The estate is substantial,” Castellano continued, “including commercial holdings across multiple Pack territories. We need to begin the inheritance process immediately.”

    “I need to confirm something first,” I heard myself say. “I’ll call you back.”

    The most important thing now was to verify my marriage status with my husband. If this was real, Ethan and I wouldn’t have to worry about the pack’s questioning looks anymore. I could complete the final mating ceremony with him smoothly, become the pack’s Luna, and lead them to even greater prosperity.

    The drive to Silver Creek Pack’s main building took twenty minutes.

    The hallway on the third floor was unusually quiet. As I approached Ethan’s office, voices drifted through the half-open door.

    A woman’s voice.

    “Ethan-yes-right there-“

    His voice, ragged and raw: “You feel so good, Clara.”

    Clara. My best friend.

    Then something even worse than betrayal hit like a freight train.

    “When are you going to get rid of her, Ethan? Our son is already three years old. I’m tired of pretending.” Clara’s voice was sharp with impatience.

    Marcus. The little boy Ethan claimed we’d adopted because my human body supposedly couldn’t handle pregnancy, and the pack needed a pup to serve as the Alpha’s heir.

    I couldn’t breathe. The pup I had lovingly raised was Ethan and Clara’s biological child.

    Inside the office, Ethan sighed. “Just a little longer.” His voice was cold. “We still need her. The Pack’s finances are stable because of her work. Once we’ve locked everything down, I’ll cut her loose.”

    “What am I supposed to do until then? Keep playing victim while she parades around as Luna?”

    “You know she’s nothing to me. Just a tool. Once we’ve squeezed every last drop of value out of her…”

    I didn’t wait to hear more.

    I shoved the door open.

    Clara was perched on Ethan’s desk, her blouse undone, skirt pushed up to her waist. Ethan was buried inside her, his hips driving into her as she gasped against his mouth.

    It made me want to throw up.

    “Sorry to interrupt.” My voice sliced through the air like a blade.

    They froze. Clara scrambled to cover herself, nearly falling off the desk. Ethan jerked upright, his mouth wet, his eyes wide with shock.

    I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, a cold smile on my lips. “Don’t stop on my account. I’d hate to ruin the mood.”

    “Aria. You shouldn’t be here,” Ethan said with mild annoyance.

    “Shouldn’t I?” My voice shook with rage. “You told me I was your True Mate. You pursued me for months. You convinced me the Moon Goddess chose us. But now you’re sleeping with my best friend?”

    “There’s nothing to explain. Clara is my destined mate.” Ethan said it flatly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “The deal with V&A International Group needs final signatures. We need you for one last meeting as Luna. After that, we’ll give you reasonable compensation for your… services.”

    “Compensated?” The word tasted like poison. “You lied to me for two years. You used me to build your Pack’s business portfolio. And now you want to pay me off like a servant who’s served her purpose?”

    Clara walked toward me, adjusting her clothes with deliberate slowness. “You should be grateful, honestly. A human orphan with no family, no packs? Where else would you have ended up? If you’re smart, you’ll take whatever he offers and leave quietly. Otherwise-“

    I moved.

    I was across the room before Clara could finish, my hand fisting in her golden hair. Clara yelped, stumbling backward into the desk.

    “Aria!” Ethan grabbed my arm, twisting hard enough to make me gasp. Then he shoved me backward. Hard.

    I hit the floor, the impact jarring through my spine. Pain exploded in my tailbone. I looked up at him, stunned.

    Ethan stared down at me, his light blue eyes ice cold. “Touch her again and I’ll break your wrist.”

    The words hit harder than the fall.

    Something inside my chest cracked. Not my ribs. Something deeper.

    I pushed myself to my feet, my hands shaking. Everything hurt. Not just my body.

    “You’re going to regret this,” I said quietly. “Both of you.”

    I turned and walked out before either could respond.

    Back in my car, I dialed the lawyer’s number. “Mr. Castellano. About Vincent Smith’s estate. I’m ready to talk.”

    “Good. I need to confirm-inheritance requires the heir to sign as an independent individual. If married, the spouse must witness the process. Otherwise-“

    “I’m single,” I cut him off. “Legally, I always have been.”

    Silence for two seconds.

    “Understood,” Castellano said, his tone shifting, becoming more formal. “That simplifies things considerably. Are you available to meet soon?”

    “The sooner the better. I have plenty of time these days.”

    “My office then. This afternoon?”

    “I’ll see you at three.”

    I sat in the parking lot for another five minutes, staring at nothing.

    Two years of lies, manipulation, and humiliation. Two years of believing I was fighting for something real.

    But it was over now.

    Ethan was about to discover exactly what the fury of an heiress looked like.

    The Fake Luna: Marked By The Alpha King Chapter 2 How pathetic

    Aria’s POV
    After signing the inheritance papers at Mr. Castellano’s office, I drove home in a daze.

    The house blazed with warm light. Through the front window I saw them-Ethan, Clara, and Marcus around the dining table like a perfect family portrait. Ethan laughed at something Clara said, his hand resting on the back of her chair. Marcus sat between them, grinning up at his father. Clara ruffled the boy’s golden hair; Ethan caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

    Domestic bliss.

    Everything I’d been too blind to see for two years snapped into clarity. The late nights he called “Pack business.” The way Marcus flinched whenever I tried to hold him. Clara’s constant presence, always with some excuse. They’d all known. Everyone except me.

    I forced myself to breathe. Not yet. Not here. I needed to play this smart.

    I walked in and schooled my face to careful neutrality. The laughter died the instant I stepped inside.

    “Aria.” Ethan stood quickly, putting distance between himself and Clara, as if that erased what I’d witnessed in his office. “You’re home early.”

    “Am I?” I crossed to the kitchen and filled a glass of water, more to occupy my hands than anything. My heart pounded in my ears.

    “Can we talk?” His voice was low, careful.

    I turned slowly. “About you and Clara?”

    “It’s not what you think. Clara’s going to be staying here as Marcus’s nanny. He needs consistency, and frankly, you’re not around enough-“

    “Not around enough?” I cut him off. “I’ve been running this Pack for you, Ethan. Every meeting, every decision-while you were off doing what, exactly?”

    His jaw tightened. “That’s not the point.”

    “Then what is?”

    “Marcus needs to be taken care of.”

    “I disagree. This is my home. I didn’t agree to a live-in nanny.”

    “She’s not just a nanny. She’s helped raise Marcus since he was born. He needs her here.”

    Of course. Because she was his real mother.

    “That’s not my problem,” I said. “If you want Clara housed, buy her an apartment. She’s not living under my roof.”

    “You’re just tired.” He raised a hand, his tone measured-managing me, like my opinion was a tantrum to be waited out. “We’ll discuss this after dinner.”

    “There’s nothing to discuss.”

    “Bad woman!”

    Marcus appeared out of nowhere, small face twisted with rage. “You’re really bad! You’re mean to Clara!”

    “Marcus, that’s enough-” Ethan started.

    But the boy was already charging at me, hands outstretched. He slammed into me with surprising force. I stumbled back, my hip colliding with the corner of the side table-exactly where I’d hit the floor in Ethan’s office earlier. Pain exploded through my lower back; my vision went white.

    “Marcus!” Ethan grabbed him by the shoulders. “What the hell are you doing?”

    “She’s mean!” Marcus wailed, but his eyes were dry-nothing but calculated defiance. “She’s mean to Clara and mean to you and I hate her!”

    Ethan reached for me. “Aria, I’m sorry, he didn’t mean-“

    I jerked away. “Don’t touch me.”

    I pushed myself upright, ignoring the swimming in my vision. My tailbone throbbed from earlier; now my hip would bruise too.

    Clara burst in and gathered Marcus into her arms, stroking his hair while he buried his face in her neck. The devoted mother, perfectly performed.

    “He’s just a kid,” she murmured, kissing his temple. “Please forgive him.”

    “What a touching scene of motherly devotion,” I said. “I’m starting to wonder if he’s actually your biological pup.”

    Clara’s expression tightened-clearly she wasn’t sure how much I’d overheard.

    “Aria, as your friend, I’m very disappointed in you-“

    I turned and walked upstairs, each step sending fresh jolts of pain through my hip.

    I spent the next hour in the guest bathroom, running the hottest water I could stand. My hip had already darkened to purple, matching the bruise on my tailbone. Two injuries in one day. Both from the same “family.”

    By the time I emerged in pajamas, the house had gone quiet. A knock at the door.

    “Come in.”

    Ethan stepped inside, closing the door carefully. He looked tired. Worried. Like he actually gave a damn.

    “How are you feeling?”

    “Fantastic. Your son has quite the arm.”

    His jaw tightened. “He’s been disciplined. It won’t happen again.”

    “Right. Like the last dozen times really stuck.”

    He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “I know today has been difficult. But Clara needs to stay here. Marcus needs her. She’s been more of a mother to him than-“

    “Than me?” I finished. “Yes, I’m aware. Hard to bond with a child who’s been taught to hate me since birth.”

    “That’s not-” He caught himself, changing tactics. “This isn’t about you and Clara. This is about what’s best for Marcus. He’s settled here. Taking Clara away would disrupt his entire world.”

    I stared at him, this man I’d believed was my husband, my mate. This man who’d convinced me I was broken. This man who’d built his entire Pack’s success on my labor while keeping his real family hidden in plain sight.

    He was still lying. Still manipulating.

    Fine. Let him think he’d won.

    “I have a condition,” I said.

    Wariness flickered across his face. “What kind?”

    “My birthday is next week. You forgot last year, and the year before. So this year, I want a proper gift.” I kept my voice light. “The penthouse at Meridian Tower. Top floor. In my name only.”

    He went very still. “That’s a fifteen million dollar property.”

    “Is it?” I tilted my head. “I think it’s fair-as a birthday gift, and as compensation for what you’ve done.”

    The muscle in his jaw jumped. For a moment I thought he might finally drop the pretense. Instead, he pulled out his phone.

    “Fine. Consider it an early birthday present.”

    “And the transfer note,” I added. “For Aria’s house fund. Happy birthday.”

    He tapped at the screen, expression darkening with every second, then turned the phone toward me. Fifteen million dollars. Transfer note included.

    “Happy birthday,” he said flatly.

    “Thank you, Ethan.” I let the endearment drip with acid. “You’re so generous.”

    He pocketed his phone. “Clara stays.”

    “Clara stays,” I agreed.

    He nodded and left.

    I waited until the door clicked shut, then pulled out my phone and opened the banking app.

    Balance: $15,150,000.00

    Two years as Luna-hosting banquets, negotiating alliances, building his reputation. My card had never seen a single paycheck, not a penny of Pack money. The only funds I’d ever had were fifteen thousand saved from part-time jobs during school.

    Now, because I’d caught him with Clara-because she was the leverage that finally forced his hand-he remembered I existed.

    How pathetic.

    The Fake Luna: Marked By The Alpha King Chapter 3 Now it was his turn

    Aria’s POV
    I woke to the smell of pancakes and coffee.

    For a moment, still half-asleep, it felt almost normal. Then I heard Clara’s laugh drifting up from the kitchen, and reality came crashing back.

    I took my time getting dressed. Let them have their little domestic fantasy. I could afford to be patient. After all, I was a billionaire now. And their client.

    By the time I came downstairs, a plate of eggs, toast, and bacon sat waiting on the counter-the kind of gesture meant to look like an apology. I reached for it.

    Marcus lunged forward and yanked it away, the plate clattering against the marble. “No! This is for Clara! Daddy made it special for her!”

    Clara hurried over, hands fluttering. “Marcus, sweetie, that’s not how we treat people. Apologize to Aria.” Her words were honey. Her eyes, locked on mine, were pure triumph.

    Ethan appeared in the doorway. “Marcus. Apologize. Now.”

    The boy shuffled toward me, not meeting my eyes. “Sorry,” he muttered.

    I didn’t accept it.

    I stood, crossed the room, grabbed him, and pressed him against the wall. I took a thin branch from the nearby vase and brought it down hard on his backside.

    He burst into tears.

    “Aria, that’s too much.” Clara stepped forward. “He already apologized-“

    “Funny,” I said, landing another strike. “By what right do you interfere with a mother disciplining her child?”

    Clara’s face went white. “He’s still young… he didn’t do anything that wrong…”

    “Small mistakes uncorrected become big ones. If I don’t discipline him now, I’ll have a harder time later.”

    That shut her up.

    Ethan stepped forward and caught my wrist. “That’s enough.”

    He was right. The anger had cooled. I tossed the branch to the floor. Marcus scrambled behind Clara, sobbing too hard to even glare at me.

    “Marcus.” I fixed my gaze on him. “As long as I’m your mother, you will show me respect. If you can’t learn that, I’ll adopt a better child to be the pack’s rightful heir.”

    The room went quiet. Even Marcus stopped crying. I was smiling when I said it.

    “Aria, don’t-” Ethan’s voice tightened.

    “Don’t what?” I turned to him, sweetly. “Since I accepted adopting one child with no blood relation to me, I can certainly adopt a second. As long as you want me to stay with this pack, don’t try to provoke me.”

    Looking at their three faces, all dark as thunder, I cheerfully picked up my purse. “Enjoy your breakfast. All of you.”


    I was halfway to my car when footsteps followed.

    “Aria, wait.” Ethan caught up, slightly breathless. “I’ll drive you to the office. We can go over the Riverside contract on the way.”

    “I’m not going to the office.”

    “What? We have the meeting with-“

    “Reschedule it.” I pulled open the car door. “I have other plans.”

    “What other plans?”

    “I’m going to look at a house.”

    I closed the door and started the engine. In the rearview mirror, he stood in the driveway, fists clenched at his sides.


    The Meridian Tower was everything the listing had promised. Floor-to-ceiling windows, soaring ceilings, and most importantly, it was mine.

    Now I just needed furniture.

    The furniture district catered to Pack elite-somewhere I’d never shopped before, too expensive for someone like me. Now, walking through the gleaming showrooms, I felt like a kid in a candy store.

    That was when I saw it. A sofa in deep charcoal leather sat center stage. The tag read “Russo Collection – Limited Edition. 1 of 3.”

    Perfect.

    I was reaching for my phone when a voice cut through the air.

    “Excuse me, but I’m taking this one.”

    A woman about my age stood there, arms crossed, looking at me like I was something unpleasant she’d found on the bottom of her shoe. Dressed head to toe in designer labels, blonde hair in perfect waves, makeup flawless.

    “I’m sorry?” I said.

    “The sofa.” She gestured impatiently. “I saw it first. So you’ll have to find something else.”

    “I don’t think that’s how shopping works.”

    Her lips thinned. “Do you have any idea who I am?”

    “Should I?”

    A flush crept up her neck. “I’m Vanessa Crane. My father is Alpha Richard Crane of the Riverside Pack. And when I say I want something, I get it.”

    “That’s nice,” I said, turning back to the sofa. “I’m still buying it.”

    Vanessa’s face flushed scarlet. She snapped her fingers. Two large men in black suits materialized from behind the displays. “This woman is harassing me. Escort her out.”

    They moved toward me. I tensed.

    “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

    A deep, cultured voice from the entrance-carrying the kind of authority that made everyone freeze. A silver-haired man in a perfectly tailored three-piece suit strode in, flanked by six men in dark suits. He moved like someone who had wielded power for decades and never once had to raise his voice.

    Vanessa’s guards stepped back instantly. Her face drained of color.

    “Beta Harrison,” she stammered. “I didn’t know you were-“

    “Clearly.” He didn’t look at her. His attention was fixed entirely on me. He inclined his head in something close to a bow. “Miss Smith. It’s an honor to finally meet you.”

    The showroom went silent.

    “I’m Harrison Reid, Beta of Crescent Moon Pack. Your uncle Victor sent me to find you.”

    “Wait.” Vanessa’s voice came out strangled. “Smith? As in-Vincent Smith?”

    Harrison finally turned to her. “Miss Crane. I believe you were just threatening my boss’s daughter and sole heir. Would you like to rephrase your earlier comments?”

    Vanessa went from pale to gray. “I didn’t-she didn’t say-I had no idea-“

    “Ignorance is not an excuse for disrespect. Particularly when you were having her physically removed from the premises.”

    She turned to me, all earlier arrogance dissolved. “I’m so sorry. If I had known-“

    “You would have been polite?” I said. “How nice. Unfortunately, basic decency shouldn’t require a family pedigree.”

    “Please-if there’s anything I can do to make this right-“

    “An apology is enough. You can go.”

    She practically fled, her guards scrambling after her.

    I turned to the sales associate. “I’ll take the sofa. Have it delivered to the Meridian Tower, penthouse floor.” I paused. “And the matching armchair.”

    Then I faced Harrison. “Quite an entrance.”

    “Word will spread quickly. But it was necessary. Aria Smith is not to be trifled with. It will save you considerable trouble down the line.”

    He gestured toward the exit. “The car is waiting, Miss Smith. Shall we?”

    “Where are we going?”

    “Crescent Moon Pack house.” A slight smile. “Your home.”

    I was silent for a moment. My father-Vincent Smith. A billion-dollar inheritance had landed in my lap. Going to Crescent Moon was inevitable.

    “Alright,” I said. “If it’s my home, I should at least see it for myself.”

    What was meant to come would come eventually.

  • Chosen as the Cursed Alpha’s Seventh Bride by Alibi

    Chosen as the Cursed Alpha's Seventh Bride by Alibi

    Emilia Taylor was the most unwanted daughter of the Frostridge Pack.
    She had no wolf, no status, and no one who truly loved her. After failing to awaken at the age of twenty-two, she was betrayed by her lover, abandoned by her family, and finally sent by her father to the Silver Moon Pack-to become Sebastian Simons’ seventh bride.
    Sebastian was the Alpha everyone feared.
    Rumor had it that none of his first six wives had met a good end, and every woman who married him eventually became another name on the list of the dead.
    Everyone was waiting for Emilia to die.
    But they did not know that her failed awakening had not left her with nothing. Instead, she had gained the ability to read minds. She could hear the malice and lies hidden behind every smile.
    Everyone’s thoughts were open to her.
    Except Sebastian’s.
    She could not hear his mind, nor could she see through his secrets.
    When a wolfless girl abandoned by everyone meets a cold-blooded Alpha haunted by the mystery of six dead wives, will she become his next victim-or the only one who can break the curse?

    Chosen as the Cursed Alpha’s Seventh Bride Chapter 1

    Wolfless But Mind Reader
    Emilia’s POV
    For a very long time, I had believed that pain was something a person could grow used to, the same way one grew used to winter wind slipping through cracked windows or old scars aching before rain.
    In the Frostridge pack, I was not simply disliked. I was considered an error that had somehow survived birth.
    My father was Alpha Henry, but being his daughter had never protected me, because my mother had been a witch, and in a pack that worshiped pure wolf blood above almost everything else, my mixed blood became a crime no one needed to prove before punishing me for it.
    When I was younger, I used to wonder if they would have treated me differently if my wolf had awakened early, if I had shifted beneath the moon like every other Alpha-blooded child was expected to do, if my claws had been sharp enough and my howl loud enough to make them forget the witch half of me.
    But year after year, nothing came.
    Hybrid.
    Bastard.
    Curse.
    The words followed me through the halls of the pack house, across the training field. My stepsister Linda was even better at it; she never needed to raise her hand when she could turn an entire room against me with one sweet, pitying glance.
    By the time I turned twenty-two, I had already learned how to lower my eyes when elders looked at me with disgust, how to ignore the servants who whispered that I was cursed, and how to pretend my stepmother Dorothy’s gentle smile did not hurt more than open cruelty because it always came before she reminded me, in the softest possible voice, that I should be grateful the pack still allowed me to stay.
    The only reason I had not completely collapsed under all of it was Brandon Cole.
    He had been my hope for so long that I no longer knew how to separate him from the idea of survival itself.
    Brandon was the strongest young warrior in our pack, handsome, admired, and respected in a way I had never been.
    “When she comes, Emmy,” he used to whisper, brushing his lips over my scars as if they were something precious instead of proof of every punishment I had endured, “everyone who looked down on you will regret it.”
    So I waited.
    I waited through my eighteenth birthday, when most wolves shifted for the first time and I felt nothing but silence beneath my skin. I waited through nineteen, twenty, and twenty-one, while the pack’s disappointment hardened into mockery and my father’s eyes grew colder each time he looked at me. I waited until my twenty-second birthday, the final night a werewolf could still awaken before being declared permanently defective.
    Tonight was my last chance.
    Under the full moon, surrounded by wolves who had gathered less to witness my awakening than to enjoy my final failure, I stood barefoot in the ritual circle and forced myself not to tremble. The silver bowl before me reflected the moonlight, the elder’s chant rose and fell like distant thunder, and somewhere beyond the crowd, Brandon watched me with an expression I wanted desperately to believe was love.
    Then the ritual ended.
    Nothing happened.
    A few wolves laughed.
    My stepmother sighed as if my failure had personally inconvenienced her, Linda lowered her eyes to hide the smile pulling at her lips, and my father turned away before the elder even announced what everyone already knew.
    That would be the worst pain of the night.
    But I was wrong.
    As I stepped out of the ritual circle, something sharp split through my skull, and a flood of voices crashed into me all at once.
    [What a waste of moonlight.]
    [I knew she wouldn’t shift.]
    [Brandon must be tired of pretending by now.]
    I froze.
    No one’s mouth had moved.
    The wolves around me were still laughing, whispering, staring, but beneath their spoken words came another layer of sound-clearer, uglier, impossible to ignore.
    Their thoughts.
    Panic tightened around my throat as I stumbled back, pressing a hand against my temple while the pack’s hidden cruelty poured into me without mercy. Every smile had a second voice. Every pitying glance carried a knife. They had hated me more deeply than I had ever allowed myself to imagine.
    I needed Brandon.
    I needed the one person who had always made the noise of the pack feel far away.
    But as I pushed through the crowd, desperate to find him, a maid passed close enough for her thoughts to slice through the chaos.
    [Brandon followed Linda into her room again. Goddess, I swear, if I have to wait for them to finish and then scrub another set of destroyed sheets, I’m going to lose it.]
    My body stopped moving.
    For one heartbeat, the entire world went silent.
    Then my blood turned cold.
    I grabbed the maid’s wrist so hard she cried out.
    “What did you say?”
    Her eyes widened in terror. “Miss Emilia, I didn’t say anything.”
    She was telling the truth.
    Her lips had not moved.
    But I had heard her.
    A terrible numbness spread through me as I released the maid and turned toward the pack house. I did not remember crossing the courtyard, climbing the stairs, or passing the servants who stepped out of my way with startled faces and guilty minds. I only remembered the pounding of my heart and the foolish, desperate prayer repeating inside me.
    Please be wrong.
    Please let this be the one thought I misunderstood.
    Please let him still be mine.
    When I reached Linda’s door, I already knew.
    I pushed the door open.
    The scene before me was worse than any nightmare.
    The bed creaked rhythmically, obscene sounds spilling.
    Brandon-my Brandon-was naked, his body moving over someone sprawled beneath him on the bed. Linda’s long legs wrapped around his waist, her nails raking down his back as she moaned his name.
    My sister. My boyfriend.
    In that moment, I didn’t feel pain. I felt nothing. Just a hollow, echoing void where my heart should have been.
    Then their thoughts crashed into my mind like broken glass.
    [God, she’s so much better than Emilia. Tighter. More responsive. How did I waste many years on that frigid wolfless bitch?] Brandon’s voice, clear in my head even as his mouth was occupied elsewhere.
    [Look at her standing there like a pathetic little ghost. Does she really think Brandon ever loved her? Please. He’s been mine since the day I decided I wanted him.] Linda’s thoughts dripped with venom and smug satisfaction.
    The numbness shattered.
    Rage-pure, incandescent fury-flooded through me.
    I grabbed the vase from the dresser near the door and hurled it at the wall beside the bed. It exploded with a satisfying crash.
    They jerked apart, Linda screaming, Brandon scrambling to cover himself.
    “Emilia!” Brandon’s face went white. “This isn’t-I can explain-“
    “Explain?” My voice came out low and deadly calm. “Explain how you’ve been fucking my sister for three months while telling me you loved me?”
    His jaw dropped. “How did you-“
    “Does it matter?” I stepped into the room, my hands clenched into fists.
    Linda sat up, not bothering to cover herself, a cruel smile playing on her lips. “Oh, please. Don’t act so surprised, Emilia. Did you really think someone like Brandon would settle for a wolfless freak like you?”
    [She’s even more pathetic than I thought. Look at her, about to cry. This is delicious.]
    I moved before I could think. My hand connected with Brandon’s cheek with a crack that echoed through the room.

    Chosen as the Cursed Alpha’s Seventh Bride Chapter 2

    Sent to the Demon
    Emilia’s POV
    Brandon staggered back, hand flying to his reddening face. “What the fuck-“
    The second slap hit even harder.
    “That’s for lying to me for a year,” I said, my voice shaking with fury. “For making me believe you cared about me. For being a fucking coward who couldn’t even break up with me before shoving your dick into my sister.”
    “You crazy bitch!” Brandon lunged toward me, but I was already moving.
    I grabbed Linda’s designer purse from the nightstand and flung it at his head. It connected with a satisfying thud.
    “We’re done,” I said coldly. “Don’t ever speak to me again. Don’t look at me. Don’t even breathe in my direction. You disgust me.”
    I turned to Linda, whose smirk had finally faltered.
    “And you. Congratulations. You’ve won the grand prize-a cheating coward with a small dick and no future. I hope you’re very happy together.”
    I didn’t wait for a response. I spun on my heel and walked out, slamming the door behind me hard enough to rattle the frame.
    My father’s office was on the first floor. I stormed through the hallways, ignoring the curious stares of lingering guests, my heart hammering against my ribs.
    I didn’t bother knocking. I shoved the door open.
    Alpha Henry sat behind his desk, Dorothy perched on the edge beside him. They both looked up, startled.
    “Emilia,” my father began. “What are you-“
    “Did you know?” I demanded, my voice raw from everything I had just swallowed and everything I could no longer pretend not to understand. “Did you know Brandon was cheating on me with Linda?”
    Alpha Henry only leaned back in his chair and looked at me with the tired impatience.
    “Sit down, Emilia.”
    “No.”
    My answer was sharper than I expected, and the silence that followed made Dorothy lift her brows.
    “Did you know?” I asked again.
    This time, my father did not bother to lie.
    “Yes.”
    The word hit harder than finding Brandon in Linda’s bed.
    “You knew,” I whispered.
    “Brandon is a talented warrior,” my father said coldly, as if that explained everything. “He is one of the most promising wolves in this generation, and the pack has invested too much in him to waste his future on sentiment.”
    For a moment, I could only stare at him, because I had come into this room expecting anger, perhaps even disappointment, but not this calm, practical cruelty that treated my heartbreak as nothing more than poor strategy.
    Then he said the thing he had clearly been waiting to say.
    “You failed your Awakening.”
    The room went still.
    “You were given twenty-two years, Emilia,” he continued, his voice hardening with each word. “and yet after all that time, you are still standing here exactly as you began.”
    [Wolfless.]
    [Useless.]
    [Unwanted.]
    He did not need to say the words aloud.
    I heard them anyway.
    “So that’s it?” I asked, my throat tightening around the question. “Because I didn’t shift, Brandon gets to betray me, Linda gets to humiliate me, and you get to pretend none of it matters?”
    “Linda has a wolf,” Henry snapped. “Linda has value. Brandon needs a mate who can stand beside him, bear strong heirs, and strengthen this pack. Not you.”
    “If I was such a disappointment,” I said slowly, “then why did you have me at all?”
    His expression changed. “Watch your tone.”
    “No,” I said, and once the word left me, everything I had buried for years began to rise with it. “If you hated my mother so much, why chose her? If you hated what I was, why let me live here for twenty-two years begging for scraps of approval you never planned to give me?”
    Dorothy’s face cooled. “That is enough.”
    Henry slammed his hand against the desk. The sound cracked through the office.
    “I chose this pack.”
    That was when I saw the black envelope.
    Dorothy picked it up from the desk with graceful fingers and placed it where I could see the silver wax seal pressed into the paper.
    The Simons crest.
    My blood turned cold before she even spoke.
    “Linda received an invitation from the Simons family,” Dorothy said gently, and the sweetness in her voice made my stomach twist. “But after discussing it carefully, your father and I have decided that you will attend in her place.”
    For a few seconds, I could not make sense of the words, because the Simons family was not merely powerful or wealthy; they were feared, whispered about, avoided by every family with daughters old enough to marry.
    And Alpha Sebastian Simons was the worst of them.
    Six brides.
    Six funerals.
    “You want me to replace Linda,” I said, each word colder than the last, “because you’re afraid he will kill her.”
    “No one said that,” Dorothy replied.
    But my father’s thoughts moved through my mind with brutal clarity.
    [Linda is too valuable to risk.]
    “It is a duty,” my father corrected. “The Simons alliance can save Frostridge pack.”
    “And if I die?”
    Neither of them answered.
    They did not need to.
    My father’s thoughts answered for them.
    [If she dies, we lose nothing.]
    For a moment, the office seemed to disappear around me, and all I could feel was the horrible clarity of finally knowing my place in this family, not as a daughter, not even as a shame they wished to hide, but as a body they could send into danger because no one would mourn the loss.
    I stepped back.
    “No.”
    Henry’s eyes narrowed. “Emilia.”
    “No,” I repeated, louder this time. “I won’t go.”
    His Alpha aura filled the room, heavy enough to press against my bones. “You have spent your entire life receiving this pack’s mercy. Now you will repay it.”
    “Mercy?” I laughed, though my chest felt like it was breaking open. “You call this mercy?”
    “I call it obedience.”
    Then he looked past me.
    “Guards.”
    The door opened before I could reach it, and two warriors seized my arms from behind with enough force to make pain shoot through my shoulders.
    I kicked, twisted, screamed, and when one of them dragged me backward, I sank my teeth into his wrist with every bit of rage I had left.
    He cursed, his grip loosened.
    For one wild second, I was free.
    Then something slammed into the back of my head.
    Pain burst white behind my eyes, the floor tilted beneath me, and as darkness began to drag me under, I heard my father’s thoughts one last time, calm and relieved in a way his voice had never been.
    [Finally.]
    [That problem is taken care of.]
    The dark closed in.
    And in the last fading corner of my mind, I understood.
    No one in Frostridge pack expected me to survive.
    They had already abandoned me to death.

    Chosen as the Cursed Alpha’s Seventh Bride Chapter 3

    Bride Selection
    Emilia’s POV
    The scent of roses and expensive perfume hit me first.
    My eyes fluttered open to find myself staring at an ornate ceiling with intricate moldings. The bed beneath me was obscenely soft.
    Where the hell was I?
    I sat up too quickly. My head spun, the sedative still clinging to my system. The room around me was massive-easily twice the size of my bedroom back at the Frostridge pack house. Everything screamed wealth: silk curtains, marble floors, a chandelier that looked like it belonged in a palace.
    Then I caught sight of myself in the full-length mirror across the room.
    They’d dressed me up like a doll.
    My hair cascaded down my back in soft waves, and my makeup highlighted my best features. My eyes looked deeper, my lips fuller, and my reflection almost felt unfamiliar.
    The navy silk dress fit me perfectly, elegant and flattering, making it impossible to look away.
    I looked gorgeous.
    I looked like a bride being prepared for slaughter.
    Of course they made me pretty. Can’t send damaged goods to the devil himself.
    My father had held that elaborate birthday ceremony not out of love, but as a public display-proof that he’d treated both daughters equally. Then he could ship me off to Sebastian Simons with a clear conscience, his reputation intact.
    Linda got Brandon. I got a death sentence.
    He’d probably started planning this the moment my wolf failed to emerge.
    A sharp knock at the door.
    “Miss Taylor?” A woman’s voice. “Alpha Sebastian’s selection will begin shortly. Please follow me.”
    My stomach dropped. This was really happening.
    I opened the door to find a middle-aged woman in a black uniform. She looked me up and down with cold assessment.
    The Frostridge pack must really be desperate, her thoughts hit me. Sending a wolfless embarrassment to Alpha Sebastian. Do they think we’re idiots?
    The malice in her thoughts made my jaw clench. But I kept my expression calm, following her down a hallway that seemed to stretch forever.
    The mansion was even more impressive than my room suggested-a sprawling estate that mixed modern luxury with old-world elegance. We passed floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking manicured gardens, walls lined with what I suspected were original Renaissance paintings.
    As we walked through the double doors, the noise hit me.
    Not sound-thoughts.
    Dozens of them, all at once, crashing into my mind like a tidal wave.
    I can’t believe I’m actually doing this. Marrying a notorious demon. My life is over.
    He might be violent, but his marriages never last long. Two months tops, then divorce. But that severance package… eighteen million dollars and the status of being a Simons? Worth the risk.
    Oh God, she’s gorgeous. If that wolfless bitch gets chosen instead of me, I swear I’ll-
    My father’s going to kill me if I don’t get selected. The pack needs this alliance. I have to make him notice me.
    The thoughts overlapped, tangled, multiplied. It felt like a thousand bees had nested inside my skull, their buzzing growing louder and louder until I couldn’t tell where one thought ended and another began.
    My vision blurred. The hallway tilted.
    I pressed a hand against the wall, trying to steady myself, but the thoughts kept coming, relentless and overwhelming.
    Why is she touching the wall? Is she going to faint? Pathetic.
    The guide’s thoughts cut through the chaos, sharp with disdain.
    “Miss Taylor?” Her voice sounded distant, underwater. “Are you quite alright?”
    I couldn’t answer. My throat had closed. My lungs refused to expand. The edges of my vision darkened as panic clawed up my chest.
    *Breathe, *I commanded myself desperately. Just breathe.
    But the voices in my head wouldn’t stop. They grew louder, angrier, more frantic.
    A waiting area, with at least thirty women, all dressed to perfection, all wearing varying expressions of fear and determination.
    The receiving room doors burst open.
    A woman stumbled out, makeup streaked down her face, shoulders shaking with sobs. As she rushed past me, her thoughts slammed into mine with devastating clarity.
    I’ve never met such a cruel, heartless Alpha in my life. The way he looked at me-like I was dirt. Like I was nothing. God, I just want to go home. I want to disappear. I want-
    She was gone before I could process it, but two more women followed in quick succession, each one crying, each one broadcasting their terror and humiliation directly into my brain.
    Monster. He’s a monster.
    Those eyes. Those cold, empty eyes. Like a predator deciding whether to kill you now or later.
    I’m not pretty enough. I’m not smart enough. I’ll never be enough for someone like him.
    I doubled over, pressing my palms against my temples, trying desperately to shut them out. But I couldn’t. The ability was too new, too raw. I had no control.
    “Miss Taylor!” The guide’s hand gripped my elbow, steadying me. “You’re next. Pull yourself together.”
    I forced my head up, blinking away the spots dancing across my vision.
    Two guards flanked the entrance, massive wolves who watched me with undisguised contempt.
    *Run, *every instinct screamed. Run now while you still can.
    But I’d seen the guards. I’d seen how the estate was locked down tighter than a prison. Even if I made it past them, where would I go? Back to a father who’d drugged and sold me? Back to a sister who’d stolen my boyfriend and laughed about it?
    I had nowhere to run. No one to save me.
    So I did the only thing I could.
    I straightened my spine, lifted my chin, and walked through those doors like I had a choice in any of this.
    The receiving room was enormous. But despite its size, the air felt suffocating, pressing down on me from all sides.
    And then I saw him.
    Sebastian Simons sat in the center of the room on a leather sofa that looked more like a throne. Even seated, his presence dominated the space. Tall. Powerfully built. He radiated the kind of authority that made people instinctively want to kneel.
    Dark hair. High cheekbones. A straight nose. Every feature sharp and defined.
    His eyes… Green. Piercing. Intense and unforgiving.
    Those eyes locked onto mine.
    And suddenly, the world went silent.
    All the voices-the screaming, buzzing chaos that had been tearing my mind apart-vanished in an instant.
    I couldn’t hear his thoughts. Couldn’t sense anything from him except… presence. Weight. Power.
    It was the most peaceful silence I’d experienced since this cursed ability had awakened.
    And this peace, ironically, came from the very man most likely to kill me.

  • Untouchable: The Alpha’s Miracle Doctor by Yue Rujing

    Untouchable: The Alpha's Miracle Doctor by Yue Rujing

    I was the wolfless disgrace of the pack, traded like cattle to a dying monster.

    When a royal decree stripped away my engagement, my own father gave my fiancé to my cruel sister, Charly. My punishment for being born without a wolf? A forced marriage to Demetri Contreras—the crippled, disgraced Alpha left to rot from silver poison.

    They threw me into a frozen, forgotten estate, waiting for my new husband to die so I could be buried as a silent widow.

    Charly laughed as she stole my life, my mate, and my future. My family discarded me, just like they murdered my mother years ago.

    They thought this exile would break me. They thought I was a helpless pawn.

    They didn’t know that inside this fragile body lived the soul of the top interstellar miracle surgeon.

    Looking at the ruined, festering Alpha bleeding on my wedding bed, I didn’t see a corpse. I saw the deadliest weapon in the realm.

    The fallen Alpha needs a miracle to survive. Lucky for him, I am the miracle.

    I will drag this monster back from the gates of hell—and together, we will burn my enemies to ash.

    Untouchable: The Alpha’s Miracle Doctor Chapter 1

    Haven Kramer POV:
    The silence in the living room was thick, but it didn’t weigh on me. I sat comfortably on the edge of the silk armchair, my hands resting loosely in my lap, calmly observing the theater playing out around me.
    My father, Alpha Gordon Kramer, stood by the mantelpiece with his back to me, staring into the unlit fireplace. His rigid posture was a performance of grim authority, but to my trained eyes, the overextension of his shoulder muscles betrayed pure, anxious tension. He was nervous. I found that amusing.
    A heavy tread on the marble floor signaled the arrival of the King’s envoy.
    A severe-looking wolf with graying temples stepped into the room, clad in the King’s formal uniform. His face was a mask of absolute neutrality. The air in the room crackled with tension, but my heart rate remained a steady, resting sixty beats per minute.
    My father finally turned, his expression a carefully constructed mask of solemn welcome. “Emissary,” he said, his voice a low rumble. He pointedly did not look at me. It was a classic evasion tactic. He thought he was breaking my heart; in reality, he was just confirming his own cowardice.
    The envoy gave a curt nod, wasting no time on pleasantries. He drew a parchment scroll tied with a royal blue ribbon from his inner pocket and unrolled it with a soft crackle.
    “By decree of the Alpha King,” the envoy began, his monotone voice echoing in the vast room. “Regarding the union between the houses of Contreras and Kramer.”
    I leaned back slightly.
    “It is noted that Alpha Darren Contreras is an exemplary heir, beloved and strong. And it is noted that his brother, Alpha Demetri Contreras, was grievously wounded by silver in the Western War, his connection to his wolf severed, leaving him a broken shell.”
    The formal descriptions of the two brothers hung in the air. One a golden boy, the other a crippled outcast.
    “It has been confirmed by the council that Haven Kramer is wolfless,” the envoy continued, casting a brief, pitying glance my way. “A wolfless mate is an unacceptable match for a future leader. Therefore, the betrothal between Alpha Darren Contreras and Haven Kramer is hereby declared null and void.”
    Beside the mantelpiece, my father’s expression remained placid, his eyes distant. He looked exactly like a merchant watching a trade deal close. To him, I was just damaged goods being offloaded at a steep discount to preserve an alliance.
    “In her stead,” the envoy read, “her sister, Charly Kramer, a true wolf of good standing, shall be joined with Alpha Darren Contreras. And to honor the original alliance, Haven Kramer shall be given to the crippled Alpha, Demetri Contreras.”
    “The weddings will be held simultaneously in three days’ time,” the envoy concluded, neatly rolling the scroll and handing it to my father. With a curt bow, he turned and walked out.
    The silence returned. My father finally looked at me, likely bracing himself for the hysterics, tears, or begging that the “old” Haven would have provided.
    Instead, I stood up smoothly, smoothing down the skirts of my dress.
    “Three days,” I said, my voice cutting through the quiet room, entirely devoid of tremor. “I will be ready.”
    Before my father could recover from his visible shock, I turned on my heel and walked up to my lavish bedroom.
    I was sitting at my vanity, listening to the quiet night outside, when my door opened without a knock. The cloying scent of sweet pea perfume, heavily laced with unearned triumph, announced her arrival.
    My sister, Charly.
    “Oh, my poor sister,” she cooed, her voice dripping with fake sympathy as she glided into the room, wearing an expensive white lace dress. She came to stand behind me, her fingers reaching out to stroke my hair as if comforting a pet. “I was so heartbroken to hear the news.”
    I remained perfectly still, watching her reflection in the dark glass of the window.
    When I gave her no reaction, her facade quickly cracked. The corner of her mouth twitched into a smug smirk. “But you know, being wolfless, you were never worthy of Darren anyway. This is for the good of the family.”
    She leaned in close, her breath warm against my ear, dropping her voice to a venomous whisper. “Besides, Darren was always mine. You were just keeping his spot warm.”
    I slowly lifted my head, meeting her gaze in the mirror. My eyes were completely flat, cold as chips of ice.
    Charly flinched, the triumphant smile freezing on her face. She took an involuntary step back, unnerved by the lack of tears.
    Slowly, deliberately, I rose from the chair. I picked up a heavy, silver-backed comb from the vanity and began to rhythmically, elegantly pull it through my hair.
    “Marrying a broken man is better than marrying a piece of trash,” I said softly, my voice even and calm.
    The color instantly drained from Charly’s face. “You—”
    “Our wedding is in three days, isn’t it?” I turned to face her directly, letting the full weight of my detached, icy gaze fall upon her. “Go plan your ceremony, Charly. I accept the arrangement completely.”
    Charly stood there, utterly baffled. I thought she had come prepared for tears, hysterics, and a desperate sister she could kick while she was down. My utter lack of distress disarmed her entirely.

    Untouchable: The Alpha’s Miracle Doctor Chapter 2

    Haven Kramer POV:
    Charly’s shock quickly curdled back into anger. My composure was a greater insult than any screaming match could ever be. Her face flushed a blotchy red.
    “Accept? What choice do you have?” she spat, her voice sharp and brittle. “A filthy wolfless. Marrying into the Contreras family at all is a gift from the Moon Goddess you don’t deserve!”
    I ignored her, turning my back to walk to my wardrobe. I began to sift through the dresses, my movements unhurried. As if I were merely choosing an outfit for a mundane dinner party.
    This utter dismissal was more than she could stand.
    She lunged, grabbing my arm. Her nails dug into my skin. “I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?”
    Her face was inches from mine, her expression twisted with vicious glee. “Do you know why Father agreed so easily? The Contreras family paid a fortune! Your ‘funeral trousseau’ has secured our family’s prosperity for the next decade!”
    The words were meant to crush me, to remind me of my worthlessness. She leaned closer still, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial hiss. “And Father already knows Demetri is dying. The silver poison is in his bones. The healers say he won’t last the month. You’re marrying him to be his widow. To spend your life guarding a corpse and an empty title.”
    I still didn’t give her the satisfaction of a breakdown.
    Frustrated by my absolute silence, Charly’s face distorted with pure malice. She shoved me roughly, shouting in my face, “Why aren’t you crying? You think you’re still the precious eldest daughter? Your mother was nothing but a low-born old bitch, and you’re just a little bitch!”
    That was the line.
    My movements ceased.
    Slowly, inch by inch, I turned my head. The ice in my eyes was gone. In its place, a fire blazed, so hot and furious it felt like it could melt steel.
    Charly saw the sudden murder in my gaze and her hand flew from my arm as if she’d been burned.
    Before she could process what was happening, I moved.
    My speed was a blur. My hand shot out and clamped like an iron vice around her throat. With a surge of overwhelming strength, I slammed her backward against the solid oak of the wardrobe.
    Thump.
    The impact rattled the heavy wood. Charly’s head cracked against the surface, and a strangled gasp escaped her lips as the air was forced from her lungs.
    Her eyes, wide with terror, stared at me. The face she had known for twenty years was now a stranger’s mask, a harbinger from hell. This was not the weak, yielding sister she loved to bully.
    My fingers were bone-white from the force of my grip, but my expression was eerily calm. The contrast was monstrous.
    “Apologize,” I said. My voice was a raw, cold rasp, like a blade scraped over stone. “Apologize to my mother.”
    Charly’s face was turning a horrifying shade of purple. She clawed frantically at my wrist, her throat making wet, gagging sounds. She couldn’t form a single word.
    “Say it again,” I whispered, tightening my grip just enough to cut off her pathetic whimpers. “Say another word about her.”
    Her struggles weakened. Tears of pure terror streamed down her face. She began to beat a weak tattoo against the wardrobe with her free hand, a desperate, silent plea for help.
    Seeing her pathetic, sniveling state cooled the inferno in my chest. Killing her here would be too quick. Too merciful.
    I released her.
    Charly slid down the wardrobe like a discarded doll, landing in a heap on the floor. She clutched her throat, coughing and retching, desperately sucking in air. Snot and tears smeared her perfect makeup. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with a new kind of fear. A primal fear.
    I stood over her, my own expression one of utter disgust.
    “Get out,” I said. One word.
    She scrambled to her feet, a clumsy, pathetic mess of limbs. She didn’t dare look at me again. She stumbled to the door, fumbling with the handle. Just before she pulled it open, she risked a final, hateful glare over her shoulder.
    “You’ll regret this!” she choked out, the threat utterly hollow.
    A cold smile touched my lips. It sent a visible shiver down her spine.
    She yanked the door open and fled, her footsteps pounding down the hall.
    The door slammed shut, leaving me in silence once more. I leaned against the wall, my body trembling slightly from the rush of adrenaline. I lifted my hand, staring at my fingers. They were steady now.
    Tonight, they had tasted violence for the first time.
    And it was only the beginning.

    Untouchable: The Alpha’s Miracle Doctor Chapter 3

    Haven Kramer POV:
    The silence that followed Charly’s flight was absolute. I walked to the window and watched her frantic, scurrying figure disappear across the manicured lawns. My expression was flat, my heart a cold, steady drum.
    I uncurled my hand, palm up. The feeling of her throat under my fingers lingered—a foreign sensation of power that sent a cold thrill through my veins. I knew Charly. She was already running to our father, spinning a tale of victimhood. There would be consequences.
    But I no longer cared. If they wanted to push me into the abyss, I would claw my way back out from hell itself and drag them all down with me.
    My gaze fell upon a small, locked wooden box on my nightstand. It was the only thing I had left of my mother, Elara Beaumont. After I was born, my mother died in a so-called “hunting accident.” A convenient fall from a cliff. I believed it was murder.
    I walked to it, my steps measured. From a chain around my neck, I pulled a small, tarnished key. The lock clicked open with a sound that seemed to echo in the quiet room.
    Inside, there were no jewels, no gold. Just a few faded, leather-bound diaries and a single, thick vellum envelope.
    I lifted the envelope, unfolding the paper soft with age. It was a letter written in my mother’s elegant, flowing script, its words of love underlined with a deep, aching sorrow. She told her story—how she had used her family’s resources and her own strength to help Gordon Kramer challenge and win the title of Alpha. But once he had the power, he grew ashamed of her and began an affair with Concetta, Charly’s mother.
    My dearest Haven, the last lines read, if you are reading this, I am gone. Do not trust Gordon Kramer. Do not trust any of them. Survive. At any cost, you must survive.
    A single, hot tear finally escaped and fell onto the page, smearing the ink. My heart broke for my mother.
    But I would not share her fate.I was not helpless.
    I had knowledge from another world, memories of a life where I held power not in bloodlines, but in skill. That was my weapon.
    Yes. Two lifetimes.
    Seven days ago, I almost lost my life to betrayal. Back then, I was deeply and innocently in love with my betrothed, Alpha Darren Contreras. But Gordon Kramer, swayed by Concetta’s malicious scheming, forced me to hand over my beloved and my entire future to my sister, Charly. To me, Darren was my world. Unable to endure the suffocating grief, the humiliation, and the sight of my sister stealing the man I loved, I chose to end my own life.
    Perhaps the Moon Goddess took pity on me, because I did not die.
    During the seven days I lay in a coma, my soul traveled to a highly advanced interstellar world called Astraea. Although I was born an orphan there, living in a crowded shelter, that technologically superior society allowed me to graduate from the top Imperial Medical Academy through my own relentless efforts and the help of a kind benefactor. After I repaid my debt of gratitude to that benefactor, I threw myself entirely into the work of saving lives, mastering the complex biological structures of various humanoid and beast-kin species. My surgical skills reached a level that commanded absolute reverence. In the final years of my long and fulfilling life there, the patients I had cured bestowed upon me a legendary title—”The Miracle Healer.”
    When I closed my eyes for the last time on Astraea, I thought my journey had ended. Yet, I woke up back in the werewolf realm, returning to this body exactly seven days later.
    My past infatuation with Darren means nothing to me now. But my lingering resentment and my mother’s tragic fate remain. Since fate has granted me a second chance, I will use it to collect every single debt. Everything they owe me, everything they owe my mother, I will take back piece by piece. Those who deceived and humiliated me will face retribution. I am a healer, and I possess a merciful heart. But that mercy will never be granted to my enemies.
    I carefully folded the letter, placed it back with the diaries, and locked the box. This box would go with me. It was my anchor and my mission.
    I wiped my eyes. When I looked up, my reflection in the vanity mirror was a stranger. Pale face, green eyes, a mane of brown hair. But behind the eyes, the soul of a surgeon who had stared down death a thousand times was now fully in control.
    The faces flashed through my mind, a gallery of smiling betrayers. The last face was one I’d never seen, only imagined: the pale, ruined face of Demetri Contreras. The dying Alpha.
    Choosing to marry the crippled Alpha was an act of survival forced upon me by the council. But it was also the first calculated step of my grand design. He was the hell they were sending me to, but his broken body was a patient only a master surgeon could rebuild. A powerful, indebted Alpha, brought back from the brink of death by my hand, would be the sharpest blade I could possibly wield against the Kramer family.
    After he was healed? A cold smile touched my lips. I trusted no one, least of all powerful men. This was a transaction. My skills for his power. A platform for my revenge.
    A soft, respectful knock came at the door. A maid’s voice, timid. “Miss, the Alpha requests your presence in his study.”
    Charly’s tears had worked their magic. Gordon was ready to deliver his judgment.
    Even though I forced myself to remain detached, a tight knot of nerves twisted in my stomach as I stood up.
    But I quickly smoothed my dress, my expression shifting, melting back into the mask of a meek, fragile girl. The avenger vanished, hidden deep inside.
    “Of course,” I called out, my voice soft and pliant. “I’ll be right there.”

  • His Defiant Mate: The Lycan King’s Chosen Luna by MAINUMBY

    His Defiant Mate: The Lycan King's Chosen Luna by MAINUMBY

    I was waiting at the Registry Hall to formalize my mate bond with Gabe, my childhood sweetheart and the Alpha of our pack.

    He was thirty-two minutes late.

    When I finally found him in a private VIP lounge, his hands were buried in my cousin’s hair, their lips locked together.

    Hailee was supposed to be my maid of honor.

    Instead of apologizing, Gabe looked me dead in the eye and used his Alpha authority to publicly reject me.

    The severing of our ten-year bond tore my soul apart, but the nightmare didn’t stop there.

    My grandfather immediately called, demanding I clean up a mess Hailee had made.

    When I refused, he disowned me on the spot, froze every single one of my bank accounts, and stripped me of my family name.

    Within hours, my entire pack erased my existence, gleefully announcing Hailee as their new Luna.

    I had given my entire life to a family and a man who discarded me like worthless trash the second I became inconvenient.

    I was left broken, humiliated, and utterly penniless in the blink of an eye.

    But as I stumbled out of that sterile hall, a terrifyingly beautiful stranger stepped out of the shadows, radiating a primal power that made my knees weak.

    He was Caden Sinclair, the ruthless Lycan King, and he was dodging a forced political union of his own.

    “You need a shield. I need a wife. Marry me.”

    Without hesitation, I signed the Eternal Vow.

    His Defiant Mate: The Lycan King’s Chosen Luna Chapter 1

    Audriana POV:
    “I’m sorry, Ms. Sullivan, but Mr. Black’s appointment was for half an hour ago.”
    The clerk’s voice was polite, but his eyes held a pity I refused to acknowledge. I glanced at the sleek watch on my wrist. Thirty-two minutes. He was thirty-two minutes late.
    “He’s on his way,” I said, my voice smoother than I felt. My stomach was a tight knot of cold dread.
    I stepped away from the polished walnut desk, the scent of lemon cleaner and old paper filling my nose. The North American Inter-Pack Alliance Registry Hall was designed to be imposing, with its marble columns and vaulted ceilings, meant to impress upon werewolves the gravity of the contracts signed here. Today, it just felt cold.
    The air conditioning ghosted across my bare arms, raising goosebumps. I unconsciously twisted the delicate silver chain bracelet on my wrist, a nervous habit I’d had since I was a child. The tiny links were cool against my skin.
    My phone buzzed in my clutch. A message from my assistant, Maya.
    ‘Apex Ventures deal is ready for your final review. They’re getting antsy.’
    I typed a quick reply, my fingers flying across the screen.
    ‘Tell them to hold their breath. I’m handling something personal.’
    Personal. That’s what this was supposed to be. The final step. Gabe and I, registering our intent to bond, a formality before the ceremony that would tie our packs, our families, our futures together.
    I closed my eyes for a second, focusing, trying to pull his scent from the air. It was a game we used to play as kids. I could always find him. That familiar, comforting scent of pine and damp earth.
    But all I could smell now was a cacophony of strangers-stale coffee, cloying perfume, the metallic tang of anxiety from a dozen other wolves waiting in this sterile hall. A wave of nausea rolled through me. Something was wrong.
    My phone buzzed again. Not a work message this time. An unknown number.
    The message was short, brutal.
    ‘VIP Lounge 3. He’s waiting for you.’
    My breath hitched. VIP Lounge 3. I knew the layout of this building. It was at the end of the private corridor, reserved for Alphas of significant standing. Gabe’s father had used it last year to finalize a trade agreement.
    My fingers tightened around my phone. It was a trap. A cruel joke. It had to be.
    But the knot in my stomach pulled tighter, a cold, hard certainty.
    I pushed open the heavy glass door that separated the main hall from the private corridors. The sound of the bustling hall was instantly muffled by the thick, plush carpet. My heels sank into the crimson pile with each step, silencing my approach.
    As I moved down the hallway, a new scent cut through the sterile air.
    Cherry blossom. Sickly sweet and artificial.
    Hailee’s scent.
    My steps slowed. My heart, which had been hammering against my ribs, gave a painful lurch and then seemed to stop altogether. It couldn’t be. She was my cousin. She was supposed to be my maid of honor.
    I reached the door. Room 3. It was heavy, dark redwood, and slightly ajar. Just a crack.
    Through the gap, in the dim, intimate lighting of the lounge, I saw them. Two figures, tangled together on a leather sofa.
    Gabe.
    His hand was buried in her blonde hair, the same way he used to touch mine. Hailee’s head was thrown back, her laughter a low, throaty sound that made my blood run cold.
    The world narrowed to that sliver of a view. The sound of my own blood roaring in my ears drowned out everything else.
    I didn’t think. I acted.
    My hand shot out and slammed the door open. It crashed against the interior wall with a sound like a gunshot.
    They sprang apart, their faces a blur of shock and panic. Gabe scrambled to his feet, his shirt rumpled, his face flushed.
    “Audriana! What the hell are you doing?”
    Hailee, true to form, immediately dissolved into a picture of terrified innocence. She shrank behind Gabe, her eyes wide and already filling with tears. “Audri, it’s not what it looks like.”
    A laugh escaped my lips, but it was a harsh, ugly sound. “Not what it looks like? You’re half an hour late to our registration, and I find you with your tongue down my cousin’s throat. Please, Gabe. Enlighten me.”
    “You were following me?” he roared, his voice bouncing off the wood-paneled walls. He took a step forward, trying to use his Alpha presence to intimidate me, to make me shrink. It was a tactic that had stopped working years ago.
    “Don’t be stupid,” I snapped, my voice like ice. “I can smell her on you. You reek of cheap perfume and betrayal.”
    Hailee let out a sob. “We couldn’t help it! The bond… it’s just so strong between us. We never meant to hurt you.”
    The bond. She dared to speak of the bond.
    I ignored her, my eyes locked on Gabe. On the man I had loved since we were children. The man my wolf had recognized. The man who was supposed to be my future.
    “Give me an answer, Gabe,” I said, my voice dangerously quiet. “A real one. Now.”
    He looked from my face to Hailee’s tear-streaked one. She gave a little whimper and tugged on his arm, the perfect damsel in distress. And in that moment, I saw his decision. His jaw tightened. His eyes, which I once thought held the whole world, turned to stone.
    “I, Gabe Black, Alpha of the Blackwater Pack,” he began, his voice formal and loud, ringing with the ancient power of the rite.
    The air in the room crackled. The words were a physical force, slamming into me.
    “Reject you, Audriana Sullivan, as my mate.”
    Pain. It wasn’t emotional. It was physical. A spear of white-hot agony that started in my chest and ripped through every nerve in my body. It felt like my soul was being torn in two. My breath was stolen from my lungs. My knees threatened to buckle.
    I bit down on my lower lip, hard. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. I would not scream. I would not cry. I would not give them the satisfaction.
    My fingernails dug into the soft leather of my clutch, the leather groaning under the pressure.
    For a flicker of a second, I saw something in Gabe’s eyes. A flash of regret. Of pain. But it was quickly smothered by the cold, hard wall of his decision. Hailee’s hand was on his arm, a triumphant possessiveness in her touch.
    I forced myself to stand taller, to straighten my spine, even as the world tilted around me. I met his gaze, and I let him see the abyss that had just opened between us.
    I cleared my throat, my voice a raw, broken thing. But it was steady.
    “I, Audriana Sullivan,” I rasped, each word costing me a piece of my shattered soul, “accept your rejection.”
    The bond snapped.
    It was a sound no one else could hear, but for me, it was a cataclysm. A final, brutal severing. The pain intensified for a blinding moment, then settled into a deep, hollow ache that I knew would never truly leave.
    Behind Gabe, Hailee’s lips curved into a small, victorious smile.
    I looked at them, and in that moment, the labels fell away-fiancé, cousin, family-until all that remained were two strangers, standing on the ruins of my life. Two pieces of trash I had found on the side of the road.
    Worthless.
    Without another word, I turned my back on the wreckage of my life. I walked out of the room, my steps even and measured, down the long, silent corridor, and away from the man who had just ripped my heart out of my chest.

    His Defiant Mate: The Lycan King’s Chosen Luna Chapter 2

    Audriana POV:
    Each step down the corridor was a battle. The plush carpet that had silenced my approach now felt like quicksand, trying to drag me down. The soul-tearing pain of the rejection was a physical weight, settling in my bones, making my legs tremble. I stumbled, my shoulder hitting the cool, unforgiving wall. I pressed my palm against the patterned wallpaper, steadying myself, forcing air into lungs that felt like they were lined with broken glass.
    My phone vibrated in my hand, a vicious little buzz against my palm. I didn’t need to look. I knew who it was. I flipped it over. Hailee. A picture of her and Gabe, his arm wrapped around her, her head nestled on his shoulder. They were smiling. The photo was taken in the lounge, just moments after I’d left.
    A cold, sharp laugh, devoid of any humor, escaped my throat. I didn’t delete it. I blocked the number. The action was swift, clinical. A tiny, insignificant act of control in a world that had just spun violently out of it.
    I pushed off the wall and continued my march, my focus narrowed to the exit sign glowing at the far end of the hall. Just get out. Disappear.
    That’s when I felt it. A gaze. Heavy. Intense.
    In the shadows of a recessed archway, leaning against a massive Roman column, a man stood watching me. He was tall, impossibly so, dressed in a dark, impeccably tailored suit that seemed to absorb the dim light around him. I couldn’t see his face clearly, but the sheer force of his presence was a physical thing, a change in the atmospheric pressure of the hallway. His knuckles rapped a silent, impatient rhythm against the cold marble.The name ‘Caden Sinclair’ echoed in my mind—a name whispered with a mixture of fear and reverence in the upper echelons of the business world. I had seen his picture in financial journals before, always in passing, but never in person. The Sinclair family owned half the continent; whatever position he held, his power was undeniable.
    Before I could process his scrutiny, a new disturbance shattered the quiet.
    “Caden! Don’t you dare walk away from me!”
    A woman with fiery red hair and a dress the color of spilled wine came storming down the intersecting corridor. Her heels clicked angrily on the marble floor. She was beautiful, furious, and heading straight for the man in the shadows.
    “Juliana,” he said. His voice was low, a deep baritone that rumbled with arctic cold. It was not a greeting. It was a dismissal.
    “Don’t ‘Juliana’ me!” she shrieked, her voice echoing. “Our families have an agreement! You can’t just ignore me. You can’t just decide you’re not interested!”
    The man, Caden, finally moved out of the shadows. He stepped into a pool of light from an overhead sconce, and my breath caught. He wasn’t just handsome; he was terrifyingly beautiful. Sharp, aristocratic features, dark hair swept back from a high forehead, and eyes so dark they seemed to swallow the light. They were eyes that held the cold stillness of a frozen lake.
    He barely glanced at her. His brow furrowed in a minute expression of extreme displeasure.
    “The agreement,” he stated, his voice devoid of any emotion, “is cancelled. All business between Sinclair and Beaumont is terminated. Effective immediately.”
    Juliana gasped, her face paling. “You can’t do that.” She reached for his arm, her manicured nails flashing.
    He moved with liquid grace, a subtle shift that put him just out of her reach. A man who had been standing silently behind him, an assistant of some kind, stepped forward, placing himself between Caden and the hysterical woman.
    “Ms. Beaumont,” the assistant said calmly. “Perhaps we can discuss this at a later time.”
    Juliana dissolved into ragged sobs, her fury collapsing into a messy, public spectacle. Staff members down the hall were starting to stare.
    Caden didn’t even look back. He turned, and his gaze, deep and penetrating, landed directly on me. He had been aware of me the entire time. The observer had become the observed.
    I just wanted to get past. To escape this hallway of public humiliations. I kept my eyes fixed on the exit, trying to make myself small, to slide by the edges of his powerful orbit.
    But as I drew level with him, it happened.
    A scent hit me like a physical blow. Not perfume or cologne. It was something elemental. Snow-covered pines and the clean, sharp scent of ice just before a storm. It was cold, powerful, and utterly intoxicating.
    His eyes, which had been cold and distant, flared. His pupils dilated, turning his dark irises into black pools. I saw his jaw clench, a muscle twitching violently. A low growl rumbled in his chest, a sound so deep I felt it in my own bones.
    Mine.
    The word wasn’t spoken. It was a primal roar that crashed through my mind, a violation of my innermost thoughts.
    My own body betrayed me. A jolt, like a live wire, shot up my spine. My legs went weak, a strange warmth pooling low in my belly, a stark contrast to the icy ache of Gabe’s rejection. It was the recognition. The fated mate bond, a thing of myth and legend for most, a cruel joke for me, happening now, in the worst possible moment of my life.
    He moved before I could react. One long stride and he was in front of me, a wall of muscle and power, blocking my escape. The air crackled between us, thick with a tension that was both terrifying and thrilling.
    I took a half-step back, my guard slamming up. I tilted my head to look up at him, my neck aching from the angle. “Excuse me,” I said, my voice tight.
    His gaze swept over me, taking in my pale face, my trembling hands, the faint scent of my own tears that I was trying so hard to hold back. He saw everything. He saw my weakness.
    He didn’t waste time with pleasantries. He didn’t ask my name.
    “You need a shield. I need a wife,” he stated, his voice a low, magnetic rumble that vibrated through me. “Marry me.”
    I stared at him, dumbfounded. The world tilted on its axis for the second time in less than an hour. The pain from Gabe’s rejection was still a raw, open wound, and this stranger, this impossibly powerful Alpha, was proposing? I must have been hallucinating. The pain was making me crazy.
    “You’re insane,” I breathed.
    He took a step closer, invading my personal space, his sheer size overwhelming. His scent was a dizzying cloud around me.
    “Am I?” he murmured, his voice dropping even lower, meant only for me. “You were just publicly rejected. Your pack will see you as damaged goods. Your family will either hide you in shame or sell you off to the highest bidder to salvage some value.”
    Each word was a cold, hard slap of truth.
    He gestured with his chin towards the sobbing Juliana, still being placated by his assistant. “I am being pressured into a union I have no interest in.” His eyes flicked back to the direction of the VIP lounge I had just fled. “We both have a problem. A marriage of convenience provides a solution for us both.”
    My mind, usually sharp and analytical, was a chaotic mess. But through the fog of pain and shock, his words cut through. A shield. A. He was right. My grandfather would be furious. My family would see me as a failed investment. They would try to marry me off to some old, decrepit Alpha to forge a new alliance, to squeeze some last drop of use out of me.
    This man… he was dangerous. The raw power rolling off him in waves was unlike anything I had ever felt. It was an inferno to Gabe’s flickering candle. That power could be a cage, or it could be a fortress.
    But it was a choice. My choice.
    And right now, it was the only weapon I had.
    I took a deep breath, the scent of him filling my lungs, steadying me. I met his dark, intense gaze.
    “Okay,” I said, my voice clear and firm. “I will.”
    A flicker of something-surprise? satisfaction?-crossed his features, so fast I almost missed it. Then his face was a mask of cool indifference again.
    He simply nodded. “Follow me.”
    And he turned, expecting me to obey. I watched him for a second, then fell into step behind him, walking towards the registration desk, towards a future that was even more terrifying and unknown than the one I had just lost.

    His Defiant Mate: The Lycan King’s Chosen Luna Chapter 3

    Audriana POV:
    We walked side-by-side, a strange and silent pair cutting a path through the registry hall. The few wolves still lingering stared, their eyes drawn to the raw power Caden radiated. He ignored them as if they were furniture. I tried to do the same, focusing on the rhythmic click of my heels against the marble, a sound that grounded me in the surreal haze.
    We stopped at the central registration desk, the same one I had stood at less than an hour ago, my heart full of hope. The old clerk, a wizened Beta named Elmsworth, looked up over his spectacles. His eyes widened slightly as he took in Caden, then flickered to me, a flicker of recognition and confusion in their depths.
    “We need to register a binding,” Caden said. His tone left no room for questions.
    Elmsworth pushed his glasses up his nose. “Of course, sir. The preliminary paperwork, if you please…”
    Caden didn’t bother with paperwork. He reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and produced a slim, black card made of some unidentifiable metal. He slid it across the polished walnut. It made no sound.
    Elmsworth took the card, his hand trembling slightly. He swiped it through a scanner attached to his terminal. The screen beeped, and the clerk’s face went from professionally placid to pale with what looked like pure, unadulterated fear. He shot a terrified glance at Caden, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
    He stood impassive, but he subtly shifted his body, his broad shoulder blocking my view of the monitor, obscuring whatever damning information was displayed there.
    He turned his head slightly, his voice a low murmur meant only for me. “My family has certain privileges within the Alliance. It expedites the bureaucracy.”
    It was a gross understatement, and we both knew it. This wasn’t privilege; this was power on a scale I couldn’t comprehend. But I just nodded, filing the information away.
    Elmsworth, now sweating visibly, fumbled beneath the counter and produced two scrolls of what looked like actual sheepskin parchment, tied with a silver cord. He unrolled them with reverent hands. These weren’t the standard digital forms. This was the old magic. The kind that couldn’t be broken.
    “The Eternal Vow,” he whispered, his voice trembling.
    Caden took the offered quill without hesitation. I accepted the other, its feather cool against my fingers. I stared at the intricate, glowing runes that lined the edges of the contract. This was real. This was happening. For a heartbeat, my hand faltered. The memory of Gabe’s rejection, the searing pain, was still a fresh wound. Was I really about to chain myself to another Alpha, a stranger, so quickly?
    Caden’s senses were as sharp as his features. He felt my hesitation.
    “Second thoughts?” he asked, his voice low and smooth, but with an undercurrent of steel that suggested backing out was not an option.
    I lifted my head, my eyes meeting his. I thought of Hailee’s triumphant smile. I thought of my grandfather, already calculating how to sell me off. I thought of a life spent as a pariah, a rejected mate.
    My resolve hardened. This was not a chain. This was a sword.
    I dipped the quill into the inkpot and signed my name-Audriana Sullivan-at the bottom of the parchment. The ink flared with a soft, golden light as it touched the runes. My handwriting was sharp, angry.
    Caden followed suit, his signature a bold, authoritative slash of black.
    “Your hands,” Elmsworth instructed, his voice barely a whisper.
    We placed our palms simultaneously over the large, embossed Alliance seal in the center of the contract.
    A soft, silver light pulsed from the seal, warm and alive. It flowed up our arms, a tingling sensation that was both unnerving and strangely pleasant. The light coalesced at our wrists before sinking into our skin, leaving a faint, shimmering mark that looked like two intertwined wolves, barely visible unless you knew to look for it. A mate mark. A binding mark.
    The skin on my wrist burned, a constant, physical reminder of the vow I had just made.
    Caden’s hand moved, his long, warm fingers closing around my wrist. His thumb brushed over the new mark, a gesture of casual ownership that sent a jolt of pure electricity through my system. It was the spark of recognition, magnified a thousand times by physical contact.
    I snatched my hand back as if I’d been burned, my breath catching in my throat. My heart hammered against my ribs, a wild bird trapped in a cage.
    His eyes darkened, a flash of possessive heat in their depths, but it was gone as quickly as it came. He turned back to the clerk, his face once again an impassive mask.
    Elmsworth, looking relieved to have survived the ordeal, quickly stamped the documents and handed Caden two small, leather-bound booklets. Our official certificates of binding.
    “It is done,” the clerk breathed.
    Caden passed the booklets to his silent assistant, who had materialized at his side, without a second glance.
    We turned to leave. As we reached the massive doors of the hall, Caden stopped.
    “This arrangement,” he said, turning to face me. “It remains between us for now.”
    I raised an eyebrow, waiting for the explanation.
    “My family… is complicated,” he said, the corner of his mouth twitching in what might have been a grimace. “The transition of certain responsibilities is at a delicate stage. I do not wish for you to be drawn into it prematurely.”
    It was a plausible lie, and one that suited me perfectly.
    “Good,” I said, my relief palpable. “I’m in the middle of a major acquisition at work. The last thing I need is my personal life becoming a distraction.” I pushed it a step further. “And with my current workload, moving in together would be… inconvenient.”
    His eyes narrowed, studying me, assessing my attempt to draw a boundary. I expected an argument, a command. As my Alpha, my husband, he had the right to demand it.
    But he surprised me. He gave a slow, deliberate nod. “Inconvenient,” he repeated, tasting the word. “Very well. We will maintain separate residences. For now.”
    The unspoken words hung in the air between us. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. My shoulders, which had been tensed up to my ears, relaxed a fraction.
    He pushed open one of the heavy glass doors, holding it for me. The cool evening air rushed in, a welcome relief from the charged atmosphere of the hall. He gestured for me to go first, a simple act of courtesy that felt strangely protective.
    I stepped out into the twilight, leaving the registry hall behind, bound to a man whose name I had only just learned, a man who was now my husband.

  • Moon-Born Outcast: The Alpha’s Broken Mate by Ghostly Mode

    Moon-Born Outcast: The Alpha's Broken Mate by Ghostly Mode

    Fear follows Alpha Samson wherever he goes. As the ruthless leader of the Blackthorn pack, he and his beast, Savage, bow to no one. But when a haunting scent leads him to a neighboring pack’s dungeon, he finds his fated mate-bloody, broken, and chained to the wall.

    Alora is a half-wolf, half-witch hybrid falsely accused and left to die. But her abusers made one fatal mistake: they touched the mate of a monster.

    Rescued by the fierce Alpha, Alora begins a journey of healing that uncovers a lifetime of lies. She isn’t just a survivor; she’s a weapon. Together, Samson and Alora will unleash hell on those who wronged her, unearthing dark family secrets and claiming the crown that was stolen from her birth.

    Moon-Born Outcast: The Alpha’s Broken Mate Chapter 1

    ALORA

    (16 years old)

    I struggle against the guards, and they force me further into the cells.

    The smell alone makes my stomach churn. Between the dead bodies and blood, it is hard to work out, which is worse.

    As we approached the end cell gate, there stood my father and his chosen mistress of the month. My father’s stare was blank, but that was how he had ever since that night. I hated him after what he did to my mother. The way he treated her and me and everything was all because she couldn’t give him a son.

    The guards guided me to the gate and launched me into the cell, like I was nothing. I landed with a hard thud on the ground and rolled until I hit the wall. I groan as my back it the wall hard.

    The worst part is that it reopened some old wounds that my father’s mistress gave me a few hours ago.

    Blood sank through the old top I had on.

    There was a thud, which only made my father growl as I heard footsteps coming toward the cell. “What the hell, alpha?” he boomed as he got nearer. He stopped and looked inside as I looked up. His eyes narrowed in on me but softened when he saw me.

    “She’s just a child,” he shouted, only for my father to grip him by the neck. “Enough, gamma,” he gritted out. “She stole from Madaline. She needs to pay.”

    My eyes shot to his mistress, who had a sinister smirk. She knew how to wrap my father around her finger. She was his favourite, but that soon could change.

    My father was a ruthless alpha and worse father. I was born into a werewolf pack, only to have half of wolf abilities, but no wolf. But I was also part of something else. This part was meant to be told to me by my mother, but that never came as my father and the woman, who stood before me, had killed her when I was ten.

    I saw everything and was forced to live in the basement of the pack house. I was never tyo leave unless I had someone with me at all times. So, me stealing something from my father’s whore was outstretched at best. He locked me away like I was nothing.

    Over the years since I was born, my mother and I were placed into a section of the house away from the pack members. With only the Gamma family to rely on, as that was their job, it was just us. We had a small apartment that had very little to do, but we managed.

    Moving up slightly and leaning on the wall to ease the pain in my back, I stare at the pair.

    Gamma Ryan has been loyal to my mother and me since birth, and I know I can rely on him. He was the only one who bought me new clothes and books to read. I had nothing to my name, and I mean nothing.

    My father’s face turned and glared at me. “You will stay in here till I see fit,” he growled.

    “But alpha, she couldn’t have done anything,” Gamma Ryan pleaded. “She was locked up in the basement. I heard from one of the guards that they had to kick down the door to get her.”

    My father turned his attention to Gamma Ryan and launched at him, pinning him to the wall behind him. My eyes widened as he growled. “Enough,” he gritted out. “She may not have stolen anything but deserves to live in this place.”

    I felt my heart sink. How could my father be so cruel?

    Madaline looked over at me, giving me an evil look. “I think we should tell them, babe,” she whispered, making my father look at her in awe.

    I felt sick.

    My father let go of Gamma Ryan and turned around to face me. His eyes switched from his wolf to his again, as always. “Madaline is pregnant,” he said, keeping his eyes on me.

    My stomach tightened. Pregnant? No, that means…

    Madaline’s smile grew as she knew it sunk in what that meant. “It means I will have an heir for the alpha,” she said cheerfully. “Unlike your mother, I will give him a son. Not a pathetic daughter, wolfless too.”

    Madaline giggled, placing her hand on her stomach. “This will be the son of the alpha,” she said.

    I snigger.

    “Do you think your child would be accepted as an heir?” I blurt out. “What if you have another girl? We both know how he treats them when he has them.”

    Madaline’s face goes white as she looks at my father. But he ignores her as he glares back at me. “You ungrateful bitch,” he grits out. “I gave you a home. I never hurt a child.”

    “No, you let your guards do it,” I muttered.

    My father takes a few steps inside the cell. My eyes stay focused on him, but out of the corner of my eye, I see Gamma Ryan pleading with me to stop.

    My father crouches and places his finger under my chin to make me see him. “You ever talk back to me again,” he grits out. “Now, this will be your own little room. You will never leave here ever. I have control over you, and no one, and I mean no one, will save you. You have no one.”

    I felt my heart sink deep in my chest as a lone tear escaped.

    My father moves up and walks back until he exits the cell. He turns around, pins Gamma Ryan against the wall, and releases his alpha aura. I watched as my father used a command that even broke my heart.

    “You will never serve her,” my father commanded. “You will do your gamma duties, and that is it. You will never see or speak to her again. Is that understood?”

    Gamma Ryan tries to fight the command, but he can’t and agrees.

    My father let go of him and stared. “Now, go and train the pack members,” he said.

    I watched as Gamma Ryan left without looking back at me.

    My eyes moved to the two people who were left.

    Madaline grinned as my father wrapped his arm around her waist. “We will have a son,” he said, leaning into her neck and looking at me. “Beck will be the one who will give you some food. As for punishments, they will be dealt with by me and whoever I have with me. You are never leaving this place, daughter.”

    I watched as my father and Madeline left.

    My heart breaks. I was alone once again.

    No one will save. How could they? No one knew I existed. My father made sure of that.

    When my mother had me, he announced that I had died at birth and that Luna was recovering. It never stopped him from trying to conceive another child with her, but when my mother could only have girls. When she did have a boy, he died after twenty weeks. My father called her everything.

    Whenever he came to see her, I had to hide.

    Another tear escaped as I looked around the small cage to be my home from now on.

    I would be living in hell, even though I was already there.

    The only hope I had left was my mate finding me, and now even that was a stretch. Who would want someone like me?

    Moon-Born Outcast: The Alpha’s Broken Mate Chapter 2

    ALORA

    (5 years later)

    My eyes stay on the ceiling as the breeze from the gap in the window whistles, rippling over me, making me cold.

    Moving the thin fabric over me, even though it doesn’t keep me warm. I shudder slightly when it hits my arm’s recent new whip mark, making it sting. I grip the sheet tighter as I move my legs up and wrap my arms around my legs to try and keep warm.

    Five long years have passed since I was placed in this damn cell, and five years I have been tortured more than my fair share. I don’t think any rogues have been through the same fate as me. To be honest, I think they have better treatment than I do. They would kill them as soon as they put them in a cell, or they would make them suffer.

    The screams some made, made my ears bleed. Many gave in after the first few attempts and died. Whoever came in here, they never leave. I always wondered about my fate, but it has been five years. Something told me that I wouldn’t know until it was too late.

    Madaline, my father’s chosen mate now instead of his mistress, gave birth to a son. I haven’t met him, and I don’t want to. It would probably be evil if the baby were like my father or her.

    I heard a noise outside the window, but it was hard to tell what was happening. It has been very noisy here lately. Guards who watch over me, Beck mainly, but they don’t talk to me. They stay quiet and even participate in the torture that Madaline puts on me.

    No one cares for me; they don’t know who I am. My father made sure of it. He told the guards that I was a stupid human who wandered onto the pack grounds, and he didn’t know what to do with me. It should shatter me with the way he speaks about me, but why should I now? He didn’t want me in the first place.

    Beck was left to guard me for the last five years. He never speaks to me, but I have grown on him over the last five years. Whenever Madaline tortures me, she makes him step outside, but afterward, he comes in and cleans my wounds the best he can. Beck was the one who gave me this fabric sheet to cover myself with when it gets cold here.

    Another bang came from outside, making me flinch as my eyes stayed on the window.

    What the hell was that? I tried to listen to what was happening, but hearing anything with the wind was hard.

    I may have no wolf, but I do have some characteristics of one, such as heightened senses and hearing. I don’t know if I have anything else, but they are the only two I know I have.

    Another noise comes from outside the window, and a meow comes through as a little black fur head sticks through the window’s opening, and its eyes look at me.

    Moving slightly, I smiled as the little four-legged fur creature came toward me and climbed into the little opening between my legs and stomach.

    This little black ball of fur has kept me company for the last few months. Who would have thought a cat would wander into a wolf pack and survive? I sure as hell didn’t think so, not when my father was in charge. He would have had it for supper.

    The cat snuggled into me, letting her heat sink into me as she tried to warm me up.

    “Thank you,” I whispered, placing my hand on her head and giving her a gentle smooth. “You shouldn’t be in here, you know that.”

    I sigh as the cat moves and sticks its head under my chin, rubbing along my jaw as it starts to purr. I smooth over its smooth fur till it settles down to sleep. My eyes go to the cat, who looks back at me with its bright green eyes. “What do I call you?” I whispered as I stroked its head.

    The cat let out a little meow, which only made me sigh.

    “I can’t keep calling you cat or pussy,” I muttered. “It’s silly. How about I say a name, and you nudge my hand when you like a name.”

    The cat bored its eyes at me. Damn, I felt stupid talking to it.

    “Let’s see…” I said and started to roll off names. “Angel, Lucky, Poppy, Aero…” The cat doesn’t move as I groan. “What about…” I said, but stopped when a film I watched as a kid with my mum flooded my mind—The Lion King. I remember when Gamma Ryan brought it one day. I must have watched it so many times over the years, but it was the best thing I had from anyone.

    “What about Simba, Nala—” I said, but the cat nudges its head as I say Nala.

    I smile.

    “Nala,” I murmured. “Perfect for a gorgeous cat like yourself.”

    Nala purred as it settled back against me.

    The door to the cells opens, which doesn’t make her move as we hear the footsteps come closer. I place the thin fabric over her little head as I look to the gate when Beck comes into view. He stares at me but looks toward the way he came from. He moves closer and kneels. I watch as he moves something from his pocket and puts his arm through the barrier till he places an apple on the ground.

    I stare at it momentarily, thinking I was dreaming as the last time I had food was two days ago. Beck only brings what he can, but it’s never enough.

    I look up at him, and he nods as he moves up from the ground and turns around. I watched as he got into the position of guarding me.

    Moving slightly and trying not to disturb Nala, I grabbed it and bit into it. The taste of apple was sweet, something I missed every day when I was with my mother. She used to make an apple pie every Sunday in our little kitchen, and it was when the Gamma family came to see us. They would bring what we needed that week and leave after an hour. It was unconventional to say, but they were the only family I had besides my mother.

    I ate the apple quietly, and once I finished it, I placed it in the next cell so it looked like it was from whoever it was in there last.

    Madaline doesn’t want me to feed. She stated that was my father’s rule, but Beck had broken it several times. The only thing I am allowed on a daily basis, which Beck does every morning and evening, is fresh water. It has to be used for drinking and even washing. I hate washing in it as it is freezing, and Beck has to watch me, which is unnerving.

    I bet servants get treated better than I do, and that says a lot about this pack. Many omegas are mistreated; I used to watch through the basement keyhole or the window. Omegas would be pushed around and beaten if they stepped out of line.

    Gamma Ryan never laid a finger on them, but it was mainly my father or his Beta.

    Beta Logan and my father have been friends since high school. He follows his every word, including mistreating me. I know what my father told him, and many pack members all believed him. Who wouldn’t? He was the Alpha. After all, he doesn’t tell lies about anything except when it comes to me.

    There was silence around the cell until I heard the door open again.

    Nala sticks her head up and looks over the sheet, but I push her back inside and flip it off, keeping her covered as I move it under the bed. I knew who was coming, and it was inevitable that she would be here, like clockwork.

    “Wake up!” she screeches as I stumble from the bed and lean against the wall. My eyes move to her as she steps into view.

    Madaline, ever since the first day I saw her, hasn’t changed one bit. Only the wrinkles by her eyes give away her age now, and she also looks like she has added pounds to her weight. Whereas I am so skinny, if anyone saw me now and picked me up, I would be nothing in weight.

    Madaline stares at me as a sinister smile appears on her lips. “Good, you awake,” she said as she stood by the gate. “I have some news for you. Later this evening, we are being visited by alphas from all packs close to us,” she said as I stood still and froze slightly as the cold air swiped into the cell. As much as I want to put the sheet over me, I know I can’t, or Madaline would take it away. She knows it’s there, but she hasn’t done anything about it. I didn’t want to add anything to the fuel of what she did to me.

    Madaline looked at me and smiled. “Tonight, your father is declaring that our son, Michael, will be the next in line to the alpha position,” she said, making my stomach churn. I know that role was meant to be mine, but after everything I have been through within this pack, I would rather die than be anything to them. “Do you know what that means?”

    I shook my head as Madaline’s smile grew. “Oh, let me tell you,” she said. “That means after tomorrow, when everyone has left to return to their packs, your father and I will get to kill you.”

    My heart sank.

    My eyes darted to Beck, who seemed to stand straighter than normal.

    “You will die,” she said, sounding happy. “But I must admit, I will miss these little chats and the punishments.”

    I said nothing.

    Punishments are what she called the torture she inflicted on me. I never knew why she came down here until one day last week when she screamed out in pain. I watched it happen as she gripped her chest, like my mother. My father was doing what he did to my mother to her; he was with another. I used to watch my mother suffer every damn day when he was with her, and now she was getting the same treatment. I don’t know whether it was karma, but when she witnessed her in pain, the torture she inflicted on me was unreal. I couldn’t get up for days with the marks I had all over my body. Some are scars today, which are hideous.

    “Saying that…” she said, pulling me from my thoughts and looking at her wide-eyed, but she laughed. “Na, I will wait till later. I have to get the pack ready before all the alpha’s come,” she said. “I am Luna, after all.”

    It took everything in me not to roll my eyes. The role was my mother’s, not hers. After Madaline gave my father the heir he wanted, he marked her and made her his Luna.

    Being away from all the gossip around the pack has left me wondering what he has told them about my mother, but it may have something to do with me.

    “I will see you tomorrow for your death,” she hissed as she turned and looked at Beck. “You can leave now. You don’t need to be down here at all.”

    Beck looked at me but moved away. There was nothing but a blank expression on his face as he walked away.

    My heart sinks again as they both leave. I can hear the excitement in Madaline’s voice as she tells Beck that she will be the one to kill me like she did her mother.

    What the hell was I going to do now?

    There was no denying it now, and I had to accept my fate. I would die tomorrow in the same hands as the ones who killed my mother.

    I closed my eyes as a lone tear escaped. I prayed over the years to the moon goddess, the same moon goddess that was supposed to watch over me, but ever since my mother died, I was made to live in isolation away from everyone. Why would I put all my trust in her now?

    I was done for.

    There was no one to save me now. I had to accept that I was going to die.

    Moon-Born Outcast: The Alpha’s Broken Mate Chapter 3

    ALPHA SAMSON

    The car goes over the bump, which makes me bang my head on the roof. I let out a low growl. “Careful,” I grunt as I glare at my driver through the rear view mirror. His eyes widen and looks back at the road ahead of him.

    “Calm down,” Jenson, my beta said. “He is trying to get us there sooner like you wanted. You’re the one who wanted to get there and leave early.”

    I huff as I look out the window and watch the forest pass us.

    As an alpha to the largest pack in the state, I had to attend alpha ceremonies for young alpha’s who would be taking the reins after their fathers handed them over to them. But this was all new to me. The alpha in question was staking a claim that he had a son and would be the one who would take over from him, whatever age.

    “I still think it’s strange that they are doing this,” Jenson mumbles, making me look at him. “The child is barely five. Why would he announce this now? The child won’t even have his wolf yet, let alone know how to fight anyone.”

    I said nothing as Savage, my wolf, grunted. He hated any form of celebration, even if it meant that he would find our mate one day, but that has been scarce over the years. I’m now twenty-eight and what you call our kind old, but we are not. If we were any other alpha, some elder would come to the pack and force the rule of picking a chosen mate, but they are scared of me; we are not your average wolf. We are bigger than all wolves, bigger than you can imagine.

    Our pack is the biggest and most feared due to Savage and me. No wolf will dare to go up against savage, whereas no human will go against me. I stand at six foot nine and weigh over three hundred and fifty pounds.

    Shaking my thoughts away, I looked at him. “Well, Alpha Karl hasn’t had much luck with his family,” I muttered. “He lost his mate and unborn child. He had to choose someone, and now they have one. They are not taking no chances.”

    “There is taking a chance,” Jenson muttered. “Then there is taking it all too far. Five years old tho, what did you do at five?”

    “Not the same,” I grunted as I pulled the sleeve of my jacket into place. I was wearing a suit for this damn ceremony, and I hated it. Nothing fits me due to my size. “My parents had me at a young age, and not the same for Alpha Karl.”

    Jenson stared at me, but his eyes softened. I knew why he did that—my parents. I felt my heart sink at the mere thought of them. My mother died in a rogue attack, and my father died shortly after from heart failure. Some pack members believe that he died of a broken heart. He didn’t take my mother’s death well and locked himself away. It was hard to watch. Sometimes I wish I never met my mate as I don’t want to have the same fate.

    “We won’t,” Savage grunted as he came closer. “Our mate will be special.”

    I look back at him with an arched eyebrow. “Special, huh?” I asked. “How would you know that?”

    Savage’s dark brown eyes bored back into mine but said nothing. Lately, he hasn’t been himself, but as soon as the invitation came, he was all for going, and I felt pressured into going by him, which is uncalled for. When has a wolf ever wanted to do a human thing? Never.

    When I received the invitation, I was shocked to learn that the young alpha was not even old enough to agree to the terms, but underneath Alpha Karl stated that he wanted to know that he had a son who would take over the pack when he was old enough. He wanted all the alpha’s to attend so they could be happy for the pack.

    Part of me could understand the scenario and why he was doing it, but there was another part of me that there was something more at play. Alpha Karl had been a constant thorn in my side, asking me to turn up and see his pack. He is one of many allies I have around here, and he was one of them. I was initially unsure what to make of the pack, as there seemed to be more power play than what they could offer me. I want fighters and people I can trust that will be there if I need them someday, even though it is the other way around. Many wanted us to be there for them when they needed us, but Alpah Karl never asked when rogues attacked his pack.

    Alpha Karl asked for advice about what he could do to make things better, and I suggested asking for some trainers to come to help from other packs. He asked me to send some, and I did, but the trainers came back with a different outlook. Most of his pack was scared of Alpha Karl, but there were loads of rumors floating around about him. Some were hard to register as true. I wanted to leave early and get there so I could see for myself.

    Jenson and I planned to stay longer, leaving my gamma Oliver to keep things running with the pack back home. All I had to do was pretend to help out , while I kept Alpha Karl busy; Jenson would go around and try to find out the truth before I made a decision about sticking with Alpha Karl. I didn’t need him. It was the other way around. I hated alphas who never respected their pack members. Pack members are what holds and makes a pack what it is. I might be ruthless as they come, but I respect every member of my pack, including all omegas. No one is left out.

    “Samson,” Jenson called out, making me look at him as he sighed. “The plan will be in motion when we get there. Do you think he will do anything?”

    I shook my head and leaned back in my seat. “Hardly,” I muttered. “I think he will be nice, possibly too nice for his good, or maybe have all the single she-wolves ready to pounce, I don’t know.”

    Jenson’s lips curled up into a grin at the mere mention of she-wolves, which only made me groan. “Keep your dick in your pants,” I grunted. “We are not here to get laid.”

    “Speaking of the one who would rather have blue balls than have a tight cunt wrapped around his cock,” he chuckled.

    Savage roars into laughter in my head as I keep my mouth shut for a moment while glaring at my best friend. “At least I won’t get a disease or something,” I muttered, which made him look at me with an arched eyebrow. “You went there, huh?” he muttered.

    I said nothing as I looked through the window again.

    There was no reason for the lack of women on my part; many threw themselves at me, and I liked it, but being as big as I am, it is hard to find someone who can tame a savage beast like my wolf, who seemed to want to be rough. Many women would endure it until they couldn’t take it anymore.

    “We need mate more,” Savage piped up in my head as he listened in on my thoughts, which I hated him doing. “Mate will take us. She will be a perfect fit for us, too.”

    I said nothing and shook my thoughts away; I watched as we approached Alpha Karl’s pack.

    “I am so not looking forward to this,” Jenson muttered, making me look at him. His eyes were on the opposite window. “I hate all the falseness of these alphas. They show no shame when they want your attention.”

    I couldn’t help but agree with him on that. Many alphas have done weird things, remembering one incident in particular where an alpha let their daughter come into my bedroom at night while I stayed, which didn’t help her as Savage was on one, especially being woken up from his sleep. He hates being disturbed. That was a mistake and half; the alpha tried to make me take his daughter as my Luna, which was not for me. If anyone were going to be my Luna, it would be my mate, not a hot-headed bimbo who thinks everything should be pink and sparkle. Others have tried to play games with me and lost. It’s a stupid alpha thing for me to see who is true to their word or who would swipe a rug from underneath me where I stand.

    I said nothing to him as I turned my attention to the gates that were being opened for us. This was it. There was no going back now. I came here to do what I had to do, and no one was going to stop me.

  • From Wolfless Omega To The Rival Alpha’s Queen by Jun Shangye

    From Wolfless Omega To The Rival Alpha's Queen by Jun Shangye

    For three years, I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into building Blackwood Group for Alec, my Alpha and the man I thought was my mate.

    But on the day of our work anniversary, I stood outside his office door and heard him talking with his Beta, shattering my entire world.

    “Kay is just a wolfless Omega, useful for paperwork,” Alec sneered coldly.

    “The bonding ceremony is just a show for the elders. The real Luna, the one who carries the bloodline that matters, is Breanne. I’m transferring all of Kay’s core project files to Breanne tomorrow. Let her take the credit.”

    He even texted me later, telling me to wear a blue dress to the upcoming gala because it made me look “obedient.”

    I had turned down a Wharton scholarship for this man. I had spent countless nights fixing his mistakes, building his empire, and giving him my youth.

    Yet to him, I was nothing but a disposable placeholder, expected to smile and bow while another woman stole my life’s work and my place by his side.

    The agonizing pain in my chest didn’t break me; it forged me into ice.

    I didn’t cry, and I certainly didn’t beg.

    Instead, I wiped his servers clean of every strategy I had ever created, left a wax-sealed resignation on his desk, and accepted a job offer from his most ruthless rival.

    From Wolfless Omega To The Rival Alpha’s Queen Chapter 1

    Kay POV:
    I stood outside the frosted glass door of the Alpha’s office, my fingers locking around the cardboard tray until the paper cups groaned.
    As the official project lead for Blackwood Group’s expansion in Chicago, I was used to managing multi-million-dollar logistics. But today, my hands trembled. Inside the cups were two lattes—extra vanilla syrup for him, just the way he liked it. It was a small, devoted detail I had kept up for seven years, ever since I had sacrificed my full scholarship to Stanford to help Alec Collins build his empire.
    I was a wolfless Omega—a broken, shifting-less anomaly in a world ruled by bloodlines and teeth. Alec was the blood-born Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, the powerful CEO of the conglomerate, and, unofficially, the destined mate I was supposed to bind with next month.
    Now, standing in the quiet corridor, my sharp ears picked up the low, serious murmur of voices from behind the cracked door.
    I recognized them instantly: Alec, and his loyal Beta, Ethan Hayes, the second-in-command of our pack.
    “Are the preparations for the bonding ceremony finalized?” Ethan’s voice was low, laced with a tension I couldn’t place.
    A sharp, impatient sound—a scoff from Alec—cut him off.
    “It’s a formality, Ethan. A show for the elders to secure the final votes for the merger. You know that.”
    The cardboard tray in my hands suddenly felt flimsy. Hot coffee sloshed over the rim, scalding my skin, but I barely felt it.
    My breath hitched. A formality?
    “But Alec,” Ethan pressed, his voice dropping lower. “Kay has been by your side for seven years. She literally designed the entire market strategy that saved our expansion. She’s earned the title of Luna.”
    “Earned what?”
    Alec’s voice was laced with a chilling amusement that made my stomach clench. “The privilege of being my Luna? She’s a wolfless Omega, Ethan. She should be grateful I even look at her. Her devotion is expected. It’s the least a defective creature like her can do to prove her worth to this pack.”
    The words hit me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs. Wolfless. The dirty little secret the pack pitied and scorned me for, now spoken by my destined mate as a measure of my uselessness.
    “Her work on the acquisition strategy was brilliant,” Ethan argued, a hint of desperation in his voice.
    “Her work was adequate,” Alec corrected him coldly. “It was a good way for her to contribute, to make up for… other deficiencies. And now that Breanne is back…”
    Breanne Weiss. The name was a whisper of silk and old money. A true-blooded, noble Omega who possessed the perfect bloodline and the inner wolf I lacked.
    “Breanne is who I want.” Alec’s voice was raw, stripped of all pretense. “She is the Luna this pack deserves. Her bloodline, her grace… she is my equal.”
    My equal. The words echoed in the sudden, roaring silence of my mind. If she was his equal, what was I?
    A placeholder. A tool. A seven-year-long convenience.
    “So, the plan is still to reject Kay after the merger is finalized?” Ethan asked.
    “I can’t risk the instability now.” Alec said, his voice hardening again, becoming the Alpha. “We’ll go through with the ceremony to appease the elders. Once everything is settled, I’ll handle the rejection. She’s weak, Ethan. She’ll cry, but she won’t fight it. Where would she even go without us?”
    A wave of nausea washed over me. The phantom mate bond on the back of my neck, the one-sided connection I had cherished, flared with a white-hot, agonizing pain.
    “And her project? The Phoenix Initiative?”
    “I’m giving it to Breanne.” Alec said, the casual cruelty of it knocking me back a step. “A welcome home present. Let her put her stamp on it.”
    My project. My baby. The one I had built from the ground up.
    A bitter, metallic taste filled my mouth. It was the taste of betrayal. Of my own foolishness. I had given up a full scholarship to an Ivy League school for him. I had believed his promises, his whispered words in the dark, his assurances that my lack of a wolf didn’t matter to him.
    Lies. All of it.
    “I’ll pick Breanne up from the airport this weekend.” Alec continued, his voice shifting, becoming lighter. “We’ll have dinner.”
    This weekend. Saturday. My mother’s birthday—the one he had promised we would celebrate together.
    It was over. The perfect, fragile illusion I had built my entire adult life around had just been shattered into a million pieces.
    I heard the scrape of a chair inside the office. Footsteps. Ethan was leaving.
    My body moved before my mind could catch up. There was no conscious thought, only a primal instinct for survival. I couldn’t let him see me. I couldn’t let them know I’d heard.
    I spun around, my movements swift and silent. The trash receptacle, a sleek stainless steel cylinder, was three feet away. In one fluid, decisive motion, I tipped the tray. The two vanilla lattes, the symbols of my pathetic, hopeful love, dropped into the bin with a soft, final thud.
    Not a single drop spilled on the pristine carpet.
    I didn’t look back. I didn’t wait to hear the office door open. I slipped into the adjacent doorway, pushing open the heavy metal door to the fire escape.
    It slammed shut behind me, the boom echoing in the concrete stairwell, plunging me into dim, dusty silence.
    The sound finally broke my paralysis.
    I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the gritty steps, my corporate suit jacket bunching around my waist.
    No tears came. Only a vast, cold emptiness.
    My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out with a trembling hand. The screen lit up, showing my wallpaper: a smiling photo of Alec and me from last year’s pack gala. His arm was around me, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He looked so happy. He looked like he loved me.
    A cold, hard fury, something I hadn’t felt in years, began to burn through the shock. It started in my gut and spread through my veins, chasing away the ice.
    My fingers moved with a new, chilling precision. I went into my settings and changed the wallpaper to the phone’s default, a bland, abstract swirl of blue. The photo of us vanished.
    I opened my notes app. I created a new, encrypted file. I titled it: “Extraction Protocol.”
    Another buzz. An email notification flashed across the top of the screen. It was from HR.
    Subject: URGENT: Venue Confirmation for Collins-Silva Bonding Ceremony.
    The email asked for my digital signature to confirm the booking.
    A laugh escaped my lips. It was a harsh, ugly sound in the quiet stairwell.
    I tapped the notification. The email opened. At the bottom were two buttons: “Approve” and “Reject.”
    My thumb hovered over the screen for a single, heartbeat. Then, I pressed “Reject.” A confirmation box popped up. “Are you sure you want to reject this request?”
    I pressed “Yes”.
    And then, for good measure, I deleted the email.
    I closed my eyes. I didn’t pray to the Moon Goddess for strength or guidance. I made her a promise. I would not be the weak, crying Omega Alec expected. I would not accept this sham of a bond. I would not be his fool.
    After a few minutes, the shaking stopped. The cold fury settled into a block of ice in my chest. I stood up, brushing the dust from my skirt. I straightened my jacket, smoothing the wrinkles with methodical, detached movements.
    I pushed the fire escape door open and stepped back into the plush, silent hallway. The air was no longer filled with promise. It was just recycled, sterile air.
    I didn’t go back to my desk. I didn’t go to the restroom to fix my face.
    I walked directly to the elevator bank and pressed the down button.
    The elevator descended. As it passed the lower floors, I made a decision. I wasn’t just going to leave. I was going to erase myself from his life and his company so completely that it would be as if I had never existed.
    The doors opened onto the lobby. The cold Chicago wind hit me as I pushed through the revolving doors, a blast of reality that felt like a baptism. It didn’t make me shiver. It made me feel awake.
    I didn’t walk to my car. I walked to the curb, raised my hand, and hailed a cab.
    As I slid into the back seat, giving the driver my address, I knew exactly what I had to do first.

    I was going to draft my formal notice of mate rejection.

    From Wolfless Omega To The Rival Alpha’s Queen Chapter 2

    Kay POV:
    The taxi ride back to my apartment was a blur of steel-grey buildings and headlights, but my mind was operating with the cold, clicking precision of a high-end server.
    I had spent seven years building a fortress for a man who planned to tear me down; now, it was time to dismantle it brick by brick.
    Inside my apartment, the silence was absolute. I didn’t turn on the lights. I walked straight to my home office, my steps even and measured, illuminated only by the faint city lights of Chicago cutting through the blinds.
    I woke up my MacBook. The cool, blueish light reflected off my face, devoid of any expression.
    First things first.
    My fingers flew across the keyboard, navigating through firewalls and encrypted servers with a muscle memory honed over seven years. I accessed the Blackwood Group’s central database. My database. The one I had designed.
    I began the download. Every project file, every financial model, every marketing strategy, every piece of intellectual property I had ever created for them. The ones with my name on them, and more importantly, the ones without. It was a massive amount of data. The progress bar crawled. It would take hours.
    My phone, sitting face down on the desk, lit up. It buzzed once.
    From: Alec
    Don’t forget the charity gala tomorrow night. 7 pm. The Vanderbilts will be there. Be ready.
    No “hello.” No “how was your day.” Just a command. The casual entitlement of it, the sheer arrogance, sent a fresh wave of cold fury through me. He was ordering me around while planning my replacement.
    I stared at the message, the name “Alec” at the top seeming alien. A corner of my mouth lifted in a sneer. I didn’t reply. I just flipped the phone back over, silencing it.
    I opened a new Word document.
    The words came easily, stripped of all emotion. It was a legal document, not a breakup letter.
    NOTICE OF MATE REJECTION
    Pursuant to the sacred laws upheld by the Moon Goddess and recognized by all packs, I, Kay Silva, formally and irrevocably reject you, Alec Collins of the Blackwood Pack, as my fated mate.
    This rejection is final and absolute.
    Let this document serve as the complete and total severance of the bond between us.
    I typed my name at the bottom. As my finger hovered over the last key, a faint, sharp sting pricked the back of my neck, right over the spot where his mark should have been. It was the bond, a phantom limb, protesting its own amputation.
    I ignored it and hit “Print.”
    The whirring of the printer was the only sound in the apartment. It was the sound of a life being unmade. The paper slid out, warm to the touch. I didn’t reread it.
    To ensure it couldn’t be dismissed as a prank or a fit of pique, I found one of the Blackwood Group’s official letterhead envelopes I kept for work. It had the embossed wolf seal. I folded the notice, slid it inside, and sealed it with a firm press of my thumb. Official. Undeniable.
    I wouldn’t give it to him myself. That would lead to a confrontation, to him trying to use his Alpha presence to force me into submission. No. I would give it to Ethan. Let the Beta deliver the news.
    With the letter lying on my desk like a verdict, I turned my attention back to the future. I opened my LinkedIn profile. It was painfully out of date. I started drafting a new summary, my mind already shifting from the past to the practicalities of survival.
    As I navigated to my inbox to clear out old messages, I saw it. An unread email, sent three days ago. The subject line made my heart skip a beat.
    From: Hamilton Jarvis, CEO, Vertex Group
    Subject: Strategic Consultant Inquiry
    Vertex Group.
    The name alone was enough to make any Alpha in the Midwest break a sweat. They were Blackwood’s biggest rival on the East Coast, a shadowy, powerful conglomerate run by a man spoken of only in whispers. Hamilton Jarvis. A Lycan. A creature of legend, more powerful, more ancient than any Alpha.
    My hand trembled slightly as I clicked the email open.
    Ms. Silva,
    Your work has come to my attention. Specifically, your unsigned strategic analysis on the Sterling-Cross acquisition and the risk-mitigation model for the Tundra Logistics merger. They were… impressive.
    Vertex Group is expanding its operations. We require a strategist with your unique foresight. I am prepared to offer you the position of Chief Strategic Advisor.
    The compensation package will be triple your current salary at Blackwood. Relocation to our Manhattan headquarters will be fully covered.
    I believe your talents are being wasted. Let’s rectify that.
    H.J.
    A cold shock went through me. Hamilton Jarvis knew. He had bypassed Alec’s public credit-stealing and pierced the Blackwood corporate veil to find the true brain behind the empire. A profound sense of validation—something I had been starved of for seven years—bloomed in my chest.
    I didn’t reply immediately. This could be a trap, a corporate espionage play. I spent the next hour researching Vertex Group’s recent market activity, cross-referencing their known holdings with their latest SEC filings. It was all legitimate. They were poised for a massive move into the Midwest. They were coming for Blackwood.
    *
    The next evening, I stood in front of the mirrors at the hotel ballroom. I had chosen a simple, severe black sheath dress.
    It wasn’t designed to attract attention. It was armor.
    I walked into the glittering ballroom, took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, and retreated to the shadows near the grand entrance.
    I spotted them instantly.
    Alec was in the center of the crowd, holding court like a king. And clinging to his arm was Breanne Weiss, wearing a blood-red gown that left nothing to the imagination. She laughed, a high, tinkling sound, and did a pathetic, theatrical wobble on her high heels, collapsing against his chest.
    Alec didn’t push her away. He smiled, his hand coming up to steady her, his fingers splayed possessively across the small of her back.
    I watched them, my hand holding the champagne flute perfectly steady. I felt nothing. No jealousy. No pain. Just a profound, pitying disgust for the woman I used to be, the one who would have been shattered by this sight.
    “They look perfect together, don’t they?”
    I turned.
    Chloe Sullivan, my childhood best friend, stood beside me. She had known every sacrifice I had made for Alec, yet her eyes held a malicious glint of triumph. She was already aligning herself with the winning side—the new, noble Luna.
    “A true Alpha and his noble Luna,” she said, her voice dripping with faux admiration. “It’s what the pack has always needed.”
    I looked at her, really looked at the cheap ambition in her eyes.
    “You’re right,” I said, my voice quiet, flat, and lethal. “They are a perfect match.”
    I paused, holding her gaze.
    “A bitch and a dog usually are.”
    Chloe’s face went white, her mouth opening and closing like a fish landed on concrete. Before she could recover from the sheer venom in my tone, I turned my back on her, leaving her sputtering.
    I navigated the edge of the ballroom and spotted Ethan Hayes near the restrooms, coordinating security on his phone. I waited.
    When he finished, I stepped into his path.
    He frowned when he saw me. “Kay. You should be with Alec. The Vanderbilts are asking for you.”
    “I have something for you,” I said, my voice devoid of warmth. I held out the thick, sealed envelope with the gold wolf seal.
    He looked at it, then at me, his brow furrowed in confusion. “What’s this?”
    “Give it to him,” I said. It wasn’t a request. It was an order. I pushed the envelope against his chest until his fingers automatically closed around it.
    Before he could ask another question, I turned and walked toward the exit. I didn’t look back.
    The cool night air of the city street was a relief. I took a deep breath, the scent of exhaust fumes and damp pavement filling my lungs. It was the smell of freedom.
    I pulled out my phone, my fingers no longer trembling. I opened the email from Hamilton Jarvis. My thumb hovered over the reply button.
    Then, with a decisive tap, I began to type.
    Mr. Jarvis,

    I accept your invitation for a meeting.

    From Wolfless Omega To The Rival Alpha’s Queen Chapter 3

    Kay POV:
    The Uber glided through the steel and glass canyons of Manhattan. I watched the city blur past, a stark contrast to the familiar, almost provincial feel of Chicago’s business district. Here, ambition was a physical presence, humming in the air.
    The car stopped in front of a skyscraper that seemed to scrape the clouds. A single, minimalist silver word was etched into the black marble facade: VERTEX.
    I took a deep breath, smoothed the front of my dark blue suit, and pushed through the revolving glass doors.
    The lobby was a cathedral of cold, gray minimalism. Polished concrete floors, a massive, raw-stone reception desk, and a ceiling so high it felt like open sky. There was no gold, no mahogany, none of the opulent, almost gaudy luxury that defined the Blackwood Group headquarters. This place wasn’t trying to look rich. It just was. It exuded a quiet, terrifying confidence.
    “Kay Silva for Hamilton Jarvis,” I said to the receptionist, a woman with a severe haircut and an earpiece.
    I gave her the appointment code from the email. Her eyes widened fractionally as she scanned it. Her professional demeanor instantly warmed with a deep, ingrained respect.
    “Of course, Ms. Silva. Right this way.”
    She didn’t point. She personally escorted me to a private elevator bank, a sleek, unmarked panel that slid open at her approach. Inside, there was no button for the top floor. She pressed her thumb to a biometric scanner.
    “Mr. Jarvis will meet you in his office,” she said, her voice a respectful murmur. “The elevator will take you directly there.”
    The doors slid shut, and the elevator ascended with a stomach-dropping speed. A faint sense of pressure built in my ears. I gripped the railing, my knuckles white, my heart hammering against my ribs. This was it. The point of no return. I forced myself to let go, to stand straight, to breathe.
    The elevator slowed to a smooth stop. The doors opened not onto a reception area, but a long, wide hallway. At the far end, a single set of massive, dark walnut doors stood closed.
    I walked the length of the hall, my footsteps silent on the dark wood floor. I reached the doors and hesitated for a half-second, my hand raised to knock.
    Before my knuckles could touch the wood, a soft green light glowed on a panel beside the frame. With a near-silent hiss, the heavy doors slid open, retracting into the walls.
    The office was vast. One entire wall was a floor-to-ceiling window offering a breathtaking, god-like view of Manhattan.
    A man stood with his back to me, his hands clasped behind him, looking out over the city he seemed to own.
    He was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a bespoke dark suit that fit him like a second skin. He didn’t turn immediately. He let the silence stretch, a subtle assertion of power.
    I stepped inside. The doors slid shut behind me.
    At the sound of my footsteps, he turned.
    The air in the room crackled. It was like a sudden drop in barometric pressure. A wave of pure, undiluted power washed over me, a force so immense it was almost a physical weight. It was the presence of a Lycan. Primal. Ancient. Absolute.
    My Omega instincts screamed at me to lower my eyes, to bow my head, to show submission. My knees felt weak.
    I locked them. I lifted my chin and met his gaze.
    His eyes were a startling shade of gray-blue, the color of a stormy sea.
    A flicker of something-surprise? respect?-passed through those cold eyes.
    “Ms. Silva,” he said. His voice was a low, resonant baritone that vibrated in the air. It held no warmth, only a deep, calm authority. “Please, sit.”
    He gestured to one of the two leather armchairs positioned in front of a massive, clean-lined desk. I walked forward, my back straight, and sat down. The leather was cool against my skin.
    He didn’t move to sit behind his desk, the throne of his power. Instead, he walked to a discreet wet bar built into the wall.
    “Water? Something stronger?”
    “Water is fine,” I said.
    He retrieved a bottle of sparkling water and a glass. He didn’t pour it over ice. He poured the room-temperature water into the glass and brought it to me, placing it on the small table beside my chair.
    It was a small thing, but it was a calculated one. He had noticed. He had noticed the slight tremor in my hand, the tension in my shoulders. An Omega in distress, especially one who had just severed a mate bond, would be physically and emotionally chilled. Ice water would have been a shock to the system.
    This wasn’t just a CEO. This was a predator who noticed every detail.
    He finally moved to his side of the desk, settling into his large chair. He steepled his long fingers, his gray-blue eyes fixed on me.
    “The Sterling-Cross acquisition,” he began, dispensing with any pleasantries. “Your strategy was to create a shell corporation to buy up their debt anonymously, forcing them to the negotiating table at a fraction of their market value. Alec Collins took the credit, but the idea was yours.”
    It wasn’t a question. It was a statement of fact.
    “Why are you so interested in a wolfless Omega from a rival pack, Mr. Jarvis?” I asked, my voice steady. I had to know. I had to understand the angle.
    A low chuckle, devoid of humor, rumbled in his chest. “I am not interested in your bloodline, Ms. Silva. Or the lack of it. I am interested in results.”
    He slid a thick file across the polished surface of the desk. It stopped perfectly in front of me.
    “Blackwood Group has seen a seventeen percent growth in their portfolio over the last three years,” he said. “All of it tied to initiatives that bear the hallmarks of your strategic style: aggressive, unconventional, and meticulously planned. But your name is on none of them.”
    He leaned forward, his presence intensifying. “I don’t care if you’re wolfless. I don’t care if you’re a rogue. I care that you have a mind capable of dismantling my competition from the inside out. And I want that mind working for me.”
    He laid his cards on the table. “Vertex is preparing a hostile takeover of key territories in the Midwest. Blackwood is the primary obstacle. I need a Chief Strategist who knows their playbook, their weaknesses, their every move. I need you.”
    This was more than a job offer. It was a declaration of war. And he was handing me the sword.
    A part of me, the vengeful, wounded part, wanted to scream yes. But the strategist in me, the part he was hiring, took over.
    “I am still, technically, in a separation period with the Blackwood Pack,” I said carefully. “There are legal and pack-law sensitivities. A non-compete clause. The mate bond severance isn’t finalized until the rejection is formally accepted.”
    He leaned back, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. “Vertex Group’s legal department is… formidable. They will handle any and all external obstacles. Consider your non-compete clause a historical artifact. As for the rejection… let Mr. Collins worry about that.”
    His confidence was absolute. He was offering me not just a job, but a shield. A fortress.
    I looked into his eyes and saw something I had never, not once, seen in Alec’s.
    Respect.
    He saw me not as a broken Omega, not as a mate or a possession, but as an asset. An equal.
    “My terms,” I said, my voice gaining strength, “I need one month for the transition, to completely sever my ties. And when I assume the role, I require absolute autonomy on strategic deployment. No interference.”
    He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t consult a lawyer or a subordinate. He simply reached for a pen on his desk-a heavy, black Montblanc. He pulled a pre-printed contract from a drawer, uncapped the pen, and signed his name at the bottom with a flourish of sharp, decisive strokes.
    He pushed the contract and the pen across the desk to me.
    “Welcome to Vertex, Ms. Silva.”
    I picked up the contract. The terms were even more generous than he had stated in the email. The salary was astronomical. The autonomy I’d requested was spelled out in iron-clad legal terms.
    My last shred of doubt evaporated.
    I took the pen he offered. My own signature, next to his powerful scrawl, looked almost delicate. But as I signed my name, I felt a lifetime of being underestimated fall away. I was no longer Kay Silva, Alec Collins’s wolfless mate.
    I was Kay Silva, Chief Strategic Advisor for the Vertex Group.
    He stood up, and I followed suit. He extended his hand across the desk. It was a large hand, the fingers long and elegant, the knuckles prominent. A hand that held immense power.
    I placed my hand in his.
    The moment our skin touched, a jolt, sharp and electric, shot up my arm. It was so intense it made me gasp, a wave of heat washing through my entire body. Sparks seemed to dance on my skin. My heart hammered against my ribs, and for a dizzying second, the world seemed to narrow to the point of contact between our hands.
    I saw his eyes darken, his pupils dilating. He felt it too. His grip tightened for a fraction of a second, a possessive, instinctual reaction.
    Then, as quickly as it came, it was gone. He masked his reaction, his expression becoming impassive again. He released my hand, his touch lingering like a brand.
    “My assistant will show you out,” he said, his voice a little rougher than before.
    I nodded, unable to speak. I picked up my copy of the contract, my fingers still tingling, and walked out of the office on unsteady legs.
    The elevator doors closed, and as I descended from the heavens of his office, I clutched the contract to my chest. I didn’t know what that electric shock was.

    A fluke? Static electricity?

  • The Alpha’s Discarded Luna by Velvet Piston

    The Alpha's Discarded Luna by Velvet Piston

    I was three months pregnant when the car hit me.

    Lying there, barely hanging on, I called my husband-Alpha Ethan-over and over. No answer. When I finally woke up from the pain, I saw a post from his first love, Ivy. “Thank you, Alpha, for knowing how scared I am of the dark and staying with me all night. He even cleared his whole schedule today to take me to the auction, just to give me the best gift in the world. I’m so happy!”

    Right then, it hit me. While I was fighting to protect our child, he was with another she-wolf. I calmly liked her post and put my phone away.

    Since he chose his first love, I chose to let go.

    Seven days from now, I’d leave his world for good-with our child.

    The Alpha’s Discarded Luna Chapter 1 Sign The Rejection

    Lianne’s POV:

    Three months into my pregnancy, I, Lianne Riley, was caught in a car accident.

    Half-conscious and shaking, I kept calling my husband, Alpha Ethan Voss, but he never answered.

    When the pain finally eased enough for me to stay awake, I opened my phone and saw a post from his first love, Ivy Brooks.

    “I have to thank Ethan for staying with me all night because he knows I’m afraid of the dark. He even canceled all his meetings today to take me to an auction and bought me the most beautiful gift in the world. I’m so happy!”

    That was the moment I understood everything. When I was seriously injured while protecting my child, he chose to stay beside another she-wolf.

    Without a word, I liked the post and closed the app.

    If he wanted his first love back, then he could have her.

    Seven days from now, I would disappear from his life forever-with our child.

    Clutching the freshly printed Rejection, I dragged my injured body back home.

    I shoved open the heavy oak door. The living room sat in darkness, with only the faint glow from the wall lamps cutting through the shadows.

    In the faint light, a tall figure sat on the couch, his presence heavy and suffocating. The pressure rolling off him belonged only to a top-tier Alpha.

    He was none other than my mate, Ethan.

    “So you still remember this is your home?” His voice cut through the silence like frost.

    Before I could answer, he rose from the couch and crossed the room in a few long strides.

    His hand clamped around my wrist with brutal force, pain shooting through my arm as though he meant to snap the bones.

    “Lianne, what was the point of that like on Ivy’s post?” he snapped, glaring down at me with open contempt. “She only just came back, and her condition isn’t stable yet. She can’t deal with stress right now. Were you trying to remind her that you’re my Luna?”

    I lifted my eyes to him, my blurred vision making his face hard to see clearly.

    Three years ago, Ethan had been poisoned with silver. The toxin ruined his legs.

    After Ivy dumped him and ran overseas, he spiraled completely, numbing himself with alcohol day after day.

    The Elders of the Thorn Pack arranged our bond.

    For the last three years, I’d stayed by his side as his mate, calming the rage and pain eating away at him. At the same time, I’d given him my blood again and again, using my healing ability to help repair his body until he could finally stand on his own once more.

    But now, there wasn’t even a trace of warmth left in him. His breath brushed lightly against my neck while his voice stayed cold. “I already told you before-stop letting your jealousy control you. Can’t you act reasonable for once?”

    Reasonable.

    The word hit harder than a slap against my already numb heart.

    He didn’t know that not long ago, I’d been trapped in a wrecked car after the crash.

    Pinned inside the overturned vehicle with blood running down my face, I’d called him again and again, hoping he would come to save me and our unborn baby.

    But before I could explain anything, all he said was, “Ivy’s not feeling well right now. I can’t leave her side. Whatever it is, deal with it yourself.”

    Then he ended the call.

    I forced myself out of the crushed driver’s seat with the last bit of strength I had left. After that, I walked three miles through heavy rain before a passing car finally stopped for me.

    “I’m sorry,” I whispered, lowering my gaze so he wouldn’t see the sadness in my eyes. “It won’t happen again.”

    Ethan looked caught off guard by how quickly I apologized. He fell silent for a moment, the anger in his eyes easing slightly, though suspicion soon took its place.

    Letting go of my wrist, he looked me over slowly, from my tangled hair to my pale face.

    “The staff said you were out all day, and you weren’t answering your phone.” He frowned. “And those calls you kept making… were you throwing a fit because of Ivy?”

    “No.” I took a slow breath, forcing down the turmoil churning inside me. “There was an issue with the pack’s supply deliveries, so I went to deal with it. I must’ve lost my phone during the mess.”

    I pulled out a stack of documents and handed them to him. “These are the financial reports for this quarter, along with a few documents that need your signature. The admin office needs them by tomorrow morning.”

    Ethan took the papers from me and casually tossed them onto the coffee table without even checking them.

    He trusted me completely. For the past three years, I’d been the perfect Luna in his eyes, handling every responsibility without fault.

    I took care of the endless pack matters for him. Whenever the silver poison pushed him into violent, uncontrollable episodes, I stayed beside him and used our mate bond to calm the beast inside him.

    Ethan sat back down, picked up a pen, and signed the documents one after another with quick, practiced strokes.

    He didn’t realize the Rejection was hidden beneath the stack of documents.

    Once he signed it, the Rejection would take effect in seven days.

    After that, the bond forcing us together would break completely. He would finally be free. And I would disappear from his life forever.

    “It’s done.” He slid the papers back toward me, his fingers brushing lightly against the back of my hand by accident.

    I pulled my hand away instantly, as though his touch had scorched me.

    A shadow passed through Ethan’s eyes. He stared at me for a long moment before asking, “Lianne, are you avoiding me?”

    He rose to his feet, his tall frame closing in until his shadow swallowed me completely.

    Then he reached for me. His fingers caught my chin and lifted it, forcing me to look straight at him.

    There was something fierce burning in his eyes. Possessiveness. The instinctive dominance an Alpha held toward his mate.

    “Today’s our wedding anniversary,” he said quietly. His hand slid from my chin to my throat, his rough thumb brushing slowly over the sensitive skin there. “By pack tradition, I should stay with you tonight.”

    His touch felt burning hot against my skin, yet my heart remained cold and unmoving.

    At that moment, his phone suddenly rang.

    The glowing screen showed a name I knew too well. Ivy.

    Ethan’s body stiffened.

    He answered immediately, and Ivy’s trembling voice drifted through the call, “Ethan, I’m scared. The thunder’s really loud tonight. Can you come stay with me?”

    Ethan glanced at me, hesitation flickering briefly across his face.

    I pressed a faint smile onto my lips and urged, “You should go. Ivy only just came back, and she’s still not fully recovered. As the pack’s Alpha, you should look after your pack members. I’ll be fine here alone.”

    Ethan kept staring at me, as if trying to find some trace of resentment hidden beneath my words. But there was nothing for him to find. I looked empty enough to fool even him, like a doll with nothing left inside.

    “You’re finally beginning to understand what it means to be a Luna,” he said after a moment, satisfaction creeping into his tone as he put his phone away. “I know this hasn’t been easy for you. Once Ivy’s settled in, I’ll make it up to you.”

    Make it up to me?

    What I wanted was never compensation. I only wanted the one thing he had never truly given me-his whole heart.

    “Okay,” I answered with a nod.

    Ethan turned and headed for the door, his hurried steps making it seem as though he couldn’t leave fast enough.

    He never looked back, so he never saw my legs buckle the moment the door shut behind him. I slid slowly down the wall, too weak to keep standing.

    Lowering my eyes, I looked at the Rejection while my trembling fingers brushed across his signature.

    This would be the last thing I ever did for Ethan.

    In seven days, I would no longer be his Luna.

    I would take our unborn child and disappear from his life forever.

    The Alpha’s Discarded Luna Chapter 2 Eternal Devotion

    Lianne’s POV:

    The next morning, sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows and filled my room.

    I endured the constant ache in my fractured ribs, then covered the lifeless color of my face with thick concealer before changing into a clean, tailored business suit.

    Ethan wasn’t only the Alpha of the Thorn Pack. He was also the CEO of Voss Group. And I was his chief secretary.

    To everyone in the company, I was the person he relied on most. Calm, capable, efficient. The perfect secretary who handled every problem without hesitation.

    Only a few in the pack knew I was his mate.

    I knew Ethan hated the fact that I had lost my wolf. That was why he’d never acknowledged our bond in public. For a long time, I’d waited quietly, hoping one day, he’d accept me openly.

    But now, none of that mattered anymore.

    I walked into the company building and went straight to the HR department. Then I placed my resignation letter on the manager’s desk.

    “You’re resigning?” The HR manager adjusted her glasses in disbelief. “Lianne, you’re the person Mr. Voss trusts more than anyone. The company would fall apart without you. Does Mr. Voss know about this?”

    “He won’t mind,” I replied calmly, keeping the same polished smile I used at work every day. “I’ll finish the transition over the next few days. Nothing at the company will be affected.”

    The manager looked like she wanted to say more, but in the end, she only sighed and signed the resignation letter.

    After leaving her office, I stopped in the hallway and took a slow breath. A sharp pain spread through my chest, reminding me that the injuries from the car crash were far worse than they looked.

    I was about to return to my desk when quiet voices drifted out from the break room nearby.

    “Did you hear? The one Alpha loves is back.”

    “You mean Ivy? No wonder Alpha spent so much at the auction. He paid fifty million for the ‘Tears of Moonstone’ necklace.”

    “Seriously? That’s the necklace that represents eternal devotion. He really treats her like a queen.”

    I stopped walking.

    Tears of Moonstone.

    Three years ago, on the day Ethan and I formed our mate bond, I’d seen that necklace in a magazine.

    The crystal was said to glow blue beneath moonlight, a gift blessed by the Moon Goddess for true mates.

    Back then, I’d pointed at the picture shyly and whispered to Ethan, “It’s beautiful.”

    He hadn’t even looked at the picture for more than a second before answering casually, “That necklace is meant for she-wolves who’ve gone through the official Luna ceremony. You don’t even have a wolf, Lianne. If you wore it, the pack would only complain. Stop making things harder for me.”

    So that was the truth. It had never been about pack traditions. I simply wasn’t worthy enough in his eyes.

    “Lianne, this document needs Alpha’s signature right away. Could you bring it in for me?” A junior secretary hurried toward me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

    I accepted the document, though my fingers shook slightly around it.

    Then I walked to the CEO’s office and pushed the door open. The moment I stepped inside, the scene before me froze me in place.

    Ethan sat behind his large desk while Ivy perched casually along the edge beside him.

    She wore a flawless silk dress that made her seem delicate enough to break.

    The coldness in Ethan’s eyes had completely disappeared. He let her wrap her arms around his neck, and when she leaned over to kiss his cheek, he didn’t pull away.

    Suddenly, the document slipped from my numb fingers. Papers scattered across the floor with a sharp rustle, as though my heart had shattered along with them.

    Both of them looked toward me at once.

    The tenderness on Ethan’s face vanished instantly, replaced by the familiar icy expression I knew too well. Irritation flickered in his eyes.

    “Do you not know how to knock before entering?” he said sharply.

    Ivy quickly jumped off the desk, acting startled by the situation. Then she walked over to me and took my hand, as though she was trying to comfort me. “Lianne, please don’t misunderstand anything. I’m just really happy today. Ethan gave me such an amazing gift.”

    Her fingers tightened around mine while she tilted her head to show off the necklace resting against her throat.

    The huge moonstone shimmered beneath the sunlight pouring through the windows, its glare so bright it almost hurt to look at.

    “It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Ivy smiled sweetly, but the provocation in her eyes was meant only for me. “Ethan told me I’m the only person worthy of this symbol of eternal devotion.”

    A sharp pain twisted through my chest, dull and brutal, like a blunt knife dragging back and forth inside me.

    Still, I forced myself to remain standing. Somehow, I even managed a steady smile. “It’s beautiful. It looks perfect on you.”

    I crouched down slowly, pain shooting through my ribs as I gathered the scattered papers. After straightening them neatly, I placed them on Ethan’s desk. “Alpha, this document needs your signature.”

    My composure seemed to unsettle Ethan.

    A trace of discomfort crossed his face as he watched me turn toward the door. Then, almost awkwardly, he spoke up to explain himself. “Ivy just returned to the pack. The necklace was only meant as a welcome-back gift. Don’t overthink it.”

    “Alright.” I nodded lightly, said nothing else, and walked out without looking back.

    That evening, I returned home and quietly began packing my things.

    Everything in the house carried traces of the life Ethan and I had shared together. Now all of it felt like a cruel reminder of how foolish I’d been.

    I folded my clothes carefully and placed them inside the suitcase one by one. As for the expensive jewelry Ethan had given me over the years, I left every piece behind.

    I only wanted to take the things that truly belonged to me.

    The moment I closed the suitcase, hurried footsteps sounded from behind me.

    Then Ethan’s voice rang out in panic. “Lianne! What do you think you’re doing?”

    The Alpha’s Discarded Luna Chapter 3 Ethan, Help Me

    Lianne’s POV:

    I hadn’t expected Ethan to come back so early.

    Before I could say anything, he crossed the room in a few quick strides and grabbed the wrist I was using to close the suitcase. His grip tightened hard enough to hurt.

    Then he seemed to have realized something. Dark anger stirred in his eyes as he stared at me. “Didn’t I already explain the necklace was only a gift to celebrate Ivy’s return? And now you’re packing your things to threaten me? Lianne, you’re not a child anymore. You’re the Luna of this pack. Start acting like one.”

    I looked at his familiar face, handsome as ever yet completely devoid of warmth, and a deep sense of bitterness rose quietly inside me.

    No matter what happened, he always treated my pain like some immature attempt to gain attention.

    But I didn’t want to argue with him. Most of all, I couldn’t let him discover the Rejection.

    “I’m not threatening you,” I said, lowering my eyes. “The closet’s just too crowded, so I thought I’d clear some of the clothes out. Sometimes, old things should make room for new ones.”

    Ethan stared at me for a long moment, as though trying to determine whether I was lying to him.

    But my face remained calm, without the hurt and resentment he usually expected to see. Gradually, the tension in his expression eased. “Good. I’m glad you understand.”

    “Ethan?” A soft voice drifted in from the doorway.

    I looked up sharply. Ivy stood in the doorway wearing a thin silk nightdress, a man’s jacket draped loosely over her shoulders. It carried Ethan’s scent.

    She leaned weakly against the doorframe, her pale face making her look like a fragile white flower ready to collapse at any moment.

    “What is she doing here?” The words escaped before I could stop them, and a sharp ache pierced my chest.

    “Ivy’s going to stay here for a while.” Ethan walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders with natural familiarity, as though he’d done it countless times before. “Some of her fans have been crossing the line lately. They even found the place she’s staying at now. It isn’t safe for her anymore. Until she finds somewhere suitable, staying here is the best option.”

    Then he looked at me, warning clear in his eyes. “Treat her properly. I don’t want people spreading rumors that the Luna of the Thorn Pack is bullying another pack member. Do you understand?”

    I stared at the two of them standing together, and the whole thing felt strangely unreal.

    My mate had brought the woman he loved into our home. And now he expected me to welcome her with a smile.

    “Alright,” I replied with a bitter smile. “I’ll make sure she’s well taken care of.”

    The staff moved quickly after that. They cleaned out the room beside mine, the nursery Ethan and I had once planned to use for our future child, and turned it into Ivy’s bedroom.

    Ethan personally stayed with her while the servants arranged everything. He even instructed them to replace the scent diffuser oils with lavender because it was Ivy’s favorite fragrance.

    The laughter drifting from the room next door grated against my nerves like a blade scraping over raw skin, tearing deeper into a heart that was already falling apart.

    Late that night, I forced my exhausted body into the bathroom.

    Warm water poured over me, but no amount of heat could drive away the cold buried deep inside my chest.

    I lifted my eyes to the mirror. My face looked pale and drained, and dark bruises spread across my chest from the crash. At that moment, the tears I had been holding back finally fell.

    Just six more days.

    If I could endure six more days, everything would be over.

    After changing into a simple silk slip dress, I stepped out of the bathroom through the lingering steam. My vision was still hazy, so I didn’t notice someone standing inside the room.

    Suddenly, my foot slipped against the floor, and my body pitched backward.

    But instead of crashing down, I fell into a firm, burning embrace.

    One of Ethan’s arms locked tightly around my waist while his other hand pressed protectively against the back of my head, pulling me hard against his chest.

    The sharp cedarwood scent that always clung to him surrounded me instantly.

    “Can’t even stand properly anymore?” His voice came out low and rough beside my ear.

    “Let me go,” I insisted, struggling to steady myself. “Shouldn’t you be with Ivy right now?”

    His eyes darkened instantly. Instead of letting me go, Ethan pulled me tighter against him. His fingers slid slowly through my damp hair before settling at the back of my neck, right over the sensitive gland every werewolf guarded instinctively.

    “Lianne, I’m your mate,” he murmured against my skin. His warm breath brushed across my collarbone, sending a shiver through me. “Yesterday was our anniversary. I told you I’d make it up to you.”

    His hand moved slowly along my skin, rough fingertips brushing lightly against me and leaving heat in their wake.

    Three years of marriage had taught him every weakness I had. He knew exactly how to break down my defenses.

    “No…”

    My protest was swallowed by his possessive, punishing kiss.

    There was no gentleness in the kiss. It was fierce and possessive, filled with a hunger that felt more like claiming than affection.

    He kissed me hard enough to steal the air from my lungs, as though he wanted to erase every thought in my mind except him.

    The next moment, he pushed me down onto the bed, his body pressing heavily against mine.

    During the struggle, the straps of my silk dress slipped from my shoulders, exposing bare skin beneath the dim light.

    Desire burned openly in Ethan’s eyes. His lips moved slowly down my neck, leaving heated marks along my collarbone.

    “Ethan…” A shaky sound escaped my throat as my fingers gripped his shoulders tightly, my nails pressing into the hard muscles beneath his shirt.

    For that brief moment, I let myself sink into the illusion he created. Even knowing it wasn’t real, I still reached desperately for the warmth he gave me so rarely.

    His hand slid beneath the hem of my dress, his touch burning against my skin.

    Just as he was about to go further, a terrified scream suddenly rang out from Ivy’s room next door.

    “Ethan, help me!”