"Where are you taking me?" I whimpered as the huge wolf carried me on his shoulders. After a couple of minutes, he put me down. Before I could blink, the huge white wolf shifted before me. The man who now stood in its place was handsome, muscular... and completely naked. * * * Elaine Rutherford has spent her entire life wishing for an escape from her dysfunctional family. But when her wish is granted in the form of being offered up as a human sacrifice to an elite village of werewolves...it wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Every leap year, Stella's Soul receives a mortal woman from the neighbouring city of Moonburn, just beyond the wall, to bear children for the chosen werewolf. And it just so happens this year is a leap year. On the next full moon, Elaine is set to be married to the handsome werewolf billionaire, Tyler Jane Moonstorm. Despite her doubts, she still hopes that this will be a better life than she's used to. At least that's what she thought...
I waited for my father and mother to cease fighting in the car.
We have arrived in Moonburn. Yet, we're still sitting in the car waiting for their argument to end. My sister's baby kept on crying and the sound of my brother's gaming tablet is very much a nuisance to my ears.
I often wished to be like Belle in Beauty and the Beast. At least, she can live peacefully in a castle full of books-never mind the talking dishes and whining furniture.
Finally, my father, who's in the driver's seat, unlocked the door and I went out immediately. I heard my sister's 'scolding' voice for the one thousandth time today, but I just ignored it, like I mostly do.
The neighborhood is calm and peaceful, probably because of the frigid weather or they just don't care about newly-moved folks.
A blonde woman, perhaps in her early forties, waved at me. Her house is just next to us. I smiled and waved back as well. She looks so happy and cheerful upon seeing us, upon seeing me.
But there's something odd about her actions. As soon as I waved back at her, her expression changed. The smile dropped from her previously kind face and she turned her back on me, going inside her house. I was a bit shocked. But for a person who's constantly being turned back by everyone, it didn't bother me that much.
"What the hell are you doing there, Elaine? Go inside and prepare our food!" My mother's thundering voice is the only one loud enough to echo in the silence of the neighborhood.
I glared at her, silently willing her to lower her voice. But, she just rolled her eyes and tried to throw her slippers at me.
I quickly dodged; I'm a pretty good dodger. My family is very chaotic as you can see. Each has their own business and only pays attention to you if they need something.
My younger sister gave birth when she was sixteen. I am eighteen, and yet jobless-again.
I left my friends and job in Maine to be with my family. At least they are a family in some ways. Despite their cruel treatment of me, my mother is still my mother and my father is still my father nonetheless.
I didn't go to college as my parents wouldn't allow me, even though I told them that I'm going to use my own money. My mom told me that instead of spending my money on college, I should give it to them so that I will be at least 'of use' to this family.
"We have raised you for more than a decade. Don't tell me you're not going to pay us back all the money we've spent on you since I gave birth until you graduated in Senior High School!" That was my mother's words every time I mentioned that topic.
And every time she finishes blurting out those words, she always ends it with an attempted slap on my face that I always managed to avoid. As I said, I am pretty much a professional dodger of slaps and things thrown at me. I think if I were Belle from Beauty and the Beast, I would not think twice about going to Beast's huge castle if I have a family like this.
I wandered through the house, exploring my new surroundings on the way to the kitchen. The wallpapers are still intact, no hint of beastly scratches and blood stains. The house wasn't as creepy as I was suspecting. I guess my family is much more hideous then.
The real estate agent told us that the only daughter of the previous couple was abducted on the night of a leap year. And thus, they left-abandoned-this city and went into another city to start a new life.
It sounds like one of those unsolved cases and disappearing people that I used to watch on Buzzfeed. I am an avid fan of the paranormal and supernatural. That's why I am overly happy that the house we are now living in has some supernatural, mystery case connected to it. Especially since it's a leap year tonight, February 29, 2020.
I'm gonna prepare my journal for this year's chilling phenomena. Like the one I caught in my camera last year where I saw the image of a floating lady before my eyes-and I managed to capture it.
"Elaine! Where the heck is our food?!" my sister yelled at me. The four of them were just casually sitting in the living room, watching Netflix on the television that came with the house.
"Coming!" I answered back like how a housekeeper responds to her employer. I better be a housekeeper of this family if this is how they treat me. At least I'll have a monthly salary if I am their housemaid. To be frank, I'd rather be abducted by an alien at midnight or transported to a faery realm rather than continually living with those four huge pigs that call themselves my brother, father, mother, and sister.
I carried a food tray with plates of fruits and vegetables and a bit of meat that were paid for with my last month's salary before I resigned. I used to work as a waitress at a diner in Maine. Well, to tell you honestly, I once even had a brief relationship with my boss before I found out that he only used me-and has been actually married for five years.
I sighed and slowly laid the food on the table before them. Before I could even yield a step back to the kitchen, a dozen people barged in into our house.
Two words could describe my face: utterly flabbergasted. The lady that waved at me earlier was one of a dozen people.
"What the shit is going on?!" My father demanded.
"Who's the eldest female child?" The man carrying a white dress on his shoulder asked.
I frowned. My brows knitted, confusion was visible in my face. So does my family.
My brother, who was still clinging to his gaming tablet, pointed at me. All eyes in the room were fixed on me. The lady from earlier stepped forward.
"Then our sacrifice to the White Wolf is now settled." She spoke more to the people with her rather than to us.
"I'm sorry, what?" I breathed.
"You'll come with us. Bring only yourself. And nothing more," she added.
I tried to protest but the man holding the white dress shouted in anger. "Come with us now before the sun sets!"
My family just looked at me. I was expecting them to stop these people. But my mom just stood and said, "Go. Go with them Elaine. Before they kill us!"
I'm done with them. Even in this last minute, all they think is about themselves. All they care about is their safety. They didn't even stop me or grab me by the hand. The people I called family didn't even fight for me, beckoned me to stay with them. They just handed me to these people that, in the devil's name, we don't even know who they are.
What if they're a cult? A coven of witches? What do they mean by 'sacrificed to the white wolf'? Does that even exist until the twenty-first century? A bunch of thoughts were flooding my mind.
I know that my family is scared of them as these people are holding a rifle, an axe, a rake, and even a rope. Am I some sort of animal to be butchered?
Nevertheless, my family remained silent even as I slowly walked towards the people. This place that we recently moved in minutes ago is definitely odd and creepy and something's fishy. They handed me to them as some sort of bread to be given to the beggars.
A tear slid down from my face but my sister just rolled her eyes, my brother returned to his gaming tablet, my mother's face was just blank, and my father...he hoisted his hand and waved goodbye at me. I blinked, but he immediately averted his gaze and grabbed a newspaper.
They knew. They probably knew this was going to happen. All four of them. And I am the only one who's oblivious to this.
As soon as I left the house, I felt light-hearted. It's as if I am ready to greet death as being this people's sacrifice. I felt relieved by being freed from my family's chain.
At long last, I, Elaine Rutherford, who is now lying on top of a stone table in the middle of a grassy field, can now rest peacefully in this white dress that the man forced me to wear.
Until I saw a huge white wolf approaching me amidst the night of February 29th.
Love lost, love chased, and love reborn-this collection of werewolf short stories weaves together tales of passion, heartbreak, and redemption. From powerful Alphas who regret letting their fated mates slip away to strong-willed heroines who rise above betrayal, each story explores the raw emotions of second chances and self-discovery. Some wolves fight to reclaim what they've lost, while others learn that true strength lies in walking away. As the moon guides them through pain and healing, they must decide: cling to the past or embrace the future? In "Fated Mates Torn by Hate", experience stories of chasing love, finding self-worth, and letting go of old wounds to step into the light of a new dawn.
In a werewolf country cursed to be forever cold, Evadne wished under the full moon for many years to find her mate and escape from her hell of a home where her father, Alpha Marcus of the Moonflame Pack, and Elodie, Evadne's sister, constantly made sure her day won't end without her being bullied or beaten by them. When she finally turned eighteen years old, Evadne find her mate, Alpha Gregor of the Fireheart Pack. She promised him that she would be the best mate and Luna for him. However, Elodie reveals he's her fiance and boyfriend and begs the Alpha to ruthlessly reject her in front of the whole Moonflame Pack at Evadne's very own birthday party. Evadne's heart became even more shattered when her father banished her and ordered her to never return to their lives when she humiliated his favorite daughter, Elodie, on that same night. Alone, she was imprisoned in the dungeons of a pack that thought she was a Rogue-when it was attacked by the Alpha King's forces since the said pack was the only remaining one who refused to bow down to him. As she tried to escape the ensuing chaos, she met him, and never had she thought that the Moon Goddess would let her second-chance mate be Alpha King Kallias himself-the cause of the eternal winter and now the most feared Alpha.
“I was looking for a man named Zarion, but I ended up here.” Most of them gasped when I uttered Zarions’ name. “Don’t mention that name because it’s cursed!” someone hissed. My brows furrowed at her reaction. “Why? "He's the Alpha of this pack. He was banished because he didn't want to take the position. Rumour says that he's out in the woods, looking for his mate, and..." she trailed off. "And?" I swallowed. "Kill her. He wants to kill his mate." *** Alpha Zarion is on a quest to find his mate and kill her because he despises the idea of a mating bond. During a winter storm, he met Cassidy Bentley who saved him from death. He knows he has no time to waste but Zarion was curious about her, deliriously wanting every inch of her skin and touch…until he found out that the girl is mated to his number one rival, Alpha Brandon. Alpha Brandon rejected Cassidy because she’s a human—which he greatly despises. She eventually started getting over him, pouring out her love to Alpha Zarion who obsessively wants her. During the night Zarion and Cassidy will mark and mate, the girl's first mate finally comes to his senses and goes to find her. But the first mate already found Cassidy in another man's arm, in his stepbrother’s arms, who was just about to mark her…
In the land of Westfall, three packs rule: the Night Storm Pack, whose wolves are gifted with wind and storm abilities; the Shadow Rose Pack, who are masters of shadows and poison; and the Fire Moon Pack, who can wield flames and render themselves immune to fire. But only the luckiest packmembers have those powers, and not all who possess them have wolves. Meet Sasha Forster, a wolfless and helpless Slave of the Fire Moon Pack-until the ruthless Alpha Alain of the Shadow Rose Pack, the one who was cursed by her mother to marry Sasha and have an heir with her, saves her from her pack's tyrannical Alpha. The Fire Moon Pack now whisks Sasha to be the payment to Alpha Alain and Alain is also trying his best to make her his and end the curse. But Sasha's heart has already begun to beat for her childhood friend and her pack's new Alpha, Ansel. Worse, Sasha became more perplexed when she accidentally revealed to the entire Fire Moon Pack that she has fire powers, and all the pack now either envy her or hate her. When her life and heart bombarded her with difficult choices, would she choose her heart over her mind? Or will she choose responsibility over love?
Wisdom Weisz lost her house and ten-month-old daughter in a fire in a single day. And what’s worse is that on the same day, her husband was making love to her best friend in the latter’s apartment without paying any sort of remorse for her. Frustrated, she was left jobless and spent her remaining money in a luxury hotel’s bar. With destiny as unpredictable as ever, she met the billionaire in the bar who she already came across at various moments of her life. The man offered her a job called, “Wife for Hire”, meaning she will be his wife without any emotional attachments. If she accepts, the billionaire will pay her upfront with a hundred thousand dollars in her bank in just a blink of an eye. Wisdom eventually accepts as she deemed this as an opportunity for revenge to her former husband and best friend. As whirlpool of emotions stirred and a web of conflicts weaved, Wisdom will soon find out that this job was not easy as she thought as her heart begins to fall for the man who had employed her to be his hired wife.
Minerva was so close to tying the knot with her long-time boyfriend Derrick when an unexpected accident fatally killed him. With only five months before she’ll give birth, she had look for various jobs that can raise her and her upcoming child until she met Darwin Gray, the CEO of the biggest company in their city and happens to be Derrick’s half-brother. She was skeptical at first to live with him until Darwin revealed that Derrick actually sold her to him in order to finance Derrick’s gambling lifestyle. Minerva was absolutely heartbroken and was left with no choice than to be his Mrs. Gray. But, as the winds of fate change, Minerva will soon realize that one must never judge a book by its cover—that despite Darwin’s ruthless appearance lies a heart that has long been yearning for a one true love.
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."