They always say, the day you meet your fated mate is a joyous one. Well, mine wasn't... it was instead a call to disaster for me. My fated mate brutally rejected me after torturing me and finding out my secret, I thought my life was at its end. He'd murdered my family and bestfriend, banished me from our pack, and ruined my sanity. I hung onto life by a thread until I met River, a scarred man with a dark past, his touch elicited passion I never thought was possible within me and he rescued me from insanity. Now, thirsty for vengeance, I return to my ex mate to settle score. However, I become torn between getting revenge for my parents and best friend, and risking the life of my new mate. My ex mate's sudden interest in reconciling with me after realizing my new found powers didn't help matters as he vows to do everything in his power until he has me back to him. Would I be able to risk my new found love for vengeance, or will I choose to fall to the dark side after all?
"What have you done Gemma?" my father asked, staring at me, fear and horror evident on his aged face.
I twirled my fingers. His smell was still on me, I knew. I could still smell his woody pine scent clashing with my citrusy one.
I didn't know why my scent was unusual, but it had always made me feel unique and I liked smelling so.
My alpha had obviously loved it, I could still see the way his reddish lips had quirked up in a crooked heart stopping smile when he inhaled my scent.
Right now, my father didn't care about my unique scent, but for the other strange one on me that was so strong it almost overpowered mine. This meant one thing; I had mated with someone.
Usually, it would be a joyous thing as I was of age, but my father was livid and my mother was quite nervous.
"Father, he is my fated mate." I whispered with wide eyes.
"He is our alpha! Do you have any idea what is going to happen to us?" Eric, my father, was unrelenting as he yelled.
"Eric, come-on, you know how it usually is. She couldn't control herself." my ever gentle mother, Veronica, said, coming to stand beside her mate.
My father was obviously frustrated, he turned to his mate and grabbed her by the arm, his grasp gentle yet firm.
"This is trouble Veronica, it isn't a thing of joy anymore. Our daughter has bonded with our alpha. This could lead to our deaths." He whispered fiercely fear lacing his tone.
I flinched. I could taste the fear in his voice. It was raw, biting and chilling.
Finding a mate had been a dream for me just like every other female wolf, and even when mine had turned out to be the alpha of our pack, I still couldn't bring myself to resist him.
The dreamy feeling of his hands on every inch of my fragile body still persisted and for a moment, I almost got lost in the thought.
Bringing myself back to reality, I slowly got up from the floor where I sat and slowly approached my worried parents, my skirt swirling around me.
"Papa, I promise, I kept it a secret, he wouldn't know. I'll make sure he stays far away from our family." I assured him in a gentle tone trying to sooth his worries.
But it didn't seem to work, he turned to me, his eyes blazing. "He is the alpha. Don't you understand that? He has eyes everywhere." He snapped his fangs showing as his eyes flashed red the color of his wolf's fur.
"He has eyes everywhere, yet we'd managed to hide away from him for centuries papa. This is just meaningless worrying." I argued, my voice still maintaining its soothing tone.
My father tried to talk, but his wife reached forward and planted a slender, graceful hand that was slightly wrinkled on his arm, stopping him.
"Listen to her, Eric, she will be fine. Gemma has finally gotten one thing that makes her happy. Let's give her this, my love." she said, softly.
My eyes watered as I stared at my mother. She was a soft-spoken woman with long brown hair which was always in a tight bun, green eyes and a slender, elegant figure that deceived her real age.
I loved her dearly and wished her no harm. I hurried to my mother and held her by the arm gently as if I might break her.
My grip was just like my father's; strong and hard. And just like him, I was afraid of inadvertently hurting my mother.
"Mama," I breathed lovingly and placed my head on her shoulder.
My father watched us, the exasperated expression on his face softening as he retracted back his fangs.
At length he sighed haggardly and fiercely rubbed his palm over his face.
"Gemma, as much as I want to be happy for you, I can't bring myself to. This is trouble." he whispered with raw fear in his eyes.
"Eric..."
"Father..."
My mother and I called at the same time. Tears filled my eyes as my heart squeezed in pain, hurt by his words.
I knew and understood what he meant by saying this and I didn't blame him for it.
"I am sorry Gemma, I can't approve of this. This is pure danger for you. You're risking your life." my father said bitterly.
"I will hide it from him. He wouldn't find out." I whispered fiercely, my grip inadvertently turning strong on my mom's arm.
"Gemma... Eric." she winced and called out.
But none of us replied to her, we were too busy having a stare down.
"Listen to me daughter, this isn't about me and my wife any longer. It's now about you." my father said.
"I know, father. I am not dumb. I knew what I was doing when I accepted to be his mate." I replied, glaring back at him.
Eric frowned, his good looks turning dark like his jet-black hair.
"You don't kid, you don't know what you are doing. This could cause your death. You know what alpha Apollo hates the most are weak wolves." he growled at me.
I blanched. My face turned pale and I held my shaking fist in front of me, taking a few steps back as tears glistened in my deep green eyes.
My father's words had stunned me. And what made them all the more painful was that they were the bitter, unacceptable truths I have always wanted to hide from.
I loved Alpha Apollo who was now my mate, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him about this bitter unacceptable truth of mine.
"Don't call me a kid father, I know this is a risk... But I am not weak." I whispered to him in a pained voice and ran out of the simple room slamming the door lightly behind me.
I dashed across the terrace towards the surrounding woods without looking back. I sniffed, wiping my face as tears flowed out fast.
My waist length jet-black hair billowed behind me tangling in my swishing skirts as I darted behind a tree sobbing.
I crouched onto the floor not minding the mud clinging to my skirt.
Although I knew my father only watched out for me, I still couldn't shake off the hurt my situation has always put me in.
Our alpha was a dictator whose hatred for the weak was the most well known thing about him.
Although my family had the status of betas, we still made sure to keep our distance from the other members of our pack, especially any zetas.
They were the closest to the alpha, and they acted like his chiefs.
I sniffed again slowly getting to my feet to stroll through the forest. It was still early in the evening and I wanted to clear my mind.
"Gemma?"
A familiar voice called me and I turned to face my best friend with a large grin on my face as I held out my arms.
She dropped the logs she'd been carrying and hurried towards me laughing as we merged into a hug.
"Sri, I haven't seen you in days," I breathed wanting to tell her my bitter–sweet news.
Sri was one of the lowest in our pack, an Omega, yet she was stronger than me and had protected me one night when we were younger from a crocodile while I was swimming.
She was an orphan who wandered about and I had brought her to my parents who welcomed her warmly.
"I have been running errands. Hey, what happened to you? You are crying?" she whispered her voice concerned.
I smiled bitterly and was about to tell her everything when a crash through the trees interrupted us.
"Sri!" a stout looking woman called out in a harsh voice glaring at us.
Sri whirled around her short brown hair smacking her in her face as she nervously faced the woman.
I sighed, another bad employer it seemed.
"Go on, I'll catch up with you later," I told her and watched her leave with the woman who lifted the logs of wood with one hand and placed them on Sri's head without any care.
I strolled mindlessly through the darkening forest for some time and when it was starting to get cold, I retraced my steps back home picking flowers to pacify my father.
My skirts trailed the muddy floor but I didn't mind as I caressed the bouquet of flowers in my arms.
I needed to calm him down and make him see the reasoning. Maybe my Alpha could help me. I'd heard tales of women with issues like mine whose mate had helped in solving.
"Gemma!" a small panic filled shout startled me and I turned to see Sri peering wide eyed at me through an underbrush.
I scowled, my head cocking in confusion. Was she in trouble, again?
"Sri?"
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
"You're mine, little puppy," Kylan growled against my neck. A soft gasp escaped my lips as his lips brushed my skin. My mind screamed at me to push him away-the Lycan Prince who had humiliated me again and again, but my body betrayed me, leaning into him before I could stop myself. He pressed his lips against mine, and his kiss grew more aggressive, more possessive as I felt my legs weaken. What was I doing? In a split-second, I pulled away and slapped him hard across the face. Kylan's eyes darkened, but the smirk on his lips exposed his amusement. "You and I both know we can't fight this, Violet," he said, gripping my wrist. "You're my mate." "And yet you don't want me," I replied. "You told me you were ashamed of me, that l'd never be your queen, that you'd never love me. So please, accept my rejection and let me go." "Never," he whispered, his grip tightening as he pulled me closer. "Soon enough, you'll be begging for me. and when you do-I'll use you as I see fit and then I'll reject you."
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
Loraine was a dutiful wife to Marco since they got married three years ago. However, he treated her like trash. Nothing she did softened his heart. One day, Loraine got fed up with it all. She asked him for a divorce and left him to enjoy with his mistress. The elites looked at her like she was deranged. "Are you out of your mind? Why are you so willing to divorce him?" "It's because I need to return home to get a billion-dollar fortune. Besides, I don't love him anymore," Loraine replied with a smile. They all laughed at her. Some believed that the divorce affected her mentally. It wasn't until the next day that they realized she wasn't fibbing. A woman was suddenly declared the world's youngest female billionaire. It turned out to be Loraine! Marco was shocked to the bone. When he met his ex-wife again, she was a changed person. A group of handsome young men surrounded her. She was smiling at them all. The sight made Marco's heart ache severely. Putting his pride aside, he tried to win her back. "Hello, love. I see that you are a billionaire now. You shouldn't be with suckers who just want your money. How about you come back to me? I'm a billionaire too. Together, we can build a strong empire. What do you say?" Loraine squinted at her ex-husband with her lips curled in disgust.
"Never let anyone treat you like shit!" I learned that the hard way. For three years, I lived with my in-laws. They didn't treat me as their son-in-law but as a slave. I put up with everything because of my wife, Yolanda Lambert. She was the light of my life. Unfortunately, my whole world came crashing down the day I caught my wife cheating on me. I have never been so heartbroken. To have my revenge, I revealed my true identity. I was none other than Liam Hoffman—the heir of a family with trillions of dollars in assets! The Lamberts were utterly shocked after the big reveal. They realized what fools they had been for treating me like trash. My wife even knelt down and begged for my forgiveness. What do you think I did? Did I take her back or made her suffer? Find out!