Riven Adams is strongminded, confident, loving and fierce. Everything an Luna should be. Zaden King is is strong, dangerous and ruthless. Everything an Alpha should be. "Don't play with fire mi amor. You're sure to get burned ." I knew his words were meant to be threatening but I took it as a challenge . I turned around and ran my fingers through his smooth hair, I pulled him down to my eye level, our faces too close I could feel his breath and his intense gaze on my lips. "You can't get burned if you hold the power of an entire ocean."
I push past my mother as I make my way to the kitchen. She is the last person I want to speak to.
"Riven, honey, I know it's not something you're into but it must be done. It's tradition!"
My family has been trying to reason with me for the past hour or so that this will be " good for me and my wolf" and the gathering isn't "that bad". In the end, it is always about tradition with them. But they don't care about what I want or desire, hell they never bother to ask me based on formality, sometimes I doubt that are they even my family, especially my mother.
In all honesty, my mother is a good person. As the cliche goes she is beautiful inside and out. I am almost a spitting image of my mother. We share the same hair colour, freckles and facial features but we do not share the same skin colour hers is pale while mine is caramel which is the most obvious difference. I don't know from where I got that feature from maybe from my aunt but no one likes to talk about her but I have seen her in an old family photo, she was my mother's twin sister, which is rare among the werewolf community, but my mom never talks about her nor my grandparents as if she never existed, I don't even know her name. So I never questioned further.
"Riven honey please....."
I came back to reality because of her voice, the voice that I am desperately trying to avoid. No matter how much I love this woman I can't back down on her. I turn around and pierce through her dull brown eyes with my blue ones.
"Seriously Karen save your shit speech for someone who cares." I wanted to say this but I couldn't because she is a freaking Luna of the pack. I can't disrespect her. As I am about to tell her off my father walks dressed in a suit. As he comes in I knew instantly that shit is about to go down, his brown eyes show confusion," How could you dad? I am your only daughter. How is this fair? Ronan doesn't have to go through this bullshi-"
"Riven Adams! Enough! First of all, watch your language, We have discussed this at length and the conversation is done. I have had enough of your disrespect in my home." My Dad's short-fuse is something I've been living with for the past 19 years and his yelling does nothing anymore.
I scoff and roll my eyes at him and begin to open my mouth to defend myself but the look in his eyes tells me he is only one word away from using his Alpha command on me. I huff in annoyance and storm out of the house into the forest and shifted to blow off some steam. My wolf's name is Rhea. She is my only best friend. She is a very rare wolf, our fur is navy blue which is not normal because my father's wolf is dark black and my mothers are golden brown but my fur colour is rare, I have never seen a wolf with such fur colour. She is also not a normal size wolf, our wolf size can easily challenge any male Alpha's wolf size. Rhea is even bigger than my father's wolf. That's why I never shift in front of anyone, no one has ever seen my wolf and I think it's better that way. My family already treat me like shit and I cannot tolerate it anymore.
I and Rhea loves running, it feels amazing to feel the wind against my fur as we run. We love feeling the forest floor beneath our paws. we continue running until we feel like we've put enough distance in between my parents and me. I can't believe they would put me through this. I am an Alpha's daughter for goddess's sake! There should be a way out of this.
I hate being hunted, I do get the fact that we are animals but a part of us is also human and they want to treat us like a wild dog, The gathering is an annual festival for unmated wolves. Every year a different pack holds it and this year it's our turn. This means that every unmated male and female wolf from around the world would come and join the so-called "FUN."
The gathering lasts about 3 days. The first day is to get situated. The males and females are separated from each other and placed in cabins according to their ranks. The idea of separating each other makes it more thrilling.
Day 2 is the day that I dread the most. The hunt. It is exactly as horrible as it sounds. The females are removed from their cabins early in the morning and placed in an undisclosed location. The males have the opportunity to sniff around the cabins to see if their mate is present. If they are not, they are sent home. He will have to come next year or give up to be mateless, or sometimes take a chosen mate. The bond is not that strong as the true mate but it's still there.
Once everything is situated the females are then moved to forests where the actual hunt will take place, there's a time limit of 2 hours to track down and secure your mate or wait until next year. I shudder at the thought of being hunted. In some cases, males mark their mates on the spot with or without their consent. This thought makes me cry. The same night a bonfire is arranged for newly mated males. The third day is only for high ranking wolves. A ceremony is held so everyone knows who the new leaders are going to be. After the ceremony, a dinner is held with the pack elders for their blessing and to give leaders time to make treaties and allies with other packs. After that, we are allowed to go home with our mates.
[A/N: New story alert!!!!
Whispers of the forbidden forest will out soon. Check out my Instagram page and be the first to catch the new poster. First chapter will be out on 1 June. I hope just like this book, you all will give the same love to my new book.]
Valeria became a slave at 8 after her pack was wiped off overnight. Hard labor, starvation, and bullying became the order of her days. But the worst was the rejection and Betrayal from her own mate Magnar and then left to die. Valeria's world shattered-until she discovered a secret power hidden inside her. A power that was linked to the Moon. A power was rumored to change the world order. It could be a blessing, or it could be a curse. The road ahead of Valeria was long and tough; Enemies and friends were equally unpredictable. How would this bruised girl survive in this cruel world? And when fate brought Magnar to her again, how would she choose? In a world where trust is a luxury and power is everything, would Valeria rise as a savior-or a force of destruction?
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
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."
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."