Dark brown eyes stared down at Talia(FL), his scent a burning crimson, mixed with a vile smell of ashwood. His fist clenched as it revealed a streamline of veins. One could see the dark red blood coursing through it. His face beamed red with bloodlust, veins appearing at the top of his head. Rage had gotten hold of him, but rage towards who? Jarek Ashenpaw(Father of FL), leader and alpha of the Wildwood Coven, father of Talia, and mate to the beautiful Freya, whose eyes shone with a soft silver-blue colour that could calm the tempest of the sea- who had no doubt passed down her physical attributes unto her daughter Talia. Lord Ashenpaw had come down with a fury. Never had it been known for a werewolf of eighteen to not have had a transformation, but this was the fate of Talia. A failed prodigy, a disgrace to the coven, a weak seed. These were the words resounding in the ears of the Alpha. He cursed the goddess for giving him a weakling, one who could not transform. Who would take reign of his kingdom when he was no longer there troubled his mind.
Talia's POV
I could feel the layers of my skin being ripped part by part; I screeched at the top of my voice at the agonising pain; I could feel my ribs crack as the he-wolf sunk his teeth right down my ribs.
The crack had sent signals down my body as I lost breath down my right ribs.
I had stopped screaming and started gasping. I swung my hands through midair like one buried underwater.
The little breath I had left was used to call my father, but there he stood motionless as I lost consciousness.
I was five years old when this gruesome event took place, and its memory-a glue on my mind.
**Five years later.**
"Dad, where are we going?" I asked.
It was foolish of me to expect a reply and more foolish still to ask such a question. It was now a normal routine every year for the last five years.
Dad took my hands with a firm grip as he led me through the forest.
I had known of the fate awaiting me in the dungeon in the forest. A fully transformed wolf was waiting, ready to pounce on me.
What father had the moon goddess bestowed upon me? I still held the scars from years ago. The pain had become a companion of mine.
My dad had thought that me in the paws of another wolf would trigger my wolf form, and I would transform; little did he know that made me more distant from my other side.
****
"Talia, wake up, it's your eighteenth birthday." Lyra, my younger sister called out.
What was the point of a birthday, I thought to myself. A reject in the family and Coven. What's worse was that I was the daughter of an alpha and supposed future leader of the pack.
Who would accept a leader who has no contact with her wolf form? A jest I was. Scorned throughout the realm, and my mate.
Nothing was more painful than constantly being dismissive in front of my mate. Immediately, I fell off my bed.
"Damn the goddess I hate that pull." I jerked.
It's like one's body moving against one's will while one is conscious. The muscle of my hair follicle had been aroused and all hairs on my body were on full alert.
Dorian was outside. He had come from HighGarden; the territory of the Silver Moon Pack. He was their leader and Alpha, that is, until when my father fought his father on the night of the Lunar Uprising, reducing his Alpha status to an Omega.
"Had he come to see his mate?" my mind raced.
Immediately my legs took me on a quick pace. I was surprised to see how quickly I could get dressed and down the stairs I flew.
On getting there, I had seen him conversing strongly with my father. If only I had my wolf hearing, I could tell of what had brought him kilometres away to CastlyRock.
All the goddess had blessed me with was a bond so fierce the base of my soul had felt another's.
There he was, in a black tuxedo. A 6'3 with broad shoulders and strong masculine features.
His long black hair rested on his shoulders, a jawline face with a protruding nose, and his lips red as blood.
His eyes were dark as the night his stares would send fear down the spine of those who were bold enough to look at him.
I cursed the goddess again for giving me such a mate and cursed her still for giving me one who was that dismissive.
Not that I would blame him for avoiding me. Who would want a mate unable to access her wolf form?
His side eyes caught mine before leaving. He gave a nod to my father as he turned his back, shoulders on high as he took a walk of pride down his car escort.
"Goddess, what a man," I said to myself, unaware of my little sister lurking behind me.
Father was furious, pacing up and down his study. I had seen the rage on his face and immediately recognised it.
The last time he was that furious was when I was fifteen years old when he had left me to the fate of the goddess.
But this was different, something had taken a grip on his mind. His fur was protruding out of his body as he struggled to maintain control.
Whatever message Dorian had relayed had caused an upset so deep he had thrown his gaze at me.
Immediately, I recoiled when his wolf eyes, yellowish in colour, had landed on me. By the goddess, what was it?
****
"Meet me at the Celestial Nexus. A vehicle is waiting for you at the crossroads."
"Don't waste my time." Dorian had called.
The bond given to us by the goddess had not only bound our souls but had also given us the ability to communicate with each other non-verbally.
Not that he had frequently made use of this only when he had a message to relay.
"Why on earth had he chosen the Celestial Nexus to meet me?" I questioned.
My mind had been racing as feelings of uneasiness had settled on me. His immediate call after he left our home had me confused as to what his intentions were.
Although I wanted to ignore his call I couldn't. His voice had run through my body, commanding every muscle in them.
The only thing I was left with was my emotions of fear and agitation. I found myself moving quickly at his command while my mind was in a state of stagnation, wondering what this could all be about.
His message, my father's fury, and his unexpected command. What in the heavens was going on?
A black Mercedes was waiting for me at the crossroads near my home.
"Evening Miss Ashenpaw, please get in." Said Derek.
Derek, Dorian's Beta and right-hand man. Unlike Dorian whose hair was black, Derek had Silvery hair.
His rolled-up sleeves revealed his muscular arms and detailed tattoos. His form was larger than that of Dorian one would assume him to be the Alpha.
He had similar features to Dorian. The jawline face and dark eyes that sunk to the back of his head revealed a terrifying yet distinguishable beautiful face.
Most times he was mistaken to be Dorian's big brother, though his attitude with that of Dorian's had differ.
He was gentle to me. One would take him for an easy man if only he wasn't Dorian's Beta.
"Evening Derek," I responded. Any idea what's going on? I asked.
Silent was his reply as he shut the door behind me and proceeded to drive off.
"Could you at least tell me why my mate has decided to call me up to God's eye?" I fumed.
Again, he ignored me.
My pulse was heating up as the car sped. My vision had gotten blurry as my mind was in an erratic state. The trees had slowed down as the green colour had seemed brighter than before.
Soon movements and figures began appearing before me. I knew I was hallucinating.
I hadn't eaten anything throughout the day. My stomach churned with great annoyance. I could feel a twist in my intestines as though they had become entangled with each other.
Hours upon hours, we drove, ascending the terrain and making our way towards the Celestial Nexus.
The closer we got towards God's eye, the closer I could feel the pull towards Dorian. Slowly life was reabsorbed into my body as the energy from him had brought me back to my senses.
And suddenly our vehicle came to a halt. The door had been opened by Derek, and I could feel the winds, strong and fierce.
Darkness was everywhere except the little light the moon goddess could give. Whatever this meeting was about, it wasn't so he could see his mate.
I could hear the waves crashing against the rocks, the fierce breath of the air was enough to send anyone flying through the sky.
Why on earth had he chosen this place of all places to meet? I questioned. The closer I got, and there I saw him standing close to the edges of the ridge.
Mixed with the blood of two sworn enemies, Astrid was born a half-wolf and half-vampire, with both types of blood remaining dormant. She had spent her life as an outcast, despised by her kind. But destiny had drawn her into the halls of Yormsborg, where a world of secrets and betrayal was unveiled before her. Fated to the Alpha King, her presence ignites chaos. Brooding war and conspiracies, she and Sebastian must stand together and fight the treachery within and from enemies beyond. But when the chaos and the bloodline are revealed, Astrid must embrace the blood in her before everything she loves is lost. Will she be able to overcome her adversity? And will love to defy fate?
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
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?"
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."