The Alpha's Bane Azriel was born to lead, destined to inherit the powerful Moonveil Pack. But fate had other plans. Cursed by an ancient evil, he fights a darkness that lurks beneath his skin, a force that whispers in his mind, urging him to lose control. With each passing night, the beast within grows stronger, threatening to consume him-and destroy everything he loves. As betrayal brews within his pack and a hidden enemy rises, Azriel must uncover the truth behind his curse before it's too late. But when the only key to breaking it lies in the hands of a mysterious woman tied to his fate, Azriel is faced with an impossible choice: embrace the monster within or risk losing everything. In a world where strength rules and the weak perish, can the cursed Alpha defy his fate-or will he become the very thing he fears?
The night was cool, but Azriel felt none of its peace.
Standing at the edge of the Moonveil Pack's territory, he watched the moon cast silver light over the vast expanse of land he was sworn to protect. Shadows stretched long beneath the towering trees, their whispers carried by the wind. A familiar scent lingered in the air-pine, damp earth, and the unmistakable musk of wolves.
His wolves.
His pack.
But no matter how deeply he breathed it in, it never felt like home.
A sharp pulse rippled through his chest, spreading fire through his veins. His jaw clenched as he fought the familiar sensation, but the curse-the bane that haunted him-was relentless. It stirred beneath his skin like a beast trapped in a cage, clawing at his insides, demanding release.
"Give in, Azriel," a voice whispered in his mind, smooth and insidious. "You were never meant to fight this."
His fingers curled into fists.
He wouldn't listen.
He couldn't.
"Alpha."
Azriel turned at the sound of Lucan's voice. His Beta stood a few feet away, arms crossed over his broad chest. His expression was unreadable, but his golden-brown eyes held something close to concern.
"They're waiting," Lucan said, nodding toward the clearing beyond the trees.
Azriel exhaled sharply. The Full Moon Festival. A night of celebration, where the pack gathered to honor their bond with the moon, their strength, their unity. But for him, it was something else entirely. A reminder of what set him apart-of the darkness lurking within him.
Still, an Alpha couldn't hide from his pack. Even if he felt like a stranger among them.
With a slow nod, he followed Lucan toward the clearing where fires burned bright and laughter filled the night.
---
The Festival
The festival was alive with energy. Wolves-both shifted and in human form-moved freely through the clearing, their voices blending in a harmony of joy and camaraderie. The scent of roasted meat, spiced ale, and burning wood drifted through the air.
The pack was celebrating.
But the moment Azriel entered, a subtle shift rippled through the crowd.
Wolves parted instinctively as he walked past. Some lowered their gazes in deference, while others hesitated, their smiles faltering. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable. But Azriel felt it.
They respected him.
They followed him.
But they also feared him.
His curse had not gone unnoticed.
Lucan stepped ahead, blending easily into the crowd, but Azriel lingered near the outskirts, scanning the faces. The warmth of the firelight flickered against their features, but he felt no warmth from them. No true acceptance.
Then, suddenly-a scent hit him.
It was unlike anything he had ever encountered before.
Wild. Crisp. Like the first rain after a long drought, mixed with something untamed, something forbidden.
His body tensed. His wolf stirred. His heart slammed against his ribs.
He turned.
And then he saw her.
Valencia.
She stood near the fire, her golden eyes glowing softly in the flickering light. Long silver-blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing a face both delicate and fierce. She held herself with quiet strength, poised yet distant, like a predator watching from the shadows.
The mate bond snapped into place with the force of a lightning strike.
Azriel's entire being locked onto her. A force stronger than instinct, older than time itself, called him forward. His wolf howled in his mind, demanding he move, demanding he claim what was his.
But then-just as quickly as the moment came-she turned away.
Azriel felt the rejection like a physical blow.
Lucan appeared beside him, smirking. "She won't make it easy for you."
Azriel exhaled through his nose, suppressing the growl building in his throat. "Nothing ever is."
Before Lucan could reply, a sudden change in the air made every wolf still.
The fire crackled wildly. The wind howled through the trees. A heavy silence fell over the clearing, thick with tension. Wolves instinctively straightened, their senses sharpening.
And then-the whisper came.
Low. Cold. Inhuman.
"You cannot escape me, Azriel."
It wasn't just in his head this time.
It was here.
A shape materialized from the darkness at the forest's edge. Twisted. Shadowed. A presence not fully human, not fully wolf. Its eyes-black voids-locked onto him.
Azriel's pulse roared in his ears.
He knew this presence.
He had felt it before. In his nightmares. In the whispers of his curse.
The ancient evil that haunted him... had finally come for him.
The Billionaire's Contract Bride Helen never imagined her life would take such a sharp turn. Struggling to keep her mother's medical bills paid and a roof over her head, she finds herself with no options-until a contract is placed before her. Alexander Harper, a ruthless billionaire CEO, needs a wife, but not for love. His empire is at stake, and a contract marriage is the only way to secure his position. Cold, dominant, and dangerously attractive, he makes Helen an offer she can't refuse. But what starts as a business arrangement soon becomes a tangled web of passion, secrets, and power struggles. Alexander is used to being in control, but Helen is not the timid woman he expected. As lines blur and emotions ignite, will this contract end in ruin-or in a love neither of them saw coming?
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
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Iris grew from an orphaned child to the adopted daughter of the Stewart family at age ten, finding warmth in her nominal uncle Vincent's kindness. Seven years later, she became his secret lover. When Vincent's engagement was announced, gossip spread about the notorious playboy CEO finally settling down. But only Iris knew the extent of his cold, two-faced nature. Iris fell for Vincent and, through tears, begged, "Marry me," only to be met with his frosty refusal. Defeated, she accepted a lawyer's proposal, sparking public excitement. Then, on her wedding day, Vincent pleaded desperately, "Don't marry him…"
"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!
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