When the Alpha of Zebulun dies without an heir, the throne automatically falls to his sister, Hadiza, the mateless beta. But there's one problem. Female wolves cannot lead. Desperate to find her mate and keep the throne in her family, she joins a dating site that connects humans and werewolves. One mistake--a matchmake gone wrong leads Hadiza to an unexpected date with her mate, a human besotted by his long term girlfriend.
The sun disappeared behind the clouds, the moon stood high, shining against the darkness of the night. A shadow fell over the figure lying face up on the bed, grey, silky hair scattered all over the pillow with hands clasped over his stomach like a cadaver awaiting its final destination. His breath came out in shallow rasps, face ashen with pain as his insides quivered in fear of impending doom.
Hadiza stroked his face with care only a sibling could possess, ignoring the sting of his claws as they dug into her palm as another bout of pain wracked his lithe frame. He let out a strangled hiss, she winced at her inability to help, caressed his cheek with the back of her hand until his expression turned normal and a sigh left her.
The bed sunk with her weight as she discarded the stool to take a seat beside him. Wiping the sweat coating his forehead with her sleeve, her eyes darted to the tray she left on the floor, the tall glass of water which reflected the glowing moon.
"Zee," she called out to her brother, brows creased. "Take it, it will end the pain." Bending to retrieve the cup, her hand found his back as she helped him into a sitting position. She held it against his lips, eyes conveying her request. "Please."
Zebulun's refusal was weak, a small shake of his head but Hadiza understood. No point living without his beloved. It hurt her too, as much as it did him, that he would leave her here. Alone in this world without her brother's love and presence.
Weakened by old age and the foreign ailment he refused medications, his hand trembled as he pushed the cup away. His smile would have lit up the room but she could barely see past the sorrow he covered behind a smile turned grimace.
"Remember my first shift?" she asked. His silence encouraged her to continue and she did. "You said it won't hurt so much, it would feel like a broken rib and I would be fine." Hadiza chuckled, a hoarse sound that had lost its warmth. "Brand new."
As a warrior, she was used to the pain associated with fighting, victory never came easy. Her injuries always healed but her first shift, her head shook as waves of painful memories rolled over her. It was a crawl through the valley of misery. The ache never fully went away, it stayed for days until it became a dull throb.
"You lied." Zebulun managed a laugh, her eyes squeezed shut and she nodded. "It hurt like hell but you were there, you promised to always be there." Her eyelids fluttered open, she smiled at him and held his hand to her lips. "It made everything better. I need you. I don't know what I'll do without you here. Stay, take it."
But he didn't, Zebulun might as well have been dead with the stifling silence that followed her plea. His shoulders trembled as another bout of cough took over him, Hadiza leaned over her brother, jet black hair forming a curtain over his face as she peered at his scrunched eyebrows, seeing perfectly well in the darkness.
She didn't get it. She didn't understand what was happening to him, the king. Yes, they aged faster after losing their mates but they never got this sick. Only humans did and it was because they were weak, spineless creatures. Humane and weak.
When his coughing subsided, she took his bony hand in hers, drawing circles and whatever random shapes her poor mind could conjure. His breathing evened out, he smiled but she could feel his life slipping and her wolf whimpered inside her head. Not yet. They were not ready to let go. If only he wasn't so stubborn, too tired.
A few sips and he would be fine. Another decade for them to reign together.
"What's funny?" she asked the sick Alpha by her side. The mild creasing of his forehead betrayed the laughter spilling from his lips with reckless abandon, she folded her arms under her breasts and a carved brow shot up. "Zee, what is it?"
"Nothing," he replied with a half-hearted shrug. Her hands found his underarms, she tickled him until he wheezed. Jutting her lip, her eyes scanned his face for any sign of discomfort but she only got a wink in response. "Fine. Fine, I'll tell you."
Folding his hands on his chest, his lips puckered. "Boils. Or was it pimples?"
Images flashed behind her closed eyelids, heat flooded her cheeks. "Quiet."
Zebulun chuckled and flicked her nose. "You dare to order your Alpha and King?"
They burst into laughter, Hadiza sniffed and fell to the bed, eyes resting on the ceiling. She let out a wistful sigh, pushing down the images his words elicited, he never failed to remind her. "No one told me anything. And they were too small."
On cue, her hands went over her breasts. They had filled out nicely, a perfect C-cup on a flawless body that had the unmated male wolves glancing in her direction. It wasn't always the case, she had known she would grow into a stunning woman but when breasts sprouted from her chest, so small and painful, she had panicked. Called them boils and it took a long, awkward lecture from her brother to ease her.
"But how could you think that?" His voice was almost accusatory. Education was of great importance in this part of their world, she had the best teachers.
Embarrassment kissed her skin, he coughed, she squeezed his hand. The effort it took him to speak didn't go unnoticed, she said, "Quiet." He snickered, she hissed in response. "What about your first hunt? I killed it." But the pack thought their Alpha did, it was their secret. One he would take to his grave. "That poor thing."
He scoffed. "Quiet."
Hadiza laughed. Between both of them, she was the violent one, she relished it. He only killed when his duty demanded it of him. A single shot to the deer's eye, her first kill, the first and last time she used an arrow. Swords were her thing now.
"That time you broke your arm..." Her voice trailed off as she recounted anecdotes from her childhood, long before responsibilities put a wedge between them, before she had to become a Beta. Her tantrums, punishments she escaped because of him.
As the night wore on, so did Zebulun's breathing and her stories. "Must you go?"
"It's my time," he said in a low voice dripping with authority befitting a King.
Her head shook, she tried to take a look at him but he squeezed his eyes shut and she plastered a fake smile on her lips. "We don't have a time, we never did."
And she was right. They could live for hundreds of years, as long as they had their mates by their sides and the fountain. It was there to rejuvenate them.
Turning to the window, he whispered, "I do, Diza. We all do."
They stayed that way in the company of silence, their new friend, with his back turned to her while her eyes tried to bore holes into the high ceiling. Not once did the siblings let go of each other, they held on with their hands laced in solidarity.
A sharp pain pierced her heart, she clutched her chest, willing the burn slowly spreading through her being to stop. It couldn't be. Tears stung her eyes, her lips quivered as her gaze fell on the motionless frame of her brother and King. She choked on a sob, unabashed as tears mixed with the snot running down her nose.
Shooting out of the bed, she pulled the cover to Zebulun's chin, arranged his hairs so they framed his face. Her lips met his forehead in a final kiss, she palmed his face which was fast growing cold and a lone tear slid down her cheek. Zebulun.
She knelt by the bed, touched his hand to her forehead and allowed a few moments to pass. When her heart stilled, she managed to whisper, "Rest well, brother."
Stealth befriended her as she strode to stand in front of the window, blood-stained canines flashing as her lips parted in a heart-wrenching howl. A series of howls returned from outside the mansion, she nodded. They felt it too, the void in her heart. Her fingers splayed on the window, revealing long, pointy claws, she cast a longing glance at the moon which soon vanished from the sky. His time had come.
The blinding darkness mirrored her true feelings, the pain and the gravity of it all slowly settled on her shoulders as a tight, suffocating pressure rose within her.
Zebulun was dead. The Alpha was dead.
“Marry me, Leilani.” “What?” “We will have rules. There will be a contract.” Eyes widened in shock, she muttered, “You want me to be your wife? A contract wife?” * * * After her Tinder date goes horribly wrong, Leilani heads off to join her best friend at a wedding. There, she meets a man with the strangest proposal ever. A contract marriage. A normal person would have said no but a lonely person would consider the idea. So, she says yes to this hot, handsome stranger. Marrying a stranger wouldn’t be the worst decision she has taken. Or so she thinks, until she heads to the office the next work day and the head of department tells them the company has experienced a major change. A change as major as getting a new boss, who also happens to be her new husband.
Tessa is the picture perfect student with good grades, flawless attendance and a charming smile. With one year left to graduate high school and a bucket list imposed by her best friend, her goal is pretty much the same with an extra addition--tick off every item on the cursed bucket list. But trouble comes knocking in the form of blue eyes, muscled body and an ego the size of her head. What happens when the school's bad boy, Benjamin notices her in a boxing ring?
“In my world, there is no lovemaking, just plain fucks with no strings attached. I cannot love you, Elna.” Grinding my waist against his groin, I cup his face and say, “Then fuck me.” * * * When Elna's father first suggests an arranged marriage between her and Brandon Stark—the hot British billionaire—she is reluctant to go on a date with the man. On realising the dire state of their family business and the stress it puts on her beloved parents, Elna makes the bold decision to go ahead with it. Her family comes first. What she expects is a cold, cordial marriage. What she hopes is for their relationship to eventually lead to something more, as was the case with her parents. Ambitious go-getter that she is, Elna takes it upon herself to make her calm, controlling, anti-romance husband fall helplessly in love with her. But what she doesn't expect is to be drawn into Brandon's BDSM world of chains and whips, doms and subs. Will Brandon's love be more than Elna can handle?
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"
"Ms. Crawford, it’s time for you to divorce Mr. Larsen and come home. You're the only heiress the Master's waiting for.” ~•~ For the sake of love, Amara accepted the arranged marriage with Tobias William Larsen. She did everything to gain her husband’s heart but when his old love returned, she realized that all her effort was all for naught. Tobias demanded a divorce on the night of their wedding anniversary, even at the price of threatening her. Heartbroken, she finally dropped all her illusions about him and returned home to be the heiress. The next time she met Tobias, they were no longer couples but opponents. "Mr. Larsen, should I remind you again? We've divorced." "Amara, that's the stupidest mistake I've ever made. Please come back to me."
I received a pornographic video. "Do you like this?" The man speaking in the video is my husband, Mark, whom I haven't seen for several months. He is naked, his shirt and pants scattered on the ground, thrusting forcefully on a woman whose face I can't see, her plump and round breasts bouncing vigorously. I can clearly hear the slapping sounds in the video, mixed with lustful moans and grunts. "Yes, yes, fuck me hard, baby," the woman screams ecstatically in response. "You naughty girl!" Mark stands up and flips her over, slapping her buttocks as he speaks. "Stick your ass up!" The woman giggles, turns around, sways her buttocks, and kneels on the bed. I feel like someone has poured a bucket of ice water on my head. It's bad enough that my husband is having an affair, but what's worse is that the other woman is my own sister, Bella. ************************************************************************************************************************ “I want to get a divorce, Mark,” I repeated myself in case he didn't hear me the first time—even though I knew he'd heard me clearly. He stared at me with a frown before answering coldly, "It's not up to you! I'm very busy, don't waste my time with such boring topics, or try to attract my attention!" The last thing I was going to do was argue or bicker with him. "I will have the lawyer send you the divorce agreement," was all I said, as calmly as I could muster. He didn't even say another word after that and just went through the door he'd been standing in front of, slamming it harshly behind him. My eyes lingered on the knob of the door a bit absentmindedly before I pulled the wedding ring off my finger and placed it on the table. I grabbed my suitcase, which I'd already had my things packed in and headed out of the house.
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
After Ellie reclaimed her true identity, she found herself in an unexpected marriage with Mr. Thorpe, a man perceived as unpopular and crippled. Her scornful ex-boyfriend awaited her regret, while others looked on with ridicule. To Ellie, her acclaimed bar was just a side project. Her vast jewelry collection seemed trivial. Top designers were at her disposal. She owned luxury cars, expansive mansions, and even private islands. She had the power to win prestigious awards and exact revenge on her cheating ex and his spiteful mistress. Yet, to outsiders, her life seemed dull, overshadowed by her husband's disability. One day, Mr. Thorpe stood up from his wheelchair, unable to keep the facade any longer. "I can't pretend anymore. My wife is too extraordinary," he declared. Ellie, hands on her waist and teeth clenched, confronted him. "What about the divorce you promised?" Gently touching her slightly bulging stomach, Mr. Thorpe replied softly, "That's not happening!"
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.