For over a hundred years, the human town has provided the next mate for the reigning beasts and this year, a bride is required. Paisley and Nevaeh are from the family mandated to provide the next bride for the reigning beast. Nevaeh has been selected as the eldest daughter while Paisley is engaged to a man she loves. What happens when Nevaeh runs away the night before her collection and Paisley is asked to go in place of her sister to be the bride of the beast.
A shrill scream filled the silent night. It was nothing to Waylen at this point. The forest was filled with thousands of screams almost every second. At every minute, there was a fallen hero. The grasses were wet and not from the rains. The blood of the fallen coated every inch of the ground.
Waylen jumped over a body as he ran. He had no care for his life again. The singular thought in his head was to get to his wife. He left her behind when he heard the enemy was in the village, he dropped all and went for his wife. She was his world and he could not continue living if something happened to her.
The village looked even worse than the forest. Bodies were scattered everywhere. The houses were burning and the little children who had been spared were crying. He should stop and console them. Get them to safety. Assure them that everything was going to be alright but he just couldn't.
He saw his home come into sight and he pushed himself further. He ignored the burn in his ribs as he stopped at the front door. The doors were open but no sound came from within.
"Salma... my love where are you" there was no response from her. At this point, he wished he was one of the beasts. Her scent would have led him to her but unfortunately, he was human and he had to keep searching until he was able to find her.
His bedroom was the first place he checked. It was empty. He ran down the corridor and checked his children's room. They were all empty.
Where could she be? He was panicking at this point. Praying silently that the beasts didn't take her.
He heard a soft cry and followed it. The sight he met in the kitchen will forever haunt him. His wife lay lifeless, a giant hole in her stomach. Their four-year-old daughter sitting and staring in the distance. The word mama fell continuously from her lips.
"Salma" his voice broke. He fell to his knees taking her bloody hands in his. He was too late. His wife was gone. The tears fell freely from his eyes. He was supposed to protect her and take care of her.
Their little girl was unmoving. Her head kept replaying the images of her mother's death. She was hidden behind the cupboard and could do nothing but stare as her mother was murdered.
It was only after the men were gone that she crawled out of her hiding place and sat beside her mother.
After sitting beside her corpse for a long hour, he grabbed his daughter and kept her locked in a room. He went for his sword immediately after. The beasts will feel his wrath. He stormed out of the house. Tearing through any beast on his part. He had a single goal. Kill Gael. The leader of the beasts.
He came upon their dwelling and stopped at the sight he met. The proud warrior beast held his dead mate in his arms. His cries were loud, heart-wracking sobs that shook his mighty frame. Something moved in Waylen's heart, his sword dropping from his hands making a loud clatter on the ground. Gael's eyes raised at the sound and met his.
The beast only stared at him. He had no desire to fight anymore.
"We've been so foolish," he said with a humorless chuckle.
"We've killed for nothing. Look at us now"
Waylen said nothing and just looked at the man. A few beasts came into the area. They paid no attention to Waylen. Either they didn't see him or their entire focus was on their leader who held his dead mate.
"I won't fight anymore. It's either we end this war today or you kill me now"
"I don't want to fight anymore," Waylen said and the beasts shifted their attention to him.
He had lost the most important person in his life because of the war. A lot of his people were gone too. The war won't bring about any change. Just stagnation and more deaths. It was time to put an end to it.
With that, Waylen turned his back on the beasts and walked away from their land.
The survivors in the village looked to him for direction.
"The war has come to an end. Let us bury our own and rebuild our village" the announcement was met with a lot of cheers.
And so the rebuilding began. The dead were buried and slowly, the villagers began to move on.
In the fourth month after the end of the war, Gael visited the small village. The humans watched him in surprise as he walked through the village and to their leader's house.
Waylen was even more surprised to see the man in his office. He reached for his small knife under the table but Gael stopped him.
"There is no need for that. I come in peace" he lifted his hands in surrender and Waylen relaxed.
"Why are you here?"
"I want us to draw up a treaty. Since our war has ended and we silently agreed to live in peace, I think it's only right that we have a treaty that protects our people"
Waylen nodded in agreement. "My people will no longer hurt your people and your people will not hurt mine"
"Agreed. You...."
"Papa?" A small voice called from the doorway interrupting Gael. He turned to look at the small girl with wide blue eyes. The little girl's eyes traveled from her father to the strange man.
"Lucretia. I told you to stay in your room" her father scolded lightly.
"I had a bad dream," she said in a small voice.
"Go back to your room" he snapped at the little girl. She turned away but not before Gael saw the tears in her eyes.
The treaty was finalized and Gael returned to his land.
For six generations, the treaty remained in place. The two species lived together in harmony until the reigning human leader, Carwyn murdered the mate of the reigning beast.
The beast went on a rampage, killing everyone and everything in his path.
Tue treaty was destroyed and the beasts began to terrorize the humans. The humans now lived in fear of the beasts.
Pushed by his advisors, Carwyn tries to make amends. In a letter addressed to the beasts, he stated that;
'The human village will provide a female for the reigning beast'
The beasts accept their offer.
And so it began. The choosing of females. A family will be selected to provide for the female and when the girl comes of age, she would be sent to the Beasts as a mate.
The villagers were against this development but nothing could change it. The girls who refused to go were dragged forcefully by the human guards to the borders where the beasts would pick them up.
The girls taken were never seen again and the rumors started. It was whispered that the beasts killed the girls and disposed of the bodies.
Each family dreaded the choice. For they were scared to lose their daughters and even more scared of the consequences that would follow if they failed to provide a mate for the beast.
Anna loses her parents and brother to the greed of her uncle. She runs away and lives as a rogue until she stumbles upon the land of the King. She is brought to the king and kept in the castle as a slave for trespassing. While working as a maid, she plots an escape so she can go back for revenge on her uncle and those who took part in the murder of her parents. But then she finds out the king is her mate and does want to let her out of his sight or accept her. Throw in envious women and obsessed men, and Anna fights her way through a series of temptations and trials to finally get her revenge and be with her mate.
"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."
When they were kids, Derek saved Norah's life. Years later, after Derek ended up in a vegetative state from a car crash, Norah married him without a second thought and even used her medical knowledge to heal him. For two years, Norah was devoted, seeking his affection and looking to settle her life-saving debt. But when Derek's first love returned, Norah, faced with divorce, didn't hesitate to sign. Despite being labeled as forsaken, few knew of her true talents. She was a race car driver, a famed designer, a genius hacker, and a renowned doctor. Regretting his decision, Derek begged for her forgiveness. Just then, a charming CEO intervened, embracing Norah and declaring, "Back off! She's my wife!" Taken aback, Norah blurted out, "What did you say?"
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
"Carroll Brown is dead! But you have to marry him in your sister's name." My mother said to me in a cold tone. My sister was engaged to the hottest billionaire. It should have been a perfect marriage. Unexpectedly, Carroll was dead in an accident. My sister didn't want to become a widow, so she forced me to marry her dead fiance. And I had no right to refuse her. Actually, I was the biological daughter of the Smith family. My sister was an adoptive one. My sister and I had been swapped at the hospital when we were just born. My parents had already had a deep relationship with her. So they chose to sacrifice me. On the wedding day, I was taken to the mourning hall. "Ma'am, please keep Master company and let him feel warm." The housekeeper said with a cold expression. I couldn't help but look up at the portrait above the coffin, and my heart skipped a beat at this glance. The man in the portrait was more handsome than the superstars in Hollywood. Carroll Brown? My dead husband? Wow, he was really handsome! I didn't know how long had passed when my stomach began to rebel. After one glance at the coffin, I swallowed my saliva and then begged with my fingers crossed. "Mr. Carroll, I'm starving! May I eat your pastries? You don't mind, do you?" "I do." "Ah!" Scared, I broke out in a cold sweat. My legs went limp, and I fell to the ground. I shouted, "Ghost!" Carroll curled his lips, leaned over, and touched the black coffin. "Mr. Carroll has risen from the dead. What do you think of this headline tomorrow?"
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
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."