Life was a bed of roses for Debra, the daughter of Alpha. That was until she had a one-night stand with Caleb. She was sure he was her mate as determined by Moon Goddess. But this hateful man refused to accept her. Weeks passed before Debra discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy brought shame to her and everyone she loved. Not only was she driven out, but her father was also hunted down by usurpers. Fortunately, she survived with the help of the mysterious Thorn Edge Pack. Five years passed and Debra didn't hear anything from Caleb. One day, their paths crossed again. They were both on the same mission-carrying out secret investigations in the dangerous Roz Town for the safety and posterity of their respective packs. Caleb was still cold toward her. But as time went on, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to make up for abandoning her, but Debra wasn't having any of it. She was hell-bent on hiding her daughter from him and also making a clean break. What did the future hold for the two as they journeyed in Roz Town? What kind of secrets would they find? Would Caleb win Debra's heart and get to know his lovely daughter? Find out!
Debra's POV:
I stood in a corner, looking at the grand wedding in front of me, the crowd coming and going. However, instead of feeling festive, my heart was full of unwillingness and grievance.
Today was my father's second wedding, and the Silver Ridge Pack was holding a grand wedding ceremony for him since he was the Alpha.
Although this wasn't his first marriage, my father still attached great importance to it. He made sure that the wedding venue was decorated lavishly, and I overheard some people saying that it was even more beautiful than that of his wedding with my mother. My father had also invited many Alphas here, which showed how much he loved and respected his new bride.
But what he failed to realize was that today was also the death anniversary of my mother.
The wedding progressed smoothly, and everyone looked so happy. My mother's grave, on the other hand, was desolate and lonesome, without anyone there to visit her.
I didn't want to be at this stupid wedding. I just wanted to accompany my mother now.
"Debra, where are you going?"
A sharp female voice sounded from not far away, interrupting my conversation with Vicky Todd, my maid.
I turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw my stepmother, Marley Clarkson, and her servant walking to us.
Marley was much younger than my father. In fact, she was only four years older than me. She was the daughter of the Alpha of the Frosty River Pack and exceedingly beautiful. Marley's white wedding dress billowed in the breeze. Her wavy blonde hair framed her face perfectly. She looked as pretty as a porcelain doll.
Not wanting to talk to her, I turned my head away.
"Are you planning to miss an occasion as important as this and embarrass your father's Luna?" Marley demanded.
"Of course not!" Vicky hurriedly stepped in to mediate. "Debra's tired and wants to have a rest, that's all."
"Is that so?" Marley narrowed her eyes at me and suddenly cracked a smile. "Good. I want to talk to you about something."
"Why?" I asked, staring at her vigilantly.
I never got along with Marley, but for the sake of my father's happiness, I tried to stay out of her way as much as possible. And Marley never came to me on her own accord.
Now, she wanted to speak with me. My intuition told me that something bad was about to happen.
"Relax." Marley's grin widened. "I just want to borrow the necklace you're wearing. It'll go perfectly with my wedding dress."
"Sorry, but no." I refused without hesitation. "This was my mother's."
The necklace I was wearing was the only thing my mother had left me, and I treasured it dearly. It was my only connection to my mother. Whenever I was wearing it, I felt that my mother was close and had never left me.
Of course, I would never lend it to anyone, let alone my stepmother.
Marley seemed to read my mind. She softened her tone and said gently, "Why are you so cold to me? It's our first day together as a family."
If Marley treated me as a family like she claimed, she wouldn't have tried to take away my mother's last belonging.
"Sorry, but I can't lend it to you." I narrowed my eyes at her coldly.
"Then don't blame me. I need that necklace." Marley's gentle smile was instantly replaced by a sneer. She then signaled to her servants.
The two servants immediately sprang into action. One grabbed my left arm, while the other grabbed my right. They forced me to kneel, my knees hitting the ground hard.
Wincing in pain, I raised my head and saw Marley standing before me.
Her beautiful face was tainted with mockery. She stretched out her slender hand and yanked the necklace off my neck.
The next second, the clasp came undone and the necklace was taken away from me.
"What the hell are you doing?" I never thought this woman would be so shameless. "Marley, give me back my necklace!"
Even Vicky was aghast. "You can't do this! That necklace was given to Debra by her mother!"
As she spoke, Vicky hurried forward to block Marley from leaving.
One of the servants who were holding me kicked her away.
Vicky stumbled and fell, her forehead slamming into the stone pillar. Blood trickled down from the wound, staining her pale face.
Vicky was my mother's best friend. After my mother passed away, she stayed in the pack for my sake and remained single all her life. She practically raised me.
How dare Marley hurt her like this!
My wolf, Ivy, became restless. I, too, was driven mad with anger.
Ivy growled in my mind, "Rip them to shreds, Debra!"
But before I could do anything reckless, Vicky struggled to stand on her feet. Leaning on the stone pillar for support, she managed to cry out, "Debra, don't do anything rash!"
I knew she was right. Because Marley was now married to my father, she was officially the Luna of our pack. If I laid a finger on her, my father and all the members of our pack would sense it immediately.
As Vicky spoke, the blood trickled down from her eyebrow to her chin.
Seeing her like this made my heart ache so much. I rushed over to help her.
"Eww, this necklace is so cheap." A playful smile appeared on Marley's face as she took a closer look at my mother's necklace. "How could your mother leave you such a cheap thing? Pathetic!"
As she spoke, she fiddled with my necklace casually.
"Don't worry. I'll give it back to you. It's just a necklace. I'll have countless better necklaces now that I'm the Luna."
Click!
Marley threw my necklace to the ground as hard as she could. The chain instantly broke, and the gems clattered to the ground one by one.
The only thing my mother had left to me was ruined.
For a split second, I felt as though my heart was being squeezed by an invisible, oppressive force.
Ears buzzing, I knelt down to pick up the stray gems in a daze.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up from the back of my hand.
Marley had stepped on my hand.
She dug her high-heeled shoe into the back of my hand deeply.
"You are the daughter of a noble Alpha. How dare you touch dirty trash? Let go, my dear stepdaughter."
I slowly raised my head to look up at her, my eyes filled with hatred and anger.
"Fuck this bitch!" Ivy was so angry that she wanted to rip Marley to shreds. "Bitch, move your stinky foot away!"
Of course, Marley didn't budge. She had nothing to fear after all.
She smiled at me scornfully and warned, "Debra, you'd better learn how to respect your new Luna."
Just then, the wedding music started to play. Marley slowly removed her foot, straightened her dress, and walked away haughtily, followed by her servants.
Ignoring the pain in my hand, I continued to pick up the stray gems on the ground.
Now I understood why Marley wanted the necklace in the first place. It turned out she just wanted to send a message to me-loud and clear.
Up until this point, Marley had only avoided me because she hadn't married my father yet and wasn't officially the Luna. Today was her wedding. Now that she had the power, she wanted to teach her rebellious stepdaughter a lesson. She wanted to show me who the pack's real matriarch was.
"Oh, you poor thing..." Vicky sighed and helped me up. "Don't worry. I'll fix the necklace. I promise it'll look exactly like it used to."
"Thanks, Vicky." I forced a smile at her, trying my best to swallow my sadness.
The wedding of my father and Marley officially began.
Under the dazzling lights, my father and Marley celebrated their love, whereas the werewolves celebrated and welcomed their new Luna. No one noticed me, the pitiful, disheveled she-wolf in the corner, and no one remembered my dead mother.
Depressed and angry, I grabbed a whole bottle of wine and downed its contents in an effort to numb the pain.
I wasn't good at holding my alcohol. It didn't take long before my vision started to blur and my mind began to whirl.
But no matter how much I drank, I couldn't forget that fucking smile on Marley's face, which made me want to puke.
I couldn't stand it. I needed to get out of here.
Just as I turned around to leave, I inadvertently ran into the person standing behind me.
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!"
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.
Everyone thought Lorenzo truly loved Gracie, until the day of their daughter’s heart surgery. To Gracie’s utter shock, Lorenzo gave the precious organ needed by their child to another woman. Devastated, Gracie opted for a divorce. Fueled by her need for revenge, Gracie joined hands with Lorenzo’s uncle, Waylon, and orchestrated Lorenzo’s downfall. In the end, Lorenzo was left with nothing and consumed by remorse. He pleaded for a reconciliation. Gracie thought she was free to move on with her life, but Waylon held her back in a death grip. “Did you think you can just walk out on me?”
My name is Katia, and I am just trying to survive until my fated mate arrives. Which may be easier said than done. Rejectection is the last straw. Whispering my acceptance of his rejection. I run through the pack house, out across the manicured lawn into the forest. "I'm sorry, my sweet girl," I say to my wolf. I'm sorry you have been stuck with me and have had to suffer everything I have. She whispers," it's not your fault, Katia. We came to a cliff with a waterfall. The hurt keeps pounding at me. I need it to stop. My sweet girl, and I just want peace, I keep running and leap off the cliff. Spreading my arms wide, with tears streaming down my face, I fall, not making a sound, waiting for sweet oblivion where we feel nothing ever again. "I love you, my sweet girl! Until we meet again, "My wolf replied just before we hit the water, "I love you too, Katia. I have never regretted a moment with you." The Snow Moon pack is having their last barbecue of the summer next to the waterfall on their land. The adults are laughing and joking while watching the pups play. The alpha, beta, and gamma are swimming with some of the older children and playing a game of Marco Polo. Someone yells, "Oh my goddess, someone just jumped over the waterfall!" Everyone is frozen as they watch what looks to be a child falling arms spread wide, no one makes a sound. The small body hits the water like a plane crashing into the side of a mountain. The alpha, beta, and gamma, spring into action, swimming towards the area the person went under. The alpha is screaming his wolf is going crazy repeating, "Find her. Find her...find her!" They dive and the beta surfaces with a small person in his arms. Alpha takes the girl from his beta, laying her on the ground. The men are shocked by what they see. She is covered in scars and injuries. Her body is twisted and broken. The Beta asks, "Who could have done this to someone so defenseless?" Alpha drops to his knees, repeating, "MATE...MATE...MATE!"