"I was looking for a man named Zarion, but I ended up here." Most of them gasped when I uttered Zarions' name. "Don't mention that name because it's cursed!" someone hissed. My brows furrowed at her reaction. "Why? "He's the Alpha of this pack. He was banished because he didn't want to take the position. Rumour says that he's out in the woods, looking for his mate, and..." she trailed off. "And?" I swallowed. "Kill her. He wants to kill his mate." *** Alpha Zarion is on a quest to find his mate and kill her because he despises the idea of a mating bond. During a winter storm, he met Cassidy Bentley who saved him from death. He knows he has no time to waste but Zarion was curious about her, deliriously wanting every inch of her skin and touch...until he found out that the girl is mated to his number one rival, Alpha Brandon. Alpha Brandon rejected Cassidy because she's a human-which he greatly despises. She eventually started getting over him, pouring out her love to Alpha Zarion who obsessively wants her. During the night Zarion and Cassidy will mark and mate, the girl's first mate finally comes to his senses and goes to find her. But the first mate already found Cassidy in another man's arm, in his stepbrother's arms, who was just about to mark her...
Cassidy's POV
My grandmother said that I might have mistaken my infatuation and amazement for that wolf-shifting man.
"It's not love, Cassidy!" She once yelled at me. "You're just a curious little girl!"
Well, the only way to find out is go find him, isn't it?
"Zarion!" My throat's dry from bellowing. It's literally winter wonderland around here. Everything is white and colorless. And cold, so cold that it seeps deep in my bones. It whispered in my soul that this coldness will drive me mad until I'm on the brink of death. "Zarion! Zarion!"
But it was no use. Zarion-his name, that's the only thing he revealed about himself. I don't even know what does a wolf-shifting man-a werewolf does aside from, well, shifting into a wolf. I've been walking around the Misty Forest with an almost frozen body; a coat made of sheep's skin made by my Mamita is the only thing between me and this cold while searching for him.
A fool I've been. My Grandmama called me a fool the moment I stepped outside the castle so that I can be with this werewolf I barely know. I don't even know his last name-that is if he has one.
The snow's wildly pouring as if the wicked weather can push me back to the castle. I chuckled at the thought that Mamita could have whipped this harsh winter to never let me leave the mountains.
"Zarion, Please..." I prayed, hopelessly praying. I don't know why I'm uttering his name like an invocation as if he's my God. "I'm so cold," I added, hoping he could hear me with his superpowers or something. Rubbing both of my hands to create pressure and heat, I eventually stopped because it was of no use. Any minute from now, my body will collapse on this frozen icy road.
"Zarion!" I bellowed his name before I felt my knees crushing to the ground. "Where... are you... Zarion?" My body is gravely shaking from the cold; the eyelids of my eyes started fluttering. Still, I forced my eyes open and a familiar big dog was approaching me, ready to bite me. Taken back from my senses, I wrapped my arms around my body, desperate to live.
"No! No! No!" I keep shrieking, even though I wasn't sure if I'll be able to attract anyone.
I didn't know I was more afraid of dogs-wolves-than to be frozen to death.
My grandmother's face flashed as if she was here with me.
I left her. My mind whispered. You left her all alone in the castle in the height of winter.
"Not today." I kicked, thrashing in the snow. "Not today you freaking dog!"
The dog bit my foot and dragged me across a plain of snow. Then before I could draw my next breath, it suddenly transformed into a human. A familiar human. Gasping, I willed my sense of sight to focus, and when I did...I found myself staring at the familiar heated gaze of Zarion, who's now squatting in front of me.
"Was I hallucinating?" Definitely not, answering my own question silently. Zarion is shirtless. Wait, no. My eyes slid from his face down to his torso. He's naked. Completely bare and unclothed and his masculinity is calling to me...
Completely terrified, I tried to get away from him while my jaw still fell open. "How did-"
Zarion shook his head. "That's not important right now."
"W-What?"
"You're cold. You need to be warm, my warmth."
"Why did you turn into a human from being a dog?"
"Dog," he nodded, scoffing. "It's a wolf, kid. I thought you're old enough to know the difference?" A smirk bloomed in that irritatingly handsome face of his. "If my pack hears about this, they're going to hate me more." An unbelievable gorgeous smile replaced the smirk earlier on his brazen face.
I returned his smile.
"I don't understand, Zarion."
Zarion sighed and grabbed my coat and boots. His fingertips stroke the base of my neck, my weak spot. The spot I always want a man to caress when lovemaking, or just even kissing. My body responded to his touch, my head still couldn't properly function after seeing those dreams-daydreams that I am above him and nightmares that he might leave me. Or worse, kill me. Maybe, it was just a hallucination after all.
Earlier, I nearly died from hypothermia. Earlier, I would have been eaten by a wild wolf. Earlier..."I might die too soon."
"You won't. Not yet, at least." Zarion's baritone voice filled my ears. "Come on, Cassidy. You might be a kid but I know you are braver and more rebellious than those other kids of your age." It was at this moment that embarrassment slowly crawled out from my body. I wasn't wearing anything anymore aside from my white plain undergarments. "So, just stay still." My cheeks might as well be as warm as his cock. Too much skin, too much exposure. Yet Zarion didn't seem to notice. Maybe I was the only one who found this awkward all along.
He carried me like a newly-wedded bride, qmy uivering body with his warmth as if we are hugging each other. One moment, my body was shaking from the cold. And in a blink of my eyes, it relaxed when Zarion's presence shrouded to where I was breathing.
"You're so warm..." I whispered, before falling asleep in his arms-which turns out to be the best sleep of my life as Mamita's snoring can no longer interrupt my sweet dreams.
***
It's warm and cozy here, my eyes smiling when they found the fireplace. A piping hot bowl of venison stew beckoned me to sit beside the blazing fireplace.
I ate half of the food for ten minutes. Noticing the lavish royal blue curtain, I scooted away from the fireplace and pushed aside the curtains. I just realized that it served as the door between-
"This place is a village," I breathed, wiping my mouth clean from eating. From just the look of the surroundings, I'm pretty sure this village is in the middle of the forest. And near a lake, the briny scent could never hide the smell of fresh forest rain.
A petite black lady with gorgeous braided curls that reached her shoulders slowly approached me. "You're awake, little sheep."
Seriously, little sheep?! My hand waved awkwardly at her. "H-Hi, you are-"
"I'm Delilah Ferguson. You can call me Delilah."
I faked a smile. "My name is Cassidy. You can call me Cass."
My hands started fidgeting while I stared at the girl with hopeful eyes. "I was looking for a man named Zarion," I paused, swallowing. "But I ended up here, woke up here."
Upon uttering Zarions' name, Delilah gasped, even cursed silently. "Don't you dare mention that cursed name here!"
My brows furrowed at her reaction, she hissed back. "Why?
"He's the Alpha of this pack." Fear now shone in her once-cheerful eyes. "He was banished because he didn't want to take responsibility for his position. Rumors say that he's out in the woods, looking for his mate, and..." she trailed off, leaving silence to sink deeper in my bones.
"And?" I swallowed, braced myself for whatever horrible word her tongue might utter.
"Kill her." Delilah's nose flared. "He wants to kill his mate for he hates the idea of the sacred mating bond."
Sacred? Mate? Mating bond?!
I swallowed, forcing myself not to gape. I must find and talk to Zarion immediately. "Uhm, Delilah?" I curtsied with a smile towards her. She looks nice and friendly. I bet she's going to transform into a wolf too like Zarion, if she'd like. I already know she's one of them the moment I laid my eyes on hers.
"I'm going back now," I cleared my throat, as if I'm not already panicking.
What if they eat me?! I thought. No, they won't. You're with Zarion!
Right, they won't. Zarion is with me, even if he's nowhere of sight. He's probably just smirking under the cloak of darkness, amusement dancing in his eyes as he watches me, his kid, panicking and no longer able to breathe and think properly when cornered by a pack of werewolves.
"To where? Are you from a different pack?" she asked. Carefully. I must be careful with my words, too. And now I am more curious about my existence in this place. I tried to be calm as possible. The inside of my hand is almost bleeding; my scratching made it even worse.
"No," I breathed. "Unfortunately, I don't belong to any pack."
Even though they already know what I am, I still uttered those words that confirmed my real identity. "I'm a human actually."
In a werewolf country cursed to be forever cold, Evadne wished under the full moon for many years to find her mate and escape from her hell of a home where her father, Alpha Marcus of the Moonflame Pack, and Elodie, Evadne's sister, constantly made sure her day won't end without her being bullied or beaten by them. When she finally turned eighteen years old, Evadne find her mate, Alpha Gregor of the Fireheart Pack. She promised him that she would be the best mate and Luna for him. However, Elodie reveals he's her fiance and boyfriend and begs the Alpha to ruthlessly reject her in front of the whole Moonflame Pack at Evadne's very own birthday party. Evadne's heart became even more shattered when her father banished her and ordered her to never return to their lives when she humiliated his favorite daughter, Elodie, on that same night. Alone, she was imprisoned in the dungeons of a pack that thought she was a Rogue-when it was attacked by the Alpha King's forces since the said pack was the only remaining one who refused to bow down to him. As she tried to escape the ensuing chaos, she met him, and never had she thought that the Moon Goddess would let her second-chance mate be Alpha King Kallias himself-the cause of the eternal winter and now the most feared Alpha.
“Where are you taking me?” I whimpered as the huge wolf carried me on his shoulders. After a couple of minutes, he put me down. Before I could blink, the huge white wolf shifted before me. The man who now stood in its place was handsome, muscular… and completely naked. * * * Elaine Rutherford has spent her entire life wishing for an escape from her dysfunctional family. But when her wish is granted in the form of being offered up as a human sacrifice to an elite village of werewolves…it wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. Every leap year, Stella’s Soul receives a mortal woman from the neighbouring city of Moonburn, just beyond the wall, to bear children for the chosen werewolf. And it just so happens this year is a leap year. On the next full moon, Elaine is set to be married to the handsome werewolf billionaire, Tyler Jane Moonstorm. Despite her doubts, she still hopes that this will be a better life than she’s used to. At least that’s what she thought…
In the land of Westfall, three packs rule: the Night Storm Pack, whose wolves are gifted with wind and storm abilities; the Shadow Rose Pack, who are masters of shadows and poison; and the Fire Moon Pack, who can wield flames and render themselves immune to fire. But only the luckiest packmembers have those powers, and not all who possess them have wolves. Meet Sasha Forster, a wolfless and helpless Slave of the Fire Moon Pack-until the ruthless Alpha Alain of the Shadow Rose Pack, the one who was cursed by her mother to marry Sasha and have an heir with her, saves her from her pack's tyrannical Alpha. The Fire Moon Pack now whisks Sasha to be the payment to Alpha Alain and Alain is also trying his best to make her his and end the curse. But Sasha's heart has already begun to beat for her childhood friend and her pack's new Alpha, Ansel. Worse, Sasha became more perplexed when she accidentally revealed to the entire Fire Moon Pack that she has fire powers, and all the pack now either envy her or hate her. When her life and heart bombarded her with difficult choices, would she choose her heart over her mind? Or will she choose responsibility over love?
Wisdom Weisz lost her house and ten-month-old daughter in a fire in a single day. And what’s worse is that on the same day, her husband was making love to her best friend in the latter’s apartment without paying any sort of remorse for her. Frustrated, she was left jobless and spent her remaining money in a luxury hotel’s bar. With destiny as unpredictable as ever, she met the billionaire in the bar who she already came across at various moments of her life. The man offered her a job called, “Wife for Hire”, meaning she will be his wife without any emotional attachments. If she accepts, the billionaire will pay her upfront with a hundred thousand dollars in her bank in just a blink of an eye. Wisdom eventually accepts as she deemed this as an opportunity for revenge to her former husband and best friend. As whirlpool of emotions stirred and a web of conflicts weaved, Wisdom will soon find out that this job was not easy as she thought as her heart begins to fall for the man who had employed her to be his hired wife.
Minerva was so close to tying the knot with her long-time boyfriend Derrick when an unexpected accident fatally killed him. With only five months before she’ll give birth, she had look for various jobs that can raise her and her upcoming child until she met Darwin Gray, the CEO of the biggest company in their city and happens to be Derrick’s half-brother. She was skeptical at first to live with him until Darwin revealed that Derrick actually sold her to him in order to finance Derrick’s gambling lifestyle. Minerva was absolutely heartbroken and was left with no choice than to be his Mrs. Gray. But, as the winds of fate change, Minerva will soon realize that one must never judge a book by its cover—that despite Darwin’s ruthless appearance lies a heart that has long been yearning for a one true love.
Rozelyn found out she is a vampire when she turned eighteen. To make matters worse, her stepmom is secretly a vampire as well and Cyrill, her stepmom's adoptive son, is a werewolf behind the shadows. As she live the life of being a vampire, several people had come for her—including the infamous Blood Mistress, a witch who hunts vampires and werewolves. Rozelyn become more fascinated with the vampire life, especially when she found out that sex plays a huge role in a vampire's everyday living and it acts like blood: once they tasted it, they will crave for it even more. Will Rozelyn be able to voice out her secret love to Cyrill without risking the familial relationship they have built for years? Or will she watch her loved ones perish due to her identity as the most powerful vampire to ever live? Amidst all these, only one thing is certain: Blood is thicker than water—either literally or figuratively.
Marrying her best friend was a dream come true for Kelly, but everything truly has a limitation. Pierce is Kelly’s first love, but as his best friend, she knew well there was always another woman deep in his heart. Lexi Gilbert. The woman Pierce could never forget even if he had already been arranged to marry Kelly. *** Kelly finally realized their happy marriage of the last three years was just a beautiful dream when Pierce asked for a divorce just because Lexi returned. She could only be his best friend even if she was carrying his baby. *** Since their friendship had become a cage, Kelly chose to set him free, as well as the miserable herself. But why then, it was Pierce who became the one who refused to move on? To make matters worse, her devil stepbrother also domineeringly stepped in at the same time, asking her to be his. *** Her Prince Charming vs. Her Devil Stepbrother? How could Kelly save her heart in this battle of love and hate?
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."
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.
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
For two years, Bryan only saw Eileen as an assistant. She needed money for her mother's treatment, and he thought she'd never leave because of it. To him, it seemed fair to offer her financial help in exchange for sex. However, Bryan didn't expect to fall for her. Eileen confronted him, "You love someone else, yet you always sleep with me? You're despicable!" The moment she slammed the divorce papers down, he realized she was the the mysterious wife he married six years ago. Determined to win her back, Bryan lavished her with affection. When others mocked her origins, he gave her all his wealth, happy to be the supportive husband. Now a celebrated CEO, Eileen had everything, but Bryan found himself lost in another whirlwind...
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.