She felt like she was constantly walking on a tightrope, balancing life and death. The weight of the world was on her shoulders and she was suffocating, unable to escape the constant mistreatment and disrespect she faced every day. Death seemed like her only hope to escape the misery. But fate had different plans for her. When she stumbled upon the Alpha of the most notorious pack, her world flipped upside down. He was the epitome of power, with piercing eyes that seemed to look into her soul. She was caught in a dangerous game, forced to make a choice that could either save her life or seal her fate forever. Will she be able to escape the claws of the Alpha or will she succumb to his wrath?
Aliyah's Point of View
Being the daughter of the former Alpha of our pack, all I wished was to be wanted and loved; to live a normal life, and do normal things women around my age could do. But those were only wishful thoughts and unanswered prayers.
For most of my life, I lived differently compared to others; treated differently because I was the reason my mother died and a constant reminder to the former Alpha that he lost his Luna because of a child he didn't wish to have.
I was deprived of so many things: from comfortable clothes to delicious food and even education. My father was reluctant to let me go to school. With my awful physical appearance-skin and bones, obviously unhealthy and maltreated-he resorted to keeping me at home so I wouldn't taint our family name.
So here I was, living in a house that felt like my cage for eighteen years, serving my father and older brother even if they treated me as their slaves without the slightest remorse. I had always reminded myself that it was fine.
They were still my family, after all.
"Good job, Aliyah," I said to myself after finishing the laundry.
I used my arm to wipe the beads of sweat that formed on my forehead, and then I rushed into the kitchen and started preparing the ingredients for their dinner. Yes, their dinner, as I only got to eat when there were leftovers. That added to the reasons why I was skinny and had to live with a weak body despite my wolf being awakened when I turned seventeen.
"After this, you can take a rest." I blinked several times while peeling the potatoes.
My eyelids were both heavy after hours of working in the house. I wished I could rest for a bit, but I knew that at any moment, my father and my brother, who became the newly appointed Alpha of the Silver Moon pack, Shawn, would arrive from the proclamation ceremony.
I was carefully cooking dinner when I heard the main door swing open. My heart pounded instantly when I heard Shawn calling my name from the foyer.
"Aliyah! You are, wench! Where the hell are you?"
"Yes, I...I'm coming, Shawn!" I said, my voice quivering as I rushed in his direction.
"What did you call me? Didn't I tell you to start calling me Alpha?!" I almost jumped when he shouted at me with his eyes burning with rage and disgust.
"I...I'm sorry, Alpha. I didn't-" He slapped my cheeks, so hard that my tears streamed down my face instantly.
"How imbecile of you to call me by my name! I am the new Alpha, but you have no respect!" He growled.
I clasped my hands together, crying and begging him to let me go as the pain in my scalp became unbearable. I could feel the strands of my hair pulling out with his tight grip on them.
"Alpha, p...please, let me go..." I whimpered in between my sobs.
"You are an eyesore!" He growled louder.
Shawn was never a calm werewolf. He never kept his anger at bay whenever he got pissed off at me. Judging the anger evident in his eyes, I knew where this was going.
I burst into tears when he hit my stomach hard enough for me to fall on the cold floor. I coughed blood and yelled in pain.
"That's what you get for disrespecting the Alpha. You're not worthy to be part of my pack, disgusting mutt!" He kicked my back with all his force.
"Please, stop!" I cried as I shielded myself from his attacks.
I didn't know what I had done in the past to deserve this maltreatment. All I ever wanted was to be loved by my own family.
Why did the Moon Goddess have to ignore my plea?
Pain and deep hatred. Those were the only emotions that filled my chest. I couldn't understand why fate had to mock me in this way...
"Get up, wench! Serve me my dinner!" he commanded.
Despite my bones almost cracking because of the strong kicks he'd given me, I still forced myself to stand to my feet. Even though the pain and exhaustion were both unbearable at this point, I had no choice but to obey him.
"Faster!" he shouted, which made my entire body tremble.
I rushed into the kitchen, panicking and scared that my brother would kill me if I didn't move fast. My hands were shaking as I prepared the soup in a bowl. Since he went home earlier than I expected, this was the only food available that I could serve.
I swallowed so hard. My stomach was in pain due to both the punch I got and starvation. I licked my chapped lip as I fought the urge to taste the soup. I walked to the dining table where I saw him sitting on his seat.
"Here it is, Alpha..." My lips trembled in fear.
He tasted the soup. Seconds later, his face turned grim and he slammed his hands on the top of the table, which startled me.
"Do you call this a fucking soup?! Are you planning to kill me with this garbage?!"
He stood up, slapped the back of my head, and then pulled my hair.
"Shawn... please, it hurts!" Tears streamed down my face as I tried to remove his hand from my hair.
"I don't give a damn, wench! You deserve to be punished! Come with me!"
I screamed in despair when Shawn dragged me upstairs. A pang of anxiety went through me when we headed to the attic, where I usually sleep. He threw me on the cold floor and started beating me.
"Stop it, Shawn, please...I beg you!" I pleaded, crying.
"You have no right to order me around. You're just a useless mutt!" He growled. "You can't even cook nice food. You're a disgrace!"
"I...I apologize, Shawn! Stop it, please, you're killing me..." I shielded myself using both arms.
I could feel my body getting so numb with every blow of his feet. All I did was cry and beg, even though I knew he would never listen.
"Oh, no!" He laughed out loud and offered me a wide grin. "We're having fun here, Aliyah!"
Shawn became unruly and destroyed everything solid that his hands touched. I sat up, whimpering in pain, and wanted to stop him. However, my body was so weak that I couldn't even stand up.
I panicked when he grabbed the most cherished thing I had; my pot of white Daisy, which I'd been taking care of since I turned fifteen.
It was the only precious thing that brought me comfort and warmth; the only thing that kept me sane all this time.
"Don't touch it!" I screamed angrily.
His eyes smoldered as he gazed at me. The next thing that happened was he threw my pot on the floor, causing a loud cracking sound. I cried, even more, when he ruthlessly stomped on my white daisy.
"No! Please, stop!" I crawled and extended my hand, trying to shield my hand, but it ended up getting stomped by his foot too.
"Serves you right!" He grabbed my jaw and glared at me. "Listen carefully, wench. The next time this happens, I'm going to kill you!"
After saying those words of threat, he left me. I groaned both in pain and anger. I scooped the petals of my white daisy and looked at it as I cried.
That night, I decided to run away.
In my wolf form, I ran as far as I could, bringing nothing except my desperation to get away from my abusive family. The snow was falling heavily. My coat couldn't take the aggressive cold wind.
My body got weaker as I quickened my pace. However, I didn't stop to rest as I wanted to go farther from my pack.
I felt my four legs getting numb. My breathing was ragged. My entire body was soaking wet and trembling because of the snow.
But what's worse was the emptiness I felt in my heart.
I heard a rustling sound behind the bushes as I ran. Despite my vision turning blurry, I mustered the courage to walk past it and ignored what I heard as my goal was to escape.
I was on the verge of collapsing. For a brief moment, I thought that I'd meet my death.
However, three big wolves appeared out of nowhere.
There I found myself cornered, and all I felt was the loud beating of my heart.
Michelle Finley, a stripper who endured working in hell to pay off her father's debt, thought that her life would turn into normal after the last night of working in an afterhours. However, her supposed last night from hell turned into an unforgettable disaster when she was forced to escort a God-like billionaire for money and ended up having a one-night stand with him. What's worse is she got sold to him in return for money. Now, she needs to find a way to get away from him. But, how could she possibly escape from the ruthless and wild billionaire?
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
Elodie took a deep breath and knocked, the sound echoing in the quiet corridor. A moment of silence passed, broken only by the pounding of her heart. Finally, the door snicked open, revealing a surprised Dashiell. 'Can't you see the Do Not Disturb sign? We don't want-' His initial frown quickly morphed into confusion at the sight of his wife. 'What are you doing here?' he demanded. 'Your girlfriend invited me,' Elodie replied, her voice laced with icy calm. She tried to peer past him, but his broad frame blocked the view. A saccharine voice chimed in from within the room. 'Elodie? Oh dear, we didn't mean for you to find out this way. It's just that-' Elodie cut her short. 'Oh please, Selene. Spare me the fake apologies. You wouldn't have sent me all those texts if you didn't want me to know.' Dashiell shifted uncomfortably, his face a mask of annoyance. 'What texts?' Elodie stepped past him, taking in the luxurious suite with a sardonic smile. The king-sized bed, the scattered rose petals, the lingering scent of sex – it all painted a vivid picture of their betrayal. She looked up at Dashiell, her gaze unwavering. 'I want a divorce.' ****** Dashiell lived a life of luxury, surrounded by the best things money could buy. But when a car accident left him vulnerable, he met Elodie, a seemingly ordinary woman who nursed him back to health. Mistaking her for just another employee, Dashiell entered into a loveless marriage with her solely for convenience. However, fate had a different script in store. Elodie, the 'ordinary nurse,' held a secret more precious than any diamond: she was the sole heiress to Northstar, a vast and powerful enterprise. Unaware of her true identity, Dashiell cast her aside when his ex-girlfriend returned, leaving Elodie humiliated. But Elodie was not one to be easily broken. She shed the facade of the meek nurse, reclaiming her rightful inheritance and stepping into the role of Northstar's CEO. Now, the woman Dashiell discarded was the one holding the reins of power. As Elodie thrives in her new role, Dashiell is consumed by regret. He finally sees Elodie for the extraordinary woman she truly is, realising the depth of his mistake. But will his remorse be enough to win back the heart he so carelessly discarded?
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.
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?"