"I will come back here, Braelyn Haralson. I will return, destroying you and everything you love," he'd whispered, silent tears pooling in his eyes, but he'd never let them fall. **** THE REJECTED ALPHA'S RETURN
People from different regions and packs gathered in our territory tonight, at the very top of our mountain, to celebrate and witness a mating. The Harold Haralson pack was uniting with the Carlson Jorgensen pack through my arranged mating, procured by my father. Carlson was known to be a cruel alpha, but that hadn't stopped my father from gifting me to him like a prized pig. Tonight, I was supposed to walk out of this room, lie down, and let the brutish prick mount me in a pergola in front of our packs and guests.
I could think of a thousand other things I'd rather do, one of which was to swallow razor blades and shit them out. If everything unfolded correctly, by this time tomorrow, Carlson and my father would both be dead. They deserved what was coming to them. My concern was that I hadn't been allowed outside of the room in the last twenty-four hours and could not ensure everything was happening according to plan.
My gaze slid to Toralei's, meeting it briefly in the mirror where I sat preparing for the mating. The dress Carlson gave me to wear was flimsy with sheer material, allowing all the guests to see what would belong to Carlson tonight. The only comfort I had was the lace bralette he allowed me to wear, which, thankfully, covered both breasts. My panties had enough material barely to cover my rump, but at least my sex was shielded.
The mating ritual was an ancient rite that allowed those who had traveled to witness the mating couple, ensuring they had honored the age-old tradition between packs. I'd begged my father to prevent the public spectacle from occurring, but those pleas had fallen on deaf ears. I'd known he wouldn't stop it, but it had been worth a shot.
"It's time," one of Carlson's betas who had been left in charge of my care, informed.
I stood from the stool, stealing one last glance at myself in the mirror. My eyes were covered in smoky eyeshadow and dark eyeliner meant to make my soft blue eyes pop, yet it couldn't make them sparkle. My lips were slathered in a deep red lipstick that I wouldn't have ever chosen to wear on my own, and I fought the urge to wipe it from my mouth. It was more makeup than I preferred, but Carlson's harem was charged with preparing me for their alpha and appeared to take pleasure in my distress.
Tonight wasn't a celebration. It was a tragedy. I already had a mate, one I'd pushed away and rejected to keep safe from my father and my demons. Saint Kingsley had been a shock to my senses and the last person I'd ever predicted the wolf god, Fenrir, to choose for my soul mate. The one summer we'd had together had been the first time I'd ever felt alive.
Saint was rough around the edges and older than me. His group of misfits had driven me crazy with their antics to fit in and become part of the pack, which my father had unfortunately noticed. Saint was an orphan, and I was considered untouchable since my father was our pack's alpha. Saint was the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks, yet I'd wanted him with every single part of my soul. Saint brought me to life, and in the same breath, he'd made me crave things I'd never wanted or even thought possible.
It was amazing, right until my father found us spending time together and threatened Saint's life. The deal? Make Saint believe I hated him and force him to leave the pack or watch him die by my father's hand. There had been no world where that boy didn't exist, not for me. So I betrayed Saint in the worst way possible to save his life.
I'd stood in front of the entire pack and accused him of forcing me to believe that what we had was a true mating call instead of merely the lust between two teenagers. I'd rejected him, and that was the one thing you never did to your soul mate. After all, true soul mates were rare, and if you were lucky to have found one, it only happened once in a lifetime, and I had just banished mine from our pack.
A scream tore from beyond the door, forcing my mind back to the present. Everyone inside of the room went still, staring at the door as if it would burst open. My slipper-covered feet padded silently across the floor, a sinister smile playing on my lips as the idea of my coup starting earlier than planned entered my thoughts.
When I opened the door, the power went out, and whispers filled the room as Tora moved into position behind me. Her hand touched my shoulder. assuming it was likely our allies within the pack starting the coup, filling us both with relief and hope.
My sight adjusted, allowing me to see in the dark as we floated down the hallway. There was no way in hell I was missing out on the fighting that was undoubtedly unfolding. The scent of blood made my nostrils flare, and my chest tightened with the reality that everything was on the line for my pack and me. A body came into view, and my feet faltered as air refused to leave my lungs. "Lars?" I whispered, kneeling beside him.
"Run, Braelyn," he replied, blood trailing from his lips. "It isn't us. Someone else is attacking. Run!" He choked out as veins of silver moved up his face. I lifted my eyes toward the darkened room that lay ahead of us. My heart clenched while my mind spun at the thought of the silver rushing through Lars. Toralei grabbed my hand from him, knowing that silver would poison me, even from touch. Standing, I turned, watching Carlson's betas rush toward the shadow-filled room we'd just left.
"Hunters?" I asked no one in particular as I turned and rose. "No, this can't be happening. Not now. They've probably closed off all the mountain passes, preventing my crews and reinforcements from reaching us," I muttered, moving toward where the sounds of fighting grew louder.
I paused before the enormous doors that led into the lodge, throwing them open to stand in the large courtyard. My eyes slid over the hunters fighting against the pack, and air escaped my lungs on a cry of disbelief as I watched men slaughtering the guards. Five more steps into the mayhem, and it was undeniable that my pack hadn't begun the coup against my father and Carlson.
Word I will fuck you every night, l own you. I needed to be inside of her again so desperately that the moment she moved enough that her legs parted, I couldn't help myself. She was already wet again, and my cock slipped inside of her with shocking ease. Her right heat gripped me so exquisitely I thought I would burst.
" Lets fuck but let it be a quickie ", l breathed out. With that said , he out of the blue turned me around and he crushed his lips over mine . Though l was a bit taken a back , l instantly responded . This was wrong but I still loved it . With in a few minutes , he pushed his tongue in my mouth and began to claim me . With our tongues dancing in to each other's mouth , l felt his fingers run and slowly massage me in between my thighs . Feeling him, I instantly parted them to give him way to my paradise . I burned with need." Just a quickie , this is wrong ''
"I've warned you from the beginning. Don't marry him, but you won't listen." She stood close to me and smiled with concern. "You are not a woman worthy of a man as handsome, rich, smart, and virile as Blaze." My whole body trembled at her words. "Have you no shame?" I asked in a quivering voice. "Take a good look at yourself, Heather." She looked at me in the mirror. "You can't even look at your ugly face. Do you think Blaze can endure a lifetime of looking at that face?" Heather Bailey had a surprise from her husband that night: a divorce agreement. After a year of marriage and facing ups and downs, she couldn't believe Blaze intended to divorce her. But she was devastated when she saw him gazing lovingly at another woman because that person was closest to her. Shortly after she put her signature on their divorce papers, shock waves caught her up. Her flower shop was severely burnt, beyond repair. Her father's company collapsed, and her parents blamed her. She struggled to rebuild her life from the ground up and became more successful than ever. Having many customers who came from influential families, she started her action against Blaze. She won the very thing he wanted. But that was just the beginning.
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
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.
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”