Claire was happy with Ralph Rutherford. He was the man she had been dreaming of all her life. A perfect husband she wanted to stay with forever. But her world turned upside-down when the Bloody Moon appeared, and it was time for the Alpha to choose his mate. She was certain that it would be impossible for her to get chosen because her heart was already bound to love Lyndon. And yet, the unexpected happened in the blink of an eye when she got imprinted with Edison Tyrell, the ruthless and unforgiving Alpha of their pack. Now, she has to deal with the domineering and cruel Alpha to make their bond work. She was forced to play the role she never wanted, to get into a relationship she never dreamed of, and to serve a man who treated her like an object. She couldn't even deal with a ruthless Alpha, and there came Jonas Leonhart, an Elder Vampire who grew an obsession with her. But there was more to Ralph that she never thought would lead her to a more catastrophic event in her life.
[Claire's Point-of-View]
"Get out of the way! "
A loud, angry yell almost made me throw the basket I held.
"Get out of the way! King Alpha is coming! "
Marie rolled her eyes in exasperation and stuck her tongue out as if mocking the one who was yelling. She mimicked him with a silly voice.
"Stop it; they might see you," I warned her. I patted her hand when she attempted to pick one more apple to buy. "No, Marie. We already have enough supply for a week."
"I'm sorry, I get hungry when I hear that irritating horn sound every time the King Alpha takes this path towards the House of Sacrifice." Marie winced when I spanked her shoulder, a warning to keep her voice down, but she kept talking. "Many people are famished in this part of his territory, yet he sat on his expensive chair. Poor men are forced to bring their finest lamb to the House of Sacrifice to burn to a crisp."
"Shhh, shut your mouth, silly girl. Do you want your tongue to be cut? That lamb is required as a sacrifice for a successful hunt this season!"
My best friend Marie grimaced, disagreeing with me, and continued looking at the succulent fruits displayed. It was a typical day in the market, and we were in charge of buying the supplies needed in preparation for the coming Bloody Moon and the event we called 'The Choosing'.
The head maidservant, Marina Foller, was a strict but loving mother-like figure to me. She adopted me. She worked under the care of the Rutherford family, the Royal Blooded Werewolf Race.
After the War of the Claw and Fang Pack, a gang of rogue werewolves attacked villages ten years ago. Both of my parents were slain in front of me, and I was lucky enough to hide under the floor, inside a secret small bunker that my stepfather made as storage for our winter supplies.
When he found out the gang attacked our small village, he quickly hid me under it and sat on top of the bunker just so the assailants wouldn't notice the space between the floors. I could still remember how my parents' blood flowed down the bunker, bathing me with it. The memory was still fresh in my head like it just happened yesterday. And every time it emerged in my mind, my body couldn't stop trembling with fear.
We were both working as maidservants in the household of the great landlord of this part of the pack's territory. My landlord's name was Ralph Rutherford, the very handsome, kind, and sweet Beta and ally of the Alpha King, Edison Tyrell. Although Alpha King Edison was known as a barbaric, heartless, and cold Alpha, Ralph was his total opposite.
Master Ralph was loved by his people and was respected by many. He was intelligent and had never failed his people, even in this poorest part of the pack. He visits the elders and the orphans and supports their needs. He was a generous, kind-hearted official, ready to serve his people. Thinking about him made me smile already.
I didn't know how to explain this, but I assumed Master Ralph had feelings for me. Especially every time he looked me in the eyes. I saw how his eyes grew bright when we met in the corridors, and he was kind enough to help me whenever there was something for me to carry. Tonight, we'll see each other again in the center of the maze in his garden. He told me there was something he wanted to say to me about something. Whatever it was, I believed it was something important, and I couldn't wait to see him.
"You're smiling like an idiot, Claire. You're scaring me." Marie narrowed her eyes on me as if thinking hard about what made me smile from ear to ear. She took a large bite of the apple she was holding.
"It's nothing. I just remembered something important," I said to her, taking the apple from her hand. She gave me a sharp look when I took a huge bite too.
The day was busy as usual: attending to the needs of the higher members of the household, cleaning, helping in the kitchen, and tending to and feeding the horses, pigs, and goats. Helping with the laundry and keeping Lord Ralph's bedroom clean. I had to make sure that the pillowcases and bed sheets were spotless and fresh. I always put yellow chrysanthemum flowers on his bedside table.
I gaze at the king-sized bed in front of me, imagining myself on top of it with Lord Ralph's arms around me. The idea suddenly made me feel nervous and fuzzy, and I felt that strange tickling sensation between my thighs. It was inappropriate that I couldn't help imagining myself as his. His face was the first thing I would see when I opened my eyes in the morning.
Blushing and embarrassed, I sat at the side of the bed, smoothing it with my small hands. I daydreamed about him a lot, and I couldn't hide the fact that I had been in love with him since we were just kids. I was seven when his father bought me from slave traders and trained me to do the housework in the mansion. I remembered the first time we met-the way he smiled at me while he offered me his favorite toys.
It was a small wooden horse that I still kept in the drawer of my room. It was the only treasure I possessed from the person I loved. He was such a good kid back then. He never treated me differently and always asked me to play with him. I was always scolded by Miss Marina not to get too close to him, though. She used to remind me I was a servant and not a playmate to the young master, but Lord Ralph always defended me, saying I was his favorite playmate.
There was a loud creak on the door that was opened in haste. I almost jumped when I saw Marina, her forehead full of creases as she frowned when she found me sitting on the Lord's bed.
"What are you doing, you fool? Go and help in the kitchen!" She scolded me and waved her hand toward the outside of the door furiously, wanting me to go out.
"I'm sorry, I am just having a short rest," I explained, intimidated by her upset look. I scurried across the room and quickly went outside to run again, heading to the kitchen.
I thought about looking back if old maid Marina was still glaring at me, and I was startled when I bumped into someone, squeezing myself against the impact.
Raising my head to someone I accidentally ran into, my eyes widened with terror as I stared at the last person I ever wanted to meet.
"What are you looking at? " The King Alpha's brows were in a deep frown, looking down at me as if I were just a rat in his eyes.
"Goddess, I am so dead." I gasped in a whisper.
Giselle had to protect her dreams. For years, Giselle Sidney had been in love with Alpha Caden Einsworth, who she knew would never fall for her. As she came of age, she found out that he was her mate. But he was in love with her older sister, Greta who was already engaged to one of her father’s business partners and a huge competition to Caden’s underground businesses. On the night of Greta’s engagement, Giselle found Caden so drunk that she decided to help him get back to his condo. Caden and Gisselle were so heartbroken that night that they found comfort in each other until their emotions brought them to a situation that wasn’t supposed to happen. They shared one, passionate night and that changed Giselle’s life forever. To hide the huge scandal from her family, Giselle decided to leave the Grimfur pack and became a Rogue to raise her pup alone. But after a month of his disappearance, Alpha Caden came back to take full responsibility for the child. Giselle never wanted to force him into a situation when she knew he was still in love with her sister. She couldn’t bear to be with a cold-hearted werewolf whose heart belonged to another girl. Will fate find a way to make their bond stronger? Will Giselle’s pride stop her from accepting Alpha Caden when he starts to slowly fall for her? Or will she run away like she always does?
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
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!"
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?
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!"
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?
Life was perfect until she met her boyfriend's big brother. There was a forbidden law in the Night Shade Pack that if the head Alpha rejected his mate, he would be stripped of his position. Sophia's life would get connected with the law. She was an Omega who was dating the head Alpha's younger brother. Bryan Morrison, the head Alpha, was not only a cold-blooded man but also a charming business tycoon. His name was enough to cause other packs to tremble. He was known as a ruthless man. What if, by some twist of destiny, Sophia's path were to intertwine with his?