Aurora Everley has always been the overlooked daughter, the one that gets shadowed by her sister Margot. She thought that once she turns eighteen and meets her mate, she would have someone whose attention would just be on her. But she is wrong. Because her mate happens to be the one her sister brings home, introduced as her boyfriend and Alpha Heir, Mason Chase. Now, she has to sacrifice herself again. She has to sever their mate bond, even when her heart screams not to do it. But what happens if someone else is waiting at the sidelines for her? Someone who's been watching her every move, desiring her in ways no one ever did before?
Chapter 1
Aurora's POV
A pair of cool blue eyes pierce through the darkness, so bright that I flinch when they meet my gaze. I stagger back, my feet getting caught in a protruding root. I fall back, and that's when the wolf emerges.
It's sleek white fur glows in the dark, but it's spattered with so much blood that I can only see spots of it. The smell of copper fills the air, getting stronger as it draws closer to me, baring its teeth. Hunger is emanating off it. Starvation.
But how come I can't bring myself to look away?
"Wake up," I tell myself. I know this is just a dream, but now it's getting painfully real and I want to get out of here. "Wake up, Aurora...."
But I don't stir. Not even a little. The white wolf just stares at me, its gaze way too intelligent. Too predatory.
It's going to attack, I thought. But no. Instead it starts to shift into an image of a naked man, glorious under the moonlight, all muscle and smooth skin. I trace my gaze up to his face, but before I can make out his features, his voice rings across the forest.
"Take your dress off for me. I need to see you."
My body jolts with an unexpected wave of desire, and my confusion is so great that it coaxes me right out of the dream.
I sit up with a gasp, my hand flying to my throat as I struggle to breathe. My skin is still hot with longing, my back slick with sweat. The sheets are pooled around my middle like I've been thrashing in my sleep, and now my face is hot with embarrassment.
Seriously. I see one naked man in my dream and I'm a mess? I didn't even get to see... all of him.
"Stop it," I scold myself, swinging my legs off the bed.
I'm about to head to the shower when my Mom's voice rings out from downstairs. "Rory, come down! You got a delivery!"
"Coming!" I yell back.
Still out of it, I pick up a robe off the floor and shrug into it as I run down the stairs. Mom is standing by the door in front of a bored-looking delivery man, who just hands me a compact box and points at his pad for me to sign.
Once he's gone, Mom squeezes my shoulder excitedly. "First present of the day!"
"Present?" I echo, then I realize that it's my birthday today.
"Happy eighteenth birthday!" Mom greets, kissing me on the cheek. "Now go open your present!"
I'm about to do so, but when I turn the heavy package around, I catch a glimpse of the empty sender address and my blood goes cold.
"Actually, Mom, I don't feel well." My words are coming out as stutters. "I need to go."
I race to my bedroom, the package hanging precariously in my arms as my whole body trembles. I rest my back against the door, tearing the tape off the box and finally breaking it wide open.
Three things fall out.
A red see-through brassiere tangled with matching lacy panties and stockings. A soft pink vibrator in the shape of a rose. Then an envelope, addressing my name in neat handwriting.
I collapse against the door. I don't know why I'm even surprised when this has been happening for three years now. First time it happened was on my sixteenth birthday. I received the very same thing, except that it contained a small dildo and a baby pink lingerie. There was a note back then too, which told me to look pretty and pleasure myself on my birthday.
Who sends that to a sixteen-year-old?
Most importantly, who sends it over the course of three years?
No address. No name. No anything. Even the delivery service gets baffled.
I don't want to open the note. I just want to toss everything straight into the trash and burn them when no one can see. But curiosity gets the best of me.
I rip open the envelope, pulling the single note inside it to reveal the same handwriting that's now getting annoyingly familiar.
"My gorgeous girl, I know you know that you're all mine. Save yourself for me, and me alone. Don't mess around with any other man, even your mate. If you do... you might just find him gone."
Is this a threat?
I toss the note across my room. How disgusting!
I will find this pervert, and when I do, he's the one who will be gone.
* * *
My birthday passes smoothly after that ordeal. My parents surprise me during breakfast and give me gifts, which makes me forget all about the 'present' I had earlier.
However, their biggest surprise comes during lunch, when Dad looks at his phone and says, "Margot's coming home for your birthday dinner, Rory!"
The only thing I can do is pretend to be happy.
Margot and I have a strained relationship to say the least. It doesn't help that we look drastically different. She has long blonde hair while I keep my ginger hair short and wavy, never going past my shoulders. We both have blue eyes, but hers are like violets, bright and vivid while mine look like the shadowy parts of the ocean. She has golden skin, while I'm pale as a sheet of paper and littered with freckles.
Dad says I look like my grandma, and Margot always laughs at that comparison.
I expect her to be mean to me now, as she arrives for dinner wearing a long-sleeved red dress that hugs her figure perfectly. She's upstaging me in my own birthday, in my simple green blouse and white pants. But what else can I expect from her?
Her eyes fall upon me as I sit at the center of the table. I wait for the sharp insult, but she just nods at me. "You look quite nice, Aurora."
"Green does suit her," Mom adds as she lays some food on the table. I notice that she's laying out an extra plate. "I'm just going to get your cake."
She vanishes, so I turn to Dad. "Who else is coming?"
It's Margot who answers. "It's my boyfriend. I told Mom and Dad earlier. I would be introducing him to the family."
"On my birthday?" I blurt out. "My day?"
"Who says everyone has to freeze and be nothing on your birthday?" she snaps at me, facing Dad who said nothing. "Anyway, I think you're going to like him, Dad. You actually know him, since he's the Alpha Heir of Black Dawn Pack."
My eyes go wide. "Our pack?"
Margot just simpers. Even though I'm annoyed, I can't help but be impressed. She finally did it. She went off and snagged an Alpha Heir.
The doorbell rings, and she jumps to her feet. I can hear the door opening, and a certain scent comes wafting in along with a deep male voice. I can't make out the words, but I can make out the scent. It's pine and musk and mint and citrus, all blended into this intoxicating fume that seems to be consuming me from the inside out. I keep inhaling like an addict, taking it in. I can feel my entire body getting flooded with desire before I catch myself.
The scent is coming from Margot's boyfriend.
Then Margo shows up with a tall young man, both full of smiles.
But my smile just vanished, and I don't think it's coming back.
I lock eyes with him, and my planets align.
Her boyfriend is my mate.
At one point we were both abandoned in the woods. Our meeting started with distrust. His wounds were more than the gnashing scratches of the wilderness, it extended to trash his memories and kept him from truth more than once. Her wounds were more than the bruises of the poisonous wilderness, it extended to crush her security and increased her self doubt. It was an exile that led a prideful yet underestimated prince and an tortured daughter of a successful merchant. Our tale only began when we acknowledged our desires, yet the world around us conspired to thwart our every step. The both of us didn't want to doubt, yet, would our resilience and trust be enough to navigate through the jungle of doubts?
She was wolfless. All her life, Holly Ambrose had been longing for her family to reciprocate the love she had been working hard to get from her father and her sister, Irina. Unfortunately, they only saw her as an embarrassment to the pack and used her instead so that Irina could refuse to marry Alpha Evander Edgerton: the ruthless and cold-blooded Alpha of the Blackwood Pack. Thinking that it was the only way to escape them, Holly accepted the proposal. Alpha Alec, her former mate and her sister’s fiance begged her not to. He confessed he still had feelings for her and wanted her back as his mate. Too late because there was no stopping her from having her freedom. But would Holly be truly free if Irina had no intention to stop destroying her life after Alec left Irina to claim Holly back? Would she stay with Alpha Evander even after she found out that his former mate came back and was pregnant with his child?
His body collapses into mine as my back slams on the wall. “You were touching yourself because of me weren't you” his musky scent suffocating me. My core immediately picks up a heart beat with our proximity as he pins my hands above me on the wall. My bare nipples harden at his touch. I can only think of two words at this moment. Touch me. ***************************************************** Never in Ivy Carter's life did she ever think that she'd fall for a man she couldn't have,especially when the man was not only her professor but also her new step brother. Caden's heart has always been where his pack is, gilded by the pack's legacy but the minute he lays eyes on Ivy Carter his walls come crashing down. But he can't have her even though she's his mate. Their worlds collide with an irresistible force and it's only a matter of time till they cross the line, breaking all restraints with an unholy attraction.
Audrina, a powerless omega, becomes entangled in a web of deception created by her own flesh and blood. Her crafty stepsister sends her into the arms of MistyMoon Pack's Alpha, James, where she meets a guy whose icy demeanor conceals his powerful and fair character. With chiseled features and a stare that could melt steel, James is both hot and gorgeous. Their one-night affair suddenly blossoms into a lifetime commitment with the news of a kid on the way, leaving them divided between desire and danger. But behind the surface of their undeniable mate bond, there lies a hidden identity and buried truths that could ruin the spark that was just beginning to ignite.
Leaving everything Lily had behind, she moved to a far countryside Pack and made sure no one would be able to find her anymore. Her perfect life back then turned upside down raising twin children with her under a small Pack a kind-hearted stranger brings them into. She was determined to live her life being tied and stuck to her poor situation when out of nowhere her ex-boyfriend, Wade, whom she left hanging years ago when she ran away came to visit the Pack she’s currently residing in. The worst part is that he will spend his stay under the same roof with her. Would their interrupted love rejoin this time around? Or the bitterness of the past will prevail.
Betrayed by the one she called her mate, and sister, Bella was humiliated and thrown from the pack. She vowed to take revenge on those who hurt her. When Alpha Arthur found her bleeding and left for dead by the side of the road, he healed her and took her to his pack. After rejecting Bella, he regretted it very much. When he met Bella again, there was Arthur by her side.
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
"Miss Brown, I am the butler here at your service," the butler replied. "My master wants to buy the baby in your belly." "What?!" Does that mean the abortion didn't take place? Did they kidnap her from the operating table just to buy the baby? But why her? "You..." Alice was about to ask a question, but the man in front of her calmly continued, as if he had expected her question, "You're pregnant with his child, and he needs a child. That's all I can tell you." Alice was forced to sign a surrogacy contract and eight months later gave birth to two healthy babies. Fortunately, the man was unaware of her daughter's existence. It wasn't until five years later that fate brought them together again...
Three years ago, the Moore family opposed Charles Moore's choice to marry his beloved woman and selected Scarlett Riley as his bride. Charles didn't love her. In fact, he hated her. Not long after they got married, Scarlett received an offer from her dream university and jumped on it. Three years later, Charles's beloved woman fell terribly ill. In order to fulfill her last wish, he called Scarlett back and presented her with a divorce agreement. Scarlett was deeply hurt by Charles's abrupt decision, but she chose to let him go and agreed to sign the divorce papers. However, Charles seemed to delay the process deliberately, leaving Scarlett confused and frustrated. Now, Scarlett was trapped between the consequences of Charles's indecision. Would she be able to break free from him? Would Charles eventually come to his senses and face his true feelings?
“Drive this woman out!” "Throw this woman into the sea!” When he doesn’t know Debbie Nelson’s true identity, Carlos Hilton cold-shoulders her. “Mr. Hilton, she is your wife,” Carlos’ secretary reminded him. Hearing that, Carlos gives him a cold stare and complained, “why didn’t you tell me earlier?” From then on, Carlos spoils her rotten. Little did everyone expect that they would get a divorce.
Maria took her sister’s place and was engaged to Anthony, a disabled man who had lost his status as the family heir. At first, they were just a nominal couple. However, things changed when things about Maria were gradually exposed. It turned out she was a professional hacker, a mysterious composer, and the sole successor to an international jade sculpting master… The more that was revealed about her, the less Anthony could rest easy. A famous singer, an award-winning actor, an heir of a rich family—so many excellent men were chasing after his fiancee, Maria. What should Anthony do?
At the office, Samantha is mouthy AF and hellbent on testing my patience. So you can imagine my surprise when my new personal assistant walks into my club with a very specific fantasy. When the man Samantha's paired with doesn't stick to the rules, I step in to take his place. Wearing a mask protects my identity, and soon the little wildcat from the office is telling me all her darkest secrets and fantasies. During the day, she gives me hell, but at night, she becomes my wounded kitten. I know I'm playing a dangerous game. She doesn't know I'm one of the heads of the Cosa Nostra. She doesn't know her boss and her nightly visitor is the same person. With my enemy on the attack and her past coming to haunt her, our secrets come out in the most explosive way possible, threatening to rip Samantha away from me. But my wildcat has another thing coming if she thinks I'll ever let go.