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.
CHAPTER 1
~Audrina~
My eyelids flickered open, and the warm glimmer of morning filtered through the curtains. As I took in my surroundings, disorientation flooded over me, and the events of the previous night faded from my mind.
Next to me sat a tall figure, his silhouette outlined against the faint light. Even though he was already dressed, I couldn't help but feel uneasy when I saw him because of the little strain in his broad shoulders and the well-defined muscle shapes that suggested an unquestionable power.
As I glanced at him, the sensation of our fingertips brushing prompted a crushing surge of passion to run through me. The fragrance of pine and earth filled the air, and a low growl from his lips.
And when he looked directly into my eyes, a raw intensity like that of a predator sizing up his prey, and I knew that I might be lured in with his irresistible charm.
Even with his face obscured by the darkness, I could see the harsh lines on his face and the suggestion of tension in his posture.
My heart raced as I attempted to recall his face, but the features eluded me in the early fuzz.
"What's... What's happening? And who are you?" I managed to croak, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my own pulse.
He turned to face me again, his expression unreadable in the dim light. "Here," he said, extending a piece of paper toward me.
I blinked, my eyes focusing on the object in his hand. "What? What's this?" I stammered, my fingers trembling as I reached out to take it.
"Compensation," he replied tersely, his tone clipped.
Confusion clouded my thoughts as I tried to make sense of his words. "I don't understand," I murmured, my head spinning with uncertainty.
"There's no need to pretend," he continued, his voice tinged with impatience. "You knew what you were doing."
Panic surged within me as I struggled to piece together the fragments of memory from the night before. "I don't remember," I confessed, my voice trembling with uncertainty.
He let out a heavy sigh, his frustration evident in the tension on his shoulders. "It doesn't matter now," he stated, his tone resigned. "But don't expect anything more from me."
"What? I never asked for this." I told him in return.
His alluring eyes turned cold before he rolled them with irritation. "Who wouldn't want to accept a check for 100 million dollars? That's more than enough to change your life."
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the mention of the figure, but at the same time, I needed to make it clear that no amount could sum up my worth.
"Definitely, not me." I pushed it back toward me.
Letting out a snort, he replied, "That's your problem, and I won't be taking it back."
My face fell as I was yet to understand why I was in a room with a total stranger who was offering me money like some roadside harlot. "Why not?!"
"Because I don't want you to ever dream about Luna's position, and I'd be devastated to get married to you because of some silly one-night stand." He declared, his voice devoid of emotion.
That was it, leaving me alone with my thoughts while his strong aura, the mark of a dominant Alpha, lingered behind him. The truth continued to elude me, slipping through my fingers like grains of sand, despite my best efforts to make sense of what had recently transpired.
Was I hallucinating again? I had to pinch myself to confirm this.
Just when I reached for my phone, my heart was pounding with apprehension as I saw Nicholas's name flashing on the screen. With trembling fingers, I answered the call, trying to keep my voice steady despite the chaos swirling inside me.
"Hey, babe," I greeted him, forcing a note of casualness into my tone.
"Where were you last night?" His voice came through the line, tinged with concern and confusion. "We were supposed to meet, but you never showed up."
I bit my lip, struggling to find the right words to explain. "I'm sorry," I stammered, my mind racing to come up with a plausible excuse. "I must have fallen asleep or something. I didn't mean to stand you up."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, and I held my breath, waiting for his response.
"I see," he finally said, his tone guarded. "Do you realize how worried I was throughout yesterday? I thought something happened to you; I even had to call Paige."
A pang of guilt stabbed at my chest as I listened to his words. Nicholas had always wanted this, yet I deprived him of it, and here I was, lying to him without a second thought.
"You did? I didn't mean to put you through so much stress." I apologized again.
"But you did; are you sure you weren't with anyone last night?"
At that point, recollections of what had happened the night before began to swirl in a cloud of uncertainty and terror.
Every picture burned into my mind, crystal clear. I recalled lying in bed and seeing the world become dark around me as sleep took hold of me. Then, though, something changed-a nagging discomfort that twisted in the pit of my stomach.
Under the control of an unseen force, I tossed and turned, my body writhing in pain and my face burning with heat. I felt myself thrashing against the blankets, and I could taste blood on my lips-a metallic tang.
My eyes snapped open, and I found myself standing on wobbly legs, my body shivering from exertion. And then, all of a sudden, I was awake. With a flurry of panic and bewilderment racing through my head, I staggered toward the door.
But before I could get to safety, there he was, his offer of salvation hanging before me like a cruel temptation, his piercing gaze, his intimidating presence, barring my route.
"Save me," he had said, his voice cutting through the chaos like a knife. "I'll give you 100 million."
I recoiled at what he said, the enormity of his offer crashing down on me like a wave of water. That's when it became clear that he was the reason I was suffering and the skilled manipulator who decided what would happen to me.
But even as I struggled with him, a part of me kept thinking: What if what he had said was accurate? What if this rescue turned out to be a disguised blessing? After all, I was an omega, helpless.
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.
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?
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.
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?
Sophia Drake braced herself for the worst when she was forced to move across the country in the middle of her junior year. Desperate to escape her shattered home as soon as she turns eighteen, her plans are disrupted by the enigmatic and captivating Ashford twins. Sophia can't fathom the intense attraction she feels for the twins and tries to avoid them at every turn. As she's thrust into an unfamiliar world, her past demons resurface, making her question her true identity. Will Sophia flee from her past's secrets, or will she embrace her destiny and take control of her future?
Vanessa was about to get engaged when she discovered that her groom-to-be was cheating on her with her own sister. Instead of creating a scene, she went to the club and hired the most desirable gigolo she found. After a wild night of passion, she gave him a generous check. "Thanks. I may require your services in the future." The gigolo was mad at her for being heartless, but Vanessa dismissed his words as an attempt to get her attention. It was only later, when she had to seek out the renowned Mr. Fuller to help with her business, that she realized the man she had slept with was no gigolo at all.
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
Jennifer Bennett, the rightful heiress to the Bennett legacy, fought hard for her family's recognition, only to be eclipsed by an impostor. Faced with false accusations, bullying, and public humiliation, Jennifer eventually gave up trying to win their approval. Vowing to rise above the injustice, she became the bane of those who wronged her. The Bennett family's efforts to break her only fueled her success, leading her to heights her rivals could only dream of. Someone asked, "Do you feel let down by your parents?" With a calm smile, Jennifer said, "It doesn't matter. In the end, power prevails."