Calantha, a weak vampire princess, knows all too well the fate that awaits her; a life of servitude as a blood bag or a loveless marriage... just like her parents, but when her kingdom faces a shortage of humans to feed on, she's cast aside like a sacrificial lamb, forced into marriage with a neighbouring kingdom. *** When Calantha, a vulnerable vampire princess is sacrificed to appease an ancient dragon, she discovers a dark secret: her blood holds the power to unbind the beast. Maybe it's just a 'Calantha' thing to be used as a sacrifice... But one thing is clear, she won't back down without a fight!
Calantha's point of view:
"I, king Tharius of Eldrador, hereby announce the engagement of my daughter, Calantha, to Arin Valois, crown prince of Valotoria."
The grand hall fell silent, all eyes fixed on me making my heart sink in my chest. I feel like a trapped animal as my father's words echoed in my mind. I thought back to the days I strived so hard just to escape my ex-fiancé Lyrien.
He was a cheat, but at least, I know him. The devil I have known for years is better than an angel I just met. But now I am nothing but a pawn on my father's chess board, the board serving as father's political game and I'm about to be discarded. My life is a mess.
I remembered the long night I spent pleading to father, begging him to reconsider the betrothal, to show mercy upon me but to no avail.
A part of me thinks he will agree since I am his only female child. But it is a far-fetched dream, his selfish desires and the kingdom's is more important than mine, than my freedom. He saw me as a tool, a means to secure an alliance with Valotoria. My protest fell on deaf ears, and now I stood before the entire court, forced to accept this fate.
"If only I had known, if only I had known it would end like this," I whispered to myself, "I would have followed Lyrien, no matter how treacherous he was, even if he is just a son of a Viscount."
Hot tears threatened to escape my eye as I gazed at the end of the wall where father sat on his humongous throne.
Arin, the stranger I was about to marry, standing a few feet at the side of the throne platform. His piercing onyx eyes seem to bore into my soul and maybe it's just my imagination but there's no warmth or kindness there. Just a calculated gaze, assessing me like a prized possession.
The agreement between Eldrador and Valotoria was clear; I was to be traded for a steady supply of human slaves. My father's words still haunted me.
"You are just a useless weak daughter." And he's right because I'm aware ... .I'm weak when compared to other female vampires and he's right for the second time because my only value lay in my ability to secure an alliance.
And as the court erupted into loud cheers and congratulations, I felt the last support holding my crumbling world crack.
Now, I'm trapped, bound to a fate I never wanted, but a part of me already knew it's inevitable. Arin's gaze on me never wavered. I wonder if he felt the same sense of obligation I felt or if he has ever felt trapped.
The ceremony moved in a blur with father's voice booming in the hall at regular intervals, outlining the terms of the agreement and conversing with his ministers.
I was to leave for Valotoria immediately, to begin my new life as Arin's bride. I know other girls would have been happy and grateful for getting engaged to a crown prince but I don't want to end up in a loveless marriage like father and mother but a part of me knows it's inevitable. The thought sent shivers and a feeling of dread down my spine.
Arin's grip on my arm was firm but soft as we exchanged vows, his eyes never leaving mine. I felt like a prisoner shackled to this stranger, this fate.
The cheers and applause faded into the background as I whispered my consent,my heart heavy with resignation.
The moment the ceremony ended, Arin released my hand, and I felt a fleeting sense of freedom but it was short-lived as he turned to me and said:
"We depart for Valotoria at dawn. Be prepared.....Calantha."
The last straw holding me together finally snapped and I stared at my father who was seated on his throne talking with a man whose beard almost reached the floor with a hateful gaze.
My eyes shifted to the second throne beside father's throne on which mother is seated, her skin as pale as snow; father had sucked her almost dry again. My fingers clenched my gown tightly.
I can't blame her, she has no power over it, she's also a pawn. I exhaled as Arin walked away, making me face the crowd alone.
I forced a smile on my face, pretending to be the obedient daughter I've always been, the willing bride I'm about to pretend to be, but inside, I'm screaming.
My heart rebelling against this fate, this life I never chose and everything as I finally moved, my head raised high and my back straight.
When broke and desperate Olivia tried to hack her way out of financial hell, she didn't expect to land in the lap of luxury - or the crosshairs of a ruthless mafia boss. Enzo's got a reputation for being merciless, but Olivia's got skills that could make her a valuable asset... or a dangerous liability. Kidnapped and thrust into a world of crime and deception, Olivia must navigate the dark side - and her own twisted desires. Who knows that a game of cat and mouse can lead to more secrets waiting to be unraveled?
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
On their wedding night, Rogelio wrapped his fingers around Marian's neck and spat at her, "Congratulations! From now on, you live in hell!" The reason for his wrath was that he believed she was responsible for the death of his elder brother. So, he married her but refused to touch her, determined to make her suffer for the rest of her pitiful life! However, due to an unforeseen accident, Marian was forced to sleep with Rogelio in order to save him, and she ended up getting pregnant. Concealing her pregnancy, Marian lived cautiously under Rogelio's watchful eyes. He hated her and relentlessly humiliated her, yet he would never allow anyone else to lay a finger on her— "Mr. Bailey, your wife got into a fight with someone!" Rogelio secretly took action, eliminating that person completely. "Sir, your wife claimed that all of your family's wealth belongs to her!" Rogelio quietly transferred all the shares to her. Unaware of all this, Marian only wanted to escape, but Rogelio pulled her into his warm embrace, whispering, "Mrs. Bailey, where do you intend to go with our unborn child?"
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."
"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?"
"I, Riccardo Saviano, future Alpha of the Grey Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Artemisia Guerrieri, Daughter of Alpha Franco of the Blood Moon Pack, as my mate and future Luna." One single sentence. One stupid single sentence was all it took to disintegrate my life. And the day of my birthday, on which this sentence was audaciously uttered to me, I lost the love of my life, my future mate, and my wolf, all at once. As I'm still assembling the pieces of my shattered heart years later, there they come. Like lightning out of a crystal blue sky. My Mates. But wait... If I am mated to triplets, how come I'm about to be mated to 5 gorgeous men? *** TW: explicit and foul language; spicy content; explicit sex scenes ***
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!"