Lireal's life was shattered when a tragic fire claimed her parents, leaving her an orphan. Forced to move in with her cold-hearted aunt and uncle, she soon realized the people of the Silvermoon pack treated her like an outcast, a piece of trash unworthy of their respect. The final blow came when her supposed mate, Calix, publicly rejected her in front of their entire school, humiliating her beyond measure. Broken and alone, Lireal made a desperate plea to her aunt to attend a boarding school far away. Her aunt agreed, offering Lireal an escape from the cruelty she endured. Four long years passed as Lireal found her strength, her voice, hardening herself against the injustices of her past. Now, having returned to the Silvermoon pack, Lireal is a force to be reckoned with - strong-tongued and headstrong. But her uncle has different plans, forcing her into an arranged marriage with Asher Blackwell, the virile alpha of the pack. To Lireal's shock, Asher turns out to be her new fated mate. How will this fiery she-wolf handle being bound to the most powerful man in the territory that once shunned her?
Darkness surrounded her, suffocating and thick. Flames danced in the shadows, casting eerie light on the walls and floor. The scent of burning wood and despair filled the air. 14-year-old Lireal stumbled through the smoke-choked corridors, her heart pounding in terror.
"Run, Lireal! Run!" Her mother's voice echoed through the smoke-filled hallway, the words barely audible above the roar of the flames. Lireal's heart raced as she struggled to keep up with the burning heat that seared her lungs with every breath. The pain in her legs was unbearable, her bare feet feeling like they were on fire themselves. She could feel the sweat dripping down her face, stinging her eyes, and blurring her vision.
The chilling realization clung to her – her home was crumbling, her parents were trapped inside. She tried to call out to them, but her voice was lost in the inferno. A sudden gust of heat blasted her from behind, forcing her to stumble forward. Through the haze, she saw a doorway leading outside. With renewed determination, she lunged towards it, barely able to breathe the cleaner air as she tumbled out into the cold night.
Through tear-blurred eyes, she turned around and saw the figures of her parents. Their faces were full of pain, their voices screaming "Escape, Lireal! Don't look back!"
A pack of werewolf firefighters approached Lireal, their muscles glistening in the moonlight as they sprinted toward her. They reached her in an instant, their strong hands grasping her shoulders and arms, steadying her. She struggled against their grip, her heart racing with panic and desperation.
"No! My parents are still in there!" she cried out, her voice desperate and hoarse.
"It is not safe!" emphasized one of the werewolf firefighters, their eyes reflecting the urgency of the situation.
Time seemed to stop as Lireal stared at her once glorious home. Everything she had loved was now reduced to ashes. It took a few hours for the fire to be completely extinguished. The werewolf firefighters were able to save some of the neighboring houses, but her family's home was a total loss. As the smoke lingered in the air, she noticed the chief firefighter approaching.
"Where are my parents?" she demanded, her eyes searching desperately for any sign of hope. The chief firefighter knelt down to meet her gaze. His eyes were filled with sorrow and understanding.
The werewolf firefighters exchanged glances before the chief spoke up. "I'm sorry, Lireal. Your parents... they didn't make it out." His voice was soft, almost gentle, but the weight of his words was crushing. Lireal felt her heart sink, her vision blurring with fresh tears. She wanted to scream, to rage at the unfairness of it all, but she couldn't find the strength. The firefighters had done everything they could, but it wasn't enough.
Lireal's eyes snapped open, her body drenched in sweat and trembling. She stared at the digital clock on her nightstand, the bright red numbers glaring back at her accusingly: 7:00 AM. Her heart pounded in her chest as the images from the nightmare faded slowly from her mind. It was the same dream she'd been having every night since the fire, reliving the horror of losing her parents over and over again. She swallowed hard, struggling to steady her breathing.
After her parent's death, Lireal was taken in by her aunt and uncle, Nova and Richard, and her cousin Willow. Lireal had to leave her original pack, the Starcrest pack, after her parent's death, and she had to join her aunt and uncle's pack, the Silvermoon pack.
The Silvermoon pack was powerful and respected, but Lireal felt like an outsider. In their small town, everyone knew the girl who lost her parents in a fire two years ago. Now at 17, she had gotten used to being ignored and treated badly.
While her aunt was kind and compassionate, the same couldn't be said for her cousin and uncle. Willow, was the same age as Lireal, and they were supposed to be friends, but instead, she was cruel and vindictive, always finding ways to make Lireal's life miserable. As for her uncle Richard, he was cold and treated Lireal like a maid. Lireal attended the same high school as Willow, tolerating bullying from both her classmates and her cousin. She was bullied for being wolfless, powerless and mateless...
Rubbing her eyes, she got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, she felt ugly and disheveled. Lireal was skinny, her dark hair always messy, and her brown eyes tired. She took a shower, trying to wash away the nightmare, but it lingered in her mind.
After drying off, she slipped on her jeans and a top with a fluffy sweater, her hair in a ponytail. She grabbed her backpack and headed downstairs. When she entered the kitchen, she saw her aunt Nova and Willow. Willow, with her black hair, brown eyes, and tan skin, was sitting on a stool, her back straight as an arrow. She was on her phone, barely touching her breakfast. Her aunt Nova was at the stove, her blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun, humming as she flipped pancakes.
"Good morning, Lireal!" Aunt Nova greeted her warmly. "I trust you slept well?"
Lireal forced a weak smile. "Um, hi Aunt Nova. Yeah, I guess so." She took a seat at the breakfast bar, her hands trembling slightly as she reached for her plate. "Thanks for making breakfast."
Lireal glanced at Willow, who paid no attention to her, still lost in whatever she was doing on her phone. As she watched her cousin, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. Willow had everything: popularity, beauty, and the respect of everyone in the pack. In contrast, Lireal felt like an outsider, constantly overlooked and ignored.
Uncle Richard must be at work, Lireal thought as she ate her breakfast.
"I'm off!" Willow announced suddenly, leaving her breakfast unfinished. She grabbed her handbag as she exited the kitchen. As she reached the door, Aunt Nova called out.
"You and Lireal should go to school together, since you drive!" Aunt Nova suggested.
Willow rolled her eyes "Mom, you always say this!" She complained. "And I'll say this again! There is no way in hell she can enter my car!" With that, Willow slammed the front door and left.
Aunt Nova sighed. "It's okay, I'll walk. It's not a far walk," Lireal assured her.
"Are you sure?" Aunt Nova inquired. "I can always drive you, or you can just take the bus."
Lireal shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'll walk!" She insisted, not wanting her aunt to worry. After finishing her breakfast, she gathered her belongings and put on her jacket. She hugged her aunt, and left the house, prepared for the day ahead.
The walk to school was quiet and lonely, as it usually was. Lireal tried to avoid looking at people, knowing that they would only make fun of her or ignore her. She wished she had friends, someone to talk to, to confide in. But she had learned long ago that wishing for such things was futile.
Lireal walked into school, her eyes fixed on the ground, feeling the weight of judgment and disgust in the air. She made her way through the crowded hallways. She felt judgmental gazes pierce through her as she walked past, her shoulders hunched inward. Her steps slowed as she neared her first class, History. With a deep breath, she forced herself to lift her head and look around, despite the urge to keep it down. The familiar faces of her classmates filled the room, but they seemed to avoid making eye contact with her.
Serenity, trapped in a loveless marriage with the abusive Cole, finds her world shattered when she discovers his infidelity. Her heart is torn apart, not just by his betrayal, but by the realization that his mistress is someone she never expected. As if that wasn't enough, Cole and his mistress hatch a sinister plan to destroy Serenity's life, leaving her fighting for her survival. Will Serenity find the strength to overcome adversity and exact her revenge, or will she succumb to the darkness that threatens to consume her?
Louise is a captivating novel that follows the story of Louise, a young girl who finds herself caught between her love for an aristocrat and the expectations of society. "You swore we would always be together, that you would protect me," Louise wept, her slender frame trembling. "How could you do this to me?" Lucy tossed her lustrous brown hair over one shoulder and scoffed. "I am your superior now in every way. We may share blood, but that slave woman who birthed us was never a mother to me." But when fate flings Louise into unexpected romance with Sebastian, can their star-crossed love shatter rules denying whites and blacks alike? He cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs gently wiping away her tears. "I understand, my love," he said, his voice tender. "I will give you time, as much as you need, to come to terms with our feelings. But know this: my love for you is not something I can simply turn off or ignore. It has become the very beat of my heart, the air that I breathe."
Abeni's world turns upside down when her father can't repay his debt to NYC's most dangerous man - Dmitry Kuznetsov. With her freedom on the line, Abeni gets sucked into Dmitry's glamorous yet treacherous domain. Though Dmitry commands her obedience, Abeni feels an irresistible spark with the magnetic crime lord. As the stakes climb higher, she faces an impossible choice - submit to Dmitry's demands or put her family at risk. Torn between loyalty and desire, Abeni engages in a high-stakes game with the cunning kingpin. But Dmitry never loses control - he wants Abeni, and he intends to own her in every way. Will Abeni give in to Dmitry to protect those she loves? Or will she defy the Russian Devil to save herself?
On her wedding night, Natalie's stepmother set her up to marry Jarvis, a disfigured and disabled man. Fortunately, she managed to escape, but little did she know that later she would fall for the man she was betrothed to.Jarvis pretended to be a poor man, but he didn't think that he'd fall head over heels for this woman.Their life went on until one day, Natalie found out her boyfriend's little secret."Huh? How could you have billions of dollars' worth of assets?" she asked in disbelief.Jarvis didn’t know how to respond.Being met with silence, she gritted her teeth angrily. "They said that you couldn't walk, but as far as I can see, you're strong enough to run a marathon."Still, he remained silent.Natalie continued, "They even said that you only have a few years to live. What about now?"Finally, Jarvis opened his mouth to explain. "Honey, this is all just a misunderstanding. Please calm down. Think about the baby.""Jarvis Braxton!"The man knelt down immediately.
Warning: This book has high sexual assault displays, but does not support any form of rape. I, Alpha Edward Parker, swear that I will keep you tied to me until I make you pay for what you did to my mate," he swore, gripping my chin in a bruising hold. "Not only will you wish for death, but you will beg for it, and it will be too far from you." I could feel the eyes of the whole pack on us. They probably came to experience a normal wedding, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I was being married off to a groom because he wanted revenge. Tears welled, and I wanted to scream, "I am your mate; I'm the one who saved you, not her." But I knew no one would believe me. I was his mate, how could he not recognize me? Four years ago, Amanda happened to save a total stranger, but due to a string of misunderstandings, her sister took her place. The stranger then promised a vow of betrothal to his savior. Not seeing any use in correcting the error, Amanda allowed it. That was her biggest mistake because the stranger ended up being her own mate. Caught in a web of lies and confusion, she decides to set herself free by speaking the truth. But her plans are thwarted when her sister turns up dead, and she is pinned as the main suspect. A mate out to seek revenge for another, a forced marriage, an underlying plot, a web of lies, and many dark secrets. How can Amanda navigate all these without losing sight of herself? How will she speak the truth when she has already lost her voice and has been destroyed by her own mate?
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?
Haisley Jefferson, daughter of the Alpha of The Ashen Crescent Pack, finds her life far from fulfilling. She yearns to meet her mate so she can finally escape the hellhole she once called home. Instead of meeting her mate and escaping, fate takes an unexpected turn on her 21st birthday. Rather than a mate, she's given a husband – Hades Stone, the future Alpha of The DuskBane Pack, and a man she has secretly loved for years. The only problem is he has his eyes set on Alice, her adopted sister. In the face of this dilemma, Haisley rejects the marriage, but destiny seems to have its own plans beyond her control. Haisley finds herself at a crossroads. While she wishes for her mate to rescue her, she's also entangled in a deep affection for Hades. A forced marriage to him was not her desire, but it seems destiny has other plans.
June Rivera was divorced by her husband after three years of marriage to be with her sister who was pregnant for him. Kicked to the curb with a divorce and rejected by her parents, she struggles to make ends meet and get a job until she saves Luis Ambrose from an accident - the only child of Rafael Ambrose, a widowed man and the CEO of Ambrose Corps. When little Luis asks to have her as a nanny, and Rafeal's mother pressures him to get married, they draw a contract. To be Luis's Nanny and his fake wife for one year in exchange for 50 million dollars!
Evelyn Brooks' life has been completely transformed ever since her parents died in a terrible accident. She went from grieving to being forced into an arranged marriage to a man who never gave her a second look. After his disastrous relationship, Edward Richards vowed never to trust in love again-that is, until he learned to love his arranged wife. Before it turned out to be desired, the marriage was first arranged and unwanted. But will "love" be sufficient to preserve their union?