On her 18th birthday, Tessa thought everything would change. She was in love with Alpha Jaxon, hoping he'd finally see her. Instead, he cruelly rejects her, leaving her shattered and humiliated. Just when she thinks things can't get worse, two mysterious brothers, Rafe and Dante, step into her life. They're dangerous, seductive, and hiding secrets, but Tessa can't help being drawn to them. Torn between the twins' pull and the heartache Jaxon left behind, Tessa's world spirals even more when her father forces her into a marriage she doesn't want. Now, she has to choose-fight for love or protect herself. Either way, no one's walking away unscathed.
Sharp as a knife the cold was clawing at my skin as I sat by the stream with my knees hauled in tight to my chest. The earth beneath me was wet, and my dress saturated, but I couldn't care less. The tears were coming hard now, burning hot down my face, each heave ripped from my chest like it had been there too long. I hated how it made me feel weak. I hated that I couldn't lock it all away and be strong like everyone seemed to expect.
The hissing of waters filled in the silence, almost drowning out the thoughts spinning inside my head. I squeezed my arms tighter around myself, holding everything in, but the ache in my chest grew only heavier. His words. They echoed in my mind. "You'll never be enough.".
I was strangling on the boulder of my throat, forcing myself to breathe past it. How could I have been so dumb? How could I have convinced myself tonight was different? He would look at me, see me, and everything would change. I had been living in a fantasy. and now reality had hit me in the gut like a fist.
It was so still, that the only sounds were made by the water and the rattling of the leaves in the breeze. It seemed all the world had decided to give up on me, to let me be sad here, alone, to wallow in my misery. I wanted to disappear, sink into the earth and never come back again. At least that would be easier than facing the pack again. facing him. They'd all seen it. the way he had rebuffed me like a discarded thing.
A twig snapped behind me, and my entire body locked up. I smoothed at my face, scrubbing furiously at the tears as if I could somehow obliterate what had just happened, though I knew it was a pointless gesture. My eyes were probably red, my cheeks blotchy, my hands still shaking.
Footsteps crunched through the fallen leaves, slow and careful. I didn't turn around. Whoever it was, they should have just kept walking. I didn't need anyone to see me like this.
"Tessa.".
Mara's voice was soft, almost tentative, and I closed my eyes for a moment before turning finally. She stood there, hands stuck in her jacket pockets, a look of soft concern on her face. Of course, it was her. She never left me alone, not when I really wanted her to.
"Go away," I muttered, turning back to the water, my voice hoarse and shaking.
I could hear the leaves crunch again as she stepped closer. Then she sat down beside me close enough that her arm rubbed mine, though I wished she wouldn't do that either. We sat there a long while without saying a word. The stream kept going, and I concentrated on it, the steady rhythm of it letting it distract me from the tight knot of shame twisting in my stomach.
"I saw what happened," she whispered softly after what felt like forever. Her voice was soft, as though she was afraid one wrong word would break me completely.
My throat cramped all over again. I didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to say the words out loud. But there was no avoiding it. Everyone had seen. Everyone knew.
"He rebuffed me," I whispered, my voice stumbling over the words. "In public."
Mara didn't say a word. She just let the silence hang between us, as if she knew I needed that space to let it out.
"I said tonight would be different," I choked out, feeling the tears start to spill over again. "I said. maybe. he'd notice me. But he didn't. He never does."
I knew Mara was watching, but she said nothing. Instead, she reached over and clasped my hand in hers, the warmth of her touch against my chilled skin should have been comforting, but all it did was serve as a reminder of how really alone I was.
"You didn't deserve that, Tessa," she said after a while. "Not from him. Not from anyone."
I let out a harsh laugh, shaking my head. "He's right, though. I'm an Omega. There will never be enough of me for a guy like him."
"You're more than that," she said hotly, squeezing my hand tight. "You're stronger than any of them are giving you credit for. You just don't see it yet.".
Still, those words floated through the air, never quite settling into my skin. Not really. There was some kind of wall around me that just wasn't letting any of it in that didn't feel right. I knew she'd meant it. She always did. But nothing changed what had happened. or how badly it had broken me.
I don't know how to face them again," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "How do I go back after that? How do I even look at him knowing. knowing that he thinks I'm nothing?
Mara said nothing for a long time. Then she turned to me, voice low but steady. "You keep your head up. You walk back in there, and you show them that Jaxon does not get to decide your worth. You do.".
I blinked, unsure of what to say. Part of me wanted to believe her. wanted to believe that I had the strength to do what she was saying. But the other part-that part crushed by Jaxon's rejection-wasn't sure at all.
"I don't know if I can," I said, barely audible.
You can," she insisted. "And you will. Because if you don't, he wins. And I know you, Tessa. You're not some-one who lets anyone win that easy.".
She was trying to pull me out of this shit, reminding me who I was. or at least who I was supposed to be. And still really hurt so damn much. Even if I wanted to fight back, I wasn't even sure I had it in me.
She rose up and stretched out her hand towards me. I stared at it a moment, then reached out to take it, letting her hoist me up onto my feet. My legs were wobbly, but Mara's hand was firm, steadying me.
"Come on," she said softly. "Let's get out of here. You don't need to face them now. Not yet.".
I just nodded, not up to arguing. We started walking through the woods, crunching leaves beneath our boots, the wind picking up around us. The cold air cut much sharper now and bit into my flesh, but still, I welcomed it. Better than suffocating warmth in the pack house.
We walked in silence. The wind rustled through the trees and their branches creaked like whispers in the night. The path we had taken was one I knew well, but tonight it felt different as if the forest sensed something. The moon peered out through the branches, casting a pale light across the ground. Everything looked silver, still.
And then, suddenly, we emerged into a glade, and the trees fell back to let us see the sky ablaze with stars. I paused, looking up. The breath caught inside me for a moment. There was something about the stars, the way they seemed so high and so far off, as if nothing could reach them and all this wreckage down below. For a moment, the ache in my chest loosened a little.
Mara moved up alongside of me, speaking barely above a whisper. "Isn't it just gorgeous?"
I nodded wordlessly, unable to tear my eyes from the sky. "Yeah. it is.".
We just stood there, staring up into the stars for what might have been an eternity. Each of us was too caught up in our own worlds to say a word. The wind whipped around us, jerking at my hair, but I didn't even care. Something peaceful about this moment made everything feel just that little bit less crushing.
When the cold started to creep too deep into my bones, Mara pushed me gently. "Let's head back," she said and, looking back at my pack for the first time that day, I nodded, knowing it was time.
So we moved slow, taking our time. And as we moved through the woods, I knew maybe Mara was right, and that maybe I could find a way through this. Maybe I didn't have to know yet exactly how. but the stars above us reminded me that the world was bigger than this pain.
And maybe that was enough for now.
Afflicted by a rare and life-threatening illness, I've spent a significant portion of my existence confined within the advanced treatment facility of the Taren Wilson Corporation. Resolute and obedient, I dutifully comply with every instruction from the doctors, fervently hoping for the day when I can triumphantly depart, fully restored to robust health. Yet, when that long-awaited day finally arrives, it materializes in a manner far from my idyllic imaginings. Instead of a blissful release, it unfolds amidst a storm of gunfire, introducing me to four remarkably attractive men who claim they are here to rescue me. Thrust into a tumultuous escape with these enigmatic individuals, relentlessly pursued by those I had once believed were my caretakers, I gradually begin to comprehend the deceptive nature of my reality. As it turns out, my sickness is nothing more than an elaborate fabrication. Furthermore, I discover that my identity transcends the boundaries of mere humanity... For a fleeting moment, even amidst the chaos, a glimmer of happiness graces my existence. Alas, Taren once again seeks to ensnare me within their clutches. Now, my newfound life teeters precariously on the precipice of uncertainty. Dr. Gandor, not content with the results of his twisted experiment, yearns to reclaim me, ensuring my survival. However, as the relentless Taren hunters tear me away from the solace I fought so valiantly to attain, something within me snaps. And when my inner wolf finally emerges, her primal power unleashes a maelstrom of upheaval in every facet of my existence, profoundly impacting my relationships with the four shifter men who hold an irreplaceable place in my heart. A voracious monster lurks deep within me. And she holds the power to either deliver me salvation or seal my destruction.
I was loved by my pack. Given the honor of mating our greatest hunter. When we found out who I really was, he rejected me. Now my own alpha, pack, and mate are hunting me. They will never stop. They blame me for what is wrong with our world. And no matter how far I run, I feel the alpha mate bond calling. I crave him as much as I hate him When I meet an arrogant rogue wolf and a mysterious hybrid like me, something starts to change. Every time they touch me, I feel free from my bond. Now, I'll never let my alpha mate capture me. I finally have the power to destroy him.
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
After three years of loveless marriage, Kira was slapped with divorce papers. She has shown him her unrequited love throughout her entire marriage with him, but he decided to turn blind eyes all because of his lover. Distraught and heartbroken, Kira choose to sign the divorce papers with bitter heart. But then and there, she promised herself that when she's back, he will come crawling to her, but she will make him pay for hurting her. Join Kira as she transform to a wealthy heiress and soared as the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar empire, a remarkable healer and make her ex-husband pay!
She thought she was the love of his life, and he became the love of her life that fateful day she had seen him at the pack's party. Selene Grace was only a replica of Alpha Leo's real mate, and when he spotted her, Leo immediately claimed her as his Luna in order to suppress the rumors of him being mateless. Being unable to conceive turns Selene's marriage into a nightmare, and as if that wasn't enough, Alpha Leo finally reunites with his long time lover and mate, rejecting a pregnant Selene as a result. 5 years later, Selene, a now successful doctor, receives an invitation to the moon shadow pack in order to rid the pack of a deadly disease which has struck it. Will Selene return back to the pack which had caused her so much pain, and what would she do when she realizes that she is mated to the Alpha who had betrayed her in the past?
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, “Who will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.”
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?