But it wasn't just fear, she was irresistibly drawn to a stranger. She wanted him to touch her, to kiss her. Gillian's legs were giving way from an inexplicable desire. She had never experienced anything like this. She wouldn't say she loved him, but she still felt sympathy. And then one meeting, Asher Christian swallowed her up. Asher leaned over, and she pressed herself into the bark. In her zeal to keep their bodies from touching, she overdid it and scratched her back, and badly. She felt a burning sensation. "You need to be careful." The voice flowed like a pleasant wave. His fingers wandered over her bare skin and gave a short kiss to her lips. "Asher Christian! If you kiss me again, I will--" "What will you do? Bite me?" And then he pinned her to the wall.
1820. Salisbury Estate.
A warm May day. Today is my wife's birthday. Preparations for the celebration have been going on for a whole week. Guests will arrive even from London. Although we live in the small town of Rochdale, our family is known in the highest circles of England.
The wedding of Lord Salisbury and his beautiful bride Elizabeth Stanhope was a grand event, which was compared to the wedding of a king and queen. We are not lovers of luxury, but to divert suspicion from ourselves, we try to be in the thick of things.
Wolves usually prefer to live away from cities, villages, and various settlements, but I my true mate has chosen a different way of living, more human. This allows us to live our own lives. Hunters do not look for werewolves among the nobility.
I am a young alpha. Ten years have passed since the death of my father and mother, and since then I have become a leader by right of inheritance. Strangely, my wolf half did not manifest itself at the age of eighteen, like in others.
My parents were sure that nature had deprived their son of the blood of the beast, which meant that a werewolf would be born in the next generation. To be honest, I did not want to. But having witnessed the death of my relatives, the wolf broke out.
Pain, uncontrollable rage, and anger woke him up. No full moon, just turned. The only explanation is my unwillingness to accept my second nature, it did not give free rein to the beast, and he slept, waiting for his hour. So he turned for the first time at twenty-five.
The desire to live a normal life has not disappeared to this day. My wife and I want a full-fledged family. We want to grow old and see children grow up, and not like I had. I grew up in a family in which one day
the father and mother began to look younger than their son. We looked more like friends. It drove me crazy. I don't want this for my children.
Elizabeth was luckier. She grew up in a normal family and, knowing all the delights of parental attention and care, supported my desire to give up immortality. Our desire to be like people was not very well received in the pack, but I do not intend to change my decision. I will be the leader until I find a worthy replacement.
Ethan is my beta. He can take the place of the alpha, but according to wolf laws, first along the line of kinship. If we have a son or daughter who does not turn into wolves, then my friend will take my place.
My beautiful she-wolf has been diligently preparing for the celebration all these days. The number of guests arriving from the capital requires that the estate looks its best. The little lady of such a huge house brought comfort and warmth into the cold walls with her appearance.
The inexperienced and insecure alpha next to her matured and became stronger. Power no longer embarrasses, her but on the contrary, makes him more adult. The boy disappeared, and a young man came to replace him. Only in the presence of his beloved wife, does this man become gentle and caring. She is the meaning of my life.
Today is not only Elizabeth's birthday but also a full moon, a night that will disappear with the dawn and take our immortality with it. Soon we will be able to breathe deeply. We will be happy in our little family world.
I went downstairs to look around the house, to check if everything was ready. The huge living room would become a ballroom for one evening. Decorations of fresh flowers, which the servants and his wife had collected on our territory, create a spring mood.
The tables are covered with snow-white tablecloths, also with a floral pattern. The magnificent chandeliers are polished to a shine. I am inside, and it feels like I am in a clearing in the forest, the smells are extraordinary.
Elizabeth flew into the room. The lush dress does not prevent her from moving quickly and gracefully at the same time. The green color of the fabric emphasizes her fiery red hair. Her big eyes look reproachfully. It looks like I'm going to get it now. My heart started pounding like crazy, not from fear, but from the fact that she was approaching.
My senses instantly intensify in her presence. I feel full as if all positive emotions are simultaneously absorbing my heart. This lunar creature is my soul. We are one. Without her, there is no me, without me, there is no her.
That is why we made such a decision, there was no rush, but rumors appeared that hunters were scurrying around England in search of evil spirits. The grandeur of the holiday is a distraction. Too many packs have been exterminated in recent years precisely because of their desire to live in solitude.
Someone might think that he was a coward, but yesterday my wife told me about her pregnancy. I am immensely happy. I can't risk her and the child. If there were any doubts before, there are none now. The fact that we are accepting old age does not mean that we are leaving the pack. Until I hand over power, I will be with them. No one knows that my wife is pregnant. We will announce it today.
"Dear Lord Salisbury, where have you been all morning?" graceful white fingers touched my face.
"Lady Elizabeth, knowing your husband, you are well aware that I hate fuss. And it has reigned in the house for a whole week." He smiled guiltily.
She frowned, which made me want to laugh. Whenever I see her angry, I can't help it, my wife is so sweet. But she is only cute on the outside, and she is a real red beast. Not a single wolf from her stay couldn't overcome her, except Ethan. My friend looks younger than me, but in fact, he is much older. Everything I can do, he can do too. My right hand, my reflection.
Once, she broke into his life and pestered him so much that he had nowhere to escape, but she suddenly disappeared. Six years later, he went from being an associate professor in the music department to the president of a well-known domestic and foreign group and caught the runaway girl back to his side. "Ethan White! If you kiss me again, I will--" "What will you do? Bite me?" So, he was thrown to the bed by her mouth-to-mouth with a whine.
Asher Black is the future Alpha of the Black Shadow Pack, and Jolie is just a simple maid. Two stripes on the test. Pregnancy... Asher quickly got rid of them. But five years later, as if nothing had happened, he wanted to take her daughter away from her.
Beta Black had clarified that he would never take a mate, but following his beliefs was becoming increasingly difficult because Wolf could not resist their mutual attraction. Once he touched and tasted the beautiful Aileen, the wolf couldn't help but want her his mate. Can one night give two people what they so desperately want, or will the reality of who they are tear them apart?
A sudden twist of fate connected Helena to a prominent and influential person. To onlookers, she appeared as a naive bimbo. In truth, she was a top-tier specialist, shrouded in layers of hidden identities. Charlie declared, “She’s quite delicate and easily hurt. Cross her, and you’re crossing me.” The elite families, outwitted by Helena's prowess, kept these truths from him. Helena eventually broke free from Charlie, sending him on a frenzied worldwide hunt. To him, she was a bird with dazzling wings, and his goal was to help her reach new heights.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
My name is Katia, and I am just trying to survive until my fated mate arrives. Which may be easier said than done. Rejectection is the last straw. Whispering my acceptance of his rejection. I run through the pack house, out across the manicured lawn into the forest. "I'm sorry, my sweet girl," I say to my wolf. I'm sorry you have been stuck with me and have had to suffer everything I have. She whispers," it's not your fault, Katia. We came to a cliff with a waterfall. The hurt keeps pounding at me. I need it to stop. My sweet girl, and I just want peace, I keep running and leap off the cliff. Spreading my arms wide, with tears streaming down my face, I fall, not making a sound, waiting for sweet oblivion where we feel nothing ever again. "I love you, my sweet girl! Until we meet again, "My wolf replied just before we hit the water, "I love you too, Katia. I have never regretted a moment with you." The Snow Moon pack is having their last barbecue of the summer next to the waterfall on their land. The adults are laughing and joking while watching the pups play. The alpha, beta, and gamma are swimming with some of the older children and playing a game of Marco Polo. Someone yells, "Oh my goddess, someone just jumped over the waterfall!" Everyone is frozen as they watch what looks to be a child falling arms spread wide, no one makes a sound. The small body hits the water like a plane crashing into the side of a mountain. The alpha, beta, and gamma, spring into action, swimming towards the area the person went under. The alpha is screaming his wolf is going crazy repeating, "Find her. Find her...find her!" They dive and the beta surfaces with a small person in his arms. Alpha takes the girl from his beta, laying her on the ground. The men are shocked by what they see. She is covered in scars and injuries. Her body is twisted and broken. The Beta asks, "Who could have done this to someone so defenseless?" Alpha drops to his knees, repeating, "MATE...MATE...MATE!"
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.
Sheila had her back against the wall when her family tried to force her to marry an awful old man. In a fit of rage, she hired a gigolo to act as her husband. She thought the gigolo needed money and did this for a living. Little did she know that he was nothing like that. One day, he pulled off his mask and revealed himself to be the world's top magnate. This marked the beginning of their love. He showered her with everything she could ever want. They were happy. However, unexpected circumstances soon posed a threat to their love. Would Sheila and her husband make it through the storm? Find out!