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.
"You will accept me as your mate on the coming moonlit night, Alex." The girl was nervous. If Alex had no reason to follow the lead of his relatives, then Amelia had no choice but to obey. Amelia knew perfectly well who she was to Alex, but she understood that a girl like her was not worthy of being next to the head of the pack. Her rivals would simply kill her and they would be right. A strong she-wolf should stand next to a true Alpha, and not a mental cripple, which she was. "Or else? What will you do if I refuse?" he stretched his lips into a smile, looking at her with superiority. But he couldn't! He wouldn't mind spending one night with her, but he knew it would not end there. He did not feel his mate in her, but he wildly desired her whenever she appeared in his field of vision.
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?
Everyone thought Lorenzo truly loved Gracie, until the day of their daughter’s heart surgery. To Gracie’s utter shock, Lorenzo gave the precious organ needed by their child to another woman. Devastated, Gracie opted for a divorce. Fueled by her need for revenge, Gracie joined hands with Lorenzo’s uncle, Waylon, and orchestrated Lorenzo’s downfall. In the end, Lorenzo was left with nothing and consumed by remorse. He pleaded for a reconciliation. Gracie thought she was free to move on with her life, but Waylon held her back in a death grip. “Did you think you can just walk out on me?”
Billionaire Bennett Graham urgently needed a wife to close a business deal but his fiancée wasn't ready to tie the knots yet. So his grandmother picked the most unassuming maid for him. Everything was supposed to go incredibly well, and all he had to do was wait until he divorced her a year later. But after seeing Maliyah's ocean eyes.it wasn't looking simple anymore. *** Before I could get her up, it was as if she felt the light and an uncomfortable sound came out of her mouth. "Uh-huh..." She raised her hand to cover her eyes. But I didn't have time to wait for her to wake up, so I told her to "Get Up." My voice seemed to scare her, and her light-fearing eyes suddenly widened and she kept moving to the corner. The only voice in the quiet art room was her fear-filled voice, "No...please...go away...don't come close to me." She was afraid of me? I hadn't even spoken to her before, what was she afraid of? This was definitely not going to work, I couldn't talk to her if she couldn't calm down. Then I moved closer to her, my hand on her trembling shoulder, and I whispered soothingly "Calm down.I'm not going to hurt you.I'm not going to hurt you."I assured and then she moved her hair away from her face as if to stare at me properly. Our eyes met.It was that moment. It felt as if I was enchanted for a moment. Those ocean eyes were the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.