Marissa always knew something was wrong with her. She suffered endless rejection despite looking like she stepped out of a magazine. But at the annual festival, fate finally plays its hand. She locks eyes with Justin, the ruthless heir to the Lycan throne. Her mate and salvation. Or so she thinks. Rejection would be too easy. Instead, he does something far worse-he ignores the bond entirely, treating her like nothing more than a plaything at his mercy. But Marissa isn't the type to kneel. If her mate wants to act like a heartless bastard, she'll give him a reason to suffer. She'll unravel him, break past his stone-cold defenses, and make him regret ever underestimating her. If he wants a game, then he better be ready to lose.
"Gentlemen, feast your eyes on my beautiful daughter!" My dad's voice boomed, and several heads turned to look at me. "She carries the proud blood of an Alpha. The perfect wife for any deserving male!"
Packmates stared as my father paraded me about like a product for sale. We were currently at the annual Werewolf and Lycan festival. To most, it was a celebration. To my dad, it was the perfect stage to parade my single ass around.
"This is ridiculous," I hissed, yanking my hand back.
He shoved me forward, straight into the path of the first interested male.
My stomach dropped.
I knew that face.
My ex-boyfriend's dad. A man a decade older than my own.
Nausea burned up my throat when his gaze dragged slowly over me. I refused to react or entertain this insult.
"She's twenty-five," he sneered. "Old and unfit for breeding."
In our world, women were expected to be mated and mothers well before reaching my age. Twenty-five was ancient, a ticking clock marking me as expired.
"She's fertile and will give you powerful heirs," my dad pleaded, sounding desperate. "If she doesn't, I swear on everything I hold dear that I'll pay for damages."
The pervert hummed in satisfaction, motioning that I turn around for inspection. I remained still.
"She's arrogant and has a nasty glare. Perhaps that's why my dear boy dumped her."
My dad's face darkened, humiliation creeping up his neck. I clenched my jaw, knowing any outburst would worsen things. Mr. Pervert walked away, but I barely had time to breathe before my stepmom swooped in, wearing a frozen smile.
"Stop frowning, Marissa. No man wants a sulking wife. And you're far too old to expect Prince Charming or even a half-decent mutt to rescue you now. No one wants leftovers."
"Thanks for the wisdom," I said flatly, giving her nothing to feed on.
Cameras flashed. I turned away, well aware the photographers were hungry for a scandal.
"Here's the plan," Stepmom whispered, sounding annoyingly excited. "The Lycans will arrive soon. They're rich. Find one, seduce him, use what little charm you have left."
My dad nodded approvingly. "Do as she says. And remember, no husband by twenty-six, no inheritance."
They walked away, hand in hand.
I lingered at the edge of the festival, watching from the shadows as the celebration roared on.
The left side of the hall swarmed with excited werewolves. The right remained empty and reserved for the Lycans.
They were always late.
Forty minutes crawled by. Then, the noise shifted. Chatter faded into hushed whispers, and heads turned.
The Lycans entered as if the air itself bent to their presence. The temperature shifted. Their scents rolled in, refined and deadly.
Their king led the procession, with his queen gliding beside him. Their jeweled outfits gleamed under the lights. Untouchable, their presence alone made the space feel smaller.
And behind them, their son, Justin.
The heartbreaker, rumored to be wild under the sheets and ruthless after. The golden boy with the devil's smile. He collected lovers like some people collected fine art: admired, displayed, and discarded when something more enticing came. And still, women lined up, foolish enough to think they could tame him.
He moved through the hall like he owned everyone. Dark hair, styled just right, framed his features. His shirt stretched across his chest, the top two buttons undone just enough to tease the tanned skin beneath.
I forced myself to look away. I knew better than to let my gaze linger on someone so vain. He was the kind of male who would make you fall to watch how beautifully you shattered.
Something shifted, and a force tugged at me.
The intoxicating scent of cedarwood and rain slammed into my lungs, stealing my breath and yanking me forward. My wolf stretched inside me. I could barely breathe. Tiny beads of sweat covered my skin, and every inch of my body became alive with savage energy
This was it.
My mate.
I wanted to scream and dance in celebration.
After years of enduring loneliness and humiliation, my mate finally appeared.
I waited. Any second now, he would turn. The bond would hit him the way it had just wrecked me. He would meet my eyes and know I was his, and he was mine, just as the moon intended.
But he didn't. His gaze skimmed past me, not even pausing.
He strolled past me without a word, glance, or recognition. My lungs forgot how to work. The bond had shattered my world in one breath, yet I might as well have been invisible.
Young females, styled in dyed fabric, strutted forward. Jingling with waist beads, they formed a circle, swaying their hips. The dance was a masterclass in seduction. A blend of culture and thirst trapping.
They shot Justin, teasing smiles. His lips curled at the edges. His hazel eyes dragged over them like he was enjoying a fine vintage wine.
My wolf snarled inside me, furious. She didn't understand why our mate could ignore the pull.
My chest clenched, and my breath turned shallow. This should have been the happiest day of my life. Instead, the moon goddess decided to bless me with an asshole.
"You can't deny it. Every time I touch you, I see the desire in your eyes. He stole you from me, and I'm taking you back," Alex's voice rumbled low, fingers grazing my skin like he owned every inch of me.Alexis's life spirals into a dangerous game of love, power, and betrayal when she uncovers that her husband's estranged twin brother is not only her mate but holds even deeper secrets; everything she thought she knew crumbles.With this forbidden temptation threatening to rip apart the Campbell legacy and the son she fought to protect, Alexis must choose love or remain in a loveless marriage.
Linda's world shatters in a single day when her parents and younger brother die in a tragic accident. But grief turns to fury when she catches Damien, her dad's best friend and the man she's secretly obsessed with, wrapped in a kiss with her cousin on the night of the funeral. Determined to escape him, she flees to a new university, cutting all ties. But Damien isn't just a ghost from her past-he's bound to her by her father's will. Now, he's her professor in college, but Linda refuses to be his obligation. She'll ruin him before he ruins her. Only Damien isn't just a man-he's something else. And he was never meant to let her go.
At twenty-one, Iris is a mateless virgin-a dangerous taboo in her world. Desperate to escape humiliation, she flees and enters a fierce competition for the hand of Adonis, the Lycan King who the loss of his first wife had shattered. But Iris doesn't know that her father is responsible for Adonis' tragedy and that behind the Adonis charm lurks a man consumed by a dark, smoldering fire-one that could either spark a burning passion or burn her to ashes. Will this contest be her salvation or her downfall? "What we share isn't love," his voice purred against my ear, "It's madness-an addiction that will ruin us both. In life or death, you're forever mine."
After a devastating valentine's breakup, Miracle never expected to find herself caught in a web of deceit and desire. A mysterious stranger approached her with an offer she couldn't refuse. Three million dollars to be a fake girlfriend to his wealthy client, with one catch: falling in love with him disqualifies her from the deal. Skeptical at first, Miracle agrees to the arrangement, but she quickly realizes that it's not as simple as she thought. Especially when her client turns out to be the infamous Leonel Hamilton, a billionaire with a reputation for breaking hearts without mercy. As Miracle navigates the complexities of their fake relationship, she finds herself torn between her desire for money and her growing feelings for Leonel. But when some truths are revealed, she must decide if the contract is worth the risk or if the lure of money is too strong to resist. Read on to discover the rollercoaster of romance and deceit.
"You are my curse, my obsession, my addiction. How can I love you when you are so filthy, so wrong?" Kira lives in a world where omegas are despised and shunned by everyone. An Alpha's bond with an omega is instant rejection or worse still, death But fate has a cruel twist for Kira. She discovers that her mate is none other than Alpha D'Angelo, the most feared and ruthless alpha in the land. She knows he will either reject her or kill her without mercy. What she doesn't know is that he has other plans. Plans that would either make her wish she were dead, or maybe, a spark in the alpha's heart that would either save or consume her.
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
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."
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!
While Sienna reached the pinnacle of her success, Julian remained the forgotten son of his family, the one who had secretly stolen her first kiss in the shadows of the night. As Sienna hit her darkest moment, Julian returned home, leaving his life behind, only to witness her tears glistening in the moonlight as she reluctantly accepted another man's proposal. When Sienna needed Julian more than ever, he had risen to a position of power and had become her most steadfast pillar of support. "Please marry me." There was no one else in the world who could love Sienna as deeply as Julian did.
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
"Miss Brown, I am the butler here at your service," the butler replied. "My master wants to buy the baby in your belly." "What?!" Does that mean the abortion didn't take place? Did they kidnap her from the operating table just to buy the baby? But why her? "You..." Alice was about to ask a question, but the man in front of her calmly continued, as if he had expected her question, "You're pregnant with his child, and he needs a child. That's all I can tell you." Alice was forced to sign a surrogacy contract and eight months later gave birth to two healthy babies. Fortunately, the man was unaware of her daughter's existence. It wasn't until five years later that fate brought them together again...