"You were never meant to survive." That's what they told Aurelia Thorne when her mate rejected her, her pack cast her out, and the world tried to erase her. But Aurelia didn't die. She disappeared. And came back stronger. One night with a stranger gave her more than comfort-it gave her twins. Now, years later, she's returned to the realm that broke her. Cloaked. Changed. And carrying the truth that could unravel the entire Lycan world. The King doesn't recognize her. Her sons are more than anyone suspects. And the prophecy they tried to bury... is waking. She's not here to be saved. She's here to reclaim what was stolen. To burn down the lies. But when the truth finally comes out... will the King fight beside her- or become the very enemy destiny warned her about?
I woke up choking on ash and screams.
My body lurched upright before my brain caught up. Sweat soaked my shirt, hair stuck to my neck, heart slamming like I'd run for miles. But I wasn't running. I was in a bed. Thin mattress. Threadbare blanket. Peeling paint overhead. Safe, technically. Though safe doesn't mean much when your nightmares keep dragging you back to the same fire.
Same faces. Same screams.
I rubbed my face hard, trying to erase the ghosts clinging to me. But my hands still shook. My chest still ached.
In the dream, I was eight again. Hiding under the stairs, the smell of blood sharp in the air. My mother's pendant clenched in my fist. My father's last roar echoing in my ears. And then silence. Not the quiet kind. The kind that presses down, heavy and wrong. The kind that meant they weren't getting up.
I swung my legs over the edge of the mattress. Cold floor. Cracked tiles. My toes curled. For a second, I let myself stare out the busted window across the alley. Rain tapped the glass like impatient fingers.
It had been twelve years. Twelve years since the Blackfang Pack buried my parents in lies and whispered the word "traitors" loud enough to rot my name with it.
Twelve years since I became the girl they forgot.
Not forgotten like lost. Forgotten like erased. Like if they ignored me hard enough, I'd stop existing. Some days, I thought it worked.
I stood, knees stiff from another night twisted in sleep. My back ached. Too many bruises from training with wolves who thought throwing punches was a good bonding exercise. I didn't flinch anymore when they aimed for the ribs. That had to count for something, right?
The pack house was quiet. Too quiet. That meant I was already late.
I yanked on jeans, a sweater two sizes too big, and stuffed my feet into scuffed boots. The mirror above the sink caught my reflection as I passed.
Plain. That was the goal.
Messy dark hair. Pale skin. Big eyes that didn't meet anyone else's. Nothing that screamed Look at me.
I didn't want attention. Not the kind I got here.
Outside, the rain had turned to mist. I kept my head down as I walked the gravel path toward the mess hall. A pair of betas lounging by the door fell silent as I passed. One snorted. The other muttered something about "wolfless waste." I didn't break stride. Didn't look. Just kept walking like I hadn't heard.
Because if I looked up, I'd have to care.
And caring meant breaking. Again.
The kitchen reeked of eggs and burned toast. I grabbed an apple off the counter, ignoring the sharp gaze of Marla, the head cook. She didn't bother hiding her sneer.
"You missed prep," she said.
I nodded, biting into the apple. Swallowed. "Won't happen again."
It would. We both knew it. My body didn't obey alarms when the past clawed me under every night.
Marla turned away with a humph. I slipped out before she could assign me to dishes.
Back outside, the air felt sharp. The wind cut through my sweater. My boots squelched through wet dirt as I headed for the tree line. I needed air. Space. Something not laced with the scent of wolves who wished I'd stayed gone.
A movement to my left caught my eye.
Milo.
The only wolf who didn't treat me like a stain on the floor. Tall, lanky, with a crooked grin and a perpetual bruise on his jaw from picking the wrong fights. He jogged up beside me, tossing a twig between his hands.
"You look like hell," he said cheerfully.
"Thanks."
"Nightmare again?"
I nodded once.
He didn't ask more. That's why I tolerated him. Milo had the good sense to let silence breathe.
We reached the edge of the forest and stopped. Mist curled between the trees, soft and slow.
"You coming to the Ceremony tonight?" he asked.
I laughed, low and humorless. "To watch people find their mates while I stand in the back like a forgotten broom? Sounds fun."
He nudged my shoulder. "You never know. Maybe the Moon Goddess will throw you a bone."
I looked at him, really looked. "You believe in that stuff? Fated mates and moon magic?"
He shrugged. "I believe some of us get lucky. The rest get Kade."
The name made my stomach flip.
Alpha Kade. Blackfang's golden boy. Cruel mouth, sharper claws. He led training like it was war prep, laughed when someone cried, and looked at me like I was something he forgot to scrape off his boot.
He was also my age.
Eligible.
I didn't let myself think about what would happen if his name came up tonight. If fate was cruel enough to tie me to the very wolf who made this place a daily hell.
Milo must've seen the flicker cross my face. He lowered his voice.
"You don't have to go. Nobody's making you."
I sighed. "If I don't show, they'll say it's because I know no one wants me."
He gave me a long look. "That's a lie they keep feeding you so you'll stay small. You're not small, Lia. You're just hiding."
I didn't answer.
Because hiding was the only thing that kept me breathing.
We parted ways near the barracks. Milo gave my hand a quick squeeze before jogging off. I stood there for a second, staring at the trees like they could swallow me whole.
But they didn't. So I went back. Washed up. Brushed my hair. Dug out the one clean dress I owned. It clung too much. Showed the scars on my arms if I moved wrong. I put it on anyway.
The Ceremony started at dusk. Bonfires lit the courtyard, casting long shadows. The pack gathered in a circle, eyes gleaming with that strange hope wolves carried on nights like this. Hope for love. For destiny.
I stayed on the edge, arms crossed, jaw set.
One by one, names were called. Pairs stepped forward, touching hands. Some gasped. Some kissed. Some cried.
Then they called mine.
Aurelia Thorne.
For a second, nothing happened. Then the air shifted. A pull in my chest, sharp and sudden. My eyes flew to the opposite end of the circle.
Kade.
Standing tall. Smirking. Eyes on me like he'd known all along.
I couldn't breathe.
The crowd buzzed. Murmurs, gasps, shifting feet.
Kade stepped forward. Slowly. Deliberately. The smirk never left his face.
He reached me. Took my hand.
The bond hit like lightning. Blinding. Burning. A tether anchoring itself deep in my ribs.
He leaned in.
"Say thank you."
I yanked my hand back.
He laughed. Loud. Cruel. "Didn't think the Moon Goddess had this much of a sense of humor. A wolfless omega? As my mate?"
Silence spread like oil.
Kade raised his voice. "I, Alpha Kade of Blackfang, reject you, Aurelia Thorne."
My knees didn't buckle. My face didn't crack.
But something inside me split.
He turned, already walking away. The crowd followed, their gazes heavy with pity and pleasure.
I stood alone.
Not just forgotten anymore.
Rejected.
The fire snapped behind me. Somewhere in the woods, something howled.
And I realized I wasn't cold.
I was angry.
Evelyn Hawke has always felt insignificant-a fragile human in a world that barely notices her. But when a tragedy pulls her into the supernatural shadows of Silverthorn, she discovers she's anything but ordinary. A mysterious power is awakening inside her, tied to a dangerous legacy that could shatter the uneasy truce between humans and werewolves. Grayson Nightshade, the commanding Alpha, is determined to protect her-but at what cost to her freedom? Liam Blackthorn, his loyal Beta, sees the strength she doesn't yet believe she has. And Talon Stormrider, the wild rogue, pushes her to embrace the chaos and carve her own path. Each man stirs something within her, something new, something terrifying-and something undeniable. As Eve grapples with her feelings for the three men who've claimed pieces of her heart, she's drawn into a web of betrayal, forbidden love, and ancient feuds. Can she trust her instincts to navigate the politics of the packs, the secrets of her bloodline, and the growing darkness that threatens to consume them all? Lunar Reckoning is a seductive tale of love without limits, power forged through pain, and the courage to rewrite destiny. In a world where nothing is simple, Eve's heart isn't torn-it's bound to all three, and that's where her strength lies.
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
"I've warned you from the beginning. Don't marry him, but you won't listen." Darcy stood close to me and smiled with concern. "You're not a woman worthy of a man as handsome, rich, smart, and virile as Blaze." My whole body trembled at her words. "Have you no shame?" I asked. "Take a good look at yourself, Heather." She stared at me in the mirror. "You can't even glance at your ugly face. Do you think Blaze can endure a lifetime of gazing at that scar?" Heather Bailey got a surprise from her husband: a divorce agreement. After a year of marriage and facing ups and downs, she couldn't believe Blaze intended to divorce her. She was devastated when she saw him gazing lovingly at another woman. After signing the divorce papers, shockwaves caught her up. Her flower shop was burned to the ground. Her father's company collapsed, and her parents blamed her. She struggled to rebuild her life from the ground up and became more successful than ever. Having many customers from influential families, she started her revenge on Blaze. She won the very thing he wanted, but that was just the beginning.
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!”
"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]
"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...
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."