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."
The hushed whispers and over a hundred pairs of eyes watching me made me tremble in fear. I avoided everyone's gaze and stepped forward to meet my wolf for the first time.
As the alpha's only child, my only purpose in the pack was to breed and produce an heir, and the pack's future rested in my hands. I didn't want to fail my dad and packmates, even though they'd failed me countless times.
But my stepmother was convinced I wasn't an alpha wolf. She was making mocking faces at me, while Dad wore a bored frown, and my step-sisters, who were always treated better than me, waited to laugh scornfully at me.
"Come closer, Iris. Don't be afraid."
The elders waited patiently for me to approach them, but my legs didn't feel like mine. They were so heavy. After meeting my wolf, I would marry Ethan, my boyfriend, have our first son, and hand him over to my dad. Then, Ethan and I could have other kids for ourselves. I wasn't bothered because we clicked instantly when our parents introduced us.
"Iris! Wait!"
I was momentarily distracted by Ethan waving and running towards me. He held a bunch of roses and my favorite brand of chocolates. His thoughtfulness made me break into a tearful smile.
Ethan, nineteen, had met his wolf the previous year. He took my sweaty palm in his.
"I believe in you, Iris."
I nodded weakly. An elder, so old that all his children and some of his grandchildren had passed away, stepped forward. His scaly hands rubbed an ointment on my forehead and chanted in a low, trembling voice.
"Shift into your wolf. Embrace it and feel its strength flow into you."
I lifted my chin and closed my eyes. As werewolves, our first shift was always a big deal, so important that most families threw parties to celebrate. Expecting a party from my dad was overly optimistic, but at least a pat on the back and a simple "congratulations" would make me smile.
I felt the transformation taking hold in my body. It was so painful that I screamed out. Strange things began to happen: my bones snapped, my nails turned into claws, and thick, brown fur sprouted all over me.
The crowd gasped in horror. My subconscious knew something was wrong. My dad's eyes glowed red like a demon. Alpha wolves were always large and majestic. Why was my wolf the size of a puppy?
"Shift back, you loser!" my dad bellowed with a voice full of shame. Ethan was nowhere to be found, and stepmother's mocking laughter filled the air.
I collapsed to the ground, and a woman hastily covered me with a white cloth. The crowd whispered the word " omega, " a label that stung like a thousand needles. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I locked gazes with my disappointed, disgusted dad.
"I have always suspected that your filthy mother cheated on me with an omega slave," he exclaimed, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Now, this proves that you're a bastard. I hope she rots in hell!"
Right before me, my worst fears were manifesting: Ethan couldn't face my dad's wrath, and my stepmother beckoned the wardens from the prison where omega women spent the rest of their lives to whisk me away.
I tried to fight the wardens, but they grabbed my arms, dragged me along with them, and led me to a van.
As soon as they opened the door, I began screaming, with tears streaming down my cheeks.
"Where are you taking me? Dad! Ethan! Please, don't abandon me with them. Help me!"
My dad turned around, and the hatred in his eyes told me all I needed to know. I stopped struggling and got into the van.
_________________
Three years later
Returning home every year for my birthday was a painful reminder of my worthlessness. I wasn't looking forward to my dad constantly putting me down.
The Omega Sisters' Sanctuary was a terrible place, filled with depressed Omega girls who made no effort to socialize. Still, I'd rather remain in my little corner than face my family.
The matron tapped on my bunk. "It's time to head home. Happy twenty-first birthday. Enjoy the evening with your family."
Like a lamb, I was bundled home. I looked in the van's mirror and saw sad eyes looking back at me.
Sighing, I tied a scrunchie around my unusual chocolate and burgundy hair, a unique trait that unfortunately wouldn't be inherited by any children.
Ethan hadn't written or visited in weeks, but I held on tightly to his love and hoped to see him tonight. Minutes later, we arrived at my dad's four-story townhouse. The muffled sounds and cars parked outside signaled a celebration inside.
When I entered the foyer, I saw my step-sister Bianca cradling her young son. Our eyes met, and her head jerked up.
"Of all days, you had to show up today? That's just rotten luck. You should leave right now with your dignity intact."
I shot her a confused frown. "What are you talking about?"
"For your good, don't go into the house."
I pushed past her attempts to stop me and entered the large hall, where my dad held pack activities.
My feet wobbled when I saw Ethan, looking sharp in a tux and standing opposite a gorgeous bride.
Raw pain squeezed my heart. This explained his prolonged silence. My presence was immediately noticed, and my stepmother, whose eyes were bright with amusement, grabbed my hand and dragged me away. Ethan's face paled. He looked like a child caught stealing.
"Who brought you home?" I heard my dad's deep bass voice bellow behind me when we got to the foyer.
"It's my birthday," I choked out and turned to face Ethan, who also rushed out. "I didn't want to come, but-"
"How dare you think you can ruin Ethan's wedding? Go upstairs to your room this second!"
"I'd rather return to the sanctuary. I never wanted to come in the first place."
Without warning, Dad struck me across my face. My cheeks stung, and tears threatened to spill.
"You bastard spinster. You make my skin crawl. I wish you'd die!"
"Dad!" Bianca, my step-sister, cried out. "That's too much."
I hid my face and wiped my tears. Ethan's rejection crushed me to my core. I had hoped his silence resulted from his being busy, but coming home on his wedding day was the most betraying feeling I'd ever experienced.
He looked guilty and refused to meet my gaze. "I'm sorry you found out this way, Iris. But I can't marry an omega. You're weak and destined to spend your life in that sanctuary."
Those words hurt me more than a gunshot. He walked away without sparing me another glance, and Dad ordered a guard to seize me.
"Return her to the sanctuary."
The drive back was depressingly quiet. The sky darkened in minutes, and it began raining. When we got to the sanctuary, my dad's guard drove away, leaving me in the rain.
I rushed to the gate and knocked hard. The old man who manned the gate was deaf in one ear. While drenched in the rain and waiting, an idea struck me like lightning.
Freedom was right at my fingertips.
The older man must have heard the bell because he stepped out with an umbrella. While he was struggling with the padlock, I turned around and began running.
"Hey! Stop right there!" he cried from behind me. "Get down here."
"Sorry, but I want a better life," I dared and fled, ensuring he could never catch me.
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.
"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.
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.
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"
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.
Life was perfect until she met her boyfriend's big brother. There was a forbidden law in the Night Shade Pack that if the head Alpha rejected his mate, he would be stripped of his position. Sophia's life would get connected with the law. She was an Omega who was dating the head Alpha's younger brother. Bryan Morrison, the head Alpha, was not only a cold-blooded man but also a charming business tycoon. His name was enough to cause other packs to tremble. He was known as a ruthless man. What if, by some twist of destiny, Sophia's path were to intertwine with his?
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"