"Say that you hate me!" "Say that I hurt you and that you fear me just like everybody else in this dumb pack." The rage dripping from his voice tears a hole in my heart that hurts more than the fire he just burned my skin with. But I know him too well to not recognize the pain in his eyes. "Why can't you just be like everybody else?!" I know him better than anyone and I know that he is just being mean because he wants me to drop him for his twin. But as soon as my wolf will finally awaken, I'll show him that I'm fated to be with both of them.
EMMA
A gasp resounds in the crowd as Ace looks down at me wide-eyed.
Holding my arm, I keep shivering as the adrenaline pumps through me.
"It's nothing," I say, my voice shaking as I hold my burned forearm, the blood dripping through my fingers.
His worried face suddenly shifts, his caring expression morphing into a frown. "How the fuck can you tell me that it is nothing?!"
My heart squeezes, making me open my eyes.
I must have fallen asleep during the ride.
Staring outside my window, I watch the trees pass by, the landscape slowly transforming as we are nearing the royal pack's territory.
Serena has fallen asleep as well. Her head leans against my shoulder, and I take a deep sigh, getting Kai's attention on me. "Everything alright? That was a deep sigh for someone just waking up from a long nap."
I force up a smile at him. "Everything is alright. Just had a bad dream."
"A nightmare or a ghost from the past?" He asks, his eyes already directed back to the papers in his hands.
I lower my head, removing invisible lint from my dress as I change the subject. "What are you looking at?"
The ghost of the past, as he calls him, is quite a sensitive subject for me.
Kai and I share a special connection, even if I'm two years older than him. We haven't talked about it properly as we are both too shy to address it, apparently, but we have spent our entire life together, and we are actually just waiting to find out that we are mates to finally get over with it.
It is totally different from how it was with Ace.
With Ace, it was like sailing through a storm.
A gorgeous storm you would watch with your jaw on the floor and your heart beating in your throat, but still...
For him it was just natural to tease me, compliment me and as soon as he had the opportunity to, he stole my first kiss, and it didn't take him much longer to get my innocence too.
That night, I thought, was the best of my life, and he promised to make me his Luna, even if we would find out that we weren't fated mates.
But just a month later, he was gone.
So much for promises.
A bit more than five years have passed since that moment. I had often dreamed of being the mate of both of them. Aunt Artemisia had five, so I prayed so much to the Moon Goddess for having just one more mate as I couldn't decide who I loved more.
But it's just typical that for us it is more complicated than for everyone else.
Usually, we find our mate as soon as we turn twenty years old, and as I'm already twenty-five, the Elders are confused about why my wolf hasn't resurfaced yet.
Well, they are confused about it just like they are about everything else.
But complaining is useless, I am just exhausted because of all the testing, but I'm doing my best to grit my teeth to keep going as Aunty Artemisia is going through much worse as she shields me from as much as possible.
"The documents the High Court sent us. Hendrick wanted me to study them before we meet the Judge because of Serena," he looks at the ceiling as he throws his head into his neck. "I can't believe he did that to us. He knew I never wanted to be an Alpha."
"Did you talk to Cayden?" I ask him, tilting my head. "Maybe Ryder could take over. He did turn twenty-one, didn't he? He would be old enough to start the Alpha training."
He sighs exhausted, closing his eyes. "Ace was the strongest among all of us, and cocky enough to want the title. Ryder, just like me, has always had the idea that Ace would become the Alpha. None of us wants to take that from him."
"I understand. But he has gone. He has left us, so you don't need to have a bad conscience for taking a potential title he was trained for," I say, looking back out the window.
Serena stirs, stretching herself as she follows my gaze with sleepy eyes. "Are we there yet?"
"Not yet. But it won't take any much longer," I say, caressing her head.
She looks up at me, her dark eyes with the red speckle boring into mine. "My butt hurts."
We crack up while she sulks and I hug her close. "I'm so sorry, Sese. I will ask them to make us go on a stroll before they have us sit down for dinner."
As we finally arrive at the royal palace, Serena and I stare in awe while Kai frowns, looking at the palace in a confusion of emotions. We get out of the car, and I have to hold Serena back as she is already about to run away, ignoring the welcome committee that is waiting for us.
"Judge Attwood, my name is Kai Blackwood. I'm pleased to be your interlocutor on this matter," Kai greets the Judge, holding his head high while the Judge flashes him an enormous smile.
"Kai Blackwood. We have already heard a lot about you, and I'm happy to make your acquaintance."
The Judge's robe rustles while he speaks, the other Judges standing behind him nodding repeatedly.
A small group of she-wolves approaches us after the introduction, leading us to our quarters as we seem to get separated from Kai.
I look back at him wide-eyed as I follow them inside and his cold expression remains unmoved as he mind-links me, "Don't worry. I'll get that sorted out as soon as possible. Cayden warned us about this already."
Taking a deep breath, I concentrate on keeping my cool as I don't want to upset Serena. I push her gently through the hallways and as I'm too agitated by the she-wolves surrounding us, I don't even get to admire the halls properly.
"I think that counts for a walk," she says lowly, making me chuckle as we indeed have to walk a long way to reach our quarters.
As we finally reach them, one of the she-wolves, who introduced herself as the lady-in-waiting appointed to us, leads us through our rooms, making us stare incredulously.
Wow!
Serena squeals, running to the large four-poster bed and starts jumping on it after having slipped out of her shoes.
I watch her with a smile until the lady-in-waiting clears her throat, getting my attention back to her. "I'll let you settle in in peace and will come fetch you for dinner in about an hour, if that's alright with you, Miss?"
"That's perfect. Thank you so much," I say, and we do a curtsy practically simultaneously before she leaves the room quietly.
Serena makes a last high jump before she lets herself fall onto the bed with a groan. "But I'm hungry now!"
"Be kind," I say with a giggle as I turn around to open the door more to the Omegas bringing our suitcases in.
As soon as they are gone, we start unpacking our things and sorting them in into the different closets as the front door opens and closes with a bang. I lay down the pile of t-shirts I was about to put on a shelf as I hurry to the door. "That must be Kai."
Serena just hums, just taking note of it as I leave her alone to reach her brother who must have resolved the problem of us getting separated. "Did you sort it-"
My breath hitches in my throat as I stand in front of what could seem to be Kai, but he isn't.
I get enveloped by the mouthwatering scent that still haunts me in my dreams as he stands before me, his muscular arms covered in tattoos. My brain blacks out, my thoughts just running wildly as they follow the shapes of them into the collar of the tank top he is wearing.
"What are you doing here?" he asks, making his deep baritone get under my skin.
"Ace!" Serena screams, running past me and right into his arms.
Ace picks her up, hugging her as his gruff expression morphs into a caring one. "Hey, baby sis!"
God, I wish I was her.
"So, has the cat got your tongue again?" he asks as he sets his sister back down on her feet.
He is so mean.
He knows exactly how much I struggle with actually speaking much because of what happened to me.
"I should be asking you," I say, cringing as it comes out as a light stutter. "You have some audacity to show up like this. Did you forget all your manners? I'm pretty sure Luna Artemisia taught you how to knock."
He shakes his head, just about to retort something to me as the door opens again. Kai entering the quarters with his head held low as he looks at his phone. "I think that I could-"
Kai halts in his tracks, lifting his head slowly as his eyes widen. "What the actual fuck?!"
"Hello, brother."
I feel myself about to hyperventilate as suddenly my heart stills. Their scents blend into an alluring mixture, enveloping me.
My stomach turns as my wolf stirs awake, making an excruciating pain ripple through me.
'Mate,' her voice booms through my mind, making me black out as my wolf awakens, draining all my energy at once.
Nerthus goes by many names. Hiding from an unpleasant past, she keeps her true identity a secret while working as an escort. As she covers an appointment with a mysterious new client for a sick colleague, she thinks it will be a one-night thing as he is known to never book an escort twice. Until he books her again. When her other clients start mysteriously canceling their appointments, she suddenly finds herself in a tricky, but quite alluring situation. She tries everything to resist his irresistible temptations that threaten getting her fingers burnt. But she risks it anyway. Will Nerthus realize her mistake too late? And will she be able to resist her forbidden desire for her mysterious new client? *** TW: explicit and foul language; frequent sex scenes; violence; SA ***
"I, Riccardo Saviano, future Alpha of the Grey Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Artemisia Guerrieri, Daughter of Alpha Franco of the Blood Moon Pack, as my mate and future Luna." One single sentence. One stupid single sentence was all it took to disintegrate my life. And the day of my birthday, on which this sentence was audaciously uttered to me, I lost the love of my life, my future mate, and my wolf, all at once. As I'm still assembling the pieces of my shattered heart years later, there they come. Like lightning out of a crystal blue sky. My Mates. But wait... If I am mated to triplets, how come I'm about to be mated to 5 gorgeous men? *** TW: explicit and foul language; spicy content; explicit sex scenes ***
"You promised." He hisses. "I did promise not to ghost you again and I didn't! The rest is nothing you get to control." A sly smirk appears on his face as he presses his lips to my ear and whispers, "We will see about that." Grabbing my body as if I were made out of cotton candy, he lifts me off the floor. He presses my back fully into the cold wall once again, standing between my legs, and bites into my neck, having me mewl lowly. "What the hell are you doing? The cameras, Ru. The cameras!" I panic, freeing myself from under his teeth. His eyes capture mine as he looks back up at me. "This is my building, remember? The security guards are instructed to delete the tape. And to not call for help or check on anyone stuck in the elevator." *** Ginevra and Ruggerio are meant to hate each other. As heirs to rival families, they have been taught nothing else. As they spend the night together at a masquerade ball without recognizing each other, they ignite a series of events that are as dangerous as they are tempting. Now it's up to them to decide. Stand by the rules of their families. Or give in to their forbidden desire. ⚠️ TW: explicit and foul language, steamy scenes, abuse, SA ⚠️
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.
"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?"
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
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."
"I'm going to tell you what I have in mind," he murmured. "First you're going to strip down until you're completely naked," he whispered against her ear. "Then I'm going to tie you up so you're completely powerless and subject to my every whim." "Mmm, sounds good so far," she murmured. "Then I'm going to insert a plug to prepare you for me. After that I'm going to spank that sweet ass of yours until it's rosy with my marks." She shivered uncontrollably, her mind exploding with the images he evoked. She let out a small whimper as he sucked the lobe of her ear into his mouth. God, she could cum with just his words. She was already aching with need. Her nipples tingled and hardened to painful points. Her clit pulsed and twitched between her legs until she clamped her thighs together to alleviate the burn. "And then I'm going to f**k your mouth. But I won't cum. Not yet. When I'm close, I'll flog you again until your ass is burning and you're on fire with the need for relief. And then I'm going to f**k that ass. I'm going to take you hard and rough, to the very limits of what you can withstand. I won't be gentle. Not tonight. I'm going to take you as roughly as you can stand. And then I'm going to cum all over your ass. Are you ready to be completely and utterly dominated?"
Mia's life is spiraling out of control. Abandoned by her mother, bullied mercilessly at school, and thrown into a household of four dangerously attractive stepbrothers, she's desperate to find her footing. "You look absolutely edible," Sean growled, his eyes devouring her. Mia felt a rush of heat between her thighs "Oh, you think so?" she purred, turning to face him. She reached out and traced her fingers along the ribbon that wrapped around his waist. "Well, I've been waiting for this all day. And I'm starving." Sean's smile grew into a predatory grin. "Then let us feast," he said, and in a flash, the ribbon fell away, exposing his rock-hard length. He stepped closer, and Mia felt the warmth of his breath on her face as he whispered, "You're going to take every inch of us tonight, aren't you?" With Rolex's teasing smirk and Sean's quiet, hot stares, Mia doesn't know where to turn-or who to trust. Every glance, every touch leaves her breathless, confused, and craving more than she should. Will Mia survive their games, or will she lose herself in a dangerous world of secrets, seduction, and forbidden desire? One house. Four brothers. Endless temptation.