"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 ⚠️
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
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."
She was a diamond covered by ashes.... King Dakota was known as the most Powerful Alpha King of all times - more powerful than any other King that had ruled from his lineage. He was cold hearted, introverted and dangerous in anger. Cursed by the Moon goddess, King Dakota had to get married to three wives all in search of a male child that would become his heir, but it was impossible as the curse would only let his wives bear she -wolves. But on a different day, the King meets a lady who offends him and as a punishment, he took her home as his fourth wife. Her name was Shilah. Shilah was a powerless wolf and as a result, was disregarded and intimidated by all. But, when she begins to do things that the King had never felt for years, he began to wonder who she really was. Slowly, she crawled her way into his icy heart and turned out to be something nobody ever expected - a storm.
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?"
Sandra Hill, the long-lost real heiress of the Hill family, was shunned by her own kin. Instead of embracing her, they bestowed their affection upon an impostor. They even arranged her to marry a vegetative man in place of her so-called “sister”. Sandra sneered, refusing to put up with this humiliation, cut off ties with the Hill family immediately and ran into the flash marriage with Wesley Cooper, her unconscious billionaire husband. With her incredible medical skills, she defied the odds and revived him. Little did she expect that her husband spoiled her with all his love... A medical genius, a computer prodigy, a national treasure in painting, and a racing legend... Her husband revealed her various identities, leaving the Hill family regretful. Her father came pleading, "It's Dad's fault. Please come back." Her mother wept, "Mom will protect you from now on. Please come back." Even her five brothers knelt before he, begging for forgiveness. Yet, Sandra's smile held a hint of mockery as she vowed, “Never!”
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."