They said the prophecy was an ancient myth-whispered, tucked between the covers of bedtime tales, always ending in blood. But Aria was always drawn to the forbidden, to the whisper of trees after sunset, to the wolf-song that lulled her to sleep. Born under a dwindling moon, with a silver crescent stamped barely above her heart, she was not the same from the start. The village midwife had gone pale when she'd caught sight of the mark. Her mother had held her tighter, whispering prayers. The old stories warned that a girl like her would call the Wolf King back. No one ever said what he would do once he came back. Now, she knew. On the night of the Blood Moon, he came out of the forest, tall and unyielding, his eyes burning embers and his voice a wisp of smoke that curled around her. He didn't speak at first-he only looked at her, as if she was the last piece in a puzzle, he'd been trying for centuries to finish. "Waited lifetimes for you," he whispered, his hand cradling her cheek, rough and warm. His touch shouldn't have shivered down her spine-but it did. She should have screamed. Should have run. Yet her body leaned into his, as if it recalled something her mind had forgotten long ago. "You're mine, little moon," he whispered against her flesh. "Not because the prophecy requires it. but because I've burned for you in every single life I've ever had." Her heart was racing in her chest, caught between fear and desire. She was no warrior. No princess. Just a girl with too many questions and not enough sense to say no to the crazy fire in his eyes. And yet, when he pulled her into his arms and carried her into the forest, when the pack closed around them and the stars wheeled overhead, Aria didn't fight. She held on tight. For deep in her heart, something wild stirred. Something that wanted to love him. Or kill him. The Wolf King had claimed her as his. But Aria was no one's prey.
The folks of elder grove had many rules.
Don't stray from the paths at night.
Don't leave your windows open during full moon.
And never, ever speak of the Wolf King.
Aria had broken all three before she turned nineteen.
She sat at the edge of the forest now, wind whipping around her like curious fingers, her bare feet grazing soft moss. Her name was whispered by the trees, though there was no one else around. The scent of rain hung in the air, yet the skies were clear-a sign, some would say. But Aria was never curious about signs.
She was only curious about silence.
The village was preparing for the Festival of Moons. Bright banners fluttered between rooftops, and silver coins had been sewn into dresses with shaky hands. At sunset, the villagers would place offerings at the tree line-tokens of peace, tribute for silence. But it was all pretenses. No one had seen the Wolf King in over a hundred years.
And yet. the forest still watched.
Aria lay back on her elbows, eyes straying up to the sickle moon in the late afternoon sky. Its shape was one her mother called the Hunter's Curve. There were some who whispered it was the mark of fate.
But Aria bore her own curve-branded into her skin just above her heart. A crescent-shaped birthmark, pale as milk and warm to the touch when the moon was full.
She didn't know what it meant. Only that it made people stare.
"Aria!"
She turned at the sound of her sister's voice. Lila came running across the field, skirts hitched in one hand, a basket swinging in the other.
"You're going to miss the ceremony," Lila huffed. "Mother's already in a twist."
Aria sighed and rose to her feet, brushing moss from her skirts. "She's always in a twist. About something."
"This time it's serious. The High Seer is here. She's doing the blessing." Lila wrinkled her nose. "Creepy old thing. Keeps asking if you've been. feeling different."
Aria's heart gave a subtle flutter.
"Different how?"
"Like headaches. Dreams. Strange urges to run into the woods and never come back." Lila rolled her eyes. "The usual doomsday nonsense."
Aria didn't answer. She had been dreaming. For months, now. Strange, vivid things. A forest covered in silver frost. A pair of golden eyes watching her from the darkness. A man with a crown of bone and a cloak of fur and ash.
He always called her the same thing.
Little moon.
She never said anything to anyone.
By sundown, elder grove was vibrant with firelight and song. Aria stood at the back of the group; her silver-thread dress too tight at the sleeves. Her mother had braided blue flowers into her hair, praying under her breath the entire time.
"Be still," she had warned. "Don't make a scene."
Aria wasn't trying to-but it always managed to find her anyway.
The High Seer moved in front of the bonfire, her face hidden behind a veil of smoke and silk. She held a bowl of Moonwater and ash and moved along the line of girls, anointing their foreheads with gleaming grey.
When she reached Aria, she halted.
There was a silence that rippled through the crowd.
She, the Seer breathed. Her voice was soft as moth wings, but it stung like frost. "You," she said. "You are the marked one."
Aria was frozen.
The Seer put a cold thumb on her forehead and whispered a word in a language no one else knew. Aria's skin crawled. Her birthmark flared.
Then the wind rose.
Not a breeze-a wail.
The bonfire sputtered. Banners tore from their strings. The music died as every villager turned toward the tree line. The woods were not quiet now.
From the darkened edge, someone stepped.
Tall. Cloaked in black. Fur trimmed his shoulders. Antlers grew from an iron crown, twisted like the roots of an old tree. And eyes-gold burning bright, fixed on Aria as if he'd found the one thing, he'd searched for all his life.
Gasps rolled like thunder.
"Wolf King," a voice breathed.
The legends hadn't done him justice.
He wasn't a monster. Not exactly. His face was human-sharp, striking, carved from stone and secrets. Yet something beneath his skin moved, as if barely restrained. His presence weighed heavy on the air, bearing down like a storm.
And he was walking straight for her.
Aria's feet wouldn't move. Her heart pounded like a war drum.
He stopped a breath away.
"You are mine," he said. Not a question. Not a plea. A claim.
Aria looked up at him. "You're supposed to be a myth."
His lips curled into an almost-smile. "And you were supposed to be a dream."
Then he reached for her.
The villagers shrieked. Her mother wept. Lila called out her name.
But when his arms closed around her and the world shattered into wind and darkness, Aria didn't scream.
For deep within her, something old awakened.
Something that whispered, at last.
They tell of no benefit resulting from roaming the woods after dark. They tell of mountains that hold a monster with silver eyes and an accursed heart colder than winter itself. And Lyra had never been one to believe in fairy tales-not until the evening she found him bleeding in the snowfall, his hot and heavy breath against the cold. A wolf, enormous and shaking, fell at her feet as if fate had sent him. She ought to have run. She ought to have left him there to perish. But she did not. She touched him. And that was it. The monster became a man in her touch. Scarred. Handsome. Pitiful. His voice, like thunder low. His eyes, like moonlight trapped in ice. And on his body, a mark that shone like magic and memory. "I am cursed," he told her. "To love me is to lose everything." But it was too late. For in the firelight of her little cottage, candle flame that danced and shadows that provided secrets, her heart began to unravel. And somewhere in the stillness and snowflakes... she began to wonder if the worst peril was not the curse, but to love the one it bound.
Some love stories never end. Some curses never die. As Emily Gray enters the tiny, abandoned town of Durnham Hollow to research the estate she's inherited from a distant, deceased relative she's never met, she has no idea she's entering a life she's already lived. centuries ago. Within the crumbling walls of Blackwood Estate is a cursed wedding dress, a stubborn mirror that will not share the moment, and a veil that breathes out forgotten vows. While Emily works to uncover the mystery of a dead bride, Isabella Blackwood, she finds herself receiving visions, memories. and someone else's feelings. For Emily is more than a guest to this haunted house-she is Isabella, reincarnate. And he-the unloosening groom-has waited. Tied by a blood oath and a love that overcame death, the ghost of the groom has waited for centuries, observing, waiting for the soul of his beloved to return so their incomplete wedding can at last be completed... even if it means pulling Emily into death to make it so. Now Emily is forced to confront a terror worse than her worst nightmares: to escape is to lose a part of herself, but to surrender is to seal her fate for eternity. To shatter the curse, she will need to uncover what actually occurred on that fateful wedding night... and confront the ghost of a love that will not die. Will she cut the threads of the cursed-or be woven into them once more?
Life was a bed of roses for Debra, the daughter of Alpha. That was until she had a one-night stand with Caleb. She was sure he was her mate as determined by Moon Goddess. But this hateful man refused to accept her. Weeks passed before Debra discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy brought shame to her and everyone she loved. Not only was she driven out, but her father was also hunted down by usurpers. Fortunately, she survived with the help of the mysterious Thorn Edge Pack. Five years passed and Debra didn't hear anything from Caleb. One day, their paths crossed again. They were both on the same mission—carrying out secret investigations in the dangerous Roz Town for the safety and posterity of their respective packs. Caleb was still cold toward her. But as time went on, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to make up for abandoning her, but Debra wasn't having any of it. She was hell-bent on hiding her daughter from him and also making a clean break. What did the future hold for the two as they journeyed in Roz Town? What kind of secrets would they find? Would Caleb win Debra's heart and get to know his lovely daughter? Find out!
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.”
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
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."
"I ran. Ran as fast as my legs could go. Away. Away from him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hailey Pritchett loved her job as the secretary of Henry Caldwell, the CEO of the Caldwell Industries. She was a woman who liked safety, and stayed far away from danger. However, the company is bought by a ruthless businessman who is known as the Sniper. Theodore Benson is a ruthless billionaire, and is known as the Sniper in the business world. Because he kills his opponents without letting them know. He bows down to no one, and when he wants something, he does everything - whether legal or not - to possess it. When Hailey and Theodore aka the Sniper, come face to face, Hailey knows that Theodore is dangerous. So Hailey does what she does best in the face of danger. She runs. But will Theodore let her get away? Theodore wants Hailey Pritchett, and won't stop until he has her - in every possible way. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~