Not Castian! Anyone but him! Why is the moon goddess punishing me?! Chrystal thought. An enemy to her father and their kingdom, one banished from her own pack, the moon goddess chose the one person who should never have anything to do with her – the rogue alpha, Castian Rhodes! Will Chystal be able to return to the life she has always known, or will she be forced to embrace a new life with the exiled rogue wolf with whom she has nothing in common except a bond neither of them wants? As masks fall on all sides, which of her mates will she choose, the Noble Alpha, Darius, her lover and betrothed, or the rogue alpha, Castian Rhodes?
The scent of burning sage filled the night air as the Blood Moon rose over the Barone pack's sacred grounds.
The flames of the ceremonial pyres flickered, casting long shadows over the gathered wolves.
The night was warm, and the air was electric with excitement from both the wolves about to be mated and the crowd surrounding the fires.
Chrystal Barone stood in the center of the stone ritual circle, dressed in flowing white robes, her heart pounding, filling her ears with a rushing sound and causing her hands to shake.
Tonight was the night she had prepared for her entire life. The moment she would bond with Darius Strigan – the noble Alpha, her childhood friend, her destined mate.
Darius stood across from her, tall, golden-haired and confident, his piercing blue eyes locked onto hers. His trim, fit frame standing at alert. His hand twitched at his side, anticipation thick in the air.
The Blood Moon Bonding Ceremony was ancient and absolute. Under its power, fated mates would be drawn together, their souls binding forever.
There would be no mistakes. No second chances.
The two had waited for this day, and now, with their families and entire pack in attendance, the hour was near.
A stiff breeze blew, shifting Chrystal's gown and blowing strands of her long, honey-blonde hair into her face.
She shyly brushed her hair behind her ear, glancing away from Darius, who stood beaming at her, his Luna.
At exactly midnight, a deep voice boomed from the head of the circle.
"Step forward, children of the Moon. Let the Goddess reveal your fate," the elder who was leading the ceremony called out, his arms spread toward the couple.
Chrystal and Darius had been betrothed since childhood. This day, this moment, was meant to come.
Chrystal inhaled sharply and took a step forward. Darius did the same. The moment their feet touched the circle's glowing runes, the magic pulsed to life.
For the Blood Moon ritual, if the couple were not fated but still wanted to be together, arrangements would be made for them in another ceremony.
It was not a death sentence or a loss if the Bonding ceremony did not work.
But for the couple standing before their clan with their backs and shoulders straight, shining eyes fixed on the elder before them, they knew there would not be any issue.
They were fated, and it would be shown to everyone tonight.
Warmth spread through Chrystal's chest as the sacred bond awakened – then suddenly, that warmth turned to ice.
A brutal snap shot through her bones and she gasped, clutching her chest.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
It should not feel like this!
This is a bond between mates!
Why such pain?
Chrystal wondered, her mind racing as she glanced up at Darius who was staring down at her, his lips parted as his eyes widened.
He's not affected?
Nothing is happening to him?!
"Argh!" Chrystal cried out as her knees buckled.
The bond was forming – but not with Darius.
Pain coiled around her ribs, burning, twisting, causing her to almost double over as the whole crowd stepped forward as one.
The connection yanked at her soul, pulling her toward someone else.
Someone who was not in the circle.
There was a collective gasp from the crowd as Chrystal staggered forward, away from Darius.
Darius' eyes shifted to where Chrystal was heading.
From the shadows, beyond the ceremony, a low, dark chuckle echoed through the night as a deep voice that sounded like water running over rocks droned, "Well now, isn't this something?"
The crowd began to buzz as many who recognized the voice jolted, gazing among themselves in disbelief.
Darius' eyes widened, and his body stiffened as the man with the voice stepped into the clearing.
Chrystal was being pulled toward someone forbidden.
Tall, broad-shouldered, with storm-gray eyes and a face carved from stone, the rogue Alpha, once a member of the Barone pack – the Moonblaze pack – approached the gathering with long slow strides.
Scars lined his forearms, a testament to countless battles. His black cloak barely concealed the lethal muscles beneath as the night breeze pulled at it, revealing his broad chest and taught torso.
Whispers swept through the crowd.
A name fell from someone's lips, tinged with horror.
"Castian Rhodes."
"The rogue Alpha," another whisperer said.
The traitor. What no one said.
And now, Chrystal's mate.
Chrystal's breath hitched as she struggled against the pull.
No. No, this can't be happening! Chrystal wailed in her mind.
Darius! I'm supposed to be with Darius!
Not Castian! Anyone but him!
Why is the moon goddess punishing me?!
She screamed in her head as Castian's gaze met hers.
His expression was unreadable, but there was a flicker of dark amusement in his cold eyes.
The mate bond pulsed between them, hot and undeniable.
He can feel me fighting it.
Fighting him.
Crystal mused as she watched his steady approach.
As she gazed at him, she knew why he had come forward – the pull was affecting him too.
He could not have stayed hidden if he had tried.
Her dry lips pursed as she struggled to stand.
Darius's expression twisted in fury.
"This is a mistake!" he growled, stepping forward between Chrystal and the advancing rogue.
"She's mine!" he spat, his piercing blue eyes on the man striding leisurely toward the stone ring.
The magic disagreed.
The runes on the ground flared red, binding Chrystal and Castian's fates together.
Her father, Alpha Mason Barone, stood frozen on the dais, his face pale as death.
From the moment his daughter cried out, he had been on his feet. But as the Alpha King, he had to maintain his poise.
The first person Chrystal's eyes had gone to after the pain stared, after Darius, had been her father, but the intense pain had drawn her eyes toward the source of the fierce pull on her heart – Castian Rhodes.
Without any warning, chaos erupted.
"Kill him!" Darius bellowed as he lunged backward, toward Chrystal, his hand reaching for her arm, fury blazing in his eyes.
The warriors surrounding the circle drew their weapons.
"She's my mate!" he snarled, as if directing his rage at the magic circle, the world, or the moon goddess herself.
"End the traitor!" someone else shouted, and the warriors rushed forward.
Blades flashed in the firelight as the pack warriors turned against Castian instantly.
Chrystal barely had time to scream before Castian moved toward her, faster than any wolf she had ever seen.
One moment, he was standing still; the next, he was a blur of motion, taking down three warriors in the span of a breath.
He did not hesitate. Did not falter as he swept toward her, the mate bond still fresh and pulling them together.
Darius lunged at Castian, claws unsheathed, but Castian wasn't there.
Chrystal, the young Luna-to-be, has long waited to be bonded with her childhood betrothed, Darius. On the night her world was to be made complete, it is completely shattered by the moon goddess' decree! Her mate is the vicious killer and rogue wolf, Castian, and now, thanks to the bond, so is she! Marked as a traitor by her own pack, Chrystal is forced to flee the only home she has ever known, or face death. Trapped by a wolf and a bond she does not deserve, Chrystal must choose between running for her life or facing the growing connection she starts to feel with a man she should fear. Will she fight her fate? Or embrace a love that could destroy them both?
"I reject you Marian Storm!" Those were the words she could never have dreamed to hear from the Alpha heir to her father's pack. And certainly not at the New Year's Moon celebration, in front of the whole pack. Leaving the pack compound that had been her prison for three years, Marian was heartbroken and determined never to return. But she knew she would, she must. After her rejection, the only desire left in her life was to kill the Alpha who had taken over her father's pack, failing that, she would leave the pack and become a rouge wolf. She returns home for Christmas to attend her fallen family's memorial service. On Christmas Eve, during the pack's mistletoe ceremony, she receives a gift she never expected, a gift no one wanted – Reyland, the biological son of the Alpha she has sworn to kill. Would this gift given to her by the moon goddess help Marian fulfill her desire to reclaim her pack, or would it stir up new passions within her broken heart and consume her instead?
Fate! Chance! A terrible accident changes the course of Karen's life. Thrown into the world of enigmatic billionaires Taylor Grey and his father Marshal Grey, she must find her way out of the cage presented to her by their family. Karen thought Taylor Grey was offering a helping hand after causing the accident that took away her livelihood, but she soon discovered that his father had other plans for her that she could never have imagined. Forced to play a role she never wanted, can she escape before it's too late for her to return to her own life? Torn between two very different men, who will she turn to for the freedom she desperately seeks? Will Karen find redemption or stay trapped by a family that will do anything to have their way?
Marcia and Jullian were inseparable in college; they were like two halves of one whole. Everyone thought they were a forever couple. On the day of their graduation, Jullian vanished without a trace, and Marcia's world came crashing down. Five years later, after rebuilding her life abroad, Marcia is back home, fully focused on her new company, the new love of her life. Just as things are falling into place, Jullian suddenly reappears, still as captivating as ever. His reason for coming back? To "help" Marcia and to "correct" his past mistakes. Jullian has a proposal – one that feels more like a challenge – sell your company to me and let me take care of you the way I should have years ago. What follows is a battle of wills. Will Marcia hold on to the independence she fought so hard to achieve, or will Jullian's return and his offer of security be too much to resist? It's a showdown between the woman who craves freedom and the one who once let her go.
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."
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
For ten years, Daniela showered her ex-husband with unwavering devotion, only to discover she was just his biggest joke. Feeling humiliated yet determined, she finally divorced him. Three months later, Daniela returned in grand style. She was now the hidden CEO of a leading brand, a sought-after designer, and a wealthy mining mogul—her success unveiled at her triumphant comeback. Her ex-husband’s entire family rushed over, desperate to beg for forgiveness and plead for another chance. Yet Daniela, now cherished by the famed Mr. Phillips, regarded them with icy disdain. "I’m out of your league."
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!"
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”