Novels by Celestine S

Tessa’s heart thudded out of rhythm, sharp pain stabbing her side again and again without mercy.Earlier, she had listened to the doctor talking to Nathan while she pretended to sleep. She was furious. Beyond furious, because Nathan had lied and hidden the pregnancy from her. They had blown up at each other in that hospital room. But deep down, buried beneath all that anger, there was relief. Nathan had accepted the baby even before she knew what was growing inside her. She could not deny it. Her baby needed him to survive.“What’s that new medication? Why are they piling pills on me?”“It’s not poison, Tessa.” His voice was ice, but his touch stayed warm. “If something happens to this baby because you’re stubborn, I won’t ever forgive myself. Or you.”“I was just asking.” She snapped, annoyed.She was not refusing treatment. She just wanted to know her baby was safe. She only wanted to ask about the contract and its consequences. Unfortunately, Nathan had gotten used to assuming she

Before getting out of the car, Nathan called Dr. Bennett. They parked behind the hospital to avoid unwanted eyes. The last thing Nathan wanted was for anyone to see Tessa like this.Tessa let him carry her inside. For the first time, she didn’t care if someone recognized her, which told Nathan how deep her shock ran.Dr. Bennett came rushing to meet them. “Private room, third floor,” he said briskly, checking something on his tablet. “We need to assess for shock and possible internal injuries.”Tessa didn’t resist when they moved her to the bed. Her green eyes stayed vacant, staring at nothing, as if she were lost somewhere between reality and the trauma she’d just lived through.Once they were in the private room, the doctor started asking questions, but Tessa didn’t even look at him. She didn’t answer, didn’t blink. Yet the moment he touched her, her body tensed, ready to strike anyone who came near.Nathan watched closely, wondering if her reaction came from pure shock or suspicion

Nathan’s car was still parked in front of the auction building, the engine humming quietly. Across the street, Nolan Pierce stood with Eric, smoking a cigarette as Nathan walked toward them.The memory of that night came back. Sharp, brutal, unforgettable. The bar. The smell of alcohol and smoke. Nolan’s rough hands tearing her blouse while Eric held her down. The slurred insults, the heat of their breath. Only luck and the courage to fight back had saved her from something far worse.And now he was here. Smiling, like none of it had ever happened. But Nathan knew everything.What is Nathan planning to do? she thought, her chest tightening.“Miss Caldwell,” Nathan’s driver called from the front seat, his silver hair catching the light from the dashboard. His voice was laced with worry. “Mr. Hale said you’re not supposed to leave the car.”Tessa didn’t answer. Her eyes were fixed on Nolan, who had just crushed his cigarette against the wall before following Nathan and Eric toward the b

Tessa obeyed, not because she wanted to, but because she knew fighting back would only drag her humiliation out longer. The stares burning into her back felt like fire, but the one that made her stomach twist was Nolan’s. He was looking at her shamelessly, his lips curved in that filthy smirk as his eyes slid down her body. Even behind the mask, his face made her sick. He looked like a predator who’d just spotted easy prey. A wave of discomfort crawled across her skin. She quickened her pace, trying to move out of Nolan’s sight. Thankfully, the crowd began to scatter, and that disgusting man finally disappeared from view. But Nathan didn’t lead her toward the exit like she thought he would. Instead, he stopped in the center of the ballroom, where the orchestra had started playing something soft. The strings and piano blended into a sweet waltz that felt completely out of place in the thick tension between them. “Dance,” Nathan said. It wasn’t a request. It was a command. “I’m not

“Lot fifteen,” the auctioneer’s calm voice carried across the hall. “A nineteenth-century gold pocket watch from the private collection of Robert Caldwell.”Whispers rippled through the crowd, a wave of tension thickening the air. Tessa turned, scanning each face one by one. As she expected, every pair of eyes landed on Nathan. He sat there perfectly composed, leaning back like none of it mattered. Too composed.“You knew my father’s watch was going to be auctioned, didn’t you?” she whispered, her voice tight.Nathan turned slightly, his expression unreadable. He didn’t answer.Tessa bit the inside of her cheek, trying to swallow the nausea building in her throat. Of course he knew. That had to be the reason he’d brought her here. Every guest had received the auction catalog. There was no way he hadn’t seen it.Bidding began, and panic hit her all at once. She couldn’t let her father’s watch end up in someone else’s hands.Without thinking, she raised her paddle.Nathan leaned in, his

Tessa fought the urge to run. She forced herself to stay focused on the stage, trying to ignore the sound of her heartbeat pounding out of control. The necklace up for auction was breathtaking. The emerald gleamed under the lights, like a fragment of the forest trapped inside a crystal. “Starting bid at eighty thousand dollars,” announced the auctioneer. “Nathan, once you buy one thing, we’re leaving, okay?” Tessa whispered, half-pleading. “The color’s just like your eyes when you’re mad,” Nathan murmured. She turned sharply toward him. Nathan leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “What did you say?” she asked. He didn’t answer. His gaze was locked on the necklace as if the rest of the world didn’t exist. The light caught his blue eyes, sharpening them with intensity. The bidding began. Without hesitation, Nathan raised Tessa’s paddle. “One hundred thousand dollars,” he said firmly. The room went silent. Heads turned. Nathan had just raised the price by twenty thou

Selina felt a piercing chill and fear crawl through her the moment her eyes met Alaric’s dark, unreadable stare.She trembled as she pulled her hand away and tried to sit up, but the pain crawling through her body made her groan softly. The wound on her arm still burned, and healing was agonizingly slow after the brutal injury Alaric had inflicted.Alaric adjusted the hospital bed, helping Selina into a more comfortable position. His face softened as he sat down on the chair beside her.Selina’s eyes wandered the room, finally landing on the door. She wondered where the nurse was and how Alaric had even gotten in.“Selina, I’m sorry,” Alaric’s voice was soft, but she refused to meet his gaze or answer. “Please, forgive me. I love you, please…”He reached for her hand again, but she pulled it back immediately.“I was wrong that night, Selina. But believe me, I didn’t mean for it to happen. It was just… my emotions got the better of me. Just… give me one more chance. I’m going to prove

Selina’s head throbbed, and her eyelids felt impossibly heavy as she struggled to open her eyes.Every muscle ached as if she’d been crushed by a storm. With what little strength she had left, her eyes fluttered open and blinked a few times to clear the blurry vision.Slowly, she scanned the room around her.She was lying on a soft bed. A thin tube was attached to her wrist, and a heart monitor beeped steadily by her side. Her brows furrowed slightly.She was in a hospital.Confusion washed over her. How did she end up here?The door suddenly opened and a woman walked in, hurrying toward her. “Luna, are you okay?” she asked gently.Selina blinked in confusion. 'Luna? Why is she calling me that? Who is she? A nurse?'Her eyes shut again, this time from the sharp pain stabbing through her body. And then the memories started coming back, crashing into her one by one.Her mind cleared. The drugs were wearing off, leaving tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.A deep, unbearable ache ri

Raven returned to his training room that night, but his mind wouldn’t stop replaying what had happened earlier.He had tried to stay away from Selina, to keep as much distance as possible, because even seeing her face felt like his chest was being crushed. But his desire was always stronger than his logic.He knew his feelings were wrong. Selina was the mate of Alaric, his own foolish cousin. Feelings like this were never supposed to exist.His fist slammed into the punching bag with everything he had, the sound echoing through the empty room. Adrenaline and rage pumped through his veins like molten lava, burning everything inside him. Sweat dripped down his temples, but he didn’t stop. He kept punching, kicking, striking for three relentless hours.He was furious. At Alaric. At Lyra, lying comatose. And more than anything, at the fact that Alaric had dared forbid anyone from calling Selina Luna, just for Lyra’s sake.The bag jolted again as Raven drove his fist into it.Selina.Her n

Selina’s feet moved before she even realized it, as if her body had taken over, guiding her straight to the room where Lyra was resting."She’s awake now. Our mate is finally going to mark us. Do you think he’ll want this baby?" Nyra, her wolf, sounded caught somewhere between nervous and excited."He loves me. He’ll be happy when he finds out," Selina whispered back in her mind, trying to convince herself more than anyone else.Her heart pounded too fast, the sound roaring in her ears as she reached for the door. It was unlocked. Her breath hitched. She’d imagined a thousand scenarios, but never this.The sight before her shattered everything. Alaric and Lyra were tangled together in a kiss so deep it looked like the world belonged to just the two of them.Nyra howled inside her head, and a sharp, searing pain ripped through Selina’s chest. Her legs almost gave out. She barely managed to catch herself on the doorframe.Alaric’s eyes flicked to her. He tore himself away from Lyra and

“Selina, you’re pregnant.” Lucius Harlow, the doctor from Nightclaw Pack, said it with a seriousness that made her heart skip a beat.Selina froze, almost at a loss for words. The world seemed to stop for a second, her breath caught in her throat. A wave of dizziness hit, but underneath it all was a happiness she could barely contain. A little life was growing inside her, and her heart leapt thinking about how Alaric would react when he found out he was going to be a father.“Planning to tell him?” Raven, Alaric’s cousin and the Alpha of Bloodhowl Pack, asked sharply. Even though they came from different packs, family ties always kept them standing together.Selina frowned. Before she could answer, Raven went on. “Alaric ordered everyone in the pack not to call you Luna in front of Lyra when she wakes up. Five years have passed and he still hasn’t officially announced you as his Luna. That jerk keeps avoiding it like you’re some shame he needs to hide.”Raven’s words popped her littl