Marissa is a beautiful woman from a privileged family, but has no mate. Everything changes at the annual festival when her gaze collides with Justin, the devastatingly handsome and ruthless son of the Lycan King. The pull of the mate bond hits her like fire, but Justin doesn’t acknowledge her as his mate. Instead, he offers something far crueler: he wants her to be his toy, his distraction, while he prepares to wed someone else. Forced to work for him under the shadow of their bond, Marissa wrestles with her pride and desire. She won’t beg for love, but how can she resist the man who sets her soul ablaze—even if he’s the one who might destroy her?
View MoreI saw the round table tucked in the corner of the ice cream parlor as I waited for Brian. My fingers played idly with the paper napkin in front of me—folding and unfolding it, tearing at the corners. Outside, the sun burned hot, and the parlor was slowly filling with children in school uniforms and teenagers crowding near the counter, debating between mint chocolate and strawberry swirl.I glanced at the door for the tenth time, then stopped—finally spotting Brian as he entered.He was easy to find. At a towering height of over six feet, he stood out in any crowd, almost matching Justin’s height."Justin," I muttered, shaking my head.His eyes scanned the room once before landing on mine. The moment he reached me, I wrapped my arms around him tightly, burying my face in his shirt. He hugged me back—one arm around my shoulder, the other smoothing my hair. I stayed in his arms a moment longer than I intended. My brother’s warmth wrapped around me, reminding me I wasn’t alone.When we sa
JustinI leaned into the curve of my desk, finishing the last part of the quarterly report. I glanced at the time—11:42 AM. Without looking away from the screen, I rang Marisa to come in. I just needed to see her face. Her presence had a way of clearing out the static in my head.There was no response.I paused and waited. Nothing.I clicked into another line and adjusted the paragraph, then rang her again. Still no answer. Strange.I leaned back in my chair, pushed to the side, and made my way out. She wasn’t at her table. Her tablet lay on the desk, but her bag wasn’t there. I pulled out my phone and dialed her number—straight to voicemail.“Damn it,” I cursed under my breath, then turned back toward my office. Maybe she had a scheduled errand or an emergency. But she would’ve sent a message. Marisa never just vanished.Once back at my desk, I pulled up our shared calendar. There was nothing scheduled that should’ve taken her out of the building. I checked my inbox—no messages, no a
Marissa I felt like my heart was bursting out of my chest. I grabbed my handbag and sprinted down the corridor, weaving past startled employees who barely had time to react.Justine's voice rang faintly in the background, calling for me, but I didn’t look back. I slammed my hand against the elevator button. My chest rose and fell. The numbers blinked above the silver doors—12, 11, 10.Come on, I muttered, blinking back tears and clutching the strap of my bag. When the elevator finally dinged, the doors slid open. I stepped in and hit the ground floor button. It began its slow descent. My foot tapped restlessly against the floor.The moment the doors opened again, I bolted through the lobby and out the glass doors. The air felt hot, dry, and heavy. My legs burned, but I didn’t stop until the parking lot ended and the other side of the building came into view.There, by the edge of the building, I slowed down and stumbled toward the concrete wall, leaning my full weight into its surfac
Marissa I woke up with a chill crawling down my spine, the kind that made me want to wrap myself in layers even though the room wasn’t cold. It wasn’t just the temperature, I felt it, deep inside my bones. Like something was wrong.Normally, I wasn’t the type to believe in bad omens, but lately, I was beginning to reconsider. Maybe I needed external help. A fortune teller, perhaps. Someone to map out my disaster of a life and tell me how to fix it.I had expected to spend the night tossing and turning, thinking about my uncertain future. But to my surprise, I had actually fallen asleep. And now, it was Monday. Time to get back to work. As Sydney had so kindly reminded me last night, I couldn’t keep running away from my problems.Before getting dressed, I grabbed my phone, hoping stupidly for a message from Justin.Nothing.A strange feeling settled in my stomach. Was I expecting too much? Had Justine told him? I hated the waiting. It was worse than the truth.By the time I reached t
Justine's POVMy hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. The drive home blurred around me. What Marissa had told me didn’t just shake me. It completely unraveled everything I thought I knew.Justin had no idea about the mate bond. I was sure of it.If he did, he wouldn’t ignore it.Not when the mate bond was the one thing that could break his curse.For years, we had prayed for this. Desperately searched for answers. Begged the Goddess for redemption. At this point, Justin wouldn’t care if his fated mate was a damn octopus—as long as she could give him his freedom.So why had this been kept from him?The thought made me nauseous.I was supposed to stop at the club tonight, but what was the point? My family was on fire, and I was sitting in the middle of it, holding the match.By the time I pulled into the driveway, I turned off the engine but didn’t move. I stared at my hands, the silence around me feeling too loud.Everything suddenly made sense.That st
Marissa I couldn’t remember the last time I cried this hard. Maybe I never had.It wasn’t just the tears, it was the ache in my chest, the rawness of it. The way every breath felt like it was scraping against something broken inside me. Every time I thought I was done, another wave hit.Maybe it was because there was no one to comfort me. Maybe it was because I had finally said my biggest, scariest truth out loud.Or maybe it was because Justine’s silence made it all feel worse.She just sat there, staring at the steering wheel. No reaction. No anger. No disbelief. Just…nothing.I wanted to scream at her to say something. Anything. The silence was suffocating, like a slow, cruel rejection of my entire existence.Finally, she spoke.“I’ll drop you off.”That was it.Something snapped inside me.I turned to her, my vision still blurry with tears. “Don’t bother,” I said coldly. “I can find my own way.”She didn’t argue.I wiped my face, but my hands were shaking too much to stop the tea
MarissaReturning to the Lycan Kingdom after an exhausting weekend felt like coming up for air. I never thought I’d feel relief in a place I once viewed as foreign, but here I was, standing in my room, finally able to breathe.I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror and groaned. The dry humidity had turned my hair into a mess. I had been relying on styling gels and buns to keep it in place, but it was clear I needed professional help.The nearest salons were fully booked. My only option was a high-end one in the wealthy district. The price was ridiculous, but I booked the appointment anyway.After sitting under the dryer, I moved toward the styling station. Justine stood near the mirrors, her gaze locking onto mine the second I looked up.Fuck.Guilt twisted in my stomach.Of all the places and times, I had to run into her here.I forced myself to look away, settling into my chair as if I hadn’t seen her. Maybe if I ignored her long enough, she’d do the same.No such luck.“Well
MarissaThe weekend neared, and I dreaded returning to my pack. There was always some ridiculous celebration or gathering that I never found joy doing. What I feared even more was facing my dad. He would demand answers. If the world weren’t so male-centered, I might have had the chance to leave permanently. But for now, I had no choice.The only thing I looked forward to was seeing my brother. I had missed him more than I cared to admit. We had never truly been apart until now, ever since I started working for the Lycans.When Brian arrived to pick me up, he wasn’t alone. Sydney was with him.The moment Sydney saw me, she grinned. “Rissa, you’re glowing. What’s in the Lycan air? Maybe Brian and I should move there too.”Brian scoffed, crossing his arms. “I’d rather smoke horse dung.”I snorted, and Sydney burst into laughter.Brian’s hatred for the Lycans was exaggerated at best. He could act like he was too good for their power and wealth all he wanted, but we all knew the truth, ou
Marissa The air carried the scent of pine and damp earth as we ran through the open field where we had gathered. Dozens of werewolves stood in our human forms. It was rare for us to come together like this, but when we did, it was an unspoken tradition to make the most of it.Laughter and hollering echoed around me. Someone had smuggled in a bottle of cheap alcohol, passing it between hands. This was a pack run where we could be ourselves—no pressure, no responsibilities, just pure energy. Since we were within the same age range, I had trained with and fought beside most of the wolves. A few of them had already shifted, and I felt that primal call in my bones. The moments before the shift were always the most exhilarating.My body gave in to the change, and I began to run. The earth turned beneath my paws, and the moon seemed to be smiling on me as my wolf sprinted into the night. I loved the wind against my fur and the joy of movement. Wolves barked and dodged between trees, engagin
"Gentlemen, feast your eyes on my beautiful daughter!" my dad's voice rang out loud enough to make heads turn from every direction. "She carries the proud blood of an alpha and will make the perfect wife for any deserving male!"Pack mates eyes burned into me, and I fought the urge to shrink away, but my dad didn't mind the spectacle he was creating.We were at the annual Werewolf and Lycan Festival, a huge celebration meant to honor traditions. For me, it was a nightmare. My dad had turned it into the perfect stage to parade my single ass around."Dad, this is ridiculous, "I whispered harshly and tried to pull my hand away from his grasp.He shoved me forward toward the first man who approached us. My stomach dropped when I recognized him—my ex-boyfriend’s father. A man ten years my dad’s senior. His gaze roved over me, assessing my body.His eyes darkened with displeasure as I stood rigid, refusing to turn around. “She’s twenty-five,” he scoffed, shaking his head. “Old and expired.”...
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