MasukOn the night of her mating ceremony, Aria’s world collapses when her fated mate, the future Alpha, rejects her before the entire pack and chooses her stepsister instead. In a single moment, she loses her mate, her family, and her place in the pack, becoming a public disgrace overnight. Homeless and humiliated, Aria expects nothing but survival. Instead, she crosses paths with Aurelia, the young daughter of Kael Blackwood, the most feared Alpha in the territory and uncle to the man who rejected her. Kael is cold, powerful, and untouchable. A man even Alphas avoid. When Aurelia refuses to let Aria go, Kael reluctantly allows her into his household. But what begins as shelter quickly turns into scandal as rumors spread: why is a rejected Omega living under the protection of the strongest Alpha? As pressure builds from the pack and political enemies begin to circle, Aria is pulled into Kael’s world in ways she never intended. To protect his reputation, and hers, the situation escalates into a political marriage neither of them expected. But living under Kael’s roof changes everything. Aria rises from a discarded Omega into a woman who begins to challenge the very structure of the pack, while Kael finds himself drawn to her in ways he refuses to acknowledge. At the same time, the mate who rejected her begins to realize the weight of his mistake and wants her back. Now Aria is caught between a past that broke her, and a future tied to the most dangerous Alpha in the territory. And this time, fate may not be the only thing deciding her choice.
Lihat lebih banyakNasa kalagitnaan nang pakikipaghalikan si Zack sa kanyang babae na nakilala niya lang sa club nang biglang may tumapik sa kanyang balikat.
Napahinto siya at napatingin sa mapangahas na taong talagang inisturbo siya sa ginagawa niya. Nakikitang nitong nag-e-enjoy na siya sa ginagawa, eh, tapos may iistorbo lang sa kanya."Maiden, what are you doing here?" inosente niyang tanong sa dalaga na kanyang secretary na poker face na nakatingin sa kanya.Pinanliitan siya nito ng mga mata. "Hindi pa ba obvious, Sir Zack, kung bakit ako nandito? Kailangan mo pa ba talaga 'yang itanong sa akin?" Tinaasan siya nito ng isang kilay. "I bet alam mo na kung bakit nandito ako."Bahagya na lang siyang natawa nang taasan siya nito ng kilay. Bakit ang sungit nito sa kanya ngayon? May nagawa ba siyang kasalanan dito at nasusungit na naman ito sa kanya?"How the hell did you find me, Baby?" Kahit saan ata siya magpunta ay nahahanap siya ng dalaga. Sa isip-isip niya ay baka may nilagay itong gps sa cellphone niya kaya mabilis siya nitong nahahanap.Umikot ang mga mata ng dalaga. "May dinner meeting ka pa with Mr. Fowler, Sir Balley." Ngumiti ito pero alam naman niyang isa lang iyong pekeng ngiti.He know his secretary well. Alam niya kung kailan totoo ang ngiti nito, at kung kailan peke. And the smile that she's giving to him right now is a fake one."Come on, Maiden, Baby. It's already six o'clock." Tinuro niya ang relong pambisig para makita nito ang oras. "The work hour is already done kanina pa. Can't you just cancel it and appoint it tomorrow morning?" Bumaling siya sa babaeng katabi niyang nakikilala niya lang dito sa club. "Can't you see? I'm busy right now."Napabungisngis naman ang babaeng katabi niya nang haplusin niya ang baba nito. Hahalikan na naman sana niya ito nang tapikin na naman siya ni Maiden sa balikat.Napabuga siya ng hangin na napatingin dito. "What now?" Malapit na siyang mainis dito dahil pinipigilan talaga siya nito or rather he say, ayaw siya nitong payagan na mag-enjoy ngayong gabi.Hindi ba nito alam na ilang linggo na siyang hindi nagkaroon ng babae dahil kay Maiden at dahil nagiging busy sila sa opisina? Ngayon nga lang siya makakapag-enjoy, kill joy naman itong secretary niya."You have a dinner meeting with Mr. Fowler now, Sir Zack Balley!" madiin nitong sabi kasabay nang pagsabi ng buo niyang pangalan.Minsan talaga ay hindi niya maisip kung sino ba talaga ang boss sa kanilang dalawa dahil kung titingnan ay parang mas bossy pa ito sa kanya. Parang ito pa ang nananakot sa kanya."Hindi mo ba narinig ang sinabi ni Zack?" singit naman ng babaeng katabi niya dahilan para mas tumaas ang kilay ni Maiden. "Bukas na nga daw dahil busy siya, 'di ba? Bakit ba ang kulit mo? Pwede ba? Umalis ka na at iniistorbo mo na kami sa kaligayahan namin.""Ops!" Natigilan ang babae nang pinatigil niya ito gamit ang palad niya. "Hindi ka dapat nagsasalita ng ganyan sa kanya, Babe.""Bakit naman?" Napanguso na lang ito."Because she is my secretary.""Sorry, Babe." Hinawakan nito ang dibdib niya dahilan para mapangiti siya. Masyado namang clingy ang babaeng ito. "Nakakainis lang kasi. Kung makaasta siya ay parang siya itong boss at minamadali ka pa. Eh, secretary lang naman siya.""Hayaan mo na.""What did you said?" sabay silang napatindin kay Maiden nang magsalita ito. Ngumisi si Maiden dahilan para mapalunok siya. "Huwag kang makikisabat sa usapan namin ni Sir Balley dahil hindi ka naman kasali. You're just one of the chip girls he got at the club."Napanganga ang babae sa sinabi ni Maiden habang siya naman ay napangiti. This girl never failed to amuse him. Napasandal na lang siya sa upuan habang prenteng nakatingin sa dalawa. This would be a good show and he needs a popcorn."Anong sabi mo?" galit na tanong ng babae."Hindi ba? Tell me, I'm wrong from calling you chip." Napatiim bagang na lang ang dalaga. Naka-cross arm si Maiden habang tinataasan ng kilay ang dalaga. Mukha pa lang talaga ay alam ng palaban itong babae. "Hindi ba chip ang tawag sa inyo kapag madali lang kayong makuha ng isang lalaki. In a place like this pa." Bahagya itong natawa. "At nagpabola ka naman sa lalaking ito?" Napanganga siya nang masali na siya sa usapan. "Hindi mo ba alam na womanizer ang lalaking ito?" Turo nito sa kanya na ikinailing niya. "One night stand lang ang habol niya sa 'yo. Look at his face." Ngumisi ito. "Mukha ba 'yang titino para sa isang katulad mo?""Shut the f*ck up, slut!" Nagulat na lang ito nang paliguan ito ni maiden nang iniinom nilang alak na nasa mesa. Napanganga ito at hindi ito makapaniwala sa ginawa ni Maiden."I'm not a slut, Babe. Tumingin ka muna sa sarili mo bago mo sabihin sa akin 'yan, okay?" Maiden smiled at her sweetly, but it disappeared when her gaze look at him. Inayos nito ang suot na coat. "Aalis na ba tayo, Sir o kailangan pa kitang kaladkarin palabas ng club? Alam mo naman na madali lang akong kausap."Natatawa na lang siyang tumayo. "You are really scary, Baby.""What? Talagang iiwan mo ako dito, Zack?" Napahinto siya sa paglalakad at napatingin sa babae na kahit pangalan nito ay hindi niya alam. Nasabi naman ata nito sa kanya ang pangalan nito pero hindi niya lang naaalala. "Hindi mo man lang ba ako ipagtatanggol sa babaeng 'yan? I'm your girl, remember? Sinabi mo 'yan sa akin kanina.""You're right, Babe. You are my girl, but that was an hour ago." Napanganga ito sa sinabi niya. "And besides, Maiden is right. I can't stick to one woman, I'm a womanizer. Bye..." Halos malaglag ang panga nito dahil sa gulat.Naglakad na sila papalabas ng club. Inakbayan na niya ito ng tuluyan na silang makalabas. "Bakit mo naman ako dinamay sa pang-iinsulto kanina, Maiden? Hindi mo ba alam na nasaktan ako sa mga sinabi mo?" Hinawakan pa niya ang dibdib at umaarte na tila nasasaktan.Inalis ni Maiden ang pagkakaakbay niya dito. "Bakit ka naman masasaktan, Sir? Eh, totoo naman ang mga sinasabi ko. Sa bagay, truth hurts," natatawa nitong sabi.Natawa na lang siya sa sinabi nito. "Kahit kailan ay ang prangka mo talaga. Walang preno ang bibig mo. Kagaya ni mommy," bulong nito pero narinig naman niya. "Kaya nga ayaw kitang pakawalan, eh." Kumunot ang noo nito sa kanya. "Syempre bilang secretary ko.""Linawin mo ang sinasabi mo, Sir Zack. Baka masampal ka ng wala sa oras.""What?" Natatawa na naman siya. "Are you assuming na hindi kita papakawalan dahil gusto kita?"Tumitig ito ng seryoso sa kanya. "Isa kang womanizer, Sir Zack, kaya hindi na ako magtataka kung pati ako na secretary mo ay papatulan mo. Gaya na lang ng ginawa mo sa iba. Pero syempre hindi naman ako 'yong tipo ng babae na papatol sa isang womanizer na katulad mo. And of course, I have a boyfriend.""Kaya nga hindi kita pinatulan dahil may boyfriend ka, eh," nakanguso niyang sabi. "Pero if ever na wala kang boyfriend, may chance ba na sagutin mo ako?"Napatitig naman ito sa kanya ng maigi at napailing-iling. "Wala pa din po dahil womanizer ka. And for me, once a womanizer always a womanizer. Hindi kayo magiging stick to one dahil maghahanap kayo ng ibang babae na mas better, mas sexy, at mas maganda sa girlfriend mo.""Diyan ka nagkakamali, Maiden." Nginitian niya ito. "May kakilala akong womanizer na naging loyal sa mga babaeng minahal nila. Like my father and tito's." Kilala ni Maiden ang ama niya dahil minsan din ay pumupunta ito sa bahay sa tuwing hindi siya pumapasok. "Alam naman natin na dati siyang womanizer, and as you also can see, nagbago ang daddy ko dahil sa mommy ko. He is a loyal husband now.""Magkaiba kayo, Sir Zack. Nakikita ko kay Sir Zaver na mahal na mahal niya ang asawa niya kaya nagbago siya. Pero hindi por que na nagbago ang daddy mo ay magbabago ka na din. Syempre nasa tao pa din 'yon." Ngumisi ito sa kanya. "Ikaw pa. Sa tingin ko nga ay walang babae na makapagbabago sa 'yo." Napailing-iling ito. "Anyway, huwag na natin pag-usapan ang tungkol sa pagbabago mo dahil alam kong hindi ka magbabago kaya walang saysay ang pag-uusap natin. Kailangan na nating umalis bago pa tayo ma-late sa dinner meeting. Nakakahiya kay Mr. Fowler."Kinuha niya ang susi mula sa bulsa ng coat niya at binigay ito kay Maiden. "Ikaw na ang mag-drive, baka kasi mamaya ay sa hotel kita dalhin kapag ako pa ang nag-drive," biro niya dito.Napangiwi ito. "Kapag talaga ginawa mo 'yon ay mawawala ako sa 'yo." Ngumisi ito sa kanya. "Ayaw mong mangyari 'yon, 'di ba?"Natigilan na lang siya at napatitig kay Maiden. Alam na alam talaga nito ang kahinaan niya. Nailing na lang siya habang natatawa ng mahina. "You really know my weakness, Maiden."Nginisihan lang siya nito, at inagaw ang susi sa kanya. "Tara na. Puro ka kalokohan. Kapag talaga nahuli tayo sa meeting kay Mr. Fowler ay mababatukan kita. Wala akong pakialam kung boss pa kita." Naglakad na ito papunta sa driver seat."Masyado kang hot, Miss Secretary." Sinamaan siya nito nang tingin. "Hot... I mean, nagmamadali." Ngumiti siya dito pero inikotan lang siya nito ng mga mata.Sumakay na ito ng kotse kaya natawa na lang siya. Minsan talaga ay naaaliw siya kapag inaasar niya ang dalaga. Kakaiba kasi ito sa ibang babae. Lumalaban kasi ito sa tuwing inaasar niya ito. Masyadong palaban kaya nga nagustohan niya ito.Kung wala lang itong boyfriend ay niligawan na niya ito. Pero hindi niya magawa dahil nirerespito niya ang dalaga. Napailing na lang siya sa iniisip niya. Ano ba itong iniisip niya? Alam naman niyang hindi niya pwedeng patulan si Maiden dahil baka lumayo ito sa kanya ay 'yon ang ayaw niyang mangyari.Muli siyang nailing at sumakay na lang din sa kotse. Mukhang tinamaan na siya ng alak kaya kung anu-ano na lang ang iniisip niya.Morning arrived quietly. For the first time in what felt like forever... Blackwood was peaceful. Sunlight spilled through the windows. The estate stirred slowly to life. Somewhere downstairs... I could hear the faint sounds of servants beginning another day. It felt... Normal. I hadn't realised how much I'd missed normal. A soft knock sounded at the door. "Come in." The door opened. Kael stepped inside. He looked rested. He crossed the room and stopped beside the window. "I made you a promise." I joined him. "You did." "No more secrets." He was quiet for a long moment. Then he looked out across the estate. "There were three packs." I frowned. "Three?" He nodded once. "The people who took you..." "They were the last of them." I stared at him. "The last?" "They survived by disappearing." "They abandoned their own territories." "They changed names." "They scattered." "For years..." "There was nothing to find." I sear
Complete silence. No one moved. No one seemed willing to breathe. The words echoed through the room. Stay away from my mate. Mate. The word settled somewhere deep inside me. I stared at Kael. Certain I had misunderstood. Certain I had imagined it. Yet no one around me looked confused. Lucas was the first to recover. His eyes shifted from Kael... To me... Then back again. "What..." The question died before it was fully spoken. Elder Rowan closed his eyes. For a brief moment... It almost looked as though he had been expecting this. Agatha quietly gathered Aurelia into her arms. Aurelia frowned. "Daddy?" Kael didn't answer. He remained exactly where he was. Every muscle in his body rigid. His gaze never left Lucas. The strange restlessness beneath my skin grew stronger. It spread through my chest... Down my arms... Until every breath felt strangely unfamiliar. I pressed a hand against my heart. "What..." My voice sounded d
The second day passed more slowly than the first. By sunset... I found myself glancing towards the estate gates far more often than I cared to admit. Aurelia noticed. "You've looked outside five times." "I have not." She counted on her fingers. "Six." I laughed despite myself. Before I could answer... The sound of engines echoed across the courtyard. Aurelia was already on her feet. "Daddy!" She was halfway to the door before I even stood. By the time I reached the entrance... The vehicles had stopped. Kael stepped out first. He looked tired. More tired than I had ever seen him. His clothes bore the dust of two days on the road. His eyes searched the entrance. They found me immediately. For a long moment... Neither of us moved. Then Aurelia threw herself into his arms. He caught her effortlessly. "Did you win?" She asked. A faint smile touched his face. "Yes." That single smile... Was enough. Aurelia beamed. "I told Ari
The rest of the day passed more quietly than I expected. No visitors. No questions. No discussions about what had happened. Agatha seemed determined to protect me from all of it. If anyone came looking for me... She sent them away. "The doctor said you need rest." She reminded me for what felt like the tenth time. By evening... I had given up arguing. Aurelia, on the other hand... Never seemed to run out of energy. She followed me everywhere. If I sat in the sitting room... She sat beside me. If I walked onto the balcony... She came too. If I reached for a book... She climbed onto the sofa beside me and insisted I read it aloud. It should have been exhausting. Instead... I found myself looking for her whenever she wandered out of sight. As the sun began to set... She rested her head against my shoulder. Carefully avoiding the injured one. "I'm glad you're back." She said softly. "So am I." For a while... We simply watched the
"It's time" my newly found friend Mira informed me. I've waited for this night for so long, I've been on a strict diet, having to eat those very tasteless meals. I carefully stood up, so as not to ruin my pretty white dress, specially selected for this night, everything I was putting on was caref
The next morning, I woke up with a sense of purpose. For the first time since the ceremony, I had a plan. It wasn't much of one, but it was enough. I was going to find somewhere else to stay. The room Agatha had given me was comfortable. Too comfortable. The soft mattress, the warm blankets
I stepped into the bathroom, and washed away the whole stress of the day. My mind wandered back to Lucas, I couldn't help it. We would have completed the ceremony now, and gone to his chambers. I won't have had to be alone. My face darkened, imagining him with Manda. I was feeling uneasy, I'm sur
"Aurelia, we're leaving" Kael said to his daughter. "Already, but I don't want to leave Aria" Aurelia said looking at me. "Let's take her along, can't she come with us? our house is big enough for all of us". she added. I expected Kael to refuse, he didn't know me, a common stranger rejected






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