1st Us Infantry Division

So this is how the mate bond feels. A rush of energy, a pull like gravity tightening around us, and an almost maddening awareness of the other person. I wasn’t about to let it sway me though. Sure, the man in front of me is ridiculously perfect, but I wasn’t some love-struck fool who’d drop everything at the first spark of fate. I had a life, plans, and a fiancé waiting for me upstairs. I raised an eyebrow, forcing myself to stay calm even as my heart raced. “Take a number and get in line, sweetheart,” I said coolly, flashing the engagement ring on my finger in front of his gray eyes. “I’m otherwise occupied right now.” …Five years later, when I pushed the door open, my mate remained motionless on a leather couch, his piercing gaze boring into me with a cold detachment that sent shivers down my spine. He leaned back, the casualness of the gesture at odds with the intensity in his eyes. His arms rested lazily on the backrest, but there was nothing relaxed about him. His body was coiled tight, like a predator ready to pounce, and the air between us crackled with tension. “Is my number finally up?” he asks, his tone laced with bitter amusement. “My dear mate.” The words sting, but I can’t deny the truth in them. He is my last chance.

“Strip and kneel down, Teresa” “You should know better than to try and escape us, Teresa. We own you, you belong to us and we will do with you as we please” “This isn't a normal mate bond. When we are hurt, she's hurt and when she's hurt, we are hurt…So that means, if she dies, we die and if we die, she dies” In the Black Crest pack, Omegas were sold as slaves and breeders. Teresa Finch was disowned by her mother because she was an Omega, her mother had just become the new wife of the Old Alpha Brock and didn't want him to find out that she had a weak daughter. This led to Teresa being put out for auction where she met her three mates. Keller, Bennett and Lynch, the domineering trio. They were the three sons of Old alpha Brock and known for their ruthless and rebellious behavior. They were selfish and nonchalant, taking pleasure in oppressing the weak. And Teresa just so happens to be their perfect target. Angry that their mate was nothing more than a weak omega, they decided to make her their plaything. But how long does this go on for when one of them suddenly went missing, one turned partially rogue and the third lost his wolf? Teresa in the midst of all these strange occurrences was the only one who could find out the truth and fix them… especially when her life was on the line too.

I dated my younger brother’s best friend, Dylan Lane, for three years. More than once, he told me how much he loathed arranged marriages and how he hated being chained by family interests. However, one night, after another bout of indulgence, he wrapped his arms around me and begged me sweetly to design a wedding ring for his fiancée—someone he had never even met. The smile froze on my face, yet he just said indifferently, “Aren’t people like us all destined to marry for our families' benefit?” Seeing the blood drain from my face, he even chuckled. “Vee, don’t you tell me you're still as naïve as a 20-year-old girl, thinking I would ever marry you? At most, we're just… pillow friends." Later, I agreed to the marriage my family had arranged for me. Dylan showed up on my wedding day, disheveled and red-eyed. He fell to his knees and begged me not to leave. I stood beside my new husband, hand in hand, and smiled faintly as I chuckled. “Didn’t you say people like us were born for arranged marriages? I’m simply doing what you always wanted me to do. Shouldn’t you be happy?”

“I won’t be one of your choices, Logan.” A hand around her neck and the other holding her chin up, he declares, “You were never an option, little mouse. It was you from the start.” ----- Hanna Going back home is like visiting a museum of shame. Worse, beyond that ugly feeling are harsh reality checks—parents don’t live forever, Evergreen is in danger, and the man who broke my heart five years ago is offering the position of Luna, co-guardian of the pack, in a silver platter. He’s desperate to tear my walls down even if it means breaking us in the process so he can rebuild us from the dust. But we can’t afford destruction when death tolls are on the rise and the dead starts walking. -- Logan When I learned that she left, I expected a swift return. But her shadow never once graced Evergreen’s borders, until now—when it’s the most dangerous. Her presence is the warmest comfort wrapped in a wall of thorns. I bleed for her with every push and pull, battering it down so I can meet the girl who fell for me at sixteen and start over. But something lurks in the shadows seeking to destroy our lands before we can even begin. As whispers of a curse dance in the hopeless silence, I find salvation in the unlikeliest of places—a journal from my ancestor, and a woman who’s been guarding secrets.

“It’s our anniversary today. I planned our day together,” I declare. “I have work to do,” “But I asked your PA to clear your schedule for the day,” “That’s the thing. You made plans behind my back without talking to me about it first, Ariel,” He then walks past me and walks out of the closet. “I thought I was doing something nice for you – for us at least. You have always worked so hard, so at least take this day off with me. We never got to celebrate our wedding anniversary,” I rebuke. He decides not to say anything. He opens his bag on the couch facing our bed and takes out a white A4 envelope, tossing it on the little table in the middle of our room. “Is it so hard for you to read the room all the time? How would you celebrate a wedding anniversary when there is no love between us? Are you not tired of all this pretence because I am!" He chastises. "That’s for you. Sign it so that we can get it over and done with,” With that said, he puts on his black sunglasses and walks out of the room. Only then do I breathe out the air I didn’t even know I was holding. I’m confused and, most of all, hurt. I didn’t see this coming. I drop my eyes on the envelope with bold printed letters of the name of the law firm our lawyer works at.

I was an omega who lost my parents at a young age. The Alpha of my pack adopted me, but little did I know that Kael, my stepbrother and the true blood heir to the throne, was also my mate. However, when the moon goddess chose me as the crown Alpha of our pack, Kael's desire for power consumed him, and he plotted to kill me. I was forced to flee for my life into the human world, where I trained to become a medical doctor. Ironically, my profession came in handy when I stumbled upon a wounded wolf in the woods. I saved his life, only to discover that he was a Lycan king and, surprisingly, my second chance mate. Our union led us to Isolde, a sorcerer who was also a caretaker to female and child slaves in the werewolf slave trade coven. There, I found out that Isolde was also my female mate, making me realize I was a lesbian. But my life was far from simple. Kael was still trying to kill me, Rolan's wicked uncle was plotting against us to take the throne from Rolan, and to make matters worse, Isolde betrayed me when I needed her the most. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, I learned that my adopted father, the only family I had left, was dead. I was truly alone, and survival in this wicked political world seemed like an impossible task.

Just one second before Alpha Daniel’s fated mark burned into my skin, a sharp voice pierced the air at the bonding ceremony. “Stop!” Jessica, Daniel’s first love, stumbled forward, her belly swollen. “Are you all really going to let this vicious woman become your Luna?” she cried, pointing at me with trembling hands. “She’s been torturing me for months! She poisoned my tea, left knives at my door, and tried to force me to abort Alpha’s pup!” My mind went blank at her sudden, fabricated accusations. “What? I didn’t—” Before I could finish, Jessica lunged toward me. Acting on instinct, I raised my arm to block her, but she collapsed heavily to the floor. “My pup!” she shrieked. “Daniel, look! She’s trying to hurt us again! Call the enforcers to arrest her!” In the next heartbeat, Daniel rushed forward, shielding Jessica in his arms without hesitation. He looked at me, his gaze cold and disappointed. “Rosie, why couldn’t you just behave? This pup is our pack’s heir!” Around us, the elders exchanged dark, knowing glances, silently condemning me. With no way to prove my innocence, I was sentenced to three years in the nightmare Silver Prison. Whips, hunger, endless violence… Eventually, I learned what Daniel really meant by “behave”. But why was he the one who regretted it?

Princess Layana's birth was a mystery and her heritage a secret. Despite the luxurious life of a royal, she simply wished for a life away from the cage-like palace. Declan of House Storm was the sole survivor of a massacred clan, an event that gave birth to the darkness within him. Fuelled by hate, rage and betrayal he wants nothing but to get revenge on the royals that slaughtered his family. What will happen when the shielded princess with a heart as pure as the first ray of dawn meets the heir whose soul is shrouded in a blanket of darkness. Will he set her free from her shackles? Will she be able to lead him to the light before it’s too late? When the first whispers of darkness spread from the borders, they are brought together to protect the kingdom.Beware the prophecy decreed a long time passed for it may hold their world in its balance. -------- “It seems Lord Declan holds more ignorance than he is aware, we are women with emotions, wishes and hopes that we put behind us for the betterment of the kingdom,” Layana said her eyes flashing “Do enlighten me, what exactly can the precious jewels of the kingdom do for its people?” Declan mocked arrogantly. “Jewels? You compare us to items devoid of emotions, but yes, like jewels, we will be given away to the highest bidder. So before assuming princesses are simply there to play dress up and have tea parties, remember our lives are not simply fun and games!”

Hurting deep down, a lot of us mask our real feelings. Most people think that by hiding the hurt would fade but it never really goes away. It's hard to confront the fact that you have been hurting. This could make you unnecessarily lash out at people, isolate yourself and even experience bouts of depression. No one can end your hurt for you, it's an endless cycle of pain and anger that only stops when you choose. Healing is a journey and you can start on it right now. It's not even as difficult as you thought it would be.

“In every enchanting story, there's a beast that will beat you up. At ikaw 'yong beast na binabanggit ko.” I have a boss who is always telling about how slow-witted I am. He's sharp-tongued with a rough attitude and unyielding standards. “Parang lahat na yata ng masamang pag-uugali ay nasa iyo na.” I thought there's no romantic between us that blooms amidst the chaos. Our relationship has not been good, but we prove that hates and opposites truly attract. — Helliry Chrysopeleia Flieyh Dizon. His Slow-witted Maid