A Marked Lover

On our fifth anniversary, I came across the Instagram page of a stranger named Serena Reed. The girl lay sideways on a hospital bed, her bandage-wrapped hand intertwined with a man's larger hand. On the man's ring finger was a moonstone ring, with Vincent Carter's name and my own name clearly engraved on the band. Below the photo, the girl had written: "It's just a tiny scratch, but he was so worried he insisted I stay in the hospital. Being loved like this feels incredible!" An hour earlier, Vincent had apologized to me over the phone. "Nina, there's an urgent matter with the patrol team. Don't wait for me for dinner. When I come back, I'll bring you a gift." He was not coming home for our anniversary because he was with another woman. I silently melted down the moonstone ring and sent it to Vincent as a gift. Then I packed all my belongings, including the pup in my womb, and left the Shadow pack quietly, never to return.

I stared at the photos attached to an email. My Alpha mate, Marcus Hale, was supposed to be negotiating a partnership with another pack. But the photo showed him standing in Firefly Woods, a famous dating spot. Across from him were his long-lost first love and my two children. The four of them looked happy and complete, like a perfect family frozen in time. My heart jolted painfully. At the same moment, I realized that what I had with Marcus was over.

“Beg, little mate. Let’s hear how sweet you sound when you’re desperate.” “She won’t beg for you. She’ll crawl to me, just like she should.” “Pathetic. Both of you. She already knows she belongs to me.” Dahlia thought her biggest problem was surviving college with her dignity intact. Blackridge Academy was brutal enough—where dominance and bloodlines meant everything. She already endured the cruel whispers, the “waste of tuition” insults, and a boyfriend who flirted with other girls while she clung to him, desperate not to lose the only affection she thought she had. But her quiet misery ended the night her cheating boyfriend breaks up with her. The searing pain across her chest was more than just fate. It was three mate marks. Knox Rivers — her brother’s best friend, the brilliant Alpha-to-be who can’t stand that his weak, bullied mate is her. Jace Blackmoor — the Lycan King’s golden son, cruel playboy, who laughs at the bond and swears he’ll break her until she kneels. Zayne Lachlan — the hybrid everyone fears, a dangerous artist with hands stained in rumors of blood, who stares at her like she’s his salvation…and his curse. Dahlia becomes the academy’s obsession, the girl with three marks who doesn’t deserve even one. Her boyfriend fears her. The other girls retreat from her. Everyone hates her. And yet… her three mates won’t let anyone else touch her. Not out of love. Out of possession. And possession comes with a price.

"Call me Alpha, little wolf" Damien snarled looking at the girl who just walked into his office. "One thing that you need to understand, me being your wife does not and will NEVER mean that you're my Alpha" Natalia snapped. *************** Being born a rogue, Natalia has always wished to be part of a pack, somewhere to belong and call home. But when both Damien and Natalia’s worlds collide, in what humans call marriage; both the mafia and wolf worlds are shaken.

MARKED is book #4 in a new paranormal romance series by bestselling author Bella Lore, whose series MY TRUE MATE and THE ALPHA’S MATE have over 500 five-star reviews. “I couldn’t stop reading.” --Amazon review (My True Mate) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ When her father suddenly dies, Winter Grace, 17, is forced to fly across the country and attend a mysterious prep school, an ancient castle in a fog-covered island on the coast of Maine. Nothing here is what it seems, and it isn’t long before Winter, feeling a surging power for the first time, realizes that she is not who—or what—she thinks she is. But when Winter feels an inexplicable crush for an elusive and dangerous boy at the school, she realizes a greater destiny is at play. She knows the relationship might destroy them both—yet she also knows that they can never be apart. In MARKED, it is time for Winter to return on the epic quest back to save her school—but first, it is time for her to now sacrifice it all, and find—and save—her lost love. Creating an unforgettable world of vampires, werewolves, shifters and magic of all sorts, a world of fantasy, love and sacrifice, MORTAL will take you to another place, rife with shocking twists and turns. Fans of books such as Vampire Academy and Twilight and Crush are sure to fall in love! Future books in the series are also available. "The story was very well written and was unique as compared to other shifter stories.” --Amazon review (The Alpha’s Mate) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Excellent from start to finish and leaves you wanting more.” --Amazon review (My True Mate) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Her father promised me life on the legal side if I saved his only daughter. I was her last hope. Something about this rich, spoiled princess captured me from the moment I laid my eyes on her. This green-eyed beauty made me want things I never had. She was untouchable. If I were decent, I’d keep my distance. But God knew I was the worst kind of sinner. She shouldn’t have wanted my touch. Now she was mine. When a Russian rival mafia came for her seeking revenge and old, forgotten secrets are revealed, her life became marked. Would she stay in my world or go back to her carefree, privileged life?

Ainsley, the almost-eighteen year old daughter of her pack’s Alpha and Luna, has always been different. Born Moon-Marked all she wants is to protect her pack, support her parents, and remain free to choose her own future. Across the border, Raithe— Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack—walks a razor’s edge. At twenty-three, he still hasn’t found his mate, and the longer the bond remains unfound, the more unstable he becomes. Rumors whisper that the famed Blood Moon ruthlessness is growing wild in him, threatening to tip him into madness. When Ainsley and Raithe cross paths, the world stills. The bond snaps into place—violent, undeniable, and terrifying. But neither is ready for what it demands. Ainsley fears losing her future to a mate she barely knows. Raithe fears losing himself before he earns her trust. And looming behind them are enemies who see Ainsley’s power as a weapon, Raithe’s instability as an opportunity, and their mating bond as a threat to the balance of every northern pack. With politics tightening, dangers rising, and their wolves pushing them closer, Ainsley and Raithe must decide whether their bond is a salvation… …or the spark that will ignite a war.

Separated by an accident that took the lives of their parents, Lily and Layla turned from sisters to strangers. They each start a new life after getting adopted into new families who lived hundreds of miles apart. Lily maintains her identity while her sister's adoptive parents change her name to Joan Lewis. years later, their world crossed as Lily fell in love with Harvey in college and Harvey happens to be her best friend and childhood of Joan Lewis. But Joan did not want their relationship to end there as she had fallen deeper in love with Harvey. Fueled by jealousy and anger, Joan hatches a plan to kill Lily not knowing Lilly is her long-lost sister. Unfortunately for her, Lily survived only to face Harvey's strict mother who has vowed that only Joan could marry Harvey.

Maya's life was already a mess. She had a crush on a guy who was in love with her best friend, a cat who ignored her, and a heart full of feelings no one asked for. So naturally, when a mysterious man in a weird alley offered her a spell to "ease the pain," she said yes. Oops. Now there's magic in her blood, monsters at her door, and four insanely hot strangers calling her their "fated mate." She's dragged to Blood Valley Academy, a floating school in another realm where magical creatures all learn to control their powers. But Maya? She doesn’t even know what she is, until she opens a portal, and accidentally fulfills the beginning of an ancient prophecy. Even worse? To survive, she has to bond (romantically, of course) with four powerful guys: An alpha who kisses like he hates her, a dream-demon who can't keep his hands to himself, a dragon shifter who keeps running away, and a vampire who knows what she is before she does. If Maya doesn't figure out which one of her so-called soulmates is a traitor... she might die a second, and final, death.

“Get on your knees, my little pet," Jerome growled, his voice rough with command. His fingers tangled in my hair, guiding me down as my pulse roared in my ears. The heat of his body pressed closer, and I trembled not from fear, but from the dark thrill of surrender. "Show me how hungry you are." Rachel is a college senior studying art and design, and her life feels dull and uninspiring. She has been dating Jack since freshman year, but their relationship is lukewarm he doesn’t ignore her, but he doesn’t truly care about her either, especially since he’s always eyeing her best friend, Jessica. Rachel feels stuck in a routine, going through the motions without any real passion until everything changes when her drawing teacher gets into an accident. The school brings in a substitute Jerome, a young, breathtakingly attractive artist who immediately commands the room. Rachel tries to ignore the way her body reacts to him, but the pull is too strong. His gaze lingers on her a second too long, his voice sends shivers down her spine, and when he gets close, she can’t think straight. She knows it’s wrong teachers and students can’t be together but she can’t resist. Then she discovers Jerome’s secret he’s a werewolf, part of a powerful pack with three other dangerously seductive men Dante, Kade, and Elias. They’ve been watching her, waiting, and now that she’s near Jerome, their instincts take over. They growl, they claim, and Rachel, despite her fear, finds herself drawn deeper into their world. Drawn into a world of forbidden desire, Rachel surrenders to a passionate affair.