Adalman The Index Finger

"Luna Seraphina, are you certain you wish to proceed with the breaking of the mate bond? Once we begin the ritual, the bond between you and Alpha Kaden will be gone forever. Your power, your standing, and everything you hold within the pack will no longer exist." The aged priest of the pack held Seraphina’s hand, her weathered eyes reflecting worry. Seraphina nodded, her voice unwavering with determination. "I’m sure." The priest persuaded Seraphina, "The ritual will bring you unimaginable pain, and Alpha Kaden will suffer greatly too. Please, could you reconsider it?" Seraphina broke the skin of her finger with a silver pen and pressed her blood print on the ancient werewolf script to seal the deal. "Let’s begin." "Very well. After the ritual, you will forsake the name, Seraphina Mor, and in return, the Moon Goddess will grant you a new life. You will go by Kathryn Flint, is that correct?" "Yes." Kathryn would leave and begin a new chapter in a forest. It was a path she had set out for herself. She was going to leave and break free from the pack that had been nothing but lies. After the ritual, the priest handed her a new human ID and passport. "Can I leave the territory now?" "Yes, you may. The confirmation slip holds the Moon Goddess’s blessing, which has the power to mask your scent from the Alpha seeking to track you, but it can only last for a week." Seraphina prepared her departure with haste. She would bring nothing else with her, neither her Luna staff nor her registered name on the pack’s records. Seraphina was leaving with her new passport in a week anyway. The Luna title could remain with the pack for good, for she no longer needed it.

"We both know that this match is not our will, for that I offer you a contract." my eyes widened in surprise Henry's words, an open offer from a man she had met for the first time. What the average family couldn't do, this sort of thing happened easily with the righ folks I went over several points of the written agreement there. *Do not intervene in personal life * Maintain the confidentiality of the marriage contract agreed to by both parties *The marriage lasts at least two years, but if the separation is still difficult to implement, it can be extended until circumstances permit. I read some interesting points. Although this type of contract is not natural for a couple who is about to get married. For me, the prenup made me more prepared than having to guess what would happen later when she became part of the Marcus family. "I deliberately left the last page blank, please write your wish" Henry swung his finger lightly. Skillfully, Henry's assistant handed me a ballpoint pen. * Appreciate parents on both sides as a family *No physical contact *Stay in separate rooms *** I am someone who prefer being alone and I have never had a boyfriend and she dont care. Unfortunately, my sister who does have a boyfriend has been betrothed to a billionaire's son who she will now be forced to marry. I pitied my sister and decided to replace her... Well, Henry, the billionaire's son doesn't want to marry someone he doesn't know so he proposed a contract to me. I found that helping, huh? Two years later, we will file a divorce and that will be the end of us or so we thought.

Whenever the Alpha's little sister suffered an episode, my Luna ceremony would end in disaster. On the first attempt, my wine was laced with honey, and I ended up having a stroke from an allergic reaction, with the entire pack laughing at me. On the second attempt, I was stabbed three times in the stomach, rendering me infertile. On the third attempt, a lunatic rogue wolf barged in and crushed every bone in my finger, cutting short my pianist career right then. Whenever I tried to express grief, Yohan Schmidt would always take Eva Brown's side. "She suffered mental regression to save me. Be the bigger person and don't hold it against her." "Next time—the next ceremony will be perfect, I promise." He made that promise 99 times over three years, and on the 100th attempt, Eva gave up on all pretense and set the wedding hall on fire. I was burned to a crisp and had to heal for a month. Through it all, Yohan nursed me and fed me a ton of medicine… until I overheard him talking to Andy King, the shaman. "You're truly ruthless, Alpha. She was thoroughly burned because she was trying to save you, but you're feeding her a suppressant that stifles her regeneration. Over time, she will succumb to her injuries!" Yohan shrugged nonchalantly. "I just can't stand her bullying Eva. Eva saved my life—so what if Yvie Stark pays for it with my life?" Tears rolled down my cheeks in silence. So even his warmth and tenderness was nothing more than cold deception. In that case, I should just leave.

My sister has awakened her mermaid bloodline, but it is incomplete. Her skin is her curse. A single touch, too hard, and it cracks. For her, everything hard in our house has been thrown away. I love to dance, but the hard tips of ballet shoes are forbidden. I love music, but the strings of a guitar or the keys of a piano are too dangerous. Every dream I've ever had has been strangled in its cradle because of my sister's condition. My brother, Liam, who raised us both, always looks at me with tired, pleading eyes. "Elara is fragile, Isla. You have to be understanding." But I was only eighteen the first time I truly understood. I came home from my high school graduation ceremony, the scent of sunshine and excitement still on my clothes. The moment I stepped inside, Elara's hand connected with my cheek. Hard. For no reason at all. Everyone rushed to her. Liam pointed a furious finger at me. "Look what you've done! You've hurt her hand! How could you be so careless?" He shoved me aside and rushed out with Elara to find a doctor. I fell back against the glass coffee table, the impact jarring. And then, a strange, cold pain bloomed across my back. I felt my skin... tear. It was then I remembered the doctor's words from my last check-up: "You carry the Siren's Gene, Isla. It could manifest at any time." As my vision blurred, my own blood pooling on the pristine white floor, I finally understood. The curse wasn't just my sister's. It was mine, too.

As soon as I opened the door, my eyes saw the sight I wish I hadn’t seen. "What is going on here?” I asked through a shaky tone, tears burning my eyes and thankfully, blurring my vision. "Conrad!” the tears in my eyes spilled down when Selene got off him and laid beside him, completely bare. There was no shame or guilt on Conrad’s face even when I have seen him in bed with Selene. "Why? You were the one who told me that I am your mate, you told me th---at you---,” my throat went dry as I tried to finish speaking my heart. "That I love you?” he raised his brow, gently caressing her bare shoulder and running his finger down her chest, “I lied, okay?” the way his lips formed a smirk, I felt a used toy that he tossed aside once he was done with me. "Wh---y. I betrayed my coven for you an---d you betrayed me for her?” my voice broke, my eyes watching the girl pressing her lips against his neck and getting closer to him. "Cordelia! Close the door when you leave,” the tiredness in his voice when talking to me broke me piece by piece. -------------- Magic is forbidden in their world, but to get her blessed powers Cordelia has to perform a ritual for her ancestors’ blessings to come true. Left behind by her coven, she is prisoned and sentenced to death, but is saved by Alpha Prince at the price of her freedom. She is forever bound and chained to Alpha Prince Conrad. Betrayed by her coven and loved ones, will Cordelia be able to fight and survive? .

“Touch your toes for me, my sweet girl.” “You're supposed to be off-limits," I breathed. "And yet—" he tilted my chin up, "—you keep finding reasons to be alone with me.” One night. One stranger. One catastrophic secret. Madison Greymond has spent years being the good daughter, careful, loyal, invisible. So when she lets herself have one reckless night with a dangerously attractive stranger, she tells herself it means nothing. Until her mother slides a diamond ring onto her finger and introduces the man she's going to marry. Derek Salvador. The man whose hands Madison still dreams about. The man who looked at her like she was the only thing worth having and apparently decided her mother was the better bet. Now he's sitting at their dinner table. Sleeping down the hall. Watching Madison with dark eyes, while she's supposed to smile and forget. She knows it's wrong. She knows what's at stake. But desire doesn't care about right and wrong and Derek has never pretended to play by the rules. The closer he gets, the harder Madison fights. The harder she fights, the more she wants to surrender. Her mother's happiness. Her own sanity. A secret that grows more dangerous with every stolen glance, every accidental touch, every moment alone where the line between forbidden and inevitable gets harder to find. Someone always finds out. The only question is….how long can a secret survive when two people can barely resist each other?

I am Evelyn Windsor, the princess of the Northern Wolf Kingdom. After I become a premium member of Black Thorn Breeding Center, they gift me a companion wolf. They say companion wolves are loyal, gentle, physically strong, and will never refuse any of their owner's requests. But the one I receive not only refuses to let me get close, but he also locks himself in the guest room and won't even let me see him. Late at night, I come across an anonymous post on a wolf care forum. "I am a companion wolf. I hate the she-wolf who bought me. I only want to be with her younger sister. I'm about to get into heat. What should I do?" I click into it absentmindedly before I realize it. "I only have one suppressant left. I'd rather die than let her touch me. I only want her sister. No matter how many high-quality energy potions she buys me, they can't compare to a single piece of jerky from her sister. I feel disgusted just looking at her." I close the post and call the breeding center's customer service. I ask, "If I return my companion wolf, will the returned wolf be resold?" The customer service representative sends a smiling emoji and replies, "No. Disobedient, defective wolves will be euthanized. We're very sorry we accidentally sent you a flawed one. Please don't leave a bad review. We'll compensate you with a top-tier new companion wolf." With a tap of my finger, I agree to the return. A disobedient wolf deserves to be put down.

As the full moon hangs above the masquerade, Apollo Cadwell shows up with Bella Lohart. One is my Beta mate, the other his childhood sweetheart. Since she doesn't have a gown for the ball, he gives her my dress instead. It's a one-of-a-kind piece I've handmade myself—priceless, even—that I'm supposed to wear for our mating ceremony. "Bella has never been to a masquerade before," he says. "A beautiful dress will help her feel more confident." I calmly hand the dress over and watch Bella slip into the gown I've designed stitch by stitch. She clings to Apollo's arm, acting sweet. "You're the best, Apollo. Can I borrow the ring on your hand as well? That moonstone is too dazzling to miss." One of our friends can no longer stand it and speaks up. "Nora spent an entire month making that ring by hand. Are you just going to give it away like that? Have you even considered Nora's feelings?" He patiently slides the ring onto Bella's finger, then replies casually, "I'm just letting her wear it for a night. Nora won't mind. I'll just soothe her afterward, and she'll be fine." He's right about one thing. I will be fine. Slowly, I began erasing myself from his world. Before leaving, I keep my promise to the Elder that I'll personally travel to The Spine of the World on the Faron Continent to continue my research on the Moonshadow Herb Alchemy Research. From that night on, Apollo and I might never cross paths again.

"let me go you bastard!" I screamed at Callan but it just made him enjoy my struggle further. Fucking sicko! "Stop fighting it Anaïs, we're mates and you can't change that" he told me calmly as if he hadn't just asked me to do the one thing that I could never imagine doing. Loving Callan Baraed.. "Let me go Callan!" I screamed at him again. I tried to push him away, I tried to pry my hands away from his deadly hold but it was all in vain. Callan was an Alpha and his strength was unmatched especially to that of mine, a regular pack she-wolf. "Anaïs, you're mine and no power in this entire universe can change that" he whispered in my ear making sparks fly around us, electricity was shooting through my blood as if I'd put my finger inside a power socket. Fucking mate bond! "You're dreaming Callan! We're like the opposite poles of a magnet, we're the last people meant to be together. The goddess made a mistake" I told him. He was the guy I've hated forever and now they're telling me I have to love him? That went against every molecule of my body. "The goddess never makes a mistake and opposites attract princess" he breathed into my ear making me shiver. His words just made me more furious and struggle harder to get away from him. Satisfied with the effects his words had on me, he finally let me go. He gave me one last stupid smirk of his and exited the empty classroom. Ass!

We stepped out of his car after we spotted a basket in front of the gate. As we approached, I heard a sound. I walked closer and gasped. “What’s that thing?” he asked. “This isn’t a ‘thing.’ It’s a baby,” I deadpanned. I picked up the child. A baby girl. My eyes widened. she had every feature of my boss. Almost like they were related. A note hung from her necklace. “How the hell did she get here?” he asked, coming closer. I shrugged. Slowly, I opened the note and read it aloud: Dear Nick, You probably don’t remember me. We met at a party almost two years ago. We had a one-night stand. Too drunk to use protection. Luciana is the result of that reckless night. I’ve cared for her for a year, putting my life on hold. Now it’s your turn. I don’t want anything from you. Just take care of your child. Xoxo. I watched him run a finger through his hair. Even stressed, the gesture was hypnotic. He’s that beautiful. I couldn’t deny it. “What the fuck? Set up an appointment with my doctor immediately. I’m going to conduct a DNA test for this…thing.” I snorted internally. “Her name is Luciana,” I replied, and he rolled his eyes. I stared down at the baby. She didn’t deserve any of this. How could a mother leave her own child? And what if someone had taken her before we arrived? Luciana. At least she had a name.