Anne Shirley

Lors d'un affrontement entre meutes, ma sœur adoptive Chloé et moi avons été blessées. Un Rogue m'avait mise en pièces, ne laissant qu'un amas de chair et de sang. Ma louve s'éteignait déjà dans mon esprit. Mais mon compagnon Alpha, Damon, a couru droit vers Chloé. Elle n'avait qu'une simple éraflure au visage. Il a refusé d'utiliser son pouvoir d'Alpha pour me sauver, m'accusant d'être la cause du désastre. « Hélène, si tu ne nous avais pas ralentis, rien de tout ça ne serait arrivé ! Comment Chloé aurait-elle pu être blessée ? » « Tu ne vaux pas qu'on gaspille les ressources de la meute pour toi. » Au final, on m'a laissé pour morte dans la forêt, sans lien, oubliée. Et quand la vérité a éclaté — que j'étais morte pour le sauver — cet Alpha au cœur de pierre, celui qui m'avait rejetée si cruellement, est devenu fou.

I'm going to die. In the eyes of the underworld, I was a sinner. My death would be a final, cursed dishonor. But even with the Ricci family in ruins, I was still the noble Principessa. The Ricci pride in my blood would not allow my body to fall into the hands of a rival Family. Humiliation. Desecration. Photographs flaunted for all to see. I didn't much care if my body became a trophy to celebrate their victory. But if the world knew the last of the Ricci bloodline had become a plaything for our enemies, it would be a disgrace to the entire Family. After weighing my options, I dragged my broken body to the turf of my ex-boyfriend, the man I'd left seven years ago, now the Don of the Falcone family. "After I die, I need you to handle my body." He was silent for a long moment, then let out a cold laugh. "Of course. I'll sink you in the Hudson River with a tombstone tied to your feet, engraved with the name of your filthy family."

J'étais la compagne secrète de l'Alpha Kade pendant quatre ans. La nuit où il m'a marquée, dans l'ardeur de la passion, il a plongé son regard dans le mien pendant un long, très long moment. « Tu sais, Anya, » avait-il murmuré, la voix rauque, « ce que j'aime le plus chez toi, ce sont tes magnifiques yeux. » Pour protéger sa prétention au titre d'Alpha, j'avais accepté de rester à ses côtés, en me faisant passer pour une guerrière Bêta. Du moins, jusqu'au jour où je l'ai vu passer son bras autour de la taille de ma demi-sœur, rayonnant de fierté devant tout le monde. Ce n'est que lorsque les murmures ont commencé à enfler, lorsque chacun chuchotait que la belle louve que l'Alpha avait ramenée avait mes yeux, que la vérité m'a frappée de plein fouet. Ce n'était jamais moi qu'il aimait. J'ai affronté Kade, exigeant une explication. Son visage n'exprimait que le mépris. « Une explication ? » « Tu croyais que c'était quoi, tout ça ? Ce n'était qu'une marque temporaire, rien de plus. Je ne t'ai jamais vue autrement que comme une sœur. » Je n'ai pas pleuré. Je n'ai pas crié. Je me suis simplement connectée par lien mental à mon ami d'enfance. « J'accepte l'invitation pour devenir Cheffe Guerrière de la meute de la Crête d'Argent. » Plus tard, quand Kade a découvert que j'avais attiré l'attention de son plus grand rival, il est devenu complètement fou.

I turned a nobody from the streets into a Mafia, and I defied my papa—a man who loved me more than anything—to do it. For five years, I cast aside the honor of being a Principessa, all for the dream of a life with him. I thought the man I loved was on the verge of becoming the next Don of the Moretti family. But then my papa collapsed during his prayers in the church, suffering a massive cardiac arrest in the one place he believed was most sacred, most safe. Robin was by my side day and night, whispering encouragement. "Isabella, you have to be strong. It's the only way your papa can rest in peace." I was planning our wedding, ready to marry the man I thought I could trust with my life, when I overheard him talking to his mistress, Ava. "We finally got rid of the old bastard." "Once I marry Isabella, half the Moretti empire will be ours.." The five years I had willingly dedicated to him had been nothing more than an incubator for his twisted ambition. I wiped my tears and became the Moretti family's princess once more. I swore I would make them pay in blood. So, on the night before my wedding, I picked up my phone and dialed my brother's number. "Brother," I said. "It's time to close the net."

During the pack's wilderness training, my adopted sister, Tessa, shoved me from a cliffside thick with wolfsbane. My Alpha, Fenrir, turned and left with Tessa feigning injury in his arms, leaving me for dead at the bottom of the ravine. I died instantly, but my soul lingered, watching everything with cold detachment. I watched as Tessa's tearful complaints swayed him into blaming me for my own disappearance. "Will Selene ever stop causing me trouble?" "She's weak and always looking for trouble. How could she possibly be fit to be our Luna?" He had no idea I was already dead at the bottom of that cliff choked with wolfsbane. Five whole days. The poison hit my bloodstream like liquid fire, racing through my veins with merciless speed. As my body decayed under the moonlight, my love for him faded with it. The title of Luna, the magnificent coronation I had dreamed of, everything I once cherished was now meaningless. The Selene who loved him was well and truly dead.

The ninety-ninth time my Alpha mate blocked our mind-link, I was in the final stages of Wolf Spirit Decay. I dragged my broken body into the Council Hall. The cold marble steps grated against the soles of my feet, and with every step, a tearing pain ripped through my chest. "I am here to petition to leave the pack." The council official studied my pale, thin form with a pitying gaze and asked softly, "Are you certain, Miss? You would be giving up the pack's protection." Since childhood, my wolf has been unstable, making me frail. Ever since my father brought home my adopted sister, Lydia, when I was ten, my parents have treated me like a disgrace to the family. Despite being his marked mate for years, Caleb never promised me a Luna ceremony. He rarely even took me to pack gatherings. As a result, hardly anyone in the pack knew who I was. "It doesn't matter," I said, my voice calm despite the effort. "I will be dead in three days."

"Father, I accept the marriage alliance with the Blackwood Pack." Silence stretched on his end of the link before he finally replied, "Caterina, are you certain?" "I am." I didn't tell him the real reason. Last night, a heart-shattering agony ripped through our Mate Bond, through that damned bond, I saw everything— My mate, Alpha Rocco, was in the cabin on his private hunting grounds, pinning his childhood sweetheart, Scarlett, against the wall and kissing her with a desperate frenzy. I confronted Scarlett directly at the pack meeting, a flicker of triumph flashed in her eyes before she feigned innocence. "Caterina, I have no idea what you're talking about." Just then, Rocco's voice boomed through the open mind-link, echoing in the minds of everyone present. "Caterina, as the Luna of the pack, you shouldn’t cause a scene like this. Scarlett is just a friend. " In that moment, my heart died completely. He was my Alpha, my husband—the man I had spent years helping rise to power. I severed my mind-link with Rocco. The pain of the forced disconnection was so intense I could barely stand, but I straightened my spine and sent my reply. "I'll be home in two weeks." Go home and marry the most powerful Alpha in North America. They say he is cold and ruthless, unmoved by any she-wolf. Perfect. I don't need love. I just need an Alpha strong enough to help me secure the Silver Moon Pack. And as for Rocco? The Moon Goddess gave us a destiny, and he shattered it with his own hands. Now, I will seize my own.

When I returned from a mission, I found my Alpha mate, Wyatt, had tattooed his Beta's sigil next to our sacred mating mark. I cut my mission short, stormed back to the pack, and publicly declared my intent to Reject him. The mating mark is sacred, a symbol of two souls eternally bound. Desecrating it is the gravest insult to the Moon Goddess. Wyatt tore the rejection papers to shreds, casting them to the ground. Fury blazed in his wolfish eyes. "Over a sigil? You're tearing us apart over a meaningless symbol. Are you insane?" "Do I look like I'm kidding?" I sneered. "Fine. Let the Moon Goddess be your judge." The color drained from his face. "Faye, if you dare go through with this, I'll strip Rory of his birthright. He'll never be Alpha." "How could I be cursed with a mother like you? You're ruining my future as Alpha! I hate you!"My son, Rory, snarled from the side, his eyes burning with hatred. I looked at this father and son, who was now both strangers to me, and my heart turned to ash. My fingers tightened on my herb pouch. "The moment your father desecrated our mark," I said, my voice eerily calm, "I was already done with you."

Suamiku seorang mafia bernama Alvaro Winata, sedang berselingkuh dengan saudara tiri-nya, Cindy Martadina. Di mobil, ruang kerja, kamar mandi, bahkan di meja makan, mereka meninggalkan jejak perselingkuhan di mana-mana. "Cindy, jangan khawatir. Begitu posisi aku jadi kuat di keluarga, aku akan beri kamu segalanya." "Bella Winata… dia cuma alat buat amankan posisi aku." Selama delapan tahun pernikahan kami, dialah yang pernah membisikkan kata-kata termanis yang ada di dunia ini kepada aku. Kini, semua pengabdiannya tak memiliki arti apa pun. Aku tidak menangis, tidak juga buat keributan. Sebaliknya, aku buat sebuah kesepakatan di pasar ilegal. Dua minggu lagi, Bella Winata akan menghilang dari dunia ini selamanya.

I was Alpha Kade's secret mate for four years. The night he marked me, in the throes of passion, he gazed into my eyes for a long, long time. "You know, Anya," he'd said, his voice husky, "what I love most about you are your beautiful eyes." To protect his claim to the Alpha title, I agreed to remain by his side, posing as a Beta warrior. That is, until I watched him publicly wrap his arm around my half-sister's waist, beaming with pride. It was only when the whispers grew louder, when everyone murmured that the beautiful she-wolf the Alpha brought home had my eyes, that the devastating truth finally hit me. It was never me he loved. I confronted Kade, demanding an explanation. His face was a mask of contempt. "An explanation?" "What did you think this was? It was a temporary mark, nothing more. I've only ever seen you as a sister." I didn't cry. I didn't make a scene. I simply opened a mind-link to my childhood friend. "I accept the invitation to become Head Warrior of the Silver Crest Pack." Later, when Kade discovered I had caught the eye of his greatest rival, he went absolutely insane.