Azarinth Healer

The wolves of our pack are different from most. At five years old, every pup must undergo their first shift. But my son Ash was born with a broken wolf. He couldn't complete the shift on his own. The healer said the only way to stabilize him was for my Alpha mate, Kael, to transfer fifteen percent of his power to Ash. Otherwise, Ash would die during the first shift. The Five Packs Alliance summit was approaching. Any loss of strength could put Silver Fang at a disadvantage in negotiations. Kael weighed his options and decided to postpone. He said Ash could hold on through this moon cycle — they'd do it after the summit. I begged him to perform the ritual as soon as possible. Kael gave me his word. But the summit kept getting pushed back. First, Kael's childhood sweetheart Nora said her daughter Lily had a fever and she couldn't manage alone. Kael dropped everything and stayed with them for two days. Then Nora asked to take Lily to the Northern Frost Pack's Bonfire Festival. She said Lily had never had a father, had never attended a single pack celebration, and wanted Kael to go as family. When Ash was losing his breath in my arms, I called Kael. He said: "Lily's first shift ceremony is in three days. I have to stay and guide her. Don't worry — I'll be back as soon as it's over. Ash isn't urgent. Didn't the Elder say there's still a month? Stop overreacting." Three days later, Kael rushed home. All he found was Ash's cold body.

"I, Alpha Liam Hamilton, reject you, Elena Vance, as my Mate and my Luna. You are a curse to my bloodline. Now, get out before I hunt you down." On the night of the Blood Moon, my fated mate shattered my soul. He didn’t care that I was the True Lunar Bride. He didn’t care that I had loved him since we were pups. He chose his "prophecy" and his mistress over the woman meant for him. I left in shame, carrying a secret that would change the werewolf world forever: I wasn't empty-handed. I was carrying his twins—the strongest Alpha heirs the world had seen in a thousand years. Five Years Later. I am no longer the weak Omega he kicked into the rain. I am the "Silver Shadow," a world-renowned healer with a power that can bring Alphas to their knees. When a deadly plague strikes Liam’s pack, he is forced to beg for my help. He doesn't recognize the cold, breathtaking woman behind the mask. He doesn't know that the two prodigy children by my side share his emerald eyes and his lethal temper. But as my scent begins to leak through my disguise, the Alpha King grows obsessed. He corners me, his growl vibrating against my skin. "You smell like a ghost, Doctor. And those children... why do they have my claws?" The secret is out. The hunt is on. But this time, I’m not the prey—I’m the Queen. And the Alpha who rejected me? He’s about to learn that a Lunar Bride never forgets... and she never survives on mercy.

"You shouldn't be touching me." he growled, his voice low and ragged, every muscle beneath her nimble fingers felt the tremors of restrained power. The heat of his skin radiated through her gloves. "If I stop, you'll bleed out." His hand shot up, curling gently-but firmly around her wrist. His eyes, a shade of hellish red in the dim lights, locked onto hers. "No, doctor," he whispered, his lips forming a stern pressed line. "If you stop, it won't be the blood that kills me. It'll be the hunger." Dr. Eleanor Airlea never believed in myths-until the night a wounded stranger staggered into her veterinary clinic under a blood-red moon. The wolfs injuries should have killed him, but his body healed with a feral strength she couldn't explain. His piercing eyes, wild and magnetic, left her both terrified and captivated. Raphael is no ordinary man-he's a werewolf, royalty no less with a bloodline that binds him to the violent laws of his pack and the forbidden desire that burns whenever Eleanor is near. In a world where hunters stalk the night and betrayal lurks under every silver light, their passion becomes as dangerous as it is irresistible. She's the healer who should fear him. He's the predator who has set his eyes upon her. And when blood and desire mix under the next full moon, neither of them will be able to resist the pull of destiny. "I don't care what you are," she said, her pulse racing as she held his gaze. "You were bleeding. You needed me." His lips curved into a dangerous smile. "Careful, doctor. Saving a wolf can make you his."

My family is the oldest healing bloodline in the Frostmoon Pack, and I am the most promising talent to become the pack's Chief Healer. My destined mate, who promised to mark me on my 20th birthday, instead chose my stepsister Eliza on the very day that was meant to be mine. Then Alaric Blackwood, the legendarily powerful and cold Alpha of the Blackwood pack, openly pursued me after I was abandoned. For five years after becoming his mate, he treated me with tender care and bone-deep devotion. He told me not to work so hard as a healer and to focus on being his Luna. Until I accidentally overheard a conversation between him and his loyal Beta. "Alpha, Eliza has already become Chief Healer. How long will you continue pretending to love Amara?" "It doesn't matter since I can't be Eliza's mate anyway. Besides, as long as I'm with Amara, she won't interfere with Eliza's happiness." Every night, he prayed to the Moon Goddess, and every word was filled with longing and love for Eliza. "May the Moon Goddess bless Eliza. May she find peace in body and spirit." "May the Moon Goddess grant Eliza all she desires, and protect all that she loves." ... "Eliza, we're not destined for each other in this life. I only pray we become fated mates in the next." Only then did I realize that my mate—his body belonged to me, but his heart belonged deeply to my stepsister. I've prepared a fake identity and planned a staged death at the hands of rogue wolves. From now on, we will never meet again, in this life or any other.

On the day of our mating ceremony, my Alpha, Silas, ripped the Luna gown right off my body. He dressed Jenna, his childhood sweetheart, in it. Right in front of the entire pack. I froze. Silas’s voice echoed in my mind. "I know this hurts, Caliana. But Jenna is pregnant. If I don't pretend to mate with her today, the elders will execute her pup!" He begged me to wait one year. Just until her pup was accepted by the pack. He swore he would come back for me. His true fated mate. Everyone thought I would wait. I was the Omega healer who had loved him for seven years. The girl who never left his side. But that night, Silas marked her. Our fated bond shattered into a million pieces. And then I met him. My true second chance mate: Zane, the Alpha Chairman of the Werewolf Alliance. Three years later, I returned with my new mate. We were there to assess Silas's pack. To decide if they were still worthy of the moonstone mines. Zane was called away on urgent business, leaving me in the local Alpha’s care. The local Alpha. Silas. I never thought I’d see that face again. He sneered at me, calling me a rogue. He wrapped his arm around a stunning Jenna. "Your little tantrum is over," he told me, his voice dripping with condescension. "If you want to come back, I suppose I can find a place for you. Jenna needs someone to heal her pet dog. You might be good enough for that."

"I am your Alpha," Liard growled, his body pressing dangerously close to hers. "You will not run from me." Helena’s breath hitched, her fingers trembling as they gripped the edge of the infirmary table. "You made a vow," she whispered, voice laced with fury and longing. "No mates. No love. Or have you already forgotten?" His jaw clenched, but his hands found her waist, heat radiating between them. "I tried to forget. I tried to fight it. But every time I close my eyes, I see you. I feel you." His voice dropped lower, a rough, desperate plea. "Damn it, Helena. You were never supposed to be mine." Helena shoved against his chest, her own emotions warring within her. "And I was never supposed to love you, Liard. But fate is cruel." She turned away, biting down the pain in her voice. "Do you know what they’ll do to me if they find out? Do you know what Rhider will do?" Liard’s grip on her tightened. "I don’t care." His breath ghosted against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "Let them try to take you from me. I will burn this world before I ever let you go." ********* For years, Alpha Liard Stormbane has ruled with a heart of ice, swearing never to take a mate, never to fall into the same weakness that destroyed his father. But when he is gravely injured and taken to the pack infirmary, fate shatters his control—his mate is none other than Helena, the pack’s healer…and his Beta’s mother.

It's the final round of this year's Pack Pup Tournament. I can't take my eyes off my pup, Patrick Grant, as he wins the title. When the host calls Patrick's parents onstage to celebrate, I leap up, thrilled. But then I see Nicholas Grant, my Alpha mate, walk up with his secretary, Natalia Lawson. They stand side by side under the spotlight, kissing Patrick on both cheeks. It's as if Natalia is the mother, as if she's the Luna of our pack, as if they're the perfect family. I can only stand there in the audience, feeling the weight of countless startled stares, too ashamed to lift my head. Later, Nicholas brushes the incident off. "You were seated farther back. It was easier to bring Natalia up on stage," he explains. Easier? I swallow the humiliation and force myself to believe it was just an unfortunate coincidence—until today, that is. I sense through our blood bond that something's wrong with Patrick, so I drop everything and race to the pack hospital. But when I arrive, Patrick is lying in Natalia's lap, whining to her in a soft voice. I step forward to introduce myself, but the healer only looks surprised. "The emergency contact form lists Natalia as his mom, though." It turns out Patrick himself had stripped me of my role as his mother. And Nicholas didn't stop him. I finally understand. I don't belong in this family anymore. That night, I tell Nicholas I want to dissolve the mate bond between us. He doesn't even look up as he says, "Don't be dramatic. You'd dissolve our bond over a single name on a form?" "Yes."

When wandering healer Elara Nightvale is dragged to the cursed court of the Dragon King, she expects death not the dangerous pull she feels toward the man everyone calls a monster. Gifted with forbidden healing magic that drains her life with every use, Elara has spent years hiding her power. But in the dark kingdom of Ashenrealm, her abilities awaken something ancient and deeply tied to the king himself. Verath Dravenor, ruler of the Ashen Throne, carries the soul of the last dragon and a curse that turns desire into destruction. The closer he grows to someone, the more unstable his power becomes. Lovers have died. Allies fear him. He has sworn never to want anyone again. Until Elara arrives. Her presence calms the dragon within him yet ignites an obsession he cannot control. Forced into proximity after an assassination attempt and rising rebellion, Elara and Verath become reluctant allies. She heals his wounds; he shields her from enemies who would exploit her rare bloodline. With every touch, their bond deepens, blurring the line between survival and forbidden attraction. But Ashenrealm is on the brink of war. Rival kingdoms plot to overthrow the Dragon King, while dark magic resurfaces, threatening to unleash an ancient power tied to Elara’s lineage. As Verath’s curse worsens, he must choose: push her away and lose control… or claim her and risk consuming her completely. When passion finally ignites, their magic intertwines in a soulbinding union that could break the curse or destroy the kingdom. In a world where love is dangerous and power demands sacrifice, Elara and Verath must decide if their bond will save Ashenrealm…or burn it to ashes.

My fated mate, Sebastian Grant, was the most brilliant healer on the continent. Specializing in treating wolfsbane, he had saved countless of our kind. To everyone else, he was a miracle walking among us. But he had a childhood friend and fellow apprentice, Sabrina Jordan. If Sebastian was famous for curing poison, then Sabrina was infamous for creating it. For years, she studied toxins while he developed antidotes. They worked so closely together that the pack slowly stopped distinguishing danger from jokes. That was until the day she tested a new kind of wolfsbane on me and I almost died. When I woke up, Sebastian was sitting beside my bed, writing a prescription for me. "Christina, don't blame Sabrina. My mentor and I have spoiled her. She knew I'd be able to cure you, so she was just messing around. She never meant to hurt you." He said it so casually, as if I had caught a cold. Not as if my organs had been failing and I had been a breath away from death. Before I could respond, someone burst into the room shouting that Sabrina had poisoned herself. Sebastian stood up and rushed out at once, his steps hurried and almost frantic. He never noticed that my prescription was missing a key herb. Just like that, the antidote that was supposed to save me became a poison that quietly sped up my death. That was when the Moon Goddess spoke inside my mind. [You can only return to the human world if you die at the hands of your fated mate. But are you sure you want this?] I lowered my gaze to the prescription in my hand, the ink still fresh. Sebastian himself had written it. The same hands that saved countless lives had just written the final prescription that would end mine. "I'm sure," I whispered.

My Alpha mate Cain's childhood sweetheart Vivienne had returned from her overseas training in healing. She'd made a bet with the other healers that she could use the deadly wolfsbane to cure patients. Every senior healer told her it was absolutely impossible. But she ignored the warnings and injected a massive dose of wolfsbane extract straight into my mother Iris's body. My mother fell into a deep coma after her wolf was killed. My brother Ethan, enraged at the Moonlight Gathering, demanded a Trial by Blood from Vivienne, demanding her life. But Cain had Ethan imprisoned in the Silver Prison before the gathering. I was trembling with rage, wanting to tell everyone the truth at the gathering. But Cain stopped me. “When you go up on stage, tell everyone that what happened to your mother was an accident.” I froze, tears streaming down my face. I was his mate, after all. A flicker of guilt crossed Cain's eyes as he gently wiped away my tears. “Don't cry, baby,” his voice was low and gentle. “Vivian and I grew up together. She saved my life when we were little. She's a good person. She would never intentionally use Wolfsbane to harm your mother. It was an accident.” “You just need to admit it wasn't Vivian's fault,” Cain said, “and I'll get the best healers to treat your mother.” He paused. “Ethan will be released immediately too.” I closed my eyes. “Okay…” Since Vivienne was so important to you, then I would grant your wish. I turned and staged my death, leaving with my mother and brother. But the powerful Alpha broke down, searching the world for me and begging me to come back.