Ceremony

Ava Smith, the only child of Elliott Smith, the beta of Westwood pack was determined to be the next beta of her pack because she had always wanted to make her parents proud and be the son they never had, but all of her dreams were crushed before she had even started. She was being bullied, mocked, tortured, and broken by the alpha's son and his friends. Damon Walter. She hated that name to the core. He was her worst nightmare. He was the reason she had to let go of her dreams and leave her parents and she vowed never to come back to that pack. Ava had no choice but to go to that pack she hated the most because her husband-to-be, an Alpha from another pack sent her to Mistwood pack because he had made a promise to her parents that she would attend the mating ceremony happening in Westwood pack. What happens when fate decides to play a little game with Ava, she figures out that the new Alpha of the Westwood pack, Damon Walter, is her mate. Damon Walter, the alpha of Westwood pack, was rejected cruelly by his mate on the night of the mating ceremony. He was taken aback by that rejection but he vowed to make her his no matter what. Now he had to prove to his mate that he was worthy of her. What happened when he figured out that he was the cause of her misery and she rejected him because she wanted exact revenge on him? Now the cold Alpha must do whatever it takes to win back his mate and make her accept him back.

Saoirse was always meant to be a Luna, but never like this. Torn between fate and desire, she becomes the center of a ruthless power struggle that leaves her body and soul scarred. Renzo, the Alpha who claimed her first, burns with a dangerous obsession. His love is no gentle devotion—it is possession, relentless and consuming. Every rose he planted, every oath he swore, every piece of her life was built around the belief that she belonged only to him. When the Moon Goddess fated her to Blaze, Renzo’s obsession twisted into something darker—something neither Saoirse nor Blaze can fully escape. Blaze, fierce and unyielding, recognizes Saoirse as his fated mate and vows to protect her at all costs. Yet every time he tries to claim her, Renzo is there—haunting, threatening, reminding them both that he will never let go. His shadow poisons every kiss, every promise, every fragile moment of peace. At the ceremony meant to unite mates before the packs, Saoirse shatters. Dragged in chains, she kneels before Blaze, confessing her love for Renzo in front of all. Magic erupts from her in a storm of fury and despair, forcing Blaze to mark her as his before she slips away completely. But even as his teeth sink into her skin, Renzo’s grip lingers—unyielding, unbreakable. Now, caught between Blaze’s devotion and Renzo’s obsession, Saoirse stands at the edge of ruin. One man is her destiny, the other her downfall… But which one will she choose?

"Where have you been hiding, little wolf?" He stared at me with his amber eyes, a vicious smile on his lips. I faced him, chin held high. "Move out of my way." "I could kill you, you know..." His fingers dipped to my inner thighs before his hands came to rest at the joint between my legs and hips, and his fingers squeezed. His large hands moved over my breasts and stomach, running over my skin as if it was made from the softest velvet. then he whispered words into my ear". ____ Lola is a wolf shifter who is cursed and wants to leave the confines of Wolf Creek. During the First Moon Ceremony, she discovers that Tyler Grant, the man who has caused her pain in the past, is her true mate and the future leader of her pack. Although fate seems cruel, Lola learns of a rumor that a mating bond could break her curse. Despite daring to hope, Tyler betrays Lola and shatters her dreams. Left beaten and abandoned, Lola comes across a mysterious feral shifter who agrees to help her. However, this help comes at a high price that Lola is unsure she wants to pay. Lola realizes that she can only trust herself when her former pack begins to hunt her down. She believes that having friends is not worth the pain because she has been betrayed by everyone she has known. Despite her mother's warnings, Lola is determined to uncover the truth about her father and embarks on a journey.

Edda Reggitton is the only daughter of the Silver Pack's Alpha, Alpha Conrad. A month after her eighteenth birthday, she went to the marking ceremony to marry her betrothed Alpha, Alpha Damien, the strongest Alpha of the Southern Pack but on that same day, he rejected her as his mate and took a girl whom he claimed his fated mate, Imore of the River Moon Pack. After her Alpha's rejection, Damien even accused her for trying to hurt Imore and tortured her as his punishment. Edda was about to get exiled from the packs under Alpha Damien's jurisdiction when his Beta Colbi arrived giving him the news that the Lycan King is coming to set another deal with him as he always does every year. Edda's final Judgement turned invalid leading her to return home with her father and her packs. Everyone feared Lycan King Killan even the strongest Alpha Damien. When Edda learned why the Lycan King's arrived to their packs territory, she promised to herself to get chosen as his annual Omega slave maid to get away from her selfish father and packs. She had no idea what was the Lycan King's looks like or what he's capable of but it doesn't matter anymore. Her only main goal is to get chosen by him but what if things get complicated when they finally meet? His scent was very strong for her to resist especially that she just shifted and acquired the power of scenting a mate.

A century ago, the war between humans and beastkin nearly destroyed the world. To restore order, the five major beast clans—Dragon, Tiger, Leopard, Serpent, and Peacock—formed an alliance with humanity. Under the Treaty of Balance, every hundred years, a union between humans and beastkin must occur. The first child born of this union—a half-beast—will inherit the throne and rule over the Human-Beast Alliance. In my past life, I chose Max, the Dragon Clan's heir. Known for his unwavering devotion and noble bloodline, he seemed the perfect mate. I gave birth to the first half-beast child of the generation—a rare white dragon. Our son was named the next ruler, and Max rose to unmatched power. My half-sister, Alice, chose the Tiger Clan—seduced by beauty, blinded by arrogance. Her husband betrayed her, and she was left barren and disgraced. She envied me. Hated me. One night, she drugged me, set our home on fire, and watched as the flames devoured me and my son. But fate was not done with me. When I opened my eyes, I had returned to the day of the choosing ceremony—the moment that would decide our mates, our fates, and the future ruler of the realm. Only this time… Alice had already climbed into Max’s bed. She had been reborn too. But what she didn’t know was this: Max is not the devoted prince she remembers. He is brutal. Possessive. A beast of blood, not love. And this time, I won't make the same mistake.

Three days before my wedding, I found out that Shane Dawson had changed the venue from Grandma Mae’s home in the South to Castillo de Sol, the Spanish castle that Tania Collins, his childhood sweetheart, adored. I confronted him, only to overhear him complaining to his friend, "Thank God Tania has taste. Otherwise, I’d be laughed at for life." His friend reminded him, "Didn’t you promise her you’d hold the ceremony at her grandmother’s house? Aren’t you afraid she’ll get angry and refuse to marry you?" Shane just laughed, sharp and dismissive. "The Quinns are on the verge of bankruptcy. Marrying me is her only way out. She can’t afford to gamble. I’ve already asked the planner to call her. She’s probably scrambling to change her flight right now." Anger and humiliation burned in my chest. I bit down on my lip and, in the end, turned away. Three days later, the castle wedding went on as scheduled, but I didn’t reschedule my flight. I didn’t show up. Instead, I stood in Grandma Mae’s old courtyard and exchanged rings with another man. To this day, Shane doesn’t understand. I never married him for some so-called escape route. I married him for a love that lasted ten years. However, once the dream was over, it was time for me to choose a different path.

Before our wedding, my fiancée, Sarah Hargrave—a professor of medieval history—held a private ceremony in a secluded chapel in the countryside. But not with me. Under the glow of candlelight, she cradled Benjamin Wheeler—her first love, his face gaunt from the cancer consuming him—in her arms. Her smile was soft, almost reverent, as she murmured, "In the eyes of God, vows made before the altar are the only ones that matter. Even if the law says I belong to Daniel, my soul was never his." And so, to the faint echo of hymns and the scent of old incense, they drank from the same silver cup, exchanged rings, and stepped together into the dimly lit sacristy—their makeshift bridal chamber. I watched. Silent. Motionless. No outbursts, no demands for explanation. Just the quiet dialing of a clinic to undo the vasectomy I'd gotten for our future. From fifteen to thirty, I had loved Sarah for fifteen long years. But in all that time, there'd never been room for me. That space had always belonged to Benjamin, my stepbrother. So I let her go. Afterward, I joined a geological research team bound for the isolation of Antarctica—a land cut off from the world, quiet and clean. Before I left, I handed Sarah a divorce agreement…and a final gift to mark the end. I never anticipated that Sarah, who'd always met my devotion with frosty detachment, who'd never once glanced back as I walked away, would look ten years older overnight.

What was the right way to fight an enemy? As a mate or as a best friend? And in the end, I found my answer. "Mate!" I called to Arden and I waited for him to answer it. My mind began to plot how I would silently and quietly take down his father, his mistress, and himself to the grave. I would be the one to drive a sword through their hearts. I would become their worst nightmare. I would make them beg for daring to destroy my family. I felt my eyes moisten as I glared at him. I would be the last thing that they saw before they breathed their last. "Mate!" Arden answered. And in my mind, I knew that Arden had just signed his death warrant by accepting me as his mate. ********* On the night of Zira's mating ceremony, she is killed by her childhood bestfriend and mate, Arden Blackstone —a man whose family has done nothing but hate the Alpha's Household. After murdering the entire family, Zira is left for last. Zira finds herself in the void between life and death. The man who she had thought loved her, had only been using her to get to the throne and her parents —while the one whom she considered her enemy was the one who wanted to help her. The moon goddess appears to her and she gives her two options; To remain in the void to cry her eyes out or return to her old life and protect the moon crest from getting into the wrong hands. In the end she chooses revenge and Zira will stop at nothing until they are all destroyed.

When I was in college, my mom had terminal cancer, and our family company collapsed due to heavy debts. Just when I was at my lowest, my childhood friend Zach Hall rushed back from overseas. For seven years, he stayed by my side and helped me heal. …Until the night before our engagement ceremony, when I was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. I wanted to tell Zach, but instead, I overheard a conversation between him and the lead surgeon who had operated on my mother. "Zach, your fiancee's mother could've been saved back then. But you stopped me from treating her, just so Jessica could get that poor woman's corneas. If Jessica is the one you love, why marry your fiancee?" "I do feel guilty toward Annie, but I don't regret it. It was the only way for Jess to pick up a brush again and keep chasing her dreams." Through the crack in the door, I saw clearly the tenderness on Zach's face when he mentioned Jessica. "What if Annie finds out?" the surgeon asked. Zach fell silent, rubbing the band on his ring finger. "I don't know. I've already decided to marry her. I'll love her, protect her, and spend the rest of my life making it up to her." The pain hit me so hard at that moment that I almost collapsed, as if my heart was being ripped out.

On the marking ceremony with my Alpha mate, Sebastian Cole, my world falls apart. A pack of Rogue werewolves kills my mother. The one responsible is Sebastian's stepsister, Cassandra Cole. The security footage captures everything. Cassandra runs out of the cemetery, with a group of Rogues hot on her heels. She bolts into my mother's house, desperate to hide. My mother steps in to protect her and fights back, but in the struggle, her silver rifle is knocked away and lands right at Cassandra's feet. Cassandra could pick it up and kill those Rogues, but she doesn't. She just stands there with a faint smile, watching as the Rogue leader drives his claws through my mother's heart. Later, Sebastian tries to justify her actions. "Vivian, Cassandra was wrong this time... I promise I'll punish her." But I know what I saw. I believe it was murder, and I am bringing charges against Cassandra at the Elder Council Court. However, Sebastian begs me to drop the case. "If Cassandra goes to prison, it'll destroy her! Vivian, don't do this." I can hardly believe what I'm hearing. I refuse him without hesitation. So, he makes another choice. The night before the hearing, he locks me in the basement, trying to stop me from testifying. That's when it finally hits me. No matter what happens, Cassandra will always matter more to Sebastian than I do.