Ceremony

From New York Times bestselling author Krista Lakes comes a sexy standalone novel about a billionaire and the indecent proposal he gives the local barista. Billionaire CEO Jackson Weathers needs a family for a PR boost, and I've signed a contract agreeing to give him one. A doting girlfriend in public. A wedding ceremony to invite all the socialites to. And finally, a baby for him to parade around, to show he's really a wholesome, down-to-Earth man. I've tried to remain cynical about it. He's going to make all my dreams come true. So what if it's supposed to be a loveless marriage? Only, his tenderness in private has me hooked. The way he kisses me drives me wild. When we make love, I lose myself to him. His body feels like it was meant to be on top of mine, like we fit together like two puzzle pieces. I can't help but begin to fall for him. I can't tell him, or I risk losing everything. And nobody else can find out about our little "arrangement" or it will destroy his reputation. Still, I feel like I have to know how he feels, before the marriage, before the baby, before I give my entire life over to him. Is it still just pretend?

My mate and my brother hated me for twelve years. They believed I stole their precious Sarah's herbal research and bullied her for twelve years into silence. At my marking ceremony, they exposed my "crimes" to the entire supernatural world. "She's nothing but a bully who torments her packmates and a thief who stole the herb formula from Sarah!" But Sarah smiled through her tears: "The formula doesn't matter anymore." "As long as it saved our wolves from silver poisoning, what does it matter who created it?" "I've already forgiven her." She became the pack's angel of mercy. I was condemned by thousands, until the very wolf I'd saved with my medicine poured silver water over my head. In my despair, I dragged Sarah down with me into death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my second year of high school. Sarah was slicing her arm with a silver blade, smiling as she asked: "Have you thought about how you'll apologize to me?" Something in me snapped. My Alpha power surged forth, crushing her to her knees. I grabbed the blade: "Let me show you what real cuts look like."

Hazel's dad passed away when she was just a little kid but her mother brought her up single handedly until she met Trevor who happens to be her second chance mate. Hazel is a young werewolf damsel who's clueless matters mates and bonds but she meets a Powerful Lycan king who happens to be her fated mate. surprisingly, Ramon doesn't age and he's hesitant to turn her into a Lycan because he doesn't want to kill her. Hazel is still a weak wolf but she later becomes strong, thus becoming the Luna of the werewolves even though the ceremony doesn't hold soon enough. Ramon who's also a feared Alpha king loves his young mate so much although she sometimes dreads him. As time goes by, they start trying for a baby but to no avail until the go to the hospital to ascertain their problem. Trevor and Hazel's mother get involved in a road accident, hence dying instantly, leaving their young son for Hazel take care of and bring up!

At my mating ceremony, Alpha Derek's stepsister Victoria arrived wearing the $30 million Luna ceremonial gown he claimed our pack couldn't afford. Victoria pushed me into the ceremonial fire, and as the flames scorched my skin, Derek shouted at me for ruining the ceremony and embarrassing him in front of everyone. They left for our honeymoon together—the one I paid for with my own money. Wolves from the rival pack surrounded me. My wolf couldn't shift because of pregnancy. Through our mind link, I begged Derek for help. He blocked me while kissing Victoria on a Maldives beach. As the rival Alpha's claws tore into my womb, my unborn child died in pieces. Derek returned with tears, begging forgiveness. Like a fool, I gave it. What he doesn't know: I am the Alpha heiress of the Northern Territories' most powerful pack. Severing our mate bond isn't enough. I will take everything from him.

Aurora is Alpha Evander's second chance mate. On the eve of their wedding anniversary, Evander proposes a rejection and divorce to Aurora because his first mate, Nalani, has awakened from a coma. Evander informs her that the rejection ceremony will take place at the next full moon. After being rejected by Evander, Aurora learns that the Lycan Prince is her second chance mate. Following her banishment, she is taken away by the Lycan Prince. Meanwhile, Evander begins to miss Aurora and regrets his decision, starting his quest to win her back.

"Do you, Aurelia Marissa Gianni, take, Judah Alessio Bianco, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" " I do," I said then zoned out and moved as a robot being controlled by its owner for the rest of the ceremony until it was time to kiss the groom. The cold hard stare and the tight line of my husband's lips were evident enough to tell that this man didn't want to kiss me as much as I didn't want to kiss him. ¶¶¶¶ Aurelia didn't choose this marriage, she didn't want to be married to someone as cold and annoying as Judah, he was supposed to be her sister's fiance. But after being found in bed with him, she is forced to marry him to escape her father's wrath. She doesn't love him, she barely even likes him but she has to be with him for the rest of her life.

Christopher stared at Little Angel in disbelief and anger. "You're a fucking werewolf? You're an animal!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with shock. Tears welled up in Little Angel's eyes as his words crashed upon her. She had hoped he would understand, that their love would conquer her true nature. But now, in her wolf form, she felt exposed and rejected. "I'm sorry," she whispered, tears choking her voice. "I never meant to hurt you. I love you, Christ, with all that I am." Christopher turned away without a word, his disappointment evident in his slumped shoulders. Their love seemed lost in that moment. Little Angel watched him leave, consumed by heartache. **** During the Shadowboom unveiling ceremony, Little Angel, an 18-year-old wolf, did not have a mate. The Goddess of the Moon only made one decree. Pleased with this, the alpha of her pack claimed her as his mate. Fleeing her fate, she stumbled upon the human world and met a boy Christopher Miller who was charming yet arrogant. As their love grew, her true nature remained hidden. How will Little-angel react when she discovers hat he is her destinated mate? And how will he react when he uncovers her werewolf nature?

Five days before my wedding, a group of MadeMen drag me to an underground casino. "I'm the fiancé of Lorenzo Gambino, Don of the Gambino family and Gambino Corporation! Think of the consequences you'll face if you dare touch a hair on my head!" My stern warning is met by mocking laughter. I curl up in agony under the brutal blows of their baseball bats; they pierce my ankles with sharp blades, severing my tendons. I gather the remnants of my consciousness to shield my abdomen, where my and Lorenzo's child grows. Lorenzo finally arrives with hired mercenaries. He razes the underground casino to the ground and saves me. I lie on the hospital bed and force myself to hang on. I don't want to end up in a coma. Unexpectedly, I overhear Lorenzo's conversation with a doctor. "It's not too late to operate, Boss. If we delay this any longer, Ms. Jones won't be able to stand anymore! There are many other ways for you to marry Ms. Valente—why did you have to do this to Ms. Jones?" "Being crippled is the only way Renee will obediently accept my and Kelly's child. I can keep a cripple by my side but not a troublemaker. Kelly values ceremony more than anything—I promised her I would give her a perfect wedding," Lorenzo says coldly. "But… Ms. Jones is pregnant. She's four months along…" "Make her miscarry, then." Tears stream down my face without anyone noticing. It turns out no one wants to bless the wedding I've been looking forward to. If so, any woman who wants to be Lorenzo's wife can have him. He's just a small mafia boss, anyway. I'm going back to being the heiress of the East Coast mafia's Don. I'll be the queen of my own life.

A burglar breaks into our home, taking my mother-in-law and me captive. He stabs my mother-in-law's eyes, blinding her. Then, he slices her tongue and strips her, even putting on a live stream to air the whole thing. He claims that he'll auction my mother-in-law's organs if we can't pay the ransom of ten million dollars. The live stream infuriates the Internet, and everyone starts searching for my husband, the city's wealthiest man. No one knows he's on a luxury cruise ship, holding an engagement ceremony with his childhood friend. He snarls, "What a dumb excuse to trick me out of my money! I'll burn the money for them when they're dead!"

"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.