Ceremony

My fated mate, Alpha Baton, had once shackled his bloodlust for me. He’d built a corporate empire from the ashes of his bloody conquests, all to give me a civilized home. Even when my father was framed for murdering the brother of his first love, Seraphina, he held me gently. "Don't worry, Tricia. I'll face this with you." But on the day of the trial, my father was condemned as a murderer and exiled to the North. And Baton? He was celebrating, with his arm wrapped around Seraphina. I hunted down the witness, demanding answers, only to find him trembling as he stared at Baton, who stood right behind me. It was Baton. He had threatened the witness into lying. He was willing to destroy my father, just to make Seraphina happy. "Seraphina's brother is dead. Someone has to pay the price." The mate bond between us didn't just snap—it shattered. Agony ripped through my soul. If I meant nothing to him, our marking ceremony was a promise. And now, it was one I had to break.

She never wanted a Luna. He never meant to walk into a werewolf ceremony. Alpha Zyandra Varyn was born to lead — ruthless, disciplined, and feared by every wolf in her pack. But when the full moon forces her to perform the ancient Luna ceremony, fate plays a cruel trick: her destined mate isn’t a warrior, or even a wolf. He’s human. Rhett Whyte only wanted to retrieve his lost drone. He didn’t believe in monsters, much less expect to stumble into one’s ritual. But when his eyes meet Zyandra’s, something ancient stirs — a mark he can’t explain, a connection he can’t escape. Now, the Alpha who never wanted a mate is bound to the one man who doesn’t even believe she’s real, and is also in love with another woman in his world. Zyandra calls it the Moon’s mistake. Rhett calls it insanity. But the bond doesn’t care what either of them want. And under the next full moon, fate will demand what it started.

At the full moon gathering, I learned that my mate Carrick was forced to bond with the Omega daughter of our rival pack. He rushed to complete a mating ritual with her regardless of the consequences. They fled to the Northern Territories that very night. Their childhood bond story went viral among the packs, but I became the shameful third wheel who interfered with their "true pairing" and was shunned so severely that I couldn't even leave my den. Unexpectedly, Alex, the blind Alpha of the Silver Crest Pack—Carrick's sworn enemy—appeared at my door. "I've always been a vengeful wolf. Carrick stole my intended mate through deception, so I will claim his rightful Luna." His unseeing eyes somehow found mine with uncanny precision. "Alliances require balance, Jenna. Are you willing to complete the mating bond with me?" I looked at the image of their moonlight ceremony being shared through pack links, and without hesitation, I handed him my wrist, exposing my scent gland for the claiming bite.

On the night of our mating ceremony, my mate, Damon, marked another she-wolf right in front of me. He said that if I wanted to be his Luna, I had to accept him having us both. In my past life, I screamed at him, accusing him of defying the Moon Goddess. Pressured by the Elders, he was forced to banish Lyla. She was run down by rogues and fell from a cliff to her death. After that, Damon refused to ever mark me. He even framed me, luring me into the forbidden lands as a pretext to banish me. Then, he hunted me down and killed me himself. I remember my body being picked apart by birds, the agony of it all. But now, I just stared at Damon's cold face, and at the Omega, Lyla, cradled in his arms. Then, I calmly reached up and removed the sacred symbol of our fated bond. "I refuse." And with that, under the shocked gazes of the entire pack, I walked away, heading for the frozen lands of the North. This time, I will make every single wolf who hurt me pay.

I've followed an Instagram account. While unremarkable, it showcases some pretty sweet and romantic content. The account details the daily life of the owner and her Alpha. When it's raining cats and dogs outside, they share a hot beverage in a cafe. After they leave the place, he tilts the umbrella slightly toward her. Also, when they look up at the moon while sitting side by side, the sight of their fingers grazing each other strums my heartstrings. The Alpha in the photos has never revealed his face, yet he gives off a familiar feeling to me. On the night before my and Xavier Lupine's mating ceremony takes place, the account has a new update. "This marks the end of our eight-year entanglement. From now onward, he's her fated Alpha. I'm just her best friend. "This account will go silent from here on. I wish my 'best friend' and the Alpha, who's rightfully mine, eternal happiness." The latest photo shows Xavier and me. But the thing is, I've never shown anyone that photo before.

The day I find out I only have three days left to live, my mate comes home with a mate termination contract. He wants to break up with me and form a new bond with another she-wolf who's pretending to be dying—just to fulfill her so-called final wish. "Sweetheart, I don't have a choice," Caleb Lowe says, holding me in his arms. "Ruby's been poisoned with silver. She's got about a week left. Her dying wish is to marry me. But don't worry. You're the only one I love," he adds, looking at me with those sincere eyes. "Once the bonding ceremony is over and she's gone, we'll get back together—just like before." I look down and give a small laugh, then sign the termination contract. Forget it. I'm dying anyway. Who he ends up with doesn't matter anymore. I might as well let him have what he wants.

He is the unchallenged Alpha of the Shadow pack. He crushes my hand, lets his true love drive me to the brink, and forces me to lick wolfsbane from my wounds in the punishment chamber, turning me into the pack's laughingstock. I am the Lunar pack's pawn in a political bonding. After enduring three years of humiliation and clutching enemy intelligence, I overturn his throne during the Moon Ceremony, making him watch helplessly as his beloved betrays him and his pack descends into chaos. Later, he backs down. He abdicates as Alpha and gets down on his knees at the pack's border every day, his voice hoarse from shouting, "I was wrong." I hold a blood-stained dagger, my gaze icy as I say, "Your regret is deadlier than wolfsbane and worth even less than my life." Our bonding is a calculated trap, and revenge is the move I am determined to play. Winning him back no longer matters. This time, I am not turning back. I want nothing but his endless remorse and the chance to break my chains and begin a new life.

Nang dahil sa gaganaping engagement ceremony ng kapatid, napilitang umuwi ang 25 anyos na dalagang si Elodie Hermedilla sa Pilipinas galing Australia. Ngunit, hindi niya inaasahang bigla pala siyang ipapalit sa kapatid na ma-engage dahil buntis ito sa ibang lalaki. Kaya nakipagtalik siya kay Russel Lardizabal, 28 years old na binatang kakikilala pa lang niya, dahil sa ayaw niyang ireserba sa kaniyang mapapangasawa ang kaniyang virginity. Subalit, hindi naman pala natuloy ang engagement ceremony. Pagkakataon niya iyon upang ituloy ang namamagitan sa kanila ni Russel. Nang malaman niyang balak pala siyang gamitin ng lalaki dahil sa mai-engage rin ito sa iba, napipilitan man ay siya na ang kusang lumayo. Ngunit huli na ang lahat nang malaman niyang buntis na pala siya kay Russel. Kaniya bang sasabihin sa lalaki ang tungkol sa magiging anak nila? Or she will wait him chase her untamed heart?

On my wedding day, my boyfriend, Theodore Gunther, suddenly stops the wedding ceremony—all because Gwen Lithgow has updated her social media to say she's back. Theodore throws away the wedding ring he designed. He leaves me at the altar without another look back. I'm dumbfounded as I stand there in my wedding dress. My brother, Alvin Chilton, who's supporting me, lets go. "You've always been strong, Joycelyn. I know you can handle this alone. Gwen needs me more now." With that, he also leaves. He and Theodore have both left me for the same woman. They abandon me alone. That night, after dealing with the fallout of the failed wedding, Gwen sends me a photo. In it, Theodore and Alvin are standing by her bedside. She wears the necklace Theodore made himself and the wedding dress Alvin designed. Those were supposed to be mine. The image makes me lose hope in them. Tears stream down my face as I make a call. "Mom, Dad, I've changed my mind. I want to go home."

My mate, Loki Olson, was the Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack, the strongest warrior in the pack. Yet he was colder to me than winter stone, stingy with even the smallest trace of warmth. It was only after my hair had turned completely white that I accidentally saw him gazing at a photograph of my sister, Alice Brewer, his eyes full of longing and tenderness. That was when I finally understood why Loki had never held a mating ceremony with me. His heart had always belonged to Alice. Marrying me was nothing more than fulfilling an agreement made with my father. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back at our bonding ceremony. Without mercy, Loki tore up our wedding contract in front of everyone, then reached for Alice's hand and announced their engagement amid the cheers and blessings of countless werewolves. As for me, I picked up the phone and called my father, the former Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack. "Dad, I've made up my mind. I'm willing to take Alice's place and marry into the Goldlush Pack."