Ceremony

My sister poisoned me. All because her mate was a pale shadow next to mine. Now, I'm back where it all began. The Mating Ceremony, five years ago. In my last life, Sarah and I chose our mates at the Pack Alliance gala. She chose the most powerful Alpha, the future Alliance leader, Damon. But she could never bear him a pup. Damon despised her. He abused her. He even went feral during his curse and nearly killed her. She shoved me toward Liam, the Alpha of a failing pack. She never guessed Liam’s power would explode, that he’d one day tear the title of High Alpha from Damon’s grasp. Then, on the day of Liam's coronation, Sarah poisoned me out of jealousy. I opened my eyes again. We were back at the mate selection ceremony. Sarah announced to everyone she was choosing Liam, and I was shoved toward her ex-mate, Damon. But I suddenly heard her inner scream: [Die, Elena. Just die! You and that rabid wolf Damon can go to hell together. Liam will still be High Alpha, and I will be the ultimate Luna!] But I just smirked as I stumbled into Damon’s arms. Sarah had no idea. The “perfect mate” she’d chosen was already plotting to consume her very soul.

Rhea is just a lovely omega working as a maid in the pack estate, saving every dollar she can to go to college. All her life, she’s dreamed of finding her mate — someone who would love her, respect her, and make her feel complete. She never asked for much. Just a kind man who’d treat her right. That’s what she wants. That’s what her mother wants. And her best friend Kale, the youngest son of the Beta, just so happens to fit that dream perfectly. During the Mate Ceremony, she finally finds her mate… but it’s not Kale like she hoped. It’s Alpha Dorian. The cold, ruthless Alpha known for his icy eyes and iron fists — and worse, everyone knows he’s already engaged to Vivienne, the daughter of a powerful neighboring Alpha. This has to be a joke. Rhea wants nothing to do with him. She plans to reject the bond and stay far away. But when her mother falls dangerously ill, and desperation sets in, she realizes she doesn’t have the luxury of pride. “Be my mistress,” he whispers, pinning her to the wall, his cold breath brushing her neck and sending a shiver down her spine. “And I will help you.” Now, Rhea is trapped in a secret affair with the Alpha she swore she hates — but every time he touches her, her body betrays her.

On my eighteenth birthday, Alpha called me up in front of the whole pack and told me to choose—one of his sons as my mate. Whichever I chose? He'd be the next Alpha. I didn't flinch. I picked Cayce, his eldest. The room went dead silent. Everyone knew I used to be stupidly in love with Kain, the younger one. I'd confessed at every pack dance. Took a silver dagger for him once. Cayce? Coldest, meanest wolf we had. Total menace. No one got close. But they didn't know the truth. In my last life, I was bonded to Kain. On the day of our Bonding Ceremony, he slept with Lena, my cousin. My mom lost it. Shipped Lena off to Duskwolf Pack to get bonded to their Beta. Kain? He blamed me. Paraded in she-wolves with Lena's same ice-blue eyes. When he found out I was carrying his pup, he made sure I saw him with every one of them. It was torture. When labor hit, he locked me in the dungeon. Blocked everyone out. My pup got crushed. I died hating him. Maybe the Moon Goddess felt sorry for me—she gave me a second shot. I came back. This time? I let Kain keep Lena. Didn't think he would ever regret it.

The books say that besides empaths, mages are the most sensitive when it comes to emotions. They also say that mages are the most dangerous supernatural s pecies to walk the earth. There's a reason for that, the elders say that mages who are underaged are a ticking time bomb because if a mage who is not of age constantly experiences negative emotions before their Coming of Age ceremony, their magic becomes twisted, their heart becomes cold and their eyes change to reflect that evil magic coursing through them. No one ever believed the books, thinking of them as fairy tales. At least they didn't until Olive Lane walked into school her magic dark and corrupted enough to give her a shadow familiar. Her hair no longer an almost white blond but a haunting purple. Gone were her kind and emotion-filled green eyes and in their place were amethyst eyes filled with nothing but hatred and amusement. Everyone watched her snap the neck of a classmate with the tilt of her head and it was in that moment they realized that the books and the elders were right. And for the first time in their peace-filled lives, the residents of Ravenswood felt true horror because when she looked at them, they knew that in front of them was the monster spoken of in fear and terrified reverence. Olive Lane,the sweetest and kindest person to ever walk the earth was now a Dark Mage. Will her soul be forever lost in the darkness or is there a hope for redemption? Will she defeat her demons or will they overtake her and ruin that which she loves...

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?

'If one door closes, there are still a thousand doors open.' For the umpteenth time, the twenty-one-year-old art student Grace Menken is hurt by a man who only takes advantage of her kindness. Being alone, bullied, and always getting played with makes Grace hopeless, so she decides to end her life. With a rope and a broken heart, Grace chooses an abandoned mansion as a witness to her death. However, she had a bad accident in that place. Grace might have died in the accident, but fate plays tricks on her. A knock on the door awakens Grace, who had just fallen from a height of two floors. When she opens the door, a man in royal clothing bumps into her. "My apologies for hitting you, Ms. I’ve been chased by a pack of monster wolves. I have to find a way to get back to the palace. My wedding ceremony will start soon." ** Adro Alymer Groendez is the crown prince of the prosperous kingdom, Groendez a Lend. He will marry his childhood friend, Princess Joselyn. However, Adro accidentally crosses into the modern world on their wedding day through a witch's door. Trapped, Adro meets Grace Menken, a girl who becomes his friend and promises to help him return to the fairy tale land. Would Adro make it back to his world, where his bride-to-be is waiting? Or would Adro be trapped forever in the modern world?

Erika Regis dreamed of love and belonging, but her world has always been ruled by tragedy and secrets. Forced into a political union with the enigmatic Alpha Diego Di Rocco, she finds herself trapped in a cold, calculated marriage, fighting for acceptance in a pack that sees her as an outsider. But beneath Diego’s icy exterior lies a fractured soul, and as Erika battles to prove her worth, she begins to uncover dangerous truths about her tragic past, a prophecy that ties her fate to the survival of the Lycans, and the strength she never knew she possessed. Their mating ceremony is no fairy tale. Diego’s pack is steeped in tradition, secrets, and rivalries, and Erika is thrust into a world where she is both the object of scrutiny and the pawn in a dangerous game. Diego’s domineering mother, Dunia, and his cunning childhood friend, Lucia, conspire to test her every move, while Diego himself remains an enigma—distant yet magnetic, capable of igniting both longing and despair in her heart. When betrayal cuts deeper than any wound, Erika walks away—not to escape, but to reclaim her own power. Yet destiny has other plans. As enemies close in and war looms on the horizon, Erika must decide if her broken bond with Diego can be mended—or if she’s destined to rise alone. Gripping, seductive, and fiercely empowering, Dark Luna Rising will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final, heart-pounding page.

“Strip for me” the beastly alpha called, his voice echoed from his dark cell, causing a shiver to go down her body. She couldn’t fight the way her body reacts to him. Her nipples harden from his touch. “I can smell your wetness omega” he mutters, his hands tracing under her skirt till he feels up her wet jeweled folds, causing a hiss from her lips as his fingers push in. He whispers to he ears, a voice filled the dangerous promise “you are mine” ****** Elise Aldermen is the daughter of the Silvernight Pack's chief alpha. She has waited her whole life for her marriage ceremony, hoping it would be the best day of her life. However, she gets the shock of a lifetime when her betrothed coldly rejects her and makes her a slave after finding out her true origins, even though they were already bound. Not Not only is she claimed to be a bastard on her mating day, but she is also disowned and rejected by her pack and mate. Elise's life turns into a nightmare as she is thrown into the dungeons as the cruel alpha's slave, only to be handed off to his greatest beastly champion, who dwells in the dark cells. Elise soon discovers that the beast she is now forced to be marked and bound to is more than a monster; this beastly alpha could also be her fated mate.

"You smell like something forbidden... and now that I've tasted you, there's no going back. You're mine, omega. Every inch of you." The night Selene came of age for the Claiming ceremony, Alpha Rael took her ... and never let go. Night after night, he comes back for her while she surrenders to the heat of his touch, believing she is the exception. The luckiest among the Omegas. But dreams shatter fast in a world ruled by ruthless Alphas and political bonds. When Selene discovers she is pregnant, Rael crushes her heart by marrying another. Shattered and ashamed, she fled… vowing to raise her child far from the man who betrayed her. Years later, her heart is slowly healing in the arms of another: Kaelen, a strong, devoted Alpha who just happens to be Rael’s cousin. He held her when she broke, stayed when Rael didn’t….and now he’s her mate. But Rael is hunting her like a man possessed, desperate to make her his own by all means. Now, Selene stands at a dangerous crossroads. Her body cannot get over Rael’s touch, but her soul aches with betrayal. And her mate…the man who rebuilt her…grips her hand tightly and whispers. "Please, don’t return to my cousin. Your soul is bound to mine."

"I hate the effect you have on me" I said softly but I can feel my body betraying me by yearning for his touch. "It doesn't seem like that to me. You want this. You want me" He chuckled softly. I could feel his hands on the small of my back reaching out to caress my bare skin. I shuddered. Just one touch alone and I let my guards down. "Now say the words, Aria" "I want you. I need you" *** On the night of her Luna ceremony, Aria's world unravels when she catches her betrothed, Luca, in a compromising position with her cousin, Indie. Heartbroken yet she desperately clings to the hope that Luca will return to the love he once showed her. Just as she is about to be introduced as Luca's Luna, Alpha Kael bursts into the hall. A beast with a devil’s reputation, he claims Aria as his fated mate. As Luca resolves to fight for her, a fierce rivalry ignites between the two powerful Alphas. Conflicted and confused, Aria must choose between the love she once shared with Luca and an uncertain but dark future with Kael. Amid the tension, Aria harbors hidden secrets—some she knows all too well, and other secrets she is yet to find out. What happens when these secrets start unfolding before their own eyes?