Eighteenth Century

"I will make you wish for death," Marvin spat wickedly, his eyes blazing into mine. "But death... will be too far away." I sniffed and blinked a couple of times. “I, Rita Maxwell, would only wish for one thing.” Marvin’s head snapped toward me. Indifference coated his expression, sharp and cutting. Yet beneath the deep-rooted hatred was a flicker of something uncertain that didn’t last long. But I continued, “…I, Rita Maxwell, reject…” “Enough!” Alpha Philips’ voice broke through the air, both stiffening and unbearable. “You clearly wish for death, don’t you?” he blurted through gritted teeth. ***** Rita Maxwell was hated by all, including her mum and her twin sister, Becky, due to the birth scar on her face, the same scar that was termed a curse and had condemned her. What could be more cruel than having fate take a twist into one’s worst nightmare? Rita’s kindness was mistaken for treason and attempted murder, and she was reduced from a despised daughter to a rejected and hated maid in the packhouse. But on her eighteenth birthday, the tables turned so cruelly that she wished they never had. All she ever asked for was love, a perfect life with a mate who cherished her, not the other way around. Fated to the very man who was betrothed to her twin sister, wasn't what she ever wanted. As the hands of time ticked and broken hearts bled, what becomes of the bond that was termed a curse, a taboo… manipulated? What becomes of Rita, the cursed and hated pack omega in this journey of survival? And Marvin, would he ever see her any differently, especially with the demise of Becky and the impending chaos? What if there are better options for Rita?

Alpha Prince Valen, the next in-line to be Alpha King, has been Raina's childhood crush. For years she yearned for the attention that he never gave. Surprisingly, she got her wolf at age sixteen, which was the same day of Valen’s eighteenth birthday party. Among the pack members, family and friends, he looked her dead in the eyes and publicly denied finding his mate. - Distraught, ashamed and heartbroken, Raina kept the secret of being mated to Valen, until circumstances forced him to finally acknowledge their bond. - Sadly, things went downhill because something was devastatingly wrong with their bond. The old books declared them as unfortunate soulmates. A glimpse of the future has left her torn between the desire for her mate and the doom of their fate. - Forced to reject her and sever the bond, the painful separation exposed Raina to numerous challenges and dangers. - Will Raina and Valen have their happy ending or did the moon goddess have something else in store for them? Should she fight for her mate, or let the course of destiny unfold? - Find out as Raina embarks on a journey filled with heartache, revelation, and an uncertain future. - This is Book 2 from the Mates series. This might be read as a standalone, however, to understand the characters, you might want to read Book 1 - Mates: Regrets and Redemption © All rights reserved. - EXCERPT: He chuckled and lewdly continued, “Mmmmmm….right there....it will hit all those spots over and over." "Valen, stop." I breathlessly moaned and blushed. A rush of heat pulsed through my body. "Or when I put one hand around your throat…” He did the action, moving his lips to brush on mine. “.....and the other grips your hair, then your inner thigh, and then your cumming p**sy."

I used to be the beloved little princess of the Colobo family. Then, on my eighteenth birthday, my father brought home Sophia. She was the daughter of the old friend who had once saved his life. Out of guilt, he gave her a place in our home. Then he gave her my place too. My brother began protecting her and hating me. My childhood friend, Luca Rizzo, fell for her and left me behind. Even my father said Sophia deserved the Colobo name more than I did, though I was his biological daughter. On the day I graduated from college, they broke their promise to me for the ninety-ninth time because of her. I finally lost control. “Am I not your own daughter?” My father pulled Sophia behind him as if I were the danger, then slapped me across the face. “You jealous little thing. I should have given everything to her instead.” My brother looked at me like I was something dirty. “You don’t deserve a place in the Colobo family. Get out.” So I left. They thought I was only throwing another tantrum. They took Sophia to Switzerland to see the snow-covered mountains, certain that silence would teach me to behave. They thought I would calm down, come home, and beg for my place again. But this time, I called the research institute in Australia whose offer I had once turned down for them. “I accept,” I said. By the time the Colobo family realized I was truly gone, my phone number no longer existed. And so did Isabella Colobo.

Layla could not contain her excitement as she turned eighteen. Despite being a maid in the courthouse and a victim of cruelty, she hoped in excitement to find her mate on her eighteenth birthday, as she had been praying to the moon goddess for years. Layla's prayers get answered and she bumped into her mate Derrick, an alpha of the Greenhills pack. She was joyous, only to find a look of resentment on his face as he tried to walk away from her. "Alpha Derrick, you felt it too, I know you did, the bond between us," were the words she said to him with expectant eyes, stopping him and ignoring how he glared at her with disdain and utmost hatred. He insults her and talks down on her but eventually agrees to take her with him. She becomes his maid. Layla finds out that Derrick has a girlfriend named Freya who resents her, and she gets hurt anew each time she sees them together. Layla has no chance with Derrick, as he is still very mean to her and doesn't treat her better than a maid. Layla finds out that Freya is not only cheating on Derrick with Liam (his Beta) but is also planning to kill him. Layla is in shock as she discovers this dreadful secret and hurries to tell Derrick about it. Derrick resents her even more and accuses her of slander. He commands that she be locked up, beaten, and sent to the evil forest. She had found her mate, but at what cost? Was her mate eventually going to accept her and love her? Or was she a mere maid who didn't deserve to be with an alpha like him? Will she survive the tragedies and come out alive?

Perfection was the curse. I was born into wealth, beauty, influence, and a family empire that stretched across continents. People envied my life, not knowing it was nothing more than a gilded prison. The only thing that ever felt real was ballet, the passion my parents forbade because it brought them no power, no profit, no leverage. My parents; greedy, ambitious, unfillable, hid their cruelty beneath luxury. And on my eighteenth birthday, they revealed the ultimate betrayal. I was engaged to a powerful man twice. . . no, three times my age. A man feared across Europe. A man whose hands were stained with secrets the world pretended not to see. They sold me to strengthen an alliance. So I ran. Barefoot, shaking, heartbroken. I stole one of our visitor's chopper and fled to Sicily, thinking distance could save me. I thought I escaped the monsters who owned my life. But I only ran into a darker one. Because Sicily is his territory; Aldrick Moretti, the shadow king of the Italian underworld. Cold. Untouchable. Beautiful in the most devastating way. The man people whisper about as if speaking his name is a sin. A man with eyes that see through lies. . . including mine. And the moment he found me trespassing on his land, bleeding, terrified, and wearing the remnants of a runaway bride. . . He didn’t return me. He didn’t free me. He claimed me. Not as a business deal. Not as an alliance. But as something far more dangerous. He became my captor, my protector, my obsession, and the forbidden flame I should never have touched. Because in his world, love is not tender. It’s a weapon. And I am the sacrifice wrapped in a veil he refuses to let go.

I never asked to be his mate. Damien Magnus was everything I could never have, powerful and untouchable. He was the heir to the Moonstone pack. I was the pack's only omega, a disgrace, surviving on scraps and their mercy. When the mate bond finally snapped into place on my eighteenth birthday, I saw the horror reflect deep in his eyes. Rejection even before he spoke the words. But for a single night, he let himself want me. He came to me in darkness a desperate and hungry man. He touched me like I was precious, like I meant the world to him. He made love to me like I mattered. By morning, he'd made his choice. The note he left behind shattered what was left of my heart: "This never happened. You mean nothing." I would have left quietly. Disappeared. Let him have his perfect life with his perfect mate. But I discovered the biggest shock of my life, I was pregnant. Now I'm running for my dear life with his child in my womb, bleeding from wounds his vile chosen mate inflicted and crossing pack borders as a rogue. And five years later, when fate finally forces us back together, Damien discovers the truth. I didn't just survive. I thrived. His daughter has his eyes. His power and strength. He wants us back. He'll do anything. But I've learned the toughest lesson. Sometimes love isn't enough. The mate bond breaks. And sometimes, just sometimes... it can be forged afresh

Bailey Ashwood has loved Liam Black for as long as she can remember. As the youngest daughter of the pack’s Beta, she grew up admiring the future Alpha from afar, praying every night to the Moon Goddess that he would one day become her mate. Her only comfort was her childhood best friend, Jenny — the one person who knew her deepest secret. But on the morning of her eighteenth birthday, Bailey’s world shatters. Drawn by the sudden pull of the mate bond, she follows the intoxicating scent straight to Liam’s room… only to find him in bed with Jenny. Heartbroken and humiliated, Bailey is publicly rejected by the very man she had loved all her life — a rejection fueled by dark secrets, ambition, and betrayal. Unable to bear the pain, she leaves her pack and disappears into the human world, masking her wolf scent with the help of a mysterious witch. For two years, she builds a new life, determined to forget everything about mates, wolves, and destiny. Until the day a powerful and enigmatic CEO walks into her workplace. Xander Draven is feared across the werewolf world as the ruthless Alpha King. The moment he sees Bailey, he knows she is his fated mate — the one he has waited his entire life for. But Bailey no longer believes in fate. And she has no intention of returning to a world that once broke her. As Xander fights to win her trust, old enemies resurface, hidden truths come to light, and a war that could destroy entire packs begins to rise. This time, Bailey must decide: Will she run from destiny again… Or rise from betrayal to claim the throne meant for her?

Brooklyn Blakley was classified as an Omega. She endured countless years of torment and abuse from her pack. Even though technically she wasn't an Omega, she wasn't able to reveal her true identity. When she was five she became an orphan and was taken in by the Alpha of the Lunar Eclipse pack. He only wanted her as a slave and she had never truly been accepted by the pack. On her eighteenth birthday, she find out that her biggest tormentors were planning to kill her. But when the son of the Alpha, the future Alpha realizes she is his fated mate, he can no longer look at her. He rejects her and then leaves her to die in the woods. Alpha Tatum Gunner had lost his mate three years ago. The elders are forcing him to take a Luna or he will have to step down. There is no one in Black Fang pack he wants to make as his chosen mate. He had no problem bedding the she-wolves in his pack, but there was nothing more he wanted from another female. There is only one girl he has ever loved. When he comes across a she-wolf in the forest, he thinks he has found his answer. He offers her a place in his pack. In exchange he wants her to sign a one year contract to act as his Luna. She has to carry his mark as his mate, but will not claim her. Once the year is up, he will find another pack for her to go. Will his ruthlessness towards her push her away when he realizes she is his second chance mate? What will happen when Brooklyn's truth comes to light?

As I turn to march out of the room, my feet stop and my breath hitches. "Bryanna. Why…” I whip back around and glare at them. "You aren't to use that name in public. Only when we are in private and alone.” Jacob flashes me a crooked smile. His eyes sparkle as he waves his finger around in the air. “We are alone. It is only us three in here.” He rests his arm on the table and gives me a cheesy grin, almost daring me to slap it off him. His t-shirt stretches tight against his muscular chest and accents his well-defined muscles. He has a true alpha body. The sparkle in his light brown eyes shimmers as he leans forward. In a deep, husky voice, he adds, “We know all your secrets. Plus, we can see your true self. The one nobody else can see because of the magic spell. Should I go on?” My heartbeat echoes in my ears as I stumble forward. How could he act like this? Bryanna, the heir to her pack, is forced into a contract relationship right before her eighteenth birthday which her father claims to be the best for both her and the pack. However, as she gets older, she soon realizes the contract relationship may not be the best choice for her, but it was a great choice for her father. When Bryanna and the contract are on the verge of falling apart, she faces a choice only she can make. Does she fight for the mate she can't detect at the risk of her secret coming out? Or does she sacrifice her happiness for the pack and her father's wishes while also keeping her secret buried?

Because I was born under the Moon’s blessing, my body ripened earlier than any she-wolf my age. On the night of my eighteenth turning, my brother—fearing I’d be force-claimed by brutes—entrusted me to his blood-oath brother: Silas, Alpha of the Northern Peak. The first time we met, his golden eyes locked on my bared neck and never left. His fangs sank into my scent gland that very night, claiming me beneath the full moon. For four years since, I’ve been his scribe by dawn light, and his whore by moonrise. He trained my body to fit his every hunger, covering me in bite marks, yet never left the Mating Mark that would make me his true mate. Four years later, his confidante from the Central Territories returned. He tore from my heat-soaked sheets without a backward glance, racing to the moon-platform to greet her. I followed, stomach hollow, scent glands throbbing with his phantom claim. Only an hour before, his hand—scarred from my own teeth—had clamped over my mouth as he rutted me into the furs. Now, before the assembled Pack, he stroked another woman’s silver hair. “Amara, don’t show that jealous look. Have you forgotten—four years ago, you were the one who crawled into my bed while I was moon-mad.” “This tantrum is unbecoming.” He was right. I had chosen this life myself. But when I finally chose to leave him, he was the first to break.