Family: The Unbreakable Bond

On the day I get buried alive by the avalanche, my biological older sister, Whitney Linder, cuts off the safety rope wrapped around my waist in order to save Cameron Linder, the fake heir who has replaced me all these years. The snow is about to cover my head, and I can feel my warmth rapidly draining from my body. In despair, I begin screaming at Whitney. "Don't leave me behind, Whitney! Otherwise, my adoptive father's subordinates will settle the score with you by blasting the entire mountain into pieces!" Over the years since I get accepted back into the elite Linder family, I've been keeping up a cowardly and docile facade. Never have I ever mentioned my adoptive parents, who live abroad. Because of that, the Lindens have no idea that the married couple who have adopted me are actually the leaders of an international mercenary squad. My adoptive dad is a legendary sniper, whereas my adoptive mom is a demolitions expert. I'm the apple of the entire squad's eye. But Whitney pulls back the severed rope with a cold chuckle. "Keep dreaming, Skylar! You're just a country bumpkin who lies all the time, so you definitely don't have any powerful subordinates! You should be grateful to me for taking you here for a skiing trip without complaining about how much you embarrass me in public! "To think that you actually have the guts to fight for a chance of survival with Cameron! Don't you know that he mustn't suffer from any shock at all?" After that, Whitney leaves with Cameron in tow. "Since your adoptive parents are that amazing, why don't you get them to fly over in a helicopter to rescue you?" When the light above my head vanishes, I use what little strength I have to press the red button on the satellite-based GPS. What Whitney doesn't know is that she will die in the mountain once the signal is sent out.

On our wedding anniversary night, my husband, Lucian Moore, comes home with a seven-year-old orphan named Chloe Martin. He even hands her the necklace he bought me for our anniversary and lets her play with it like a toy. Because of her, my son, Ryan Moore, shouts at me for the first time. "You're a bad woman! I don't want you to be my mommy!" I watch the three of them sitting together, warm and cozy, and I say nothing. Instead, I buy a ticket to leave the country. At first, they think I'm just acting out and will come home in a few days. But when they return from Feanland after celebrating Chloe's birthday, they find out I've joined a ten-year classified research project and will not come back again. At that moment, they fall apart.

A very long time ago, there was a pact between a powerful wolf and a very talented witch, a pact to save a life in exchange for great wealth and power. But along the line, things didn't go as planned and the result was the death of the future Luna and her heir. Enraged, the powerful wolf scorched earth on all witches and that was what started the Hex wars. Fast forward to the current time, the slave girl, Rebekka Kent, due to her exceptional blood line is drawn into a tussle of power – after saving his life and then being rejected by the current heir of the alpha, she is found by a dark and mysterious stranger who claims her as his. Her life takes a different turn as her mate regrets his decision and wants her back but the dark stranger refuses to give her up. Rebekka discovers a power within herself that alludes to something, a power that can tip the balance of power and shape the very outcome of the Hex wars. Torn between her two lovers, Rebekka has to make up her mind who to back as her decision would affect the outcome of the war. Does she choose Stephan, the man she shares a blood bond with and the heir of the alpha or Damon, the mysterious stranger with a surprising past who saved her life? Does she come out of this alive or does the forces against her succeed in claiming her power for themselves as the war reaches its climax.

After my pack fell, my father and I joined the Black Moon Pack. Alpha Victor admired my gift for runes and promised to make me his Luna. I was so full of hope, I didn’t even mind that he was using my gift to shield his entire pack. But he kept delaying our marking ceremony, leaving me to endure the pack’s scorn for my fallen bloodline. On the eve of my father’s death, he even temporarily marked Seraphina, the daughter of another Alpha. He claimed it was to secure an alliance. I cried myself dry in the endless wait, only to hold my father as he died in my arms. Victor, however, continued to use my gift, commissioning runes from me only to give them to Seraphina. The final straw was when Seraphina destroyed my rune sanctum and flaunted the very pendant I’d crafted for my own bonding ceremony. That’s when my heart finally shattered. I no longer cared about being his Luna. I simply walked away. But after I left, Victor’s desperate plea echoed from the Moon Goddess altar. “Come back and be my Luna. Please.”

“**You should have remained hidden, Omega.**” Ashryn never meant to step into the fire-lit ring. Weak, unmated, and unwanted, he has survived his entire life by staying unseen. But the Moon does not care for survival—it cares for fate. And the moment Ashryn feels the bond tug at his chest, he knows the truth is far crueler than hope. Kaelor is the Alpha who rejects him before the entire pack, shattering Ashryn’s dignity with a single word: *defective*. Humiliated and broken, Ashryn runs into the wilds, determined to disappear forever. Yet fate is not finished with him. The bond refuses to die, pulsing louder with every mile of distance. When Kaelor finds him again, regret burns hotter than pride. The Alpha who denied his mate now refuses to let him go—claiming protection where Ashryn sees a cage. Trapped between desire and fear, mercy and possession, Ashryn must decide whether love born of pain can ever be trusted. Because some bonds are not meant to be gentle. Some are forged in rejection, sharpened by regret, and sealed by a Moon that never makes mistakes. **He was never meant to exist. Yet fate refuses to let him go.**

Vaelora “Elyndra” Rhydian is the last of a broken bloodline, the cursed heir of NightMoor’s fallen Beta family. Orphaned by war, suffering from horrible PTSD from being raised by an abusive stepfather, and haunted by a wolf that won't fully awaken, her life has been nothing but loss. At 22, she still can’t complete her transformation. Each attempt nearly kills her. Plagued by nightmares and a mysterious voice inside her, she searches for answers, and her mate. But when she finally finds him at the Moon Festival, it’s not salvation that greets her. It’s rejection. Zarek Vortan Blackmoor, the feared Alpha of the NightMoor Pack, is cold, brutal, and cursed, just like her. Believing he doesn't have a mate and unworthy of love, he’s prepared to marry another. But fate intervenes. When Zarek discovers Vaelora is his fated mate, the one woman who could unravel his most dangerous secret, he rejects her in front of the entire pack. But destiny isn't so easily defied. When Vaelora offers him a deal that could save them both, they’re forced into a reluctant alliance; one built on secrets, betrayal, and a bond neither of them can sever. He’s the Alpha cursed to fall. She's Luna, destined to rise. Will pride, pain, and prophecy tear them apart, or can they heal each other before darkness consumes them both?

The entire world froze. Overnight, the city plunged to –40 °F. Yet, in the middle of this frozen apocalypse, my mother, my sister and her son moved into the home I bought for my marriage. Even my own husband took my sister’s side. They threw me out into the freezing cold to scavenge for supplies. I came back frozen half to death, and they had not even saved me a bowl of warm soup. Then, my sister shoved me straight off the fifth-floor landing. In that bitter cold, my body hit the ground and shattered like glass. When I woke again, I found myself back in the week before the apocalypse struck. This time, I resolved to cut them all off. I would make every last one of them pay.

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."

The enemies of my adopted sister's parents mistook me for her and kidnapped me. Before the rogues killed me, they gave me three phone calls for help. If anyone was willing to give me three hundred dollars, I could live. For the first call, I dialed my father. Father didn't listen to a word I said. He immediately unleashed a torrent of curses. "Where the hell are you? Get your ass back home right now for your sister's birthday!" For the second call, I dialed my brother. My brother listened silently to my plea for help, then hung up with a cold snort. "You're never around when the pack needs you. Who's going to fall for this act now?" For the third call, I dialed my fiancé. He didn't even answer. When I called again, I'd been blocked. The rogue wolf laughed at me. "Looks like being the eldest daughter of the Ashwood family doesn't mean much, does it?" After he tortured me to death, he stuffed my body into a suitcase and threw it in the river.

As the end of the year approaches, my wife, Sylvia Small, who is five months into her pregnancy, accidentally falls into a lake. Our neighbor who is a police officer, Raven Weber, jumps in and rescues her. Unfortunately, she slips into a coma after her heroic feat. As I rush over, I see that a crowd has gathered at the scene. Sylvia is drenched from head to toe, wrapped up tightly in a blanket. Water droplets keep dripping from the tips of her hair. "Are you alright, Sylvia?" I ask, drawing near. The moment Sylvia sees me, she moves toward me and burrows herself into my arms. She clings to me like she is clinging for dear life. "You're finally here, Zach!" she exclaims emotionally. I frown and push her away. "Just say what you have to say. This suit is expensive. Don't dirty it," I said indifferently. My words make Sylvia's eyes go wide with disbelief and shock. But that only lasts for a second before an anxious look replaces it. She holds my arms firmly and says in a choked voice, "Officer Weber is in a coma because of me. Please transfer a sum of money to me so that I can thank her for saving my life." I glance at Sylvia impatiently and reply, "What's that got to do with me? Why should I transfer you my money so that you can give it to her?"