He Who Fights With Monsters 10

In the second month of my relationship with my best friend Sophie Vaughn's older brother, Elias Vaughn, Thanksgiving arrives. Sophie leans in, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Elias is bringing his girlfriend home for the holiday. Let's see what all the fuss is about." I take my time getting ready, heart fluttering with hope. Just maybe, I'll finally be formally introduced as his girlfriend. But the moment I step inside, I see him with another elegant, beautiful woman, smiling as he introduces her to his parents. "This is my girlfriend," he says. He then inadvertently looks over at me, stiffening for a moment, clearly caught off guard. But just as quickly, he recovers and turns to the woman beside him. "That woman over there is my sister's friend and a part-time student. You could say she's a maid in our household." A maid? As it turns out, I'm nothing more than someone for him to kiss and sleep with. I was never someone worthy of standing by his side publicly. I turn away and board the train back to Ashcroft University, choosing my future over another night in his bedroom.

Ever since I was little, I knew my future mate would be one of two Alpha candidates: Mitchell or Jax. Even with all their Alpha pride, I never once doubted that set future. The pack elders always said it was natural for Alpha candidates to focus on getting stronger and controlling the pack. My mother, Lyra, even told me that every brutal fight they got into was so the winner could give me, their Luna, the ultimate honor. That is, until I and Elara – this Omega stray they'd taken in – got ambushed and captured by our old enemies, the Nightshade pack. Mitchell and Jax only had enough of the life-saving Moonpetal herb for one of us. And they both chose to give it to Elara. To save myself in that fire, I forced a shift. The power surge was too much. The heat twisted my cheekbone, and just like that, I was disfigured. After they dragged me out – like an afterthought – I watched those two future Alphas crying over Elara, who didn't have a scratch on her. "Thank the Moon Goddess, Elara, you're alive." "Once we sort out who's the new Alpha of Blackwood, whoever it is will give you the most honored spot right under the Luna, Elara. Don't you worry. We'll give you the best of everything our pack has, make sure you never suffer again." "Elara, you're the real Luna in our hearts." When I came to, I cut off that ridiculous mate bond for good. Empty promises and a trampled destiny? I was done with it. But after I left, they stayed by my cave every day, begging me to come back.

My boyfriend, Simon Hepworth, gets down on one knee for the 66th time. Moved by his persistence, I finally say yes. But on the eve of our wedding, he drops a bombshell on me. He tells me he wants to have a child with his stepsister, Fiona Hepworth. I find it ridiculous and get into a huge fight with him. But I never could've imagined what would come next. On our wedding day, I wait at the altar for three hours, bouquet in my hands, only for him to dismissively tell me that the wedding is postponed. All because he and Fiona have an IVF appointment that very day. "Fiona was abused by her father growing up. She'll never be able to marry," he explains. "I just want to help her fulfill her dream of being a mother. It's just IVF. It's not like we're actually sleeping together. Stop being so sensitive." He then hangs up, leaving me alone at the wedding under the gaze of countless guests and flashing media cameras. The shock sends my father into the ICU. Standing by his bedside, I make a vow. "Dad, you were right. I won't marry Simon. Next week, I'll come home and take over the family business."

Evelyn — They said the mate bond was sacred. That he'd protect me. Cherish me. Stay. But while I was screaming in a hospital bed, bringing his child into the world— he was in hers. Now I carry more than his baby. I carry the truth no one wants to say out loud. And I’m done pretending I wasn’t the one left bleeding.

During the pack's wilderness training, my adopted sister, Tessa, shoved me from a cliffside thick with wolfsbane. My Alpha, Fenrir, turned and left with Tessa feigning injury in his arms, leaving me for dead at the bottom of the ravine. I died instantly, but my soul lingered, watching everything with cold detachment. I watched as Tessa's tearful complaints swayed him into blaming me for my own disappearance. "Will Selene ever stop causing me trouble?" "She's weak and always looking for trouble. How could she possibly be fit to be our Luna?" He had no idea I was already dead at the bottom of that cliff choked with wolfsbane. Five whole days. The poison hit my bloodstream like liquid fire, racing through my veins with merciless speed. As my body decayed under the moonlight, my love for him faded with it. The title of Luna, the magnificent coronation I had dreamed of, everything I once cherished was now meaningless. The Selene who loved him was well and truly dead.

I'd been home for half a month, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that Mom wasn't quite herself anymore. She looked and sounded like she always had, but something felt different. Then, one day, I got a message from her that sent a chill down my spine. "Lily, hide! There's a ghost in the house!" At first, I thought she was pulling a prank on me—or maybe her account got hacked. Then, there was a knock on my bedroom door. Mom, who had just finished cooking, called out to tell me the meal was ready. I was still hesitating when another message popped up. It was a voice message. "Trust me, Lily. I'm your real mom! The one out there is a ghost! Run!" It sounded just like Mom's voice from outside. My mind was racing in panic. Not hearing me respond, Mom giggled from the other side of the door and said, "I'm coming in."

Adelina, having just completed her shift for the first time, is summoned to Aspen after mysterious documents prove she is the fated mate of Daxon Reyes, the powerful Alpha billionaire. Though terrified and unprepared, she travels to Colorado. When their eyes meet during a pack gathering, the mate bond snaps into place. Electricity, heat, possession but also terror. Dax seems distant. He vanishes shortly after. A week later, she’s summoned again only to be rejected in front of the pack council, humiliated by the very wolf meant to protect her. Her world crumbles. RISING ACTION 1. Adelina’s Escape Broken and alone, Adelina flees Aspen with the help of Caleb, Dax’s Beta, who believes Dax was coerced. She hides in the Appalachian Mountains, where her late mother once lived. There, she discovers she is pregnant. 2. The Bloodline Truth An ancient Seer from a rogue Appalachian pack reveals the truth: Adelina is the last living descendant of the Moon Matron line ancient, powerful female wolves who were once equal in power to Alphas. Her child may carry an evolved form of werewolf power. 3. Back in Aspen Dax, haunted by visions and physical pain (side effects of rejecting a true mate), begins to question everything. He investigates Adelina’s past and discovers documents that Sylvia manipulated Adelina’s lineage was true. The Council had lied to maintain their power. 4. The Child Threat Sylvia learns of Adelina’s pregnancy and sees the child as a threat to her legacy. She sends hunters after Adelina to ensure the child never sees the moonlight. 5. Adelina Builds a New Pack Isolated but not defeated, Adelina begins forming bonds with rogues, lone wolves, and rejected females. Her strength grows. She becomes an Alpha in her own right, a Luna by force of will.

Daniel was young and in love, just not with the girl he was set to marry. Unfortunately for him and his would be bride, he was from a very rich and powerful family who owed a favor to someone else. His father made a private deal with the man to repay the debt by allowing his daughter to marry Daniel. The deal was made long ago, when the two were just children, but that didn't matter now. All that mattered to his father was keeping his promise and repaying his debt to the other man. He considered it a blemish on his family's good name and flat refused to die with that promise still unkept. Daniel had no choice but to take matters into his own hands.

He looked right through me. Alpha Damon, my fated mate, saw only a cursed, scentless servant unworthy of his notice. His rejection was a cold blade to the heart. Then, blood and chaos shattered everything. A rogue attack broke the curse binding my true Alpha power, revealing the wolf he’d scorned. Now, he sees me. Now, he wants me. The pursuit has begun – fierce, desperate, possessive. He tries apologies, demands, even force, driven by the bond he denied. But I am not the broken girl he remembers. He will learn that earning forgiveness from the Luna he brutalized means bowing before the power he dismissed. The chase is on, but this time, I set the rules.

The day she found out about the tumor, Noemi Rosales made one wild choice—she'd give her corneas to her blind husband, Daniel Gomez. Quietly. No spotlight, no drama. Too bad Daniel only cared about Ivanna Lopez. He ate up every lie she fed him and iced Noemi out like she was nothing. "I want you out of my life." Cool. Noemi could do that. "Ms. Rosales, are you certain you want Mr. Gomez listed as the cornea recipient?" "Yeah. Give them to him. Once I'm gone, the hospital can use the rest of me for science or whatever." She scrawled her signature. "Don't tell him."