Hindered By Tradition

My sister pulled a knife during a robbery attempt, and we got into a brutal fight. My mom, an auxiliary police officer, arrived at the scene but totally ignored my injury. As I lay in a pool of blood, begging for help, she just cradled my sister and yelled at me, "You're so desperate for attention that you'd hurt your sister? How did I raise a heartless monster like you?" She branded me as the aggressor, ignored my pleas, and rushed my sister, who had mere scratches, to the hospital. I was left alone to die miserably in that deserted alley. When the news of my death arrived, my mother dismissed it as another one of my lies, pointing at my body and demanding I get up to apologize to my sister.

“I, Julius Armstrong, reject Doris Charles as my mate.” The laughter came right after. This was the second time my mate rejected me because I cannot talk. In the pack, they call me dumb not because I am stupid, but because I am mute. When I turned eighteen, my first mate rejected me for that reason. Today, it was the Gamma. He is twenty-one, the same age as the Alpha and Beta. This was his third rejection. The first girl was too fat, the second was too short and now, I was dumb. I never wanted to attend the mating ceremony. I knew how it would end, but my stepmother forced me to go, and my stepsisters came just to watch me get mocked again. The next day, wolves who had found their mates returned to officially claim them before the Alpha and pack leaders. I went only because I was forced, just to stand there and watch my stepsister get chosen. Then something happened that no one expected. The Alpha claimed me as his mate in front of everyone. Was I shocked? Yes. Did I believe him? No. Did I think it was a cruel joke? Absolutely. Because no Alpha would choose a rejected, mute girl like me.

My in-laws, who have flown back to the country for the Christmas holidays, visit my home on Christmas Eve for dinner. But Selena Collins, the housekeeper, has only prepared two plates of cold shrimp ravioli despite the fact that I've specifically reminded her about my mother-in-law, Lora Fischer's allergy to shrimps. Selena just tells me in a stoic manner, "Mrs. Peterson, I know that you country bumpkins love taking advantage of everything. So, I completely understand that your parents want to mooch off a meal from the Peterson family during the holidays. "But as Mr. Peterson's most caring housekeeper, I have the right to protect the Petersons' assets from getting leeched by outsiders. Yes, this includes a regular meal. "Then again, I have a heart of gold, you see. I won't starve the elders at all. These are leftover shrimp ravioli from last year. Your parents should hurry up and leave after polishing the ravioli off. "Mr. Peterson is very busy with his work. I can't let him deal with your impoverished parents after getting home from a stressful day at work." I'm stunned at first, but I soon realize that Selena has mistaken my in-laws for my parents. She's purposefully causing me trouble as always. I'm about to explain the truth to Selena when I see my enraged in-laws turning to leave. But Selena wastes no time in calling the bodyguards over to stop them. "I completely understand that country bumpkins like you two have poor character, but wasting food is a really bad trait. "Since the shrimp ravioli is already prepared for you, please finish them all before leaving."

“I, Alpha Damon, reject you, Kaima, as my mate. You are a stain on my pack, a weakling who offers nothing but shame.” Those were the words that shattered Kaima’s world. Cast out into the Forbidden Forest to die, the low-status omega expected the shadows to claim her life. Instead, they whispered her name. Betrayal has a way of waking up the ancient things that should have stayed buried. Deep within Kaima’s blood, the First Fang—the original primal wolf spirit—stirs. It doesn't want her to survive; it wants her to reign. When she is found by Rowan, the lethal Alpha of the Black-Ridge Pack, he doesn't see a broken girl. He senses a power that hasn't walked the earth in five centuries. Bound to Rowan by a dangerous Soul Resonance, Kaima begins a meteoric rise. She is no longer the girl who hides; she is the girl whose scent makes Alphas drop to their knees in terror. As she masters her new dominance, she must navigate a world of "face-slapping" revenge, pack politics, and a second-chance bond that is as erotic as it is deadly. From the ashes of a public rejection, a Queen is born. The Council wants her dead, her former mate wants her back, but the Beast? The Beast wants blood.

They say she stole her sister's mate. But she was his Luna and he was supposed to Love her. Instead, she is betrayed by a man she trusted, forced to watch her sister take what was hers. Diana is broken, rumored to turn insane from grief. However, Under the light of the next full moon, The Lycan finds her- claiming her with a hunger that burns through her grief. Desire, danger and destiny collide as Diana discovers a bond she never expected and a love that refuses to let her go.

At 11:00 pm, I've just locked my car and am about to walk away when rows of bright red comments appear right in front of my eyes. "Warning! Your husband, whom you're still in a 30-day cooling-off period with, wants to kidnap you! He'll take nudes of you while livestreaming the entire process before mutilating you into chunks and flushing you down the sewers!" "Well, this gold digger keeps swindling money from her husband while toying with his feelings relentlessly. Now, she even wants a portion of his assets by getting a divorce from him. Serves her right for being a target of revenge!" I'm left feeling shell-shocked. After all, I'm single as a Pringle. How the heck did I even have a husband, to begin with?

"You'll always be my Luna. Once Amy dies, everything goes back to normal." Normal? There's nothing normal about watching your mate fall in love with his dying first love. Nothing normal about birthing your dead son alone while your husband plans another woman's birthday party. I gave Noah everything...my love, my body, my career, five years of my life. He gave me a dead baby and a wedding ring covered in blood. So when Alpha Liam--the most powerful Alpha in our world--who once wanted me, offers protection, freedom, and revenge? I take it. And oh, I will be back to torture that motherfucker!

“Tell me to stop,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “I dare you to try,” she breathed, fingers tangled in his shirt. “If you keep looking at me like that…” “What? You’ll lose control?” she teased, knowing he already had. *** After being dumped by her ex boyfriend, Dan, Regina is lucky when she is recognized by her hot boss, Nicholas Walter, who instantly promotes her. Regina is trying to move on, but suddenly things get heated up between her and Nicholas. But he isn't ready to commit. They become involved in a casual sex relationship. Some time later, Dan regrets not treating Regina right and comes back for her, but is feeling threatened by her boss and now makes him his enemy. Nicholas starts to feel he is not ready to share Regina with anyone, but there are secrets keeping him from confessing his true feelings. How long can their casual sexual relationship last, will Nicholas finally have the strength to deal with his past? Or will Regina sympathize with Dan and take him back?

My father cheated. I cut him out of my life. To get my forgiveness, my father put Lucas Moretti, the Don of New York, in my bed. I fell for Lucas, fast. He knew how to play gentle. Night after night, he’d hold me tight, fuck me like he owned me, and whisper how obsessed he was with me. Six months later, I was pregnant. I was the princess of New York's underworld. My father and Lucas gave me everything. They treated me like I was made of glass. But the day of the baby's blessing at the church? They were a no-show. My father said there was family business to handle. Then I got an anonymous link. A wedding. Live. In the video, my father, Lorenzo, was walking his mistress, Carla—the woman who killed my mother—down the aisle, a happy smile plastered on his face. And the other happy couple? My fiancé, and my father's bastard daughter, Sofia. I could hear Lucas’s voice clearly: "Well, Bella used to bully Sofia. I'm just helping her get the justice she deserves... As for Bella, it's time she was unburdened from a life she isn't built for." "I'll take over the Gallo family shares for her," he continued, "so she and our child can live without a care in the world." My father’s voice followed. "Bella’s too much like her mother—ambitious. That’s not a good thing for a woman." As my world shattered, a text from an unknown number lit up my screen: "Marry me, and the child you're carrying will be the sole heir of the Russo family."

“**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.**