Margot Bunga

As Christmas approached, my fiancé Marcus Shadowhowl, the next-in-line Alpha of the Shadowhowl pack, rejected my invitation for a date and instead planned to take his assistant Sienna Nightsky to the beach on a vacation. Known as the perfect Luna-to-be, I didn’t cry or beg. I even thoughtfully helped him plan the trip. He kissed me gently and said, “Lorelei, you’re the most understanding werewolf in the world.” I smiled as I saw them off—then turned around and went to have an abortion. Why? Because in my past life, I had begged him to stay with me using the pup in me. But in the end, Sienna was brutally murdered at the beach. Outwardly, Marcus still treated me tenderly, but in his heart, he blamed me for her death. When I was about to give birth, he tricked me into going to the beach and issued a ruthless order to his subordinates. “Are we really going to dissolve the Luna’s child with silver? That’s too cruel!” “Yes. She killed Sienna. This is the punishment she deserves!” It was only then, in utter agony, that I realized Marcus had always held a grudge against me. Now that I’ve returned to the time before everything happened, I didn’t stop him from going on vacation with his assistant. Everyone laughs at my foolishness. But what they don’t know is that Marcus will eventually regret it and beg me to come back to him.

Untuk menghentikan pembantaian bangsa duyung, aku memutuskan naik ke darat dan menggoda Satrio, teman masa kecil yang kini sudah menjadi Raja Alfa. Ternyata dia masih sangat mencintaiku, kami tidur bersama dengan penuh gairah selama tiga hari tiga malam di atas ranjang. Ketika aku terbangun dari kenikmatan itu, belum sempat merasa bahagia, aku malah disiram cairan korosif ke wajah. Aku pun menjerit kesakitan, sementara Satrio hanya tertawa dingin di sampingku. "Ternyata putri duyung yang abadi pun bisa merasakan sakit, ya?" "Ini baru permulaan. Selama kamu belum memberitahuku di mana keberadaan orang tuaku, jangan harap kamu bisa hidup tenang!" Dia yakin bahwa bangsa duyung adalah dalang di balik hilangnya orang tuanya. Sejak itu, aku dipaksa menyaksikan dia dengan Amilia yang merupakan selingkuhannya bermesraan. Dipaksa mengeluarkan permata duyung dari hatiku untuk menyembuhkan tubuh Amilia, bahkan harus menari tanpa alas kaki menahan sakit demi membuat Amilia tertidur ... Dia sangat membenciku, tapi setiap kali aku hampir mati, dialah yang memelukku dan memberiku obat. Kadang dia kejam dan berkata, "Apa kamu pikir aku mencintaimu jadi tak bisa berbuat apa-apa? Bawalah dia, teruskan penyiksaan!" Kadang dia lembut dan berkata, "Sayang, katakan padaku, di mana sebenarnya orang tuaku?" Aku diam-diam merasakan cintanya yang penuh kontradiksi itu. Tampaknya sebentar lagi aku tak akan bisa menyimpan rahasia tentang orang tuanya. Karena jika putri duyung sudah tiga tahun di darat dan tak kembali ke laut, dia pasti akan berubah menjadi buih. Sekarang aku hanya tersisa tiga hari sebelum ajalku tiba.

My mate, Ethan Rickman, is an Omega without a wolf. No official position is willing to hire him. That means we live in poverty, but I've always believed that our love can overcome anything. Seven years after our mating, hunger drives me and our son, Theo Rickman, to dig through trash bins late at night, looking for food. Theo moves quickly and quietly. He's become skilled at it. With a cheerful grin, he whispers to me, "Mom, this bin belongs to an award-winning restaurant! The food's fresh and tastes great. Let's bring some back for Dad!" The next day, I put on the cleanest clothes I own and head to that same restaurant, hoping to get hired as a janitor. If I get the job, maybe I can bring home leftovers before they're tossed out. But when I look up, I see Ethan stepping out of a luxury car worth millions. Behind him stands a woman and child, both dressed in designer clothes. I recognize her instantly. She's Mira Alstone, his childhood sweetheart. The restaurant owner gives me an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Ms. Everdeen. Alpha Ethan reserved the whole place for Mira today. I have to focus on serving them, so I don't have time for interviews. Maybe come back another day?" In that moment, Theo and I both freeze where we stand.

« Suzanne, tu n'as pas le sang pur et ne mérites pas d'être la Luna. Tu dois faire en sorte qu'Eugène marque ta belle-sœur ! » Étant une louve Oméga au sang impur, ma belle-mère, Pauline, me méprisait. Eugène était mon mate. Le jour où son frère est décédé dans un accident, Pauline lui a exigé qu'il conçoive un enfant avec Karine, sa belle-sœur noble, sous peine de le priver de son titre d'Alpha. Eugène m'a prise dans ses bras et m'a rassurée d'une voix douce : « Je n'ai d'yeux que pour toi, mais la meute ne peut pas se passer d'un Alpha. Une fois tout ceci terminé, je proclamerai que tu es ma vraie Luna, d'accord ? » Je l'aimais tellement que j'ai cru à ses paroles. Mais voilà… Eugène, qui ne partageait le lit de Karine qu'une nuit par mois, a fini par ne plus venir me voir qu'une fois par mois. Alors, j'ai compris, le cœur brisé, qu'il n'était plus le compagnon qui m'appartenait exclusivement. Le jour où Karine a annoncé qu'elle était enceinte, la nouvelle de son mariage avec Eugène s'est répandue dans tout la meute, mais elle me l'avait cachée. En voyant la bague éclatante sur le doigt de Karine, celle qui appartenait à la Luna de la meute, j'avais le cœur brisé en mille morceaux. Une douleur insupportable m'a pris à la gorge. Eugène, si c'était ce que tu voulais, alors je feindrais ma mort et partirais pour ne jamais revenir.

Avant la cérémonie du marquage, mon Alpha compagnon Anderson a annoncé devant l'ancien Autel que sa première amour, empoisonnée par le venin de loup, était la véritable Luna de la meute. Il a serré Léa dans ses bras, et son sourire est devenu plus doux sous la lumière de la lune : « Selon les traditions ancestrales, seule la femme que je marque devant tous les membres de la meute est la véritable Luna. Même si Iris est ma compagne marquée en privé, elle n'est que mon amante. » Sous les bénédictions des anciens de la meute, ils ont juré devant la Déesse Lunaire, se sont couronnés et se sont embrassés. Je n'ai rien dit en assistant à tout cela, car j'avais déjà pris un rendez-vous pour un avortement. J'ai aimé Anderson pendant douze ans, de mes dix-huit à mes trente ans. Mais dans son cœur, il n'y avait que ma demi-sœur Léa. Alors, j'ai décidé de le laisser partir. Après cela, je suis partie pour Béxaville, une île froide et isolée, laissant à Anderson le contrat de rupture, ainsi qu'un dernier cadeau d'adieu. Mais, je ne comprenais pas pourquoi, lui qui m'avait toujours ignorée, a été si bouleversé en voyant cela…

To prevent the merfolk from being slaughtered, I decided to go ashore and seduce my childhood friend Cyrus, who had become the Alpha King. He still loved me deeply, and we spent three passionate days and nights together in bed. Waking up from a haze of pleasure, I hadn't even had the chance to rejoice before a corrosive elixir was dunked over my head. Listening to my pained wails, Cyrus smirked. "So even an immortal mermaid can feel pain, too? "Well, this is just a taste of what's to come if you don't tell me where my parents are!" Yes, he was convinced that the merfolk were behind his parents' disappearance. From then on, I was forced to watch him flirt with his mistress, Emily; had to extract my mermaid pearl to help heal her body; was forced to dance barefoot to entertain Emily so that she could sleep… Cyrus hated every fiber of my being, yet always held me tenderly in his arms whenever I was on the brink of death, carefully feeding me medicine. Sometimes, he was cruel. "Do you think I'll go easy on you just because I love you? Quick, continue torturing her!" Sometimes, he was gentle. "Can't you be good and tell me where my parents are?" Silently, I endured his twisted love without a word. Soon, however, these days would come to an end, and I wouldn't have to keep that secret any longer. After all, a mermaid who did not return to the sea after three years on land… Would turn into seafoam. And now, there were only three days until my time was up.

Mon compagnon Éthan, un Oméga sans loup, que personne ne veut embaucher comme employé régulier, nous fait vivre dans la pauvreté, mais je suis convaincue que notre amour nous permettra de surmonter toutes les difficultés. La septième année après mon accouplement avec Éthan, en raison de la faim, mon fils Théo et moi passons la nuit à chercher de la nourriture dans les poubelles. Théo fouille une poubelle rapidement et doucement, il trouve habilement de la nourriture et me dit joyeusement : « Maman, cette poubelle appartient à un restaurant Michelin, la nourriture qui s'y trouve est fraîche et délicieuse, ramenons-la à papa pour qu'il la goûte ! » Le lendemain, je mets mes vêtements les plus décents, qui ont été décolorés par trop de lavages, et j'essaie de postuler pour un poste de nettoyage dans ce restaurant. Si je réussis l'entretien, je pourrais au moins ramener les restes de nourriture à la maison avant qu'ils ne soient jetés à la poubelle. Mais quand je lève les yeux, je vois Éthan sortir d'une limousine de dizaines de millions d'euros, suivi d'une mère et d'un fils luxueusement vêtus. Je reconnais la femme comme étant Miranda, l'amie d'enfance d'Éthan. Le patron s'excuse : « Je suis désolé, Madame Chantal, Alpha Éthan a réservé tout le restaurant pour Miranda aujourd'hui, j'ai dû me concentrer sur le service et je n'ai pas le temps de faire un entretien avec vous. Vous pourrez revenir une autre fois. » A ce moment-là, mon fils et moi nous figeons sur place tous les deux.

The scent of pine and damp earth clung to the air as the full moon created long shadows across the Ancient Clearing. Tonight, was supposed to be our marking ceremony, a sacred ritual binding Alpha Anderson and his chosen Luna before the eyes of the Frostmoon Pack. “My heart,” his gaze locked on Leah, who stood under the moonlight “has always belonged to another. My first love, the one whose spirit has been weakened by the venom of wolfsbane, is my Luna.” He drew Leah closer, his hand possessively circling her waist. Under the watchful gaze of the moon, he smiled. “Our traditions are clear,” he continued, “Only the woman who stands with me at this altar, witnessed by all, shall be my Luna. Though I had always thought that Irene was my mate which I mistakenly marked a time ago. But thanks to the goddess for making me see clearly before it was too late.” They exchanged vows beneath the trees, witnessed by the werewolves and the Moon Goddess. The silver crowns were placed, the ceremonial kiss sealed their bond. I stood hidden in the shadows of the surrounding forest. For twelve years, from the moment my wolf recognized his at eighteen until my thirtieth moon cycle, my love for Anderson had never changed. But his heart, it was clear, belonged to Leah. If that was the truth, then I would release him. He had never truly seen me, never truly cared. Yet, the act of my departure seemed to unravel him in ways I couldn’t understand.

I'm eight months pregnant when my Alpha mate abandons me at a hunting ground. He leaves to welcome his ex-girlfriend, who's returned from her travels. From that day on, I disappear without a trace. Initially, my mate doesn't take this to heart. He's even in the mood to make a bet with his subordinates. "She'll be back in three days at most!" Ten days later, he freezes my credit cards and sends me a threatening text. "You can starve to death out there if you still refuse to come back!" A hundred days later, he barges into my best friend's home and forces her to hand me over. "Where have you hidden her? I admit defeat, okay? I've had enough of this hide-and-seek game!" My best friend sneers as she throws photos of my body, which has been pierced through by countless blades, at him. "Wake up, you fool! Your Luna is dead, and you're the one who led a team to dig her body up from the trap! Have you forgotten?"

The remnants of the pack gathering had barely faded when my whole world changed. My best friend, Hallie Richmond, vanished, snatched away by rogues. Only for her to reappear the next day, found bruised and bitten near the pack borders. My heart ached for her, so I went to her with her favourite apple pie. But the solace I intended to offer shattered into a million pieces the moment I heard the words of my boyfriend, Camilo White, our pack's beta. "...Hallie's family will destroy her if they learn of this. I have no choice but to mark her first.” "What about me, Camilo? I'm your girlfriend!" The words tumbled out. "You can be my secondary mate, Violet. It's just a small favor. Surely, if you truly loved me, you wouldn't hesitate to help?" Camilo's words ripped my heart out, breaking up with me and replacing me with Hallie for the marking ceremony we had both anticipated with such joy. From that moment forward, I became a shadow. The pack whispered words of how I was deflowered before my true mate could claim me. My family now regarded me with disappointment. My father's anger was a physical force, driving me to my knees beneath the icy waterfall. Then, the following day, a figure emerged from the mist. Alex Skye, the Alpha's son, pulled me from the water. He leaned close, his sky-blue eyes holding mine, and whispered the words that offered home: "I'm your true mate, Violet. Break up with that vile, idiotic boyfriend of yours. I believe you will be the perfect future Luna."