open season c. j. box

PART 1 - NIKOLAI AND NOVA: Nikolai is the youngest brother of Kai and Konstantin Volkov. Since his torture and kidnapping, he's become a cold, distant shell of the man he used to be, making a name for himself as a Ripper. The only light in his life is Nova Lorelei, the mate he rejected while he was under the control of a demonic entity. But even as he yearns for her, he knows she's better off without him in her life. So he keeps to the shadows and watches over her. This worked out fine until he saw his mate being abused by another. Will Nikolai be able to keep his distance from Nova, or is the Mate Bond stronger than his willpower? ----- PART 2 - DIMITRI AND ARYA: Wracked with guilt at nearly killing his human mate four years ago, Dimitri Volkov let Arya go so she could live a normal life. He didn't feel worthy of a mate or happiness after almost killing her and betraying his entire pack, so he settled to living a life filled with blood and pain as his brother and Alpha's Lead Enforcer. A trip to Brooklyn changes everything for him when he finds his way onto Brooklyn Bridge only to see his mate about to commit suicide. He saves her again, but the Mate Bond Sighting clicks, and the traitorous Gamma finds himself in quite the position: reject Arya or accept what Fate has given him? Book 1 - Alpha Kai Book 2 - Konstantin: The Heartless Beta **Can be read as a standalone as I delve into what happened in the previous books**

*Please be aware this is technically books 1 and 2* Laura was convinced for the longest time that Xander, her pack's future Alpha, was her destined mate. Even if it was against the current Alpha (Clide) and Luna's (Ashly) wishes she was certain they would be together. Well, that all changed the day Alpha Victor arrived and she learned her fate. She was to marry this Victor, whose cruel, terrifying, and mean reputation seems true. To make matters more complicated Laura learns the truth behind the so-called rouge attacks that have been plaguing her pack since her birth, not only killing her own parents but many other innocent people. With the help of her best friend Ellen, adoptive big brother Domini, and Bella will she be able to handle her arranged marriage and fight off the looming threat?

Chloe wakes up after a year long coma to find her alpha mate sleeping with a woman in her very room. After running away, her plan for revenge begins. One year later, when she is ready to finally reject and release herself and her former mate from the constant pain of their betrayals, it is in the act of her final revenge that she finds her second-chance mate. Her partner starring with her in her last film is not only her second chance mate, but they both soon find that his twin brother is too

Elelira, forced by her uncle into a marriage alliance with the rumored monstrous alpha of the south, was surprised to find on her wedding day that he was actually her mate. Due to a secret she and her late mother kept, he wouldn’t feel the mate bond for two more years, until it was too late. Elelira, on the day she turns 20, the day Lachlan can feel the bond, she rejects him before escaping into the sea. Her freedom is short lived as her quest to find her real father takes her back to her abusive Uncle’s pack, where she is captured and tortured until her death. She hopes that is the end, but as soon as her eyes close, they open again and she is back at the beginning; the beginning of her suffering. She traveled back to the day of her wedding, and has to live through all that pain and torture again. Or so she thinks….. Lachlan was against the marriage to the conniving Alpha Wayne’s niece, fearing he was being trapped and leashed, but he had no grounds to refuse. Elelira was like a temptress from hell, or so he thought. He desired her, but he thought that was just a trick from her uncle. He fought against the desire, holding out for the day he could annul the marriage and find his true fated mate. By the time he realized it was her all along, it was too late. To correct the mistakes of his past, he sacrificed greatly to get a second chance. What he didn’t expect, though, was for her to come back with all her memories of the future from the past as well.

Reyna's life has been far from sunshine and roses. As the Alpha's daughter, at the age of 21, should have received her wolf by now. She was the only member of her pack without a wolf and had to endure constant bullying and heartache, which was made worse by her intended mate's rejection in favor of her step-sister. This life made her determined to leave, and so she hatched a daring plan to escape during the highly anticipated Hallowed Bond Ball, which was a night of celebration that marked one year after the end of the War of the Three Alpha Kings. She had no idea that destiny was about to throw her a curveball. Just as she was attempting to escape under the cover of darkness, a surprising twist of events suddenly takes place. The word 'mate' reverberates through the castle walls, spoken in not one, but three distinct voices. To her astonishment, Reyna finds herself bound to three mates. A wolfless mate to all three powerful Alpha Kings fresh from being at war with one another. With the fragile truce between the three Alphas threatened, Reyna's life is in danger from powerful families who would do anything to keep the peace after decades of war. Reyna stands at the center of a prophetic revelation, holding the key to something far greater than she could have ever imagined. But as soon as she learns why she was chosen, evil slowly starts closing in. *** “You're intoxicating, darling… I think we may have found something we're all addicted to..." My face reddens as I look at them, and for the first time in ages, I feel like I belong. The way they're looking at me with reverence and the desire I know is meant only for me… I feel like a Queen.

Umiko has always been the runt of her family; the plain-looking girl whose father had no hopes for her future - until her father received a vision. She is to be wed to the notorious Fenriz Vega, the Lycan King who has viciously killed every Luna Bride he's ever had. But there's a sinister reason for this marriage, and it involves the beast residing in the Lycan Alpha. Before Umiko can warn her mate, her father has a binding spell placed on her to remain silent, setting off a chain of catastrophic events… The second Fenriz set his eyes on Umiko, the Mate Bond Sighting clicked into place, and for the first time ever, Fenriz felt terrified. He knows his beast will kill this girl, even though she is his destined mate. Will he be able to fight the urge to maim his mate, or will the Lycan beast within him claim yet another Luna?

Four Brothers. Four Stories. One Pack. Kai, Konstantin, Dimitri and Nikolai - The Volkov Brothers rule New York, not only as a Russian Mafia family but also as The BloodCrest Pack. Book one follows Alpha Kai, known as the Beast Of New York, Russian Mafia leader and Alpha of the Blood Crest pack - and he's come to claim timid and abused Caterina as his mate. Terrible rumours surround Kai and his pack of bloodthirsty wolves, but as Caterina gets to know her mate better and realises that he is not the monster he is made out to be. So what exactly turned Kai into the beast he's known as? In Book 2 we meet Konstantin, known as The Heartless Beta. He never cared for love or finding his mate as the Beta to the Alpha God. Who needs a mate when you have a pack to protect? However, when scentless, halfbreed Lily stepped into his life, everything seemed to fall into place. What will Konstantin do once he discovers the scentless, half breed wolf is pregnant with his prophesied firstborn and has been his mate all along...And she's being held prisoner by a creature even older than the Werewolf God Xamnir? Book 3 Parts 1 and 2 sees Nikolai and Dimitri both thinking that keeping away from their fated mates during the war is what’s best for them. But is their willpower stronger than Fate? Staring at temptation for so long will only make you crave it more, this is something both Nikolai and Dimitri will find out soon enough.

Part 1 - Fated Mistake: Kira and Arkyn As the daughter of Alpha Kai, Kira knew not to doubt what the Goddess had already carved in stone. A Fated mafia marriage of alliance in play to strengthen the packs. It should have been easy, right? Then why was it so damn hard? Alpha Fenriz's son, Arkyn Vega, made her question everything she thought she knew... Everything that should have never been doubtful in the first place. The Goddess chose her mate, so why does she still feel this way about Arkyn? Why does she still crave the touch of a man who is supposed to be her best friend? When her mate takes the Volkov pack hostage, it forces Kira to pick sides. Does she follow fate and remain at her mate's side, or trust the one she has an unbreakable bond with? Did the Goddess make a fatal mistake? ---------- Part 2 - Fated Desire: Kaia and Elijah Elijah Priest and Kaia Volkova thought their lust-filled tryst was a one-time thing, especially after they found out that Kaia was to marry Arkyn Vega. It didn't matter that they were attracted to one another; it didn't matter that it turned out Kaia was actually Arkyn's family.  It also didn't matter that their one-time thing turned into a continuous thing. It was just sex, right? Or so Elijah thought. Seeing Kaia meet her mate at the Convergence Ball leads him to realize that he's actually in love with the woman who lit a fire in his soul. What happens when he finds out Kaia cannot bond with her mate because of a mistaken bite he left in the middle of a sex-filled haze? Even more so, her bite didn't kill him and his blood didn't kill her... Can a vampire and a werewolf truly be mates?

Katherine's sole purpose is to hunt down and kill every supernatural creature. She has her sights on the elusive Gabriel Priest, the last Pureblood Vampire. With murder and loss mounting on both sides, what will happen when the hunter becomes the hunted? Katherine finds herself trapped deep in a vampire nest where Gabriel intends to toy with her, torture her, then kill her. Only Gabriel can't seem to kill his new toy and Katherine can't stop her pulse from racing whenever he's close. Could Fate have something in store for these two destined enemies? ****** “Do your worst, Priest,” I taunt, coughing my lungs out. “Whatever you have planned, I've had worse.” The grin on his face sends a shot of fear straight to my heart, and I have a feeling that he's not going to make my death an easy one. “Oh, little lamb, you have no f**king idea who you're dealing with. I'm going to take my time with you, and when I'm done, you'll be begging me for your death.” With those lines, I knew my life was no longer mine; that Gabriel would enjoy every bit of torture he would inflict on my body. **** This book takes place in the same world as my Bratva Wolves books as well as Alpha Fenriz, but you don't have to read them to understand what's going on in this one. However, if you do feel like you want to get yourself acquainted with other characters mentioned in this book, please dive right in! 1. Alpha Kai 2. Konstantin: The Heartless Beta 3. Dimitri and Nikokai: Rejecting Fate Alternatively, all three above mentioned books are available in the collection called Bratva Wolves. 4. Alpha Fenriz

When Caleb Kingston proposed marriage, I knew he did not love me. But as a woman who loved him secretly for years, I agreed to whatever scraps he could give me thinking that he could learn to love me in time. Three years into our marriage, I realized that I had been a fool chasing an impossible dream. A stubborn man like Caleb only loved once and she sure was not me. “She's back and she wants me. I do not want to ruin this chance for anything.” He told me, slapping a divorce paper my way. “What about our baby?” His scowl told me he was not happy that I sprung that news on him. “Abort it. Do whatever you want with it. I don’t care.” Was his callous remark. That same night, after signing the divorce agreement, I packed my bags and left with a promise that I will be back stronger to show this ruthless billionaire what he lost.