Oranges By Gary Soto

Quinn had always been the outcast—bullied by her cruel step-sister and ignored by her pack. When she discovers that the Alpha is her mate, she dares to hope for a better life. But her dreams shatter when he marries another. Heartbroken and humiliated, Quinn’s life takes a darker turn when she crosses paths with the Lycan King—a beast feared by all. Her defiance earns her a punishment like no other: ten years under his ruthless watch. The Lycan King is a creature of darkness, bound by secrets and scars. Quinn is a ray of innocence, refusing to break under his intensity. As their worlds collide, sparks fly, and forbidden desires ignite. Will Quinn find the strength to tame the beast within the Lycan King, or will she be consumed by the shadows of his past?

His hand wrapped around my throat in claim, as he pinned me against the cold stone wall. “You’re mine,” he growled, his breath hot against my lips. “Every breath and every heartbeat you take. Mine.” But his nephew’s voice echoed in my mind: “You deserve better than a man who treats you like furniture.” I never wanted this bond. Alpha Zane forced me into a contract marriage—bear him an heir, then disappear. He made it clear I’m nothing more than a child-bearing vessel. A servant elevated to Luna only because the Moon Goddess cursed us both. But his nephew, Kaius, sees me differently. He’s kind where Zane is cruel. Gentle where Zane is possessive. He offers me everything my mate hides from me: respect, partnership, freedom. The problem? My body responds to Zane’s dominance even as my heart breaks from his coldness. And the more Kaius shows me what love could look like, the more dangerous this becomes. Because Zane may not love me—but he’ll destroy anyone who tries to take what’s his. Even his own family. Torn between the mate who owns my soul and the man who sees it—which desire will damn me first?

Ember Frost, a girl without a wolf, was taken in by the Moonshine Pack after being abandoned in the woods. When Owen, the future Alpha, discovers they are mates on his twentieth birthday, Ember's world should have been set. But Owen doesn't see a mate in her, he sees weakness. Rejected in the most humiliating way, Ember's heart is crushed. In a desperate moment, she leaps off a cliff, thinking it will be the end. But fate has other plans. Instead of death,Ember's fall uncovers a shocking truth: she is the long-lost daughter of the Lycan King, heir to the Lycan’s Pride. Now, Ember is not the weak, rejected girl she once was. She's a princess. She's the heir to a mighty throne. And when Owen discovers her true identity, he wants her back—but Ember is in love with someone else. Qwen won't stop until he reclaims her. But Ember will do whatever it takes to protect her pack and the life she's chosen, even if it means facing the man who once shattered her world.

On the night of her eighteenth birthday, Elara Nightshade finally finds her mate the powerful and feared Alpha of the Bloodfang Pack. It should have been the happiest night of her life. Instead, he rejects her. Publicly. Cruelly. Declaring her too weak to be his Luna, Alpha Kael casts her aside before the entire pack, shattering her heart and severing their bond. Banished to the forbidden forest, Elara is left to die. But under the light of the full moon, as her blood stains the earth, something ancient awakens inside her. Her wolf isn’t weak. It isn’t ordinary. It is something rare. Something feared. Something that hasn’t been seen for generations. A Blood Moon Beast. Now the girl who was rejected is changing , growing stronger, darker, and far more dangerous than anyone imagined. And when Alpha Kael begins to feel the mate bond again stronger, deeper, and burning with power , he realizes his mistake. But it’s too late. Because Elara has already been claimed. Not by a pack. Not by an Alpha. But by the beast within her. And this time… She won’t be the one begging.

“Used. Marked. Betrayed. Now it’s her turn to break the rules." Elena thought being mated meant safety, love, and forever. But forever shattered the day her husband brought another woman home, under the lie of sickness, only for Elena to discover she was pregnant with his child. And worse? He wanted an open bond, like she was some convenience to be traded when bored. Heartbroken but not broken, Elena makes the boldest decision of her life: divorce him, break the mate bond, and make him bleed for every lie he fed her. But Michael isn't letting go that easily. Not when power, pride, and his darkest secrets are tied to her. When Elena turns to Alpha Horace, the ruthless Alpha King and her husband’s estranged cousin, she finds more than protection; she finds someone who sees her, desires her, and is willing to burn everything down to keep her safe.

“This is not right, we shouldn’t be doing this, you should reject me.” I breathed as his cold fingers caressed my chin, lifting my gaze up to meet his. “You damned all consequences when you came to me, begging me to fuck you.” He said huskily, his voice causing an involuntary squirt between my legs as his fingers grazed my pussy. He’s right, I’d started this and I should see it to the end but he’s my boyfriend’s father and this feels like all shades of wrong. “What do you want daddy to do to you?” “I want daddy to fuck me,” I whimpered, my breathing restrained, “fast and hard.” _________________ An attempt to surprise her boyfriend turned into the most chaotic turn of events when she found her boyfriend fucking her bestfriend right there in his office. Octavia immediately decided to take action, she’s going to take her revenge. She’s going to make her ex-boyfriend regret his actions by sleeping with his father. He broke her heart and so she’ll fuck his dad. Sounds like a fair deal. ____________ Aidan Nightingale, the extremely powerful and feared Alpha King of the Darkmoon pack, has a secret. He wants to ruin his son’s girlfriend in the nastiest of ways so when she showed up at his front door, holding back was the last thing on his mind. He knew she came for revenge but still, he couldn’t turn her away. He’s going to make her forget all about the jerk that broke her heart. Oh and yes, He’s her mate. _______ Their relationship is a taboo but both parties can’t seem to keep their hands off each other.

Ariana's world shatters on her daughter's birthday when she uncovers a devastating betrayal, her husband, the alpha Ethan, is expecting a child with her sister, Jasmine. Imprisoned alongside her ailing daughter, Ariana is left hopeless until Ethan's long-lost brother, Cole, offers a hint of hope. But to save her daughter and reclaim her life, Ariana must expose the truth behind the lies, confront the betrayal of the man she once loved, and embrace the powerful connection that ties her to the alpha who was destined to lead. Can she find the strength to fight for her daughter and her true mate before it's too late?

“**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.**

After being accused of killing her father, Azura Riverstone runs away from her pack when her mate and husband orders his Gammas to hold her as the captive. Torn between hurt and betrayal from her mate and step-family, she decides to seek the Alpha King for help but the only way to get to him is participating in the Alpha combat where only Alphas are allowed. How will she find the true murderer of her father when her ex finds her and offers a deal which she can't deny?

“By the way, I saved you from your mate that rejected you without thinking twice, what do I get for it?” Those were the exact words of the man I was sold to by my mate the day I stepped into his mansion. Thick saliva landed roughly into the pit of my stomach. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. Only bubbles. His eyes colour was dark but who is to say it wasn't as dark as his intentions. What are the chances I was not in more danger than I would have been with my mate that rejected me. ************************************************* Amaya went from learning that her mate was the Alpha of her Pack whom she detested, to being rejected and offered the role of becoming his slut by the same Alpha. But then her story changed in a way she never expected nor wanted. She would have preferred staying in the dungeon where her mate threw her than to be sold to the infamous tyrant Alpha to stop an impending war. With a new Alpha in the picture, Amaya's life was only getting started. The question remains if it was for good or for bad.