Oranges By Gary Soto

SYNOPSIS: Elara Vance spent her entire life as the invisible, "wolfless" servant of the Silver Moon Pack, counting down the days until her eighteenth birthday when she hoped her fated mate would save her. But when the clock strikes twelve, her mate the future Beta, Liam publicly rejects her for being weak, choosing a warrior she-wolf instead. Heartbroken and exiled into the deadly Blackwood Forest, Elara prepares to die. Instead, she is found by Damon Blackwood, a ruthless billionaire and the Alpha King of all packs. Damon doesn't see a defect; he sees his Queen. As Elara navigates a new world of unimaginable wealth and danger, her dormant wolf begins to wake, revealing a bloodline so rare it could bring the werewolf world to its knees. Now, the Beta who rejected her wants her back, but he will have to go through the King to get her.

“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.

I am an Omega, the lowest rank in the wolf packs, the rejected, the despised. I never bother about being an Omega or serving my fellow wolves as long as my family is right beside me. My bed of roses turned into a bed of thorns when I clocked eighteen. I discovered that my mate is the beta, and he has pronounced rejection upon me. My heart is torn and my life has turned complicated. Is this how it feels to be rejected by your mate? ***** Being an Omega is bad, isn't it? Getting rejected is worse, is it not? And getting accepted by a cursed Alpha is the worst of all, don't you think? After Elena gets rejected by the Beta because of her status, she accepts her fate and decides to move on despite knowing how painful it will be, she crosses paths with the Alpha and he declares acceptance upon her. When Elena uncovers the mask behind the acceptance by the Alpha, will she choose to remain rejected by the Beta or accepted by the Alpha?

“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?

Suddenly, there were sparks in the air as memories came back. My heart froze as I stared at him. The moment I dreaded most had come to life. “No. This couldn’t be happening,” I told myself. It was him. “My lady, this is the man who brought Asher home,” the maid announced beside me. “The Alpha of the Silver Fang pack, Kael Riverstone.” ***** In a single, shattering day, Aurelia’s world collapses when her husband, the Lycan king, parades a pregnant woman into their home—none other than Liora, the cruel tormentor from Aurelia’s past pack. The betrayal cuts deeper as Aurelia uncovers Kael’s heartless truth: his love was a lie, a scheme to exploit her rare primordial wolf blood. Framed for treason and cast out, Aurelia vows vengeance and returns to her old pack, rising from outcast to the fierce Alpha of Red Moon. Five years later, with her son Asher and her fiercely devoted beta Rune at her side, she’s forged a new life—Rune stepping in as the father figure Asher adores. But as undeniable sparks flare between Aurelia and Rune, threatening to ignite a passion she’s afraid to embrace, her past storms back. Kael, now wracked with regret, grovels for forgiveness, desperate to reclaim what he threw away. With Liora’s schemes lurking, Asher’s wild powers drawing danger, and a hidden bond with Rune unraveling, Aurelia must navigate a treacherous path of love, revenge, and primal strength. Will she seize her hard-won power and heart, or will the ghosts of betrayal pull her back into chaos?

Katy is rejected by her mate who then chooses her cousin. Her parents betray her when they force her attend her mate and cousin's wedding. That night, she escapes to her best friend's house who drags her to an auction. She meets Lucian who saves her from embarassment. Lucian has been tracking Katy for three years. When an opportunity to claim her presents itself, he doesn't hesitate. Be his Hired Luna and in exchange, she gets her dream funded. Will she accept?

She loved him. He humiliated her. Now she’s walking away—for good! Lily gave up everything for her husband, William Aldridge—the man she believed was her forever. But on their anniversary, the night she planned to share the news of her long-awaited pregnancy, she walked in on him tangled in the arms of her best friend. With betrayal cutting deeper than any knife and humiliation turning her heart to ash, Lily makes a choice. No more tears. No more waiting to be loved. If not for her shattered dignity, then for the sake of her unborn child, she will return to her true self—Lilian Arkwright, the hidden heiress of the powerful Arkwright Conglomerate. But just as she begins to rebuild her shattered world, she catches the attention of Aaron Aldridge—the devilishly handsome, younger tycoon brother of William, with secrets of his own and a desire to win her heart, no matter the cost. Now torn between the father of her unborn child, the man who broke her... and the man who would do anything to love her, Lilian must decide: Forgiveness or freedom? Past or future? ~•~•~ Pa! Lily threw the stack of documents on the table in front of him. Without waiting for him to question, she said. "Divorce papers, sign them." William stared at the documents like they were a foreign language. “Divorce papers? You’re not serious,” he said, his voice low, disbelieving. Lily remained seated across from him, her expression unreadable. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.” Leaning forward, she slid the pen across the table toward him and repeated. “Sign it.”

He rejected her once… left her humiliated and unseen. Summer came, and she returned unrecognizable—confident, beautiful, unstoppable. Now Hades Deville—the rival, the playboy—sees her and claims her as his mate. Can she survive being desired by the boy she never expected… and the one who once let her go?

After I've completed 98 tasks for my fiancee, Cheryl Landeau, she finally agrees to marry me once I've completed the 99th task for her. For that task, I'm required to pick her up outside her company. On the day I stand outside Cheryl's company with a huge flower bouquet in my arms, I don't see her at all despite having waited till late night. Soon after, I get hospitalized due to a high fever. When I tap on my phone, the first thing I see is a photo of the marriage certificate belonging to Cheryl and her assistant, Jason York. Jason even includes a caption with the photo. "My mom is very satisfied with her daughter-in-law. Please take good care of me from now on, my dear wife." The next day, I hang a banner outside the company. "May Ms. Landeau and Mr. York grow old in harmony and be blessed with children." All of my colleagues are stunned, to say the least. At that moment, Cheryl quickly pulls me into her office. She then explains, "Jason's mom is severely ill. Her death wish is watch him get married. What's wrong with me fulfilling her wish? Can't you show more kindness toward Jason? "Now, stop throwing that tantrum of yours and get rid of the banner. Once Jason's mom passes away, I'll file for a divorce from him." I just smile as I set off more fireworks at the doorway. "Oh, you don't have to bother with a divorce. I'm worried that his mom might come back to life soon. Let's just end things here."

Aria Hale spent her entire life believing the Moon Goddess created someone just for her. Someone who would see her. Choose her. Love her. She didn’t expect her fated mate to be Alpha Blake Thorn—the golden boy of the pack… or that he would reject her in front of everyone on her eighteenth birthday. Humiliated, heartbroken, and stripped of her place in the pack, Aria runs into the Forbidden Woods, praying for the pain to stop. But instead of death, she finds something far more dangerous: The Dark King. Erevan is ancient, feared, and impossibly powerful. To the world he is a myth. To Aria, he is the first person who looks at her like she is worth the world. And when she collapses in his arms, he does the unthinkable— He claims her as his mate. In the Dark Realm, Aria begins to unlock abilities she never knew she had. Abilities that were never meant to exist in the mortal world. Abilities that could destroy everything she once called home. When she returns to her old pack, Alpha Blake realizes the awful truth: Rejecting her was the biggest mistake of his life. But it’s too late. Aria is no longer the girl who begged for love. She is the mate of a king. Chosen. Claimed. Unstoppable. And she will never kneel again. A rejected-mate romance filled with betrayal, power, jealousy, possessive love, and a heroine who rises from broken to legendary.