Oranges By Gary Soto

"I, Ortega Blackwood, daughter of beta Denzel Blackwood, am rejecting you, Killian Fitzgerald, future Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack, as my fated mate!" She uttered through gritted teeth, glaring fiercely at her mate as he descended the stairs towards her. His expression twisted into a mask of fury, his eyes blazing with an intensity that sent shivers down her spine. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, his imposing figure cast a shadow over her as she lay on the ground, vulnerable yet defiant. "Do you dare defy me, Ortega? Do you dare reject your fate?" His voice dripped with venom, each word carrying a threat that hung heavily in the air. "You cannot reject me, Ortega. You will be my mate whether you like it or not." ************** Rejecting her mate hadn't been easy. But when Ortega meets the powerful and ruthless Lycan and Mafia Boss, Alfredo Gambino, she finds herself falling in love with him, even though he is the rival and enemy of her rejected mate. And Alfredo also finds himself unwilling to let her go, especially now that her rejected mate wants her back.

I have nothing to lose but to gain everything if I can't do this. I'm just three days away from losing everything. I'm so grateful that my parents aren't around to see me like this. I'm about to auction off the last thing of value I have to gain everything back. He's completely a stranger. I am not allowed to have a glimpse of him, not even on the first night of our. I am not a normal bride, but purchased by him in an auction. He's the highest bidder and the king of the dark world.

"I would rather die than have you as my wife. You are not Lauren and you will never be my mate!" "You're nothing but a tool I used to help my Pack achieve our goal. I merely used you to get the MoonGem and nothing more!" *** When Evelyn, daughter of the Alpha of the Sagittarius pack fails in a mission to get to the gem needed to strengthen her pack's bloodline, she is given to Alpha Damian, the cold hearted Alpha of the Red Cedar pack who is in possession of the gem as a gift bride to secure that gift for the Sagittarius pack. The Sagittarius pack has made a deal with a separate pack so Evelyn's real motives are supposed to be stealing the gem from Alpha Damian. She has to work her way into his heart and push all of his buttons to get this done, but what will they do when the fate hits them with a shock. Can a love not fated ever stand strong in the midst of bloodshed, hatred, and a Werewolf vendetta?

Dani isn't looking for a mate, or even thinking about one. She's too busy surviving and taking care of herself and her mother. But when her mate comes walking through the doors of the restaurant she's working at, her life is suddenly turned upside down. Will she accept him and join him as the Luna of his pack? Or will the past that she worked so hard to overcome will make that impossible?

“I, Alpha Dimitri, reject you, Noah, as my mate.” His cruel words always replayed in my head. My stomach churned whenever I remembered that night. ~•~ When Alpha Dimitri rejects Noah Petrova as his mate, she faces an unfortunate fate and is stuck living with the man who broke her heart since his father took her into his home when her dad died during an attack. Along the line, she falls in love with his younger brother, Aiden, who has been in love with her ever since she moved into their house. Alpha Dimitri wasn’t happy about their relationship and tried his best to make their lives miserable. What happens when Aiden challenges his brother for the position of the alpha? Will he win? Or will Alpha Dimitri retain his power?

Serenity has been locked up in a miserable attic her entire childhood and into adulthood. She's never known the reason why. All she knows is that when she turns eighteen, she's meant to marry the Alpha's son Roland and only then will she be given back her freedom. She's learnt to be quiet and obey, to stay in her prison and watches as life passes by, no one lending a hand to help her gain her freedom back. But what happens when a lycan prince visits the pack and discovers she's his mate? What secret has her Alpha been keeping from her all this time? When her life is upended and the truth comes out, will she finally break free of her shackles and embrace the life she was meant to have?

“Cassie.” Everything around me froze. I stared at him without blinking for a second. “Cassie?” I repeated back to him. “The woman you brought into our house and claimed she was a distant cousin?” That was the moment I knew my marriage was over. Chloe Stone thought she had a perfect life, with a husband she loved and a future she had dreamed of since she was a child. But on the night of their fifth wedding anniversary, one text changed her life. Her husband was having an affair with another woman. Devastated, she walks away from her marriage with nothing but a suitcase and her pride. She leaves and tries to heal but it is difficult under the roof of a bitter father. Chloe lands a job in a powerful firm and comes face to face with Alex Blackwood, her ex-husband’s college rival, a powerful billionaire CEO with a guarded heart, raising a child on his own. Can two hearts shattered by their pasts, find love in the most unexpected second chance?

"You have this beauty that captivates men, don’t you? There were plenty of naked women in this room, but the second you walked in, the men lost control. They wanted a piece of you. They wanted to own you." His fingers trail down my jaw, tilting my chin up. "Not knowing you already belong to me." I swallow hard, my breath caught in my throat. He moves away, settling into a chair with ease. He unbuttons his coat, leans back, spreads his legs apart like a king, which I guess he is... And then, his voice turns lethal. "From now on, Ariella Costa, you are mine to use. Mine to play with. Mine to do with as I please." The words hit me like a heart attack. "Your body belongs to me. Your mind belongs to me. Your soul belongs to me." He smirks, his dark eyes locking onto mine. "I own you."

In a world divided by species, alliances, and betrayal, Elora, a fearless human wanderer, stumbles into a forbidden territory—a hidden pack of werewolves led by the enigmatic and battle-scarred alpha, Joel. When an ancient prophecy foretells that a human will hold the key to the pack's survival, Elora becomes both their savior and their most dangerous liability. Bound by secrets, hunted by those who fear her power, and torn between loyalty and love, Elora must navigate a treacherous path where every choice could shatter alliances and ignite wars. As tensions rise, she and joel must fight together to protect their pack and uncover the truth behind her destiny, all while grappling with a bond they were never meant to share. Will Elora embrace the magic of the moonlight or let darkness consume her soul?

Sera I escaped a life plagued with death and destruction years ago. But it's come back to haunt me. Killian Ricci is no ordinary crime boss. He's the grim reaper. I belong to him. I don't know why he's keeping me locked up. All I know is he holds my life in his hands. And in the mafia world, his hands are bloody. They don't call him the Hand of Death for no reason. If I want to survive I have one option. Submit. Killian Mano Della Morte. That's what they call me. The Hand of Death.