Novel & Cerita Our Last Crusade Iska

Alex Morgan had stopped believing in love. Born gay in a world that rarely showed him kindness, Alex spent years chasing relationships that ended in disappointment. The last heartbreak—his painful breakup with Chris John—left him emotionally shattered and determined never to open his heart again. But fate had other plans. One night, while Alex sat alone in his office at Reed Holdings, quietly crying after another lonely day, the last person he expected suddenly walked through the door—Jamie Reed, the mysterious and untouchable CEO of the company. Jamie was powerful, cold, and impossibly wealthy—a man rumored to have ice in his veins and zero interest in romance. Yet instead of leaving, Jamie lifted Alex’s chin, studied his tear-stained face… and kissed him. That single kiss ignited a secret neither of them could ignore. Their hidden relationship soon grows intense, passionate, and dangerously addictive. Jamie refuses to stay away from Alex, visiting him night after night until rumors begin spreading through the office and beyond. Powerful people begin watching. Just as Alex decides to run away before becoming the center of a scandal that could destroy Jamie’s reputation, Jamie makes a shocking request. He begs Alex to let him claim him—completely. Within hours, they sign a marriage certificate. But marrying a billionaire is not a fairy tale. Alex suddenly finds himself surrounded by enemies—jealous lovers from Jamie’s past, ambitious business rivals, manipulative friends, and dangerous secrets buried deep within Jamie’s empire. As threats grow darker and betrayals surface, Alex must decide if their love is strong enough to survive the storm. Because in Light City, power comes with a price. And loving Jamie Reed might cost Alex everything.

Everyone has gathered around to play games together. The current game requires all players to transfer red wine to each other via our mouths. Before my fiance, Teodoro Lamperti, is able to transfer the wine to me, his female best friend, Cristina Ghedini, shoves me away before kissing him on the mouth right away. "What are you doing? Today is Serafina's big day, you know!" Teodoro might be complaining on the outside, yet he's patting Cristina gently on the back. The atmosphere in the villa becomes eerily silent. Everyone stares at me as I sit on the floor in a wretched manner. Cristina merely smiles nonchalantly. Then, she leans against Teodoro's shoulder. "Don't be so petty, Serafina. Teodor and I are as thick as thieves since we were kids. We're used to sharing everything together." Teodoro begins advising me as well. "It's just a game, Serafina. You've always been gracious, haven't you? Don't act like a sore loser." Everyone thinks that I'll explode into rage and flip the table of food over, like I had done in the past. But this time, I just draw to my feet and take off the engagement ring. Then, I slide it onto Cristina's finger. "This ring is yours now. Congratulations on your marriage. Remember to invite me to your wedding."

BLURB My Joy knew no bounds until I heard the heart shattering words that piece through my bone marrow, my skin tore apart and I sucked myself in like a snail in its shell. “Sofia, I know you love me but the heart belongs where it belongs. I can no longer be with you Sofia because the heart belongs to the woman that is pregnant for me and she is also carrying my heir. I love her way more than the way I love you” What kind of rejection can be worse as that? I knew the moment the wolves looked at me and the next step was to stay away. I ran into the hands of the man that kicked up my ignition and taught my hands to war, but it was left for me to know if it was something to embrace or retard. Lycan Adam claimed that I was his and he wouldn't share me with anyone and he proposed that he had found something he lost a long time ago even if he doesn't know exactly. Will Lucas be worth my stand when the time comes? I'll I still love him even after the rejection or be with the man who taught me to be a great warrior? What will be my future if I later settle with the one the moon goddess hasn't mated me with me? What’s my secret?

When I drink the amber-colored poisonous wine, I can hear the joyful melody of a toast song coming from the manor. The wedding between Emanuela Romano and my ex-fiance, Benedetto Martini, is being held there right now. The elderly butler, Vincenzo Romano, puts away the wine glass with a blank expression. The way he speaks is as somber as one sounds when they give a speech at a funeral. "You know the Don's will very well, Ms. Andreotti. Five years are officially up, yet neither Mr. Andreotti, Mr. Martini, nor Dr. Foscari is willing to pledge their loyalty to you via the blood vow. According to the rules, you must take your own life within seven days. "The Don had left the Ashwine to you as a means of protecting… what little pride you have." Scorching pain begins spreading from my throat. I just smile at Vincenzo in return. Pride? Does a bastard spawn of a loose Iernian woman deserve to retain pride of any sort in the cruel Andreotti family? I begin making my way toward the banquet hall, which is brightly lit. As I walk past the shimmering waters of the pond in the family garden, I can tell that the waters are insanely cold. Then again, nothing is as cold as my icy heart right now. After taking a deep breath, I fall face-first into the pond… only to feel an iron-clad grip wrenching me backward. As such, I collapse onto the lawn heavily. My older brother, Alessandro Andreotti, has bits of grass covering his expensive suit. Disgust is written all over his handsome face. "Eva!" he grits out through his teeth, his voice lowered. "Must you spoil the mood on Emanuela's big day?" He then scoots closer to me, his alcohol-tinged breath fanning over my face. "You want to die, huh? Go ahead and do that, but can you die somewhere further? Don't stain the Andreotti land!" Alessandro turns to walk in the direction of the radiant lights, leaving me on the lawn, completely covered in mud. I can feel the countdown of my lifespan burning my insides. Seven days… I only have seven days to live. Meanwhile, my very own brother wants me to die somewhere further away.

Before the pack's Winter Solstice festival, I was given a Moonwater Mirror, forged from the waters of the Moon Goddess Spring. But the face staring back at me wasn't my own. It was my face, but younger. The girl I was eight years ago. Her eyes were bright with a joy I hadn't felt in years. When she realized I was from her future, she practically vibrated with excitement. "Our fated mate, Alpha Owen, he confessed today! He's going to plant moonflowers around the lake cabin. He'll stay with me for every full moon. He promised to make me his one and only Luna forever!" Her voice was full of hope for the future. Her joy was a bitter reminder of what I'd lost. I listened quietly, only managing a faint smile. My reaction must have given me away. Her excited chatter died. Her gaze drifted over my shoulder, taking in the cold, empty penthouse behind me. "Wait... where's Owen?" Her smile faltered. "We're happy, right? After eight years?" I didn't say a word. I just slowly, deliberately, turned the Moonwater Mirror toward the terrace. There, my Alpha mate, Owen, had another she-wolf pinned to the railing. Their mouths were fused, their breaths mingling in the cold night air.

Johanna Thorne and her sister, Allison Thorne, marry into the Silverplume family, the most prestigious werewolf family in the Northern Wolflands, on the same day. Their husbands are the only pair of pureblood Alpha twins in the family—Carlin Silverplume and Uriel Silverplume. Throughout the continent's long history, fewer than ten such twin pairs have ever been born. They are seen as blessings from the Moon Goddess herself, a source of pride for the entire family. Johanna is wed to the calm and stoic younger brother, Carlin. Her sister becomes the mate of the elder twin, Uriel, the family's strongest warrior Alpha. But during a mission to hunt down rebel wolves, Uriel is tragically killed. His body is never recovered. With his death, his bloodline ends. The news devastates the matriarch. She weeps before the altar, crying that this is punishment for the Silverplume family. With Uriel gone and no heir left behind, one of the family's two remaining pureblood lines is now severed. The future of their legacy hangs by a thread. Three days later, the matriarch summons Carlin and Johanna to the council hall. Before the gathered elders and priests, she solemnly proposes a solution. "Carlin shares the same blood and bone as Uriel... In the name of our ancestral spirits, I ask that Carlin form a breeding pact with Allison to fulfill Uriel's unfinished duty." Johanna's hands clench tightly. She turns to look at Carlin. In that moment, she doesn't know whether she's still his Luna or just a sacrifice offered up to preserve the family's bloodline.

It all started the night Audrey was sent to serve drinks to one of the guests who was in room 112. Beginning Audrey's step sister, Annie had been plotting deviously against her months, her envy and resentment growing with every passing day. Finally deciding the time is right, Annie approaches Audrey's manager at the hotel she worked at, Mr Frost with her plan. They would drug Audrey and give her a bottle of wine to deliver, claiming it is a special drink for a VIP client. Unknown to Audrey, the plan is to trap her in a compromising position with a vile old man, Mr Santiago and record them having sex. The night of the incident, Audrey, unaware of the danger is drugged and presented with the seemingly innocent bottle of wine and asked to deliver it to a client in room 112. Under the influence of the drugs, Audrey goes into room 114 instead of the intended room 112. Mistakenly believing she was meeting Mr Santiago, she finds herself alone in the room with a wealthy powerful man named Rex. The night soon becomes a blur of passion, clouded by the effects of the drug. Audrey has sex with the stranger, Rex.

The day before our engagement, my fiancé, Shawn Williams, said he would accompany me to look for a wedding dress. He still was not there by the time the bridal shop closed. I received a text from him on my way home. Shawn said: [Britney said she ran out of pajamas, so I'll accompany her to go shopping.] I called him, but his junior answered the phone. "Shawn is taking a shower. I can pass along a message if you have something to tell him." Shawn and I had been in a relationship for four years. Whenever I had something important to do, his junior would suddenly need his help with something trivial. He would always abandon me and rush to her side. As expected, he did not hesitate to abandon me on a day as important as today. Feeling exhausted, I calmly replied, "Tell him the wedding is canceled. I don't want to marry him anymore."

When Rachel's father falls ill and a mountain of debt stares her family in the face, she is thrown at her wit's end. To save her father's life, she succumbs to the shocking proposal of her cold, powerful boss, Noah Sinclair. Noah needs a wife to silence his family's demands, while Rachel needs his riches to pay for her father's hospital bills. But the shocking part is: He wants a marriage based on business only-no feelings, no romance, and no expectations.

The news came that Raymond had been shot. I was seven months pregnant, but I flew straight across the country to the family's East Coast compound—and got detained the moment I stepped inside. “Never heard of the Don having a fiancée, and pregnant no less. You've got some nerve running a con on Carraso turf.” The barrel of a gun pressed cold against my temple. My heart was clawing its way up my throat when I caught sight of a familiar figure across the room. “Raffina,” I shouted, “tell them I'm your brother-in-law's fiancée.” Raffina gave a small wave of her hand, and the man holding the gun immediately bent at the waist. “Donna, I didn't know she was a friend of yours. My mistake.” I stared with wide eyes, unable to make sense of what I was seeing. Inside the compound, the same man crossed to where Raymond sat on the couch without a scratch on him, and gave a formal nod. “Don, she claims she's your fiancée.” Raymond took a slow sip of his whiskey and shook his head, just barely. They dragged me out, and on the way the man slapped me across the face, warning me not to try my con act anywhere near the family again. I pulled the engagement ring off my finger and went straight to International Financial Tower.