Painted Scars Neva Altaj Novels & Stories

At Moonfang College, the ice rink hides more than just bruises and blades—it conceals betrayal, forbidden love, and the fury of fated mates. Lira Hale never expected her 20th birthday to end in heartbreak. Caught between shattered trust and a twisted pack hierarchy, she finds solace not in her destined mate, but in his exiled older brother—Rylan Grayson, the masked bad boy with a legacy of scars and secrets. He’s cold, brutal, and a former hockey prodigy returning for revenge. She's broken but burning to reclaim her strength. When Rylan forces her into a fake relationship to protect her brother—Moonfang’s Ice Hockey Captain—it starts a chain reaction that threatens to unravel the pack from the inside. On the rink, tensions flare. Off the rink, passions ignite. As old enemies resurface and a deadly tournament approaches, Lira must master not just her emotions—but her wolf. Because in this brutal game of love, legacy, and ice, only the strongest hearts survive. From locker room heat to life-or-death arena battles, Icebound Fates is a shifter romance that slices deep—where the ice is cold, but the love burns hotter.

Five years ago, Isabella Reyes walked away from the only man she ever loved—Alexander Knight, the ruthless billionaire who shattered her heart. She left with nothing but her pride… and a secret she swore she would never reveal. Now, with her family’s company on the verge of collapse, Isabella has no choice but to return to the city she fled. Desperate for a lifeline, she finds herself face-to-face with the one man she vowed never to see again. Alexander hasn’t forgotten her. He hasn’t forgiven her either. Cold, powerful, and more dangerous than ever, he offers her a deal: marriage. On his terms. For his revenge. But Isabella is hiding more than scars from the past—she’s hiding their son, a bright little boy with Alexander’s storm-gray eyes. And when the truth comes out, the billionaire who vowed never to love again will stop at nothing to claim what’s his. A marriage of convenience. A love that refuses to die. A secret that could destroy them both. Will Isabella protect her heart and her child, or will Alexander’s obsession consume them all?

I’m the daughter of the Alpha of the Embermoon Pack. As my post-transformation wolf form was tall, powerful, and strikingly beautiful, I had always been favored by my parents and cherished by the pack. Yet, during a journey with my brother, Gariel, I was betrayed, ambushed, and sold into an illegal mining camp on the frontier. There, electric fences, raised gun barrels, and endless despair became my prison. To prevent escape, the overseer would select a group of so-called “lucky ones” at regular intervals. In front of all the miners, they would hack off their hands and feet. Half a year slipped by in torment, and I wasted away until I was barely recognizable. My body was covered in scars, looking like a demon dragged out of hell. Even so, I clung to the belief that my brother would come for me. Then, one day, by pure accident, I overheard a phone call between the overseer and my brother. “You sure are ruthless to have the heart to sell your beautiful sister to us. Your parents must be losing their minds by now.” Those words instantly extinguished the very last trace of hope I had left.

"Are you afraid of me, Celina?" The Prince asked huskily, and she shivered at the intense look in his eyes. She didn't answer, making him take a step forward in her direction.He reached over and ran his thumb across her cheekbones, watching her breathing pause as she dared not move beneath the touch of this strange, imposing man. "Well, you should be." *** Celina Roman is a wallflower, shy, reserved but loved by people around her. She cares for her parents and two sisters above all, a fact that's led the eighteen-year-old to do anything for them. What she wasn't expecting was for her family to sell her to the Prince so that they could have money. Prince Javier DeRose is a name better suited for a myth than a man. Like that of the devil, people either whisper it in fear or worship the ground he walks. He is rich, cold, demanding and likes to be all alone in a Dark Palace, protecting his secret. When Celina steps on his doorstep his life changes forever. Filled with secrets and scars, these two individuals are thrown together to live under the same roof. Will they find a way together or forever stay apart? ***

Sixteen-year-old Seraphina Gray thought her life would change forever when she turned eighteen and found her fated mate. As the Alpha’s destined Luna, she’d always believed in the sacred bond that tied werewolves together. But when Alpha Kael Ashford, the cold and ruthless leader of the Silver Moon Pack, rejects her in front of the entire pack, Seraphina’s world shatters. Humiliated and heartbroken, Seraphina flees, seeking solace in the mysterious woods that border her territory. There, she stumbles upon an ancient power that awakens a side of her she never knew existed—a side that makes her more powerful than any Alpha. As Kael battles his own demons and realizes too late the weight of his rejection, a dangerous war brews between packs, with Seraphina caught in the crossfire. Forced to choose between revenge and redemption, Seraphina must decide if she can forgive the boy who broke her or forge a new path—one where she rules not as a Luna but as a queen. In a world where bonds can break but scars remain, will love find its way back, or will the pain of rejection become eternal

In the realm of love, where fate often dances with unpredictability, second chances emerge as beacons of hope. Amidst the scars of past heartbreak and the echoes of missed opportunities, two souls find themselves at the crossroads of redemption. Eloise Garcia is a 24-year-old single mother, who needs to save her son from a fatal blood disease. But there’s one big problem, her son’s continuous medications and a much-needed bone marrow transplant will cost her a fortune, which she doesn’t have. Desperate and out of options, she finally decides to do what she can’t believe she must do - to reconnect with her son’s biological father, a multi-billionaire Alpha of one of the most powerful packs in the country, Braxton Guttierrez. She’s aware that her journey with him isn’t going to be easy like the last time they were together, but she will stop at nothing to save her dying child. Once the distance she stretched between her and the only man she has ever loved shrinks again, will the universe weave its tapestry of possibilities and offer them an opportunity to rewrite their love story?

Betrayed. Broken. Hunted. Maera was once the Luna of a powerful Alpha—until the mate she trusted led her into a brutal ambush that cost her everything. Left for dead, betrayed by blood and bond, she rises from the ashes of her former life and flees across hostile lands, chased by death and haunted by pain. She stumbles into the forbidden territory of Vargthorn—a kingdom ruled not by one, but three Lycan Kings. Cold-eyes Korran, fiercely loyal Zarek, and the mystic Fenrik have carved out a world untouched by outsiders. And yet, something in Maera calls to them… and something in them answers. Taken in as a maid, Maera hides her scars behind obedience—until desire burns, and fate refuses to be silenced. But love is not the only thing awakening. Maera carries a legacy hidden in her blood—one tied to a prophecy the Lycan Kings were born to fulfil. Their bond could be the key to ending an ancient curse… or the spark that triggers a new war. As enemies close in and a dark queen rises, Maera must face her past, embrace her power, and choose whether to let vengeance consume her—or become the Luna the realm has waited for.

Micah tore his fate apart the night he rejected Freya;the wolfless, fragile daughter of his pack’s beta for Gaia, the fierce warrior daughter of a neighboring alpha. His betrayal broke more than her heart; it shattered her place in the world. Mocked by her pack, blamed by her parents, and left with nothing but scars, Freya vanished into the shadows. Until fate found her again. Ambushed and poisoned by his enemies, Alpha King Lucian’s life is slipping away when a strange force binds him to the very girl destiny abandoned. That night, something ancient wakes inside Freya;something wild enough to defy the Moon Goddess herself. Years later, Freya returns. No longer broken, no longer the girl they pitied. She’s powerful, untamed, and burning with secrets the gods wish to bury. When old grudges ignite and buried truths claw their way to light, even the Moon Goddess won’t decide her fate only Freya will. But love is a curse that never dies. And when her former mate comes crawling back into her orbit, she’ll have to choose: vengeance... or the fire that still binds their soul

Kim Evelyn—known to those closest to her as Ivy—never imagined her third wedding anniversary would turn into a nightmare. Her husband, Rico, didn’t just betray her—he brought his mistress into their bed. The pain and humiliation scorched her heart, leaving her no choice but to walk away from the home that once symbolized their love. But Ivy’s escape led her into a night that would change everything. Beneath the glimmering lights of an upscale bar, she met Joshua Miller—a dangerously charming man with a captivating smile and an offer too tempting to resist. Revenge. Sweet, calculated revenge. But there was a catch: Ivy had to surrender herself to a game far more seductive than anything she’d ever imagined. As vengeance ignited and passion flared, the line between game and reality began to blur. Dark secrets loomed. Hidden dangers stirred. And Ivy was forced to make an impossible choice—move forward and risk losing everything, or retreat into the scars of her past. Can Ivy take control of this wicked game? Or will she end up the pawn—consumed by desire, ambition, and a betrayal more dangerous than the one she fled?

The biggest mistake I had ever made was falling in love with my Alpha stepbrother, Cayden Gates. I was 12 when my mom remarried, and he was the only one in the new pack who treated me kindly. I fell for him at first sight. When I was 16, I was attacked by rogue wolves, and he fought off ten of them alone to protect me. At 18, he was poisoned by silver. He nearly died. That was when my wolf told me he was my fated mate. Without hesitation, I donated my bone marrow to save him. That night, watching him asleep with a pale face, I couldn't help but kiss the corner of his lips. He opened his eyes at that exact moment, his face flushing red. "Tessa, we're siblings. You shouldn't cross that line." From then on, he started avoiding me, like I was a mistake he couldn't afford to make. His fiancée, Rosie Lloyd, had been diagnosed with a rare blood disease, and I was the only compatible donor. For the first time, he pleaded with me. "If you're willing to save her, I'll agree to anything." But I was already weak from the marrow transplant. Giving blood again might kill me. I said no, and Rosie died in the end. He didn't shed a single tear, like nothing had happened. But at her funeral, he smashed the portrait I'd painted of him in front of everyone and said coldly, "How filthy of you to dream of being with your own brother." Later, I became a disgrace, a walking joke. Humiliation and despair swallowed me whole, and in a haze, I fell into the lake and drowned. When I open my eyes again, I'm back at the moment he begs me for blood. I say yes calmly. I consider it the final debt I owe the Gates family. Cayden, from now on, we're done. There are no more ties between us.