Perdão

Sa ika-dalawang anibersaryo ng kasal ng mag asawang Enrico Dela Muerte at Carmina Ocampo ay parehas silang may gustong sabihin sa isa’t isa. Hindi pinairal ni Carmina Ocampo ang kasabihang ‘ladies first’ sa kadahilanan na gusto niya munang marinig kung ano ang inihandang surpresa ng kaniyang asawa para sa kaniya. Subalit, biglang naghain ng divorce si Enrico na sobrang ikinagulat ni Carmina. Ikinagulat ito ni Carmina sapagkat, gano’n ba kabilis? Gano’n lang siya kabilis bitawan ni Enrico? Tumulo ang luha ni Carmina habang hawak sa kaniyang kamay ang isang pregnancy test sheet na nasasabik niya sanang ibabahagi kay Enrico para sa kanilang anibersaryo. Dahilan sa halo halong emosyon na nararamdaman ni Carmina ay hindi na niya naiwasang itanong kay Enrico kung paano kung sabihin niya na magkakaroon na sila ng anak? Ngunit hindi inaasahan ni Carmina ang naging sagot sa kaniya ni Enrico---bumalik na ang totoong minamahal ni Enrico. Makalipas ang ilang buwan, habang tinatahak ni Carmina ang kalsada upang tumawid, naramdaman niya ang kakaibang sakit ng tiyan niya kaya bigla siyang napahinto sa paglalakad, ‘manganganak na ata ako’, wika niya sa kaniyang sarili. Eksaktong hinto ni Carmina ay siya namang naramdaman niya ang sakit mula sa pagkabunggo ng isang sasakyan sa kaniya. Eksaktong kasal ni Enrico at siya ay nasa simabahan nang mabalitaan ang nangyari kay Carmina at agad itong lumisan. Humahangos, nakarating siya sa ospital kung saan dinala si Carmina at hindi siya makapaniwala sa kaniyang nakita---DUGO! Nababalot ng dugo si Carmina at kitang-kita niya itong naghahabol ng hininga at paulit-ulit na sinasambit, ‘Pakiusap, pakiusap, iligtas n'yo ang anak ko.

Le di tres años de mi vida, solo para que me trataran como a una simple sustituta… peor que a un perro. Cuando su llamada “luz blanca de luna” regresó, me apartó sin dudarlo. Está bien. Acepté la alianza familiar y me casé con el Alfa más poderoso del Norte. ¿Ahora se arrepiente y me ruega que vuelva? Demasiado tarde. Confabularon contra mí con aconita, queriendo que muriera en un sucio sótano. Pero mi compañero —el verdadero Rey del Norte— arrasó con toda la hacienda solo para salvarme. Intentaron robar mi linaje alfa con magia oscura. Los hice saborear el exilio, convertidos en renegados, despreciados por todos. ¿Y él? Se arrodilló ante mí, suplicando por perdón. Yo me refugié en los brazos de mi compañero y lo vi ser desterrado para siempre. —Ángel —le dije con frialdad—. —Abre los ojos. Yo soy la única Luna del Norte.

Mi mejor amiga, Chloe, y yo nos casamos dentro de la mafia. Contrajimos matrimonio con dos hermanos. Yo me casé con el monstruo, Don Adriano. Ella se casó con su rebelde hermano menor, Lorenzo. Fue un matrimonio concertado. Yo no esperaba nada de él. Sabía que su corazón pertenecía a su amor de la infancia, Isabella. Entonces murió mi padre. Desde ese momento, mi hermano autista, Leo, se convirtió en mi mundo, por lo que le cedí todo el imperio naviero de mi familia a Adriano. Él me abrazó esa noche. Me besó las lágrimas de los ojos. Juró que nos protegería a ambos para siempre. Y yo le creí. Ese fue mi error. Hace tres días, una familia rival nos atacó. Dejaron a Leo desangrándose en mis brazos. Lo llevé rápidamente a nuestro hospital privado, pero estaba vacío. No había ni un solo médico de guardia. Llamé a Adriano, pidiendo ayuda a gritos. Y entonces descubrí que él había enviado a todos los médicos a la villa de Isabella. —Se acerca una tormenta e Isabella le tiene pánico a los truenos. El estrés podría desencadenarle una afección cardíaca. No puedo arriesgarme. Tu hermano solo tiene un rasguño. Cúralo tú. Mañana me ocuparé de eso. Colgó. Mientras Isabella dormía tranquila en sus brazos, yo perdí a mi hermano. Lloré toda la noche, abrazada al cuerpo frío de Leo. Cuando desperté, le dije a Chloe que quería el divorcio. Ella me abrazó, sollozando. Me dijo que también iba a dejar a Lorenzo. Los hermanos Moretti no supieron nada hasta que les entregaron los papeles del divorcio. Entonces se volvieron locos.

La familia Torres estaba al borde de la ruina cuando vinieron a pedirme que me casara con su hijo. Mi papá, sabiendo que llevaba diez años completamente enamorada de Nelson Torres, aceptó el matrimonio y, para colmo, invirtió una fortuna para sacarlos del desastre. La noche de bodas, Nelson me vendó los ojos con una corbata y me tomó una y otra vez. Un mes después, llena de felicidad, fui a buscarlo con el informe de embarazo en la mano, pero lo que escuché me dejó completamente congelada. Estaba en un bar, apostando a lo grande con sus amigos: —A ver, muchachos, ¿qué opinan? ¿Quién de ustedes cree que es el padre del bebé de Sofía Reyes, después de que se la cogieron entre varios? Uno de sus amigos soltó una carcajada grosera: —Señor Torres, yo solo le di tres veces... No me diga que es mío, ¿o sí? —Yo apuesto a que fue Paco, ese tipo se lució esa noche, Sofía casi se vuelve loca. ¡Le aposté diez mil dólares a que es de él! Fue en ese momento cuando entendí que, en realidad, no había sido Nelson con quien pasé la noche de bodas, sino con más de diez de sus supuestos amigos. Enloquecí y fui directo a confrontarlo, pero a él no le importó ni un poco. —¿Por qué tanto drama, si solo estás llorando? Si no fuera por la presión de tu familia, jamás me habría casado contigo. Si no hubieras obligado a Juana a irse, nunca te habría tratado así. —Escúchame bien, Sofía, el día que Juana me perdone, entonces sí, te dejaré en paz. Con el corazón destrozado, pedí el divorcio, pero él usó el video de esa noche para chantajearme y me metió en el sótano. —No te creas que te vas a ir tan fácil. Mis amigos y yo seguimos haciendo apuestas para ver quién es el papá de ese bastardo. Ocho meses después, allí, en ese sótano, perdí a mi bebé... y mi vida. Cuando abrí los ojos, volví al día en que los Torres me pidieron que me casara con Nelson para salvarlos. Esta vez, el día de mi boda, Nelson estaba llorando desconsolado.

Estuve siete años con Bruno. Pero cuando lo acusaron y terminó en la cárcel, no dudé en dar media vuelta y desaparecer de su vida. Me refugié en los brazos de su mejor amigo, buscando un poco de paz. Cuando Bruno salió, volvió con más poder, más rabia… y me obligó a casarme con él. No le importó cómo: usó todo lo que tenía para hacerme suya otra vez. Para todos, éramos la pareja perfecta, el amor que lo aguantó todo. Pero nadie sabía que, cada noche, él llevaba a otra mujer a nuestra cama... incluso a mi propia hermana. Decía que ese era el precio por haberlo traicionado. Lo que Bruno nunca imaginó es que, mientras todos lo creían culpable, yo me metí en una red criminal para limpiar su nombre. Y que, para conseguir esa prueba, perdí un riñón y medio hígado. Lástima que... ya no me queda mucho tiempo.

"I will take her in exchange," Alpha Dante declared, and the ball room instantly quieted down, and all eyes turned to the said girl. Whispers filled the ballroom, although it was rather useless since everyone could hear them clearly with their heightened senses. Rhea, the object of discussion, stood there in tattered clothes, confused and seemingly lost. She never wanted to draw so much attention to herself, but here she was with everyone's eyes on her because of a single statement from one man. "I am sorry, Alpha Dante, you must be mistaken, that is not my daughter..." Alpha Collins said but was rudely interrupted by Alpha Dante. "She is the one I want,” Alpha Dante said coldly. “Give her to me or forget about our deal.” ***** Born a mix of blood, half vampire, and half werewolf, Rhea was neither considered a werewolf nor a vampire. Just someone who wasn't needed. Someone who shouldn't exist. Someone whose existence was an abomination. Her father's absence in her life and her mother's passing rendered Rhea homeless, nowhere to go, and no one to turn to. She is forced to fend for herself from an early age, serving as a maid in the packhouse despite being hated and scorned by all. Dante, an alpha whose path had always been painted Scarlet, cursed by the moon goddess, walked a lone and bloodied path. He never asked for a mate and never wanted one after all. He was cursed by the very entity their race worships. He never thought he needed one until he met her. For the first time, he felt his heart waver, his silent beast stirred in the presence of another and definitely not out of hostility.

Naya, the only daughter of the most powerful Alpha of the Moon Pack, watches her world collapse at the age of fifteen when her parents are brutally executed for treason by King Nolan. Stripped of her title and protection, she is condemned to a life of slavery within the very pack that once revered her. For five years, she survives on scraps, enduring humiliation and cruelty—until the Moon Goddess intervenes and binds her fate to Ethan, her childhood friend. But Ethan rejects her. Though forced to marry her by divine decree, Ethan treats Naya with nothing but disdain, subjecting her to abuse and betrayal. During a mandatory full-moon shifting ceremony, Ethan exposes her inability to shift to Alpha King Benjamin—Nolan’s ruthless son. Declared unfit to remain in the pack, Naya narrowly escapes banishment when Benjamin condemns her instead to palace slavery until she can awaken her wolf. Burning with hatred for the king whose family destroyed her own, Naya views the palace as her chance for revenge. Yet fate takes an unexpected turn. Despite being bound to another, King Benjamin finds himself drawn to Naya’s quiet strength and warmth. Their forbidden connection deepens, blurring the line between vengeance and love. When jealousy and ambition collide, Ethan and the king’s mate, Tanya, conspire to destroy Naya. Kidnapped and poisoned, Naya loses her unborn child, and her trust shatters when deception convinces her that Benjamin has betrayed her. She flees the palace, vowing revenge once more. Months later, Naya returns—disguised, hardened, and ready to strike. But at her public trial, the truth finally comes to light. Betrayals are exposed, enemies unmasked, and Naya must decide whether to cling to vengeance or reclaim the love and destiny that were always meant to be hers.

Esme believed in this saying for as long as she could remember. These words gave her the strength and courage to live each day as it came until she eventually became tired of making those lemonades and wished for something else. Something—different. But that only seemed wishful thinking. Born as a noble and made an orphan after a rogue attack, Esme became the unwanted pack member of NightCrawler Pack. The once daughter of an alpha became nothing but a slave who answers to the new alpha’s family’ every beck and call. The pack that had once adored her now ridiculed her and laughed at her mistreatment and misery. They seemed to have forgotten how her family had fought for the safety of the pack and the kingdom and even lost their lives for them. But in all this, Esme remained silent. Silently enduring and hoping that one day, her knight in shining armor would come and rescue her. He will show up one day and take her away from the once happy place that has now become her hell. When that day eventually came, she was rejected without a second thought, and she watched as her world came crashing. Hard. Her heart caved in and lost all hope of ever finding happiness again. Or even leaving the pack. After all, what could a wolfless shifter do? Amidst her misery, a ray of light appeared. She was blessed with a second chance, mate. One whose outstretched hand she was hesitant to take, especially after knowing who he was.

Two strangers, Alexandra Davis, a country girl, and Derrick Johnson, a tech billionaire have a steamy one-night stand after being drugged. The night ends up leaving the both with scars that change their lives forever. Four years later… They meet again, Alexandra with a son rocks the cold world of Derrick, their emotional walls crumble and are replaced with love without bound. This time fate’s machinery slowly unravels the playout from the night four years ago, a playout that threatens the love they have for each other. Nothing is ever as it seems…

Phoebe traveled to the Firebricks Pack with her cousin Joana, who is newly mated to the Gamma there. Upon meeting Alpha Hudson, she realized that they are mates. He avoids her but she is defiant to know the reason. He ditches her for a month and never expected that she would be waiting for his return at his pack. When she finally is able to confront him, the secret he holds leaves her flabbergasted. What on earth could be keeping the Alpha from his mate? Will Phoebe be able to handle the secret he unfolds, or will she turn her back on him? He didn't give her a choice because he rejected her. The moon goddess interfered and now he has to chase after her, but she has no memories of him. Has she already moved on? If her memories return, will she be able to forgive him? Is there a happy ending for this fated couple? ****** I opened the door on my side and exited the vehicle as well. "Why are you so upset?" The back and forth pacing halted at the sound of my voice. The anger he was fuming hadn't dissolved yet. "You were whoring around with another man!" "Whoring?" I retorted, "Looks who talking?" "You have no right to be kissing anyone else," he came around to the other side of the car. "You are my mate, for fuck's sake!" "You mean the mate that you don't want!" I shouted at him, "All you do is neglect me, and I have needs. If you get to fuck someone else, then so do I." The growl he emitted echoed across the hills. He lifted the car and slammed it down. I gulped down my fears and observed the raging Alpha. ********************** All rights reserved