Pine Groves

I set up a company cafeteria for employees with an abundant meal daily worth 150 dollars per person. Meals are prepared by a world-renowned master chef. Every day, I only ask my employees to contribute a token of one dollar. Instead of gratitude, all I get is their envy of the neighboring company. "I wish we had that. Their healthy lunches cost them nothing, and the company covers everything." "Yeah. Free salads always seem to taste the best." Before long, this chatter spreads through the office, and the new hires carry it into the company's group chat. "Mr. Shaw, can we switch things up? All this rich, heavy food is just too much for us!" A few of the senior employees quickly jump in. "Yes, Mr. Shaw! We're not asking for anything extravagant. We only want something like the healthy lunches the other company gives out for free!" Perfect. They ignore my lavish 150-dollar meals that cost them almost nothing, yet they pine over the neighboring company's modest lunches. I scroll through the chat, feeling nothing but sharp irony. I immediately send a company-wide email. "Attention, everyone! By popular demand, and so you can all experience a truly free lunch, the cafeteria's daily meal is reduced from abundant to simple starting today. "Snacks and fruit options are discontinued and replaced with the same healthy lunch set offered by the neighboring company. The company will cover the full cost. Enjoy your meal!"

Aurora Chandrakant is the daughter of Kaven head of the royal pack warriors. When her and her twin brother were 12 years old, they both began their training with their father. All her life her dad shows her nothing but attention and love but for some reason as years goes by that her mother becomes colder to her. Every night she will have the same dream about a baby being left at the door but not only she can’t recognize anyone face, but there is no one she can ask about this dream. Prince Alexander Heinrich is the next in line for being King of the West side packs. His father is always hard on him to be the King that he is now with the packs. He’s cruel and abusive to Alexander. The packs in their kingdom don’t really care for his way of taking care of them. They meet on her first day of training with her father. The first moment Alexander see Aurora he had a feeling that she could be his mate but when she first shifts that he will be positive. Alexander tells his father of her and setting up the Luna ceremony from them to mark each other letting the pack know of her being their Luna but his father refuses it. He doesn’t care that Aurora is to his opinion a lower ranking wolf and wants Alexander to choose a female of higher ranking to be his Luna. Like Kimberly Stone daughter of the Alpha of the Black pine pack. Now Alexander must choose between his true mate or being with someone he can’t even stand to be around, but his father forces his decision to whom he will be with.

The scent of pine and damp earth clung to the air as the full moon created long shadows across the Ancient Clearing. Tonight, was supposed to be our marking ceremony, a sacred ritual binding Alpha Anderson and his chosen Luna before the eyes of the Frostmoon Pack. “My heart,” his gaze locked on Leah, who stood under the moonlight “has always belonged to another. My first love, the one whose spirit has been weakened by the venom of wolfsbane, is my Luna.” He drew Leah closer, his hand possessively circling her waist. Under the watchful gaze of the moon, he smiled. “Our traditions are clear,” he continued, “Only the woman who stands with me at this altar, witnessed by all, shall be my Luna. Though I had always thought that Irene was my mate which I mistakenly marked a time ago. But thanks to the goddess for making me see clearly before it was too late.” They exchanged vows beneath the trees, witnessed by the werewolves and the Moon Goddess. The silver crowns were placed, the ceremonial kiss sealed their bond. I stood hidden in the shadows of the surrounding forest. For twelve years, from the moment my wolf recognized his at eighteen until my thirtieth moon cycle, my love for Anderson had never changed. But his heart, it was clear, belonged to Leah. If that was the truth, then I would release him. He had never truly seen me, never truly cared. Yet, the act of my departure seemed to unravel him in ways I couldn’t understand.

I stood in the shadows, the scent of pine and frost heavy in the air, watching my mate, Ethan, smile—truly smile—for the first time in years. But not at me. At her. My cousin, Isla. His first love. She sat beside him, warm and glowing, with our pups, Lucas and Mia, curled up against her like she was their real mother. They were laughing, sharing bites of ice-cream cake, the kind Lucas once said made his stomach hurt. I was never meant to be here. I wasn't his choice. He didn't fall in love with me—he was assigned to me. To him, our bond was never about love. It was a political arrangement—an alliance between two packs: his power, my father’s ambition. A tie forged not by hearts, but by bloodlines and borders. He never touched me unless required. He never looked at me like I was his Luna. In that moment, as their laughter echoed under the full moon, I felt the mate bond falter—thin, fading, like breath in winter. And I knew. I had played my part long enough. So I turned away. It was time to severe the bond that was never truly mine. But when he sensed I was really leaving, when the tether between us began to snap, he broke. Dropped to his knees, clutching the pups like lifelines, his voice raw. "Please," he whispered, "don't leave me." Even the pups cried, reaching for me with shaking hands. "Mom, we’re sorry… We didn't mean it. Please don't go."

Alpha wolf pack Darius Ranlone has been at war for control of New York City with Zander Udimov's vampire clan for many years. Tired of fighting and seeking the best for his pack and his family, Darius offers a peace pact to Zander, who accepts under the condition that Darius gives him a newborn child of his to raise as his own and thus fulfill an unusual longed for wish for a vampire: that of being a father, since he cannot be one naturally. After thinking about it and despite the reluctance of his wife Amira, Darius accepts and gives him his next newborn child, achieving the long-awaited peace. A peace that would last a few years, since one night, Darius's first-born, a twenty-five-year-old wolf named Daniel, suffers an attack by a vampire when he was spending a quiet weekend with his girlfriend in a cabin in the forest; the vampire takes his girlfriend hostage and in the fight manages to bite him, managing to survive thanks to the investigations and experiments of his uncle Christopher and unleashing an incredible transformation in the young man, who full of rage and pain unleashes a ruthless hunt to recover his girlfriend and eliminate the vampire who attacked him, despite the advice of his father Darius. Since Daniel's girlfriend is missing, the New York police intervene by assigning their two best detectives, a veteran lieutenant named Roy Rodiak and an incisive young sergeant named Norma Pine, who may be very close to discovering the secret of the Ranlone family. In addition, and without realizing it, the young Daniel and the beautiful detective could be developing something more than a simple curiosity for each other. What will happen when Daniel manages to reach the vampire, one of Zander Udimov's favorites?

Aurora is a twenty-one-year-old wolf shifter who recently graduated with a master's degree in business and landed a prestigious manager's position at Xanders Financial, the largest financial company owned by her pack. Driven and focused on her new career, finding a mate is the last thing on her mind. However, her carefully planned life takes an unexpected turn when Maverick, the Alpha's son and notorious playboy who has been studying abroad for five years, returns to town. ​Maverick arrives at the company headquarters intending to inform his father, Alpha Alexander, that he is abandoning his future Alpha duties to marry his fiancée, Scarlett, and live in Paris. But the moment Maverick and Aurora cross paths, they are hit by the overwhelming scents of caramel apples and pine, and their wolves instantly recognize each other as fated mates. ​Despite the powerful pull of the mate bond, Aurora tries to push Maverick away, frustrated that he is already engaged and determined to protect her heart and her career. Meanwhile, Maverick's world is thrown into turmoil. He postpones his wedding to figure out how to handle the mate bond, much to his father's demand that he reject Scarlett immediately. ​Unbeknownst to Maverick, his fiancée Scarlett is a manipulative, status-obsessed Delta wolf who secretly rejected her own true mate just to secure Maverick's wealth and power. Realizing her plans to take over the company are threatened, Scarlett begins plotting to uncover the identity of Maverick's fated mate so she can eliminate Aurora as competition once and for all. Caught between a scheming fiancée, an Alpha's expectations, and a stubborn but beautiful mate, Maverick must decide if he is finally ready to leave his playboy ways behind and fight for Aurora.

« Tu recules à chaque fois que je m'approche, Langford », a traîné Riven, le coinçant contre le mur de la salle de conférence. « Soit me frapper... soit admettre que tu me veux. » La mâchoire de Kairo s'est resserrée. « Reste en dehors de mon espace, Hale. » Mais encore une fois, il ne pouvait pas empêcher le resserrement de son cœur et de son pantalon. _____ Il est l'Alpha parfait. Sauf.....il ne l'est pas. Kairo Langford a passé toute sa vie à faire semblant de dominer, cachant la vérité qui pourrait détruire l'empire de Langford : c'est un Oméga. Forcé de faire semblant d'être un Alpha. Cachant sa vraie nature avec des suppresseurs et des jeux de pouvoir soigneusement scellés. Riven Hale a toujours été une épine dans son pied. L'arrogant héritier Alpha de Hale Corp semble être né pour le mettre en colère, le défier, le tenter. Mais lorsqu'une fusion et un lien de compagnon particulier lient leurs destins et les mettent sous le même toit. Le monde de Kairo prend un grand virage par rapport à la norme. Surtout quand sa haine pour Riven s'enchaîne lentement contre le besoin sans fin.

My mom and I work our butts off in order to clear Gregory Hudson, my boyfriend's crippling debt. Because of that, Mom even contracts lung cancer. But when I rush to the hospital to pay off the hospital bills, I find out that she's already taken her life by hanging herself. All she leaves is a suicide note. "I can't hang on anymore, Hailey. You should use the money to pay off the debt. Gregory is a good man. I know he loves you; it's just that he's stepped down the wrong path. "Once the debt is cleared, both of you should stay together and live a good life." After collecting Mom's ashes in an urn, I entrust the 300 thousand dollars—the money that Mom has earned with her blood, sweat, and tears—to Gregory. When I return to the company, I accidentally overhear the conversation between Gregory and a few of his debtors. "Mr. Hudson, Ms. Jackman has already passed all of your trials so far. What other arrangements do you have for her?" Gregory's childhood friend, Sophia Wagner, suddenly speaks up. "Even though Hailey can endure all the suffering with you, we still need to test if she can still handle living a good life with you." Gregory purses his lips. "Next, I'd like to know if Hailey's love for me is pure and sincere. If she doesn't pine for my wealth and doesn't become materialistic after finding out about my identity, I will marry her." As I look down at Mom's ashes, I can't help sobbing like a lost child. Both my mom and I are wrong about Gregory. I don't want to marry him anymore.

“If you want me to keep your secret, you have to do one thing for me in exchange,” he said, his lips curled up slightly. “What thing?” Aurora narrowed her eyes, alarmed at the direction of the conversation. “Never never share the same bed with my brother,” he demanded, his alpha dominance rolling off him in waves, making her want to bare her neck for submission. But Aurora straightened her back and challenged him head-on. “Why? I’m his wife,” Aurora stated with a neutral expression on her face. She and her husband were a fake couple, but he didn’t have to know that. The fewer people who knew, the more favorable the situation was to her. “I’m supposed to…” “You are mine!” he released a deep guttural growl. The possessiveness shown in his words and eyes made Aurora both startled and baffled. He stalked to her in calculated steps, his eyes glinting with a deep well of want and desire under the moonlight. Aurora started to retreat cautiously until her back hit a hard wall. In a flash, he was in front of her, his arms resting on the wall beside her head, caging her. He was so close to her. Too close. His lips almost touched hers. A smell mixed of rain and pine forests invaded her nose, making her dizzy. Her wolf perked up. Aurora quickly cleared her senses. “I’m nobody’s woman,” she declared, locking eyes with him. But she quickly regretted it because who wouldn’t lose herself in a pair of deep blue ocean-like eyes on a face carved out by the Moon Goddess herself? “Want a bet?” he smirked, “One day you will be mine.” The audacity of him!

My mate, Andrew Claude, is the Alpha of the Celestial Pack, the sworn rival of my father’s Venus Pack. For three years, we have hidden our bond, knowing that our union could either bring peace between the packs or ignite war. On Lunar Year's Eve, beneath the full moon’s silver glow, we stand on the castle terrace, whispering promises of our future. Tonight, we finally agree to perform our bonding ritual, sealing our fates before revealing our love to our parents. My wolf stirs in anticipation, her instincts urging me toward him. But then, Andrew leaps down into the grand fire-dance festival, his powerful wolf form shifting mid-air before landing in a flourish. The scent of burning pine and roasted venison fills the air, warriors howling in celebration. The pack’s bonfire crackles with enchanted flames, casting shadows of prowling wolves against the towering stone walls. I watch from above, heart pounding with joy—until my smile fades. In the heart of the revelry, Carol Sinclair, an Omega maid, clutches a bundle of enchanted fireworks. Andrew strides to her, a warm, easy grin on his face. With a flick of his fingers, golden flames dance from his palms, sparking the firework in her hands. "A little fire magic to help you, Carol," he chuckles. She gasps in admiration, giggling as the firework ignites—only for it to spiral out of control. It veers wildly, the enchanted embers lashing through the air. Searing pain blooms across my arm. The stench of burning flesh fills my nose. I barely react before Carol bursts into tears and flees into the crowd. Before I can speak, Andrew turns on me, his golden eyes flashing with rage. The onlookers fall silent, ears twitching to catch their Alpha’s words. “Did you bully her, Bella?” His growl rumbles deep in his chest. “Just because you’re an Alpha’s heir doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want!” The warriors glance at each other, their tails stiff with tension. I stagger back, stunned. He doesn’t even ask if I’m hurt.