Promised

Regina Hale survived the night that shattered her world — but survival came at a cost. Six years later, she lives on the edge of her pack, far from the memories that still haunt her dreams… until fate brings the one man she can never forget back into her life. Alpha Aldric Thorn has spent years searching for answers — and for the mate destiny promised him. When their bond finally ignites, so does a darkness neither of them escaped. Because something ancient is hunting again. And this time… it wants Regina. As secrets unravel and betrayal cuts deeper than claws, Regina and Aldric must face the monster hiding in plain sight — before it tears their world apart. Some bonds are written in blood. And some wars are fought for love.

Sheldon promised her mother before her death that she would stop sleeping with men for money. But this promise can hardly be kept when her savings ran out. She went back to her job and on that very night, her client's son caught them in the act. She ran away in fear to avoid the clash. A week later, the client's son, Denzel came looking for her with an offer she dare not refuse — she should marry him to spite his father. Sheldon accepted because it involved a lot of money but the arrangement is more interesting than she thought when she gets to meet the man's family and play along with the scheme. The couple wasn't fully prepared for what is to come.

“They say every Alpha has a shadow. I was his—a pale imitation of the woman he truly loved. And our sick daughter? An inconvenient reminder of his mistake.” Alpha King Kairi promised Sze forever, but she was just a substitute—a cheaper version of the goddess he truly desired. After years of living a lie, Sze discovers his cruel plan to send her and their sick child away. Broke, desperate, and humiliated, she will do anything to save her daughter, even beg from the monsters of her past. But when Kairi storms back into her life, his protection feels as dangerous as his rejection. Is his sudden change of heart real, or just another game to keep his secrets buried?

"I reject you," Bruno repeated, his voice carrying across the hushed clearing. "We are no longer mates. We can never be mates." The warmth that had always softened his green eyes whenever he looked at her was gone, replaced by a glacial indifference that chilled her to the bone. "No. No." Lyra shook her head vigorously, her carefully arranged hair coming loose, dark strands falling across her tear-stained face. She reached for him, clutching at the ceremonial jacket he wore. "This can't happen. You promised to protect me, to be by my side, to love me." Her voice rose with each word, desperation clawing at her throat. "Please, don't do this to me. You can't."

"You came to me, you initiated the whole thing that lead to my being dis-virgined. I promised my grandma that until I get married, I wasn't going to share my bed with any woman, but you came along and forcefully took me to bed. You seduced me, you took my virginity, therefore you have to marry me." On the night of a heartbreaking discovery, Rayne is forced into giving her first time to a handsome stranger, one she never thought she'd be meeting afterward, but after she woke up with a ring on her finger, she shockingly finds out she is now the wife to one of the city's eligible bachelors, Eric Arnold, a Domineering Billionaire.

Lustre Brown, a lowly omega that was abandoned at birth had never felt like she belonged anywhere until she met Alpha Luca, a powerful alpha intent on doing anything to become the most powerful alpha in Silvercrest. He promised Lustre a life of power and glamor by using her as a sex weapon to bring down his greatest enemies and Lustre easily compiled, grateful to be useful and indispensable. But after she got a mission to infiltrate the most powerful and feared pack in Silvercrest by seducing Alpha Fleki, known as The Rogue to the entire population of Silvercrest, she's soon thrown into a world of high stakes, power play, and bloodshed. And she'll soon realize that this might just be one mission that she won't get out of it alive.

The doors of elite research institutions aren't open to the unknown. But Rick Allen pulled Beth out of nowhere. He poured everything into nurturing her talent and promised her the world. The Allen family's compromise was simple: the Chief Young Scientist had to be Summer Belden—someone from their own social circle. From that day on, the words Rick said to Beth most often were, "Just wait a little longer." He told her to wait when her groundbreaking paper was published under Summer's name in exchange for research funding. He told her to wait again when the research she'd perfected over three years was packaged as Summer's signature work, paving the way to major awards. "The bigger picture comes first," he said. "The next Nobel Prize—I'll make sure it's yours." But when the paper credited to Summer—though written by Beth—was exposed for fabricated data, everyone reached the same conclusion: Beth, as a core member of the project, had tampered with the data to steal the credit. Locked in a glass-walled archive room, Beth looked at Rick standing outside the door. His gaze was ice-cold, full of disappointment. "Why did you touch the data?" he said. "You've ruined everything I've built." She remembered how he once told her, "In this world, yours is the only talent I truly recognize." He had promised, "I'll make sure achievements with your name hang among the stars." Now he stood with the others, judging her. He looked at her the way people look at a ruthless, ambitious fraud. When she was finally released, Beth dug her nails into her palm until blood ran down. This time, she wouldn't wait any longer.

The night Enzo was made boss of the Moretti family, I gave him my virginity. He was the heir I'd been promised to since before I could speak. We kissed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, tangled in the humid, twilight heat... His rough, urgent hands hurt me, but I didn't pull away. Even the pain felt sacred, a sacrifice I was willing to make for love. Lost in the heat of the moment, he promised me a pair of the most beautiful crystal shoes, so I could dance the opening waltz with him at his coronation ceremony the next day. The first dance is always reserved for the new boss and his future bride. I cried with joy, believing my years of secret pining and patient waiting would finally culminate in a fairytale ending. But I was wrong. So terribly wrong. The next morning, I dragged my aching body out to get his favorite espresso, only to overhear the guys joking as I returned: "So you finally popped the family cherry, huh? How was Vivian on your first night as boss?" Enzo's voice was lazy, mocking. "Face of an angel, body of a devil. She's a hot little viper in bed." The room erupted in sleazy whistles. "So, you really gonna marry her, young boss?" "Are you kidding me?" Enzo scoffed. "Vivian's just a warm-up. Once I get some practice in, I'll go tame the Falcone ice princess. When I get bored, I can always circle back and put a ring on her." I stood frozen in the doorway, my vision blurring, the coffee cup trembling in my hand. Before the world faded to black, I sent a coded message to the Don: "Uncle Romano, for the promotion in three days, get me a transfer. As far away from Enzo as possible."

It is the final day for the high school students to submit their university application forms, and I find out that someone has swapped out my and Ned Nicholson's application forms for Jafferton College instead. In a panic, I hurry off to find Ned to tell him about it, but I end up overhearing a conversation between him and one of his friends instead. "Ned, you promised Miranda Montez that you would both apply for Hale University together. Why did you secretly swap out both your application forms for Jafferton College instead? Aren't you worried that Miranda's going to make a huge fuss about it?" Ned sounds confident as he replies, "She won't. She'll listen to whatever I say. She'll be fine with it as long as she's still in the same college as I am." He pauses for a while before continuing in an impatient voice. "Scarlett Jordan can't get into Hale University. It's beyond her. She's going to be really scared if she has to go to Westward to study on her own, so I promised her that I'd go to the same college she was going to. "I mean, Jafferton College isn't that bad. Miranda wouldn't mind it at all." I stay silent for a long while before leaving quietly, pretending that I never heard a thing. I withdrew my application form for Jafferton College and submitted a new form for Dayward University instead. We made a promise to each other that we would start dating after getting into university. But since he's breaking his promise for someone else's sake, I decide to leave him quietly and go after my own dreams instead.

I was once the beloved daughter of the powerful Alpha and Luna of The Midnight Ridge Pack. I thought I had everything—a loving family, a protective brother, and a perfect fated mate—Steve Dolton, the strongest Beta of The Midnight Ridge Pack and the man I had loved for eighteen years. But when I turned eighteen, my world shattered. I discovered that I had been switched at birth and that Penny was the true heir of the pack. In an instant, I became the most awkward existence within The Midnight Ridge Pack. Though my parents promised I would always be their daughter, when Penny offended The Rogue King, they didn’t hesitate to make me take the blame and threw me into the infamous rogue den. I endured torture from silver chains and wolfsbane, my body covered in scars, becoming the lowest slave in the rogue den. It wasn’t until the fifth year that my brother-Alpha Joe and my former fiancé- Steve, came to the rogue den to take me back to The Midnight Ridge Pack. I overheard the casual chatter of the servants. "Does she seriously think she can come back?" "She made Miss Penny suffer outside for over a decade, stole ten years of happiness from her, and now she has the audacity to return and keep taking what belongs to Miss Penny. Shameless." "I heard that bringing her back this time is to help Miss Penny..." My throat tightened, and my palms grew cold. "Julia, come back home with us. We were wrong about you!" "Steve and I will treat you twice as well. You're still our precious little princess!" Amid their urging and apologies, I loosened my hand grip on the tattered hem of my dress. I had already promised to marry the son of The Rogue King. Our wedding was just around the corner.