Reluctant Crossword Clue

Finally it was time to give her the ring, and Sue didnt hide her disappointment when she saw it. "Told you," Justin whispered. Jake simply smiled and slipped it on her finger. "I now pronounce you man and wife," the preacher said. "You may kiss the bride." He lifted the veil and was struck that she would wear so little make up and still look stunning. She really does have simple but elegant taste. She"s going to throw a fit when she sees her new wardrobe. He already knew he would be assigning Mrs. Parker and her team of seamstresses with a new wardrobe. This time he would have to let Sue talk to her about what she wanted. He didn"t know whether to be relieved or annoyed. As he bent to kiss her on the lips, she gave a slight turn of her head so he kissed the side of her mouth instead. "Well honey, aren"t you full of surprises today," he teased. Having managed to catch her off guard, he wrapped her in his arms and gave her a long kiss on the mouth. She was too stunned to react in time to stop him. Several men chuckled and the single women sighed as if imagining he was kissing them. When Jake let go of her, he shot her a triumphant look. She looked flustered and then furious. They turned to the people as the preacher announced, "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Jake Mitchell." She was reluctant to walk down the aisle with him so he gently led her by the arm. "We don"t want to disappoint the people. Remember, it"s only for six months." She sighed and started walking with him.

"Silvia Ironwolf, for your crime of murder, you will be forever banished from the Packs," Omega Rovit intoned. Another humiliation. To have my fate read out to me by the lowliest member of the Ironwolf Pack while all the others turned their backs. Rovit was loving it. He had worshipped Jedan. He leaned forward, his face close to mine, his spit landing on my face, "And if you ever return to the Wildlands," he finished, "You will be torn limb from limb, your remains fed to the vultures." If my hands had not been bound by the leather mitts, shackled together with silver, I would have ripped his sneering face from his skull and fed that to the vultures. My nails scraped against the soft leather interior of the mitts. My iron nails. The pack guardsmen blunted many tools before giving up on removing the iron from my fingertips. The iron was part of me now. They said that Jedan was barely recognizable when they found him. They said that the iron was a curse that had been bred out of the pack centuries ago. They said that it was my curse that killed Jedan, future Alpha of Firewolf. It was Jedan's inability to understand 'No' that killed him. Now I will be punished. Banished forever from my pack, from the Wildlands. From my love, Vuko. The brother of the man I have slain. * Four years later and the Wildlands packs face a grave threat to their existence. Vuko, the reluctant Alpha of Firewolf, believes they need Silvia if they have any chance of survival. *He* needs Silvia. Will Vuko find Silvia? Will Silvia forgive the packs for the injustice done to her? Is she truly cursed? Are Vuko and Silvia destined for each other?

Jenifer Wedley had fallen in love and was willing to give up everything she had in order to be with Erdward Dike. Hoping for a sincere and lasting love with her boyfriend who she loved had in fact made Jenifer swallow a bitter pill. How not, Erdward, who Jenifer had always thought was a sweet man who loved her, turned out to have another love. Still hopeful about her love to Erdward, but Jenifer was instead kicked out in a terrible way Jenifer was devastated and disappointed and chose to return to her family, returning with the status of the heir to the Wedley family business empire. Until then, she was met with a businessman named Aron Biker, who secretly had a feeling for Jenifer Until finally when Jenifer had begun to open her heart to Aron, the same thing was repeated. Aron can't forget his past. Jenifer felt broken. Shame over the marriage that was about to happen made her reluctant to know about love again. Until Fabian Biker appeared, offering a wedding to cover up the embarrassment of Jenifer and her family At first, Jenifer refused. She did not want to play tricks on a marriage, but on the other hand it was the only way to save the pride her family and she then approved the marriage. But the problem was, at Jenifer's marriage age, which was still a short time, her past was back. Erdward returned and asked Jennifer for a second chance Will Jenifer take Erdward back? The man Jennifer loved so much? Or did she have to put up with a loveless marriage with Fabian? In fact, love was a feeling that cannot be forced. Love will flow like a stream that was sometimes calm or full of terrible droplets.

In the shadowy underbelly of Chicago, where loyalty is currency and power is everything, 18-year-old Kylie Santos finds herself at the center of a dangerous game she never asked to play. What happens when duty collides with desire? When the price of family loyalty is your own heart? Born into the notorious Santos crime family, Kylie has always known her life would be different. But nothing could have prepared her for the bombshell her father drops one fateful evening. As rival gangs close in, threatening to destroy everything the Santos family has built over generations, Kylie learns that she is to be the linchpin in a desperate plan for survival. "You will marry his oldest son, Lysander," her father declares, his voice as cold and unyielding as steel. In an instant, Kylie's world shatters. She's to wed Lysander Vincenzo, heir to the New York Familia — their longtime enemies turned reluctant allies. can decades of bloodshed and mistrust truly be erased by a single union? Suddenly, Kylie is thrust into a world of high-stakes politics and deadly power plays. Every move she makes could tip the delicate balance between peace and all-out war. As she navigates this treacherous new reality, Kylie must grapple with her own desires and ambitions. Can she sacrifice her dreams for the greater good of her family or find a way to forge her own path amidst the chaos? But Lysander Vincenzo is no mere pawn in this game of chess. Rumored to be as ruthless as he is handsome, he harbors his own secrets and ambitions. As Kylie and Lysander circle each other warily, an unexpected spark ignites between them. Could their arranged union blossom into something real or will the weight of family expectations and old grudges snuff out any chance at true love?

I looked up to see two identical pairs of hazel eyes staring intently at me. “Twins!” Cara , my wolf, squealed in my head. Before I could even let that fact sink in, one of them lunged at me, picking me up, swinging me around and pinning me to the wall with his body. “MINE!” he growled in my ear as he buried his nose in my hair, inhaling deeply. “I think what you meant to say was “ours” right brother?” Katalina (Kat) Connor wanted nothing to do with the Moon Goddess’ most sacred gift, the mate bond. In her experience, nothing good ever came from a mate bond and she was determined never to accept a bond of her own. Instead, she chose to focus on her career as midwife for her pack, and avoid love altogether. Reegan and Ryan Stone, twin Alphas of the renowned Glass Moon pack, had yet to find their fated mate. At 24, Ryan was ready to search the world for her while Reegan was reluctant to give up his playboy ways and settle down. Knowing they would most likely share a mate, their difference of opinion was driving a wedge between them. What will happen when Kat and the twins find their futures entwined? And when a mysterious truth about Kat’s wolf is revealed, will she come to accept what she is and fulfill her destiny or will she run from a fate she never wanted? *Warning: This book is an erotic romance featuring non-incestual polyamory between multiple mates. Book 1 of the Celtic Wolf Series-Completed Book 2 A Tangled Fate: Bound By Her Betas-Completed Book 3- Coming Soon!

"Does it feel good when my brother touches you?" Edmund's expert hands were caressing her body, making her want more. "Edmund! We shouldn't be doing this! I am your brother's girl…" breathless Emily was shuddering under his touch. "Mine!" Edmund groaned in her ear, his warm breath was driving her crazy. "This is soo.. wrong.." Emily bit her lower lip to suppress the emerging moan when Edmund kissed her jawline. She can't wait to feel his cushion soft lips pressed with hers in a passionate kiss. Emily groaned in frustration when he intentionally left her lips untouched. "You are greedy, my sweet little Emily!” "Does my brother make you feel this good?" His rough voice sent shivers of pleasure and excitement to her entire body. "Ask me to take you! I am planning on pleasuring you all night" He planted soft kisses on the burning skin of her neck before nibbling on her sweet spot roughly to leave his mark. "Mmm" Emily moaned, her eyes rolled back on her head by the thrilling sensation. "EDMUND! Leave my MATE at this instant!" growled Brian furiously from behind. "She is my MATE too!” ………………. Emily Donavon, a rogue, who was blissfully enjoying her human life, having no clue about her true identity. Everything in Emily’s life was going smoothly like a fairytale until the day of her parent’s sudden accident which caused them their lives. Her normal existence took an abrupt U-turn when two equally gorgeous Alphas entered her life and tried to claim her. What will happen when she will discover that under the disguise of successful billionaires, they are untouchable Alphas of two equally powerful packs? How will she react when she will get to know the truth about her own identity?

On the day of my mate-bonding ceremony, someone threw a corrosive potion at me, leaving my face disfigured. In front of everyone, Oliver Fielding—my fated mate, the one promised to me for eight years—coldly rejected me and claimed the Alpha's younger stepsister, Isabella Dorsey, instead. That same night, Alpha Lucas Dorsey placed a moonstone ring in my hand. "If Oliver won't claim you, then I will. And I'll make sure you get justice." He brushes his fingers over my corroded, scarred cheek and whispers tenderly, "Evelyn, even in such a state, you're more beautiful than anyone else." Since he claimed me, Lucas has treated me like something sacred. He remembers every little thing I love and hate. Even when the painful memories overwhelm me and I lash out in panic, he just presses a kiss to my palm, his pain lingering in the touch. How could I not be completely lost to him? However, three years later, I overhear Lucas speaking with his assassin outside the council chamber. "That silver-laced corrosive potion I had you prepare—was the dosage correct?" The assassin hesitates before replying, "Alpha, if you care about Evelyn so much, why would you—" "Isabella wants Oliver, so I'll help her by removing the obstacle—Evelyn." He runs his thumb over the herbal sachet I made him and murmurs, "It's just… I've grown strangely reluctant to let Evelyn go. She's my pawn, after all." I wipe away my tears. If I'm nothing more than an obstacle to him, I'll save him the trouble and walk away on my own.

“Are you crying?" She shook her head and wiped at her face as more tears were falling. “I’m so stupid.” she groaned. "Now I am truly and utterly alone. If I had just said yes to marrying him, none of this would’ve happened. I wouldn’t have dragged you into this mess.” Without warning, I turned sharp to the side, putting the car to a sudden stop close to the curb. “Don’t ever say that again. You think marrying a man you don’t love, a man who doesn’t care if he hurts you, just to please your family is the right thing to do?” I turned to her slowly. “That would’ve ruined you.” “But I would’ve had a home to go to, I would’ve been taken care of. Now I have nothing,” she looked away. I reached over and gently took her bruised hand in mine. “You did the hardest thing anyone in your position could have done. You saved yourself. That takes more guts than standing there and pretending to be happy.” I tucked a hair behind her ear. “You think you are alone? You’re not… you have me.” ___ Alina Etienne has always lived a life dictated by her parents. She is groomed to be an obedient daughter, a perfect public image, and now, a bride to a man she doesn’t know or love. On her wedding day, crushed by the weight of expectations, Alina does the unthinkable... she says “I don’t” and flees the altar. On the run and scared with nowhere to go, she crosses paths with Mikhail Antonov. A cold, guarded man with a past he doesn’t talk about. What began as a reluctant act of kindness turned into something neither of them expected.

"I, Alpha Zeke of the Bloodcrawl Pack, reject you, Ivy Hale, as my mate." "I, Ivy Hale, do not accept your rejection." She was supposed to cry, plead, beg—but she didn’t. Instead, Ivy smirked, teased, and made it her mission to get under his cold, controlled skin. Zeke is the ultimate Alpha: dominant, unyielding, and impossible to sway. Ivy? Bold, fiery, and stubborn enough to challenge him at every turn. Now, she’s everywhere he doesn’t want her—sparring in his training ground, lounging in his favorite chair, whispering sass that makes his wolf restless. Will Ivy’s audacity be enough to break the unbreakable Alpha? Or will family secrets, deadly pack politics,and a past that refuses to stay buried tear them apart before they even admit their bond? Enemies-to-mates, playful, steamy, and full of sass. EXPOSITION The Bloodcraw pack is one of the largest and most disciplined pack in the Northern Territory, led by Alpha Zeke, a stoic, emotionally closed off leader shaped by betrayal and loss. When the moon marks Ivy Hale as Zeke's mate, shock ripples through the pack. Unknown the Ivy, her parents were accused of betraying Zeke's family leading to the death of his parents. The meeting Zeke called turns into a spectacle when Zeke publicly rejects her. Everyone expects tears, pleas and reluctant submission. Instead, Ivy smirks and refuses to accept the rejection, boldly declaring that she'll remain his mate - whether he likes it or not. From that moment, the pack watched their Alpha's composure slowly unravel. Zeke tries avoiding her but she clings to him - arguing that since she didn't accept his rejection, the mate bond was still valid. He begins to find her in places she wasn't supposed to be - places like his chambers, office and personal training center.

She was always the shadow. He was always chasing the light. Lavinia Hartwell had learned early that love was rarely for girls like her. She was the quiet one, the overlooked one—always second to her luminous best friend, Verity Langford. Even Henry Wynthorne, the boy whose compassion had unexpectedly caught her heart in high school, only had eyes for Verity. But years change people. Henry’s dreams of studying abroad collapsed with his father’s death. Verity left. Success became his only compass, and alcohol his only escape. And somehow, in the wreckage, there was Lavinia—never demanding, never judging, quietly holding him together in ways he never noticed… until she was gone. When an arranged engagement threatened to give her to him, Henry assumed she was being forced into it and set her free. Lavinia smiled, thanked him—and walked away, taking with her the steady presence he had taken for granted. Only then did Henry begin to notice the ache. The way her absence unsettled him. The way another man’s hand on her waist ignited a heat that was not anger, but something darker, sharper, and dangerously possessive. A single night blurred the lines forever—her lips on his, soft at first, then desperate, as though she’d loved him all her life. Desire flared, undeniable. But in the morning, she was gone again. Now, with Verity back and the past colliding with the present, Henry must face the truth: he no longer loves the woman he once chased. But has he realized too late who truly held his heart all along? Slow-burn, sensual, and laced with aching restraint, this is a story of unspoken devotion, of a man’s reluctant fall, and of the quiet girl who was never anyone’s first choice—until she became the only choice.