Ruskin Bond Novels & Stories

The Crown’s Bargain Emilia Valoria has spent her life in the shadows of her royal lineage, content to be overlooked as the second princess of the Kingdom of Avariel. But when her elder sister defies tradition and elopes, Emilia is thrust into the spotlight, forced to fulfill the royal obligation her sister abandoned: an arranged marriage to the stoic and enigmatic Prince Kael of Arindale. Determined to protect her kingdom from the fragile alliance's collapse, Emilia reluctantly agrees to the union. However, her first encounter with Kael proves more tumultuous than she expected—his cold demeanor hides a kingdom scarred by betrayal, and his heart, she suspects, is locked away behind impenetrable walls. As Emilia navigates the intrigue of a foreign court, political machinations threaten to tear the kingdoms apart. Bound by duty but drawn together by fleeting moments of vulnerability, Emilia and Kael must decide whether their marriage will remain a mere contract or evolve into something neither of them dared to hope for: love. Caught between loyalty to her kingdom and the desires of her heart, Emilia must find her voice in a world that demands silence, proving that even in an arranged marriage, she has the power to rewrite her own destiny.

When my brother Beau Campbell and I drowned together at the age of four, I was the only one who survived. From that day on, my mother came to loathe me. She would often creep into my room at night with colorful "candies" in her hand, trying to pry open my mouth. However, Dad always stopped her just in time. Later, I cut off my long hair and threw away all my dresses, desperately trying to become Beau's shadow. Only then would Mom spare me a glance. Three years passed, and Mom got pregnant again. She said it was Beau coming back to us. I was happy for her and told myself it was good that Beau was back. After all, it also meant this family no longer needed the stand-in who had lived in his place. So, I found the same "candies" Mom once tried to force into my mouth, and I quietly swallowed them.

My sister-in-law, Hannah Martinez, was eight months pregnant when someone shoved her to the ground. Due to the heavy bleeding, she was rushed to the hospital. I happened to drive past, but I rolled up my window and pretended I saw nothing, pressing down on the gas pedal. In my previous life, I had immediately taken Hannah to the hospital when I saw her pass out from the blood loss. However, the situation was critical. After the severe bleeding, she developed an amniotic fluid embolism. My wife, Lauren Martinez, was the best obstetrician in the city. I called her, begging her to hurry to the hospital. Yet, she thought I was throwing a tantrum out of jealousy because she was having dinner with her first love, Isaac Poole, and his family. She believed I was using Hannah's emergency to force her to come back. By the time her family finally arrived, Hannah had already died from the failed treatment of the amniotic fluid embolism. Her entire family blamed me for Hannah's death, convinced that I had deliberately caused Lauren to misunderstand and let Hannah die. My brother-in-law, Jacob Turner, who rushed back from out of town, believed their lies. In his overwhelming grief, he hacked me to death with a knife at Hannah's funeral. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Hannah was pushed and started bleeding out.

Ethan Cole is nobody special. He warms the bench on the university swim team, eats lunch with the same two friends every day, and goes home to his sister Lina every holiday without a single trophy to show for himself. Then he walks into the wrong locker room at the wrong time and sees something that should not exist. Now Karl Voss, the golden campus captain with burning eyes and teeth built for claiming, says Ethan smells like everything he has ever wanted. And Lucas — cold, powerful, frighteningly fast — says Ethan needs protecting. From Karl. From the truth. From what Ethan actually is. He is a Lure. One in several million. Born with a scent so powerful it drives supernatural beings out of control. And something dangerous has been hunting him for years. Two Alphas. One impossible secret. And a bond so deep that both men will burn everything down before they share it. He just wanted his earphones back. Now he is caught between a beast who wants to claim him and a predator who refuses to let anyone else try. The only question is which one will Ethan choose? And whether he will survive long enough to decide.

Gwyneth Windsor spent her entire life trying to "function normally," but this hard-won, delicate pattern is instantly shattered when she is mysteriously pulled into an infinitely complex interstellar empire. She must suddenly learn new common sense in a world where near-immortal shifters view anyone under 100 as a minor. To her confusion, Gwyneth, despite her adult body, becomes the empire's most coveted 'BABY.' Luckily, she finds a doting family that spoils her utterly, even securing her the lordship of a small, 12-planet galaxy. Yet, Gwyneth's arrival is no accident. While Gwyneth navigates the absurdity of being a pampered 'minor' in an adult body, the universe itself is in peril. Emperor Alaric Lykos, the last of the powerful Royal Fenrir Clan, is the sole anchor of the universe. An ancient prophecy warns that if his line falls, all will collapse. Though pressured to marry, the Fenrir Clan's unique bloodline will only settle for its destined bond, a soulmate whose identity has remained a ghost in the cosmic radar... Until now.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked me. I looked at him, the hate in his eyes as he was looking at me was just too much for me to take. "I am here to claim my rights, I am your wife and you are my hubsband. As a married couple, we should stay together under one roof," I said and watched as he scoffed. "You left me 5 years ago, and now you suddenly want your rights as my wife? That is not happening," he said and then walked toward the door. He opened the door for me, "Get out," he said and I smiled. I left 5 years ago and that was the biggest mistake of my life. I should have stayed and fought for my daughter's rights and mine. I should have stayed and fought for our relationship. "I am not going anywhere, you and I exchanged vows. Till death do us part, I will only leave this house in a casket. I am here to stay now," I said. Well, he doesn't need to know that me leaving in a casket might happen very soon. He can't know the truth, first I need to help him bond with our daughter. This is his last chance to realize his mistake and also my last chance to find out the truth. Why did someone frame me of having an affair? Why was he told that he can't father a child when he has a child with me? Who planned all of this?

This marks the third year since Alan Cohen and I became mates, and today's finally the day of the Luna ceremony. As the ceremony begins, Alan takes my hand. But then he hesitates, refusing to move forward. I'm still trying to make sense of it when my adoptive sister, Eden Parker, suddenly breaks into the mind-link. She says she's just ended a failed mate bond with another Alpha and will be back within the hour. That's when I see a flicker of a smile on Alan's face. Then, without a second glance, he lets go of my hand and walks away. I turn to my adoptive brother, Dexter Parker, and my adoptive father, Hank Parker, hoping for some kind of comfort, only to realize they've already left the ceremony with Alan. And just like that, I became the joke of the entire pack. Eden sends me a photo. She's glowing beside Alan, her arm looped through Dexter's, with Hank beaming next to them. That's when I give up. I reach out through the mind-link to my birth father. "Dad, I'm ready to return to the Bloodmoon Pack."

When I was seven, my constant vomiting got so bad that my mother took me to court and accused me of being born dangerous. If the charge stuck, I would be stripped of my family ties and sent straight to prison. Everyone said my mother was overreacting. "He's just a kid. Kids get sick. As his mother, you should be more understanding." But the moment the evidence was shown, the room went dead quiet. My mother had drunk herself into a stomach bleed just to land a contract, and the second she got home, I threw up all over it. The deal was voided, and she lost her job on the spot. On my sister, Ophelia Sowle's, birthday, I threw up all over her cake right in front of all her classmates. After that, she was shunned by everyone at school. She spiraled into depression and even slashed her wrists. It didn't matter where I was, at the dinner table or under the covers. I could start vomiting at any moment. My mother and Ophelia had to clean me up more than 30 times a day. It wore them down to the breaking point. What infuriated them the most was that every time I finished throwing up, I would look at them and laugh, as if I was mocking them. The judge brought the gavel down and declared me guilty of being born bad. Ophelia's eyes turned red as she cried, saying she couldn't bear to lose me. I didn't cry or fight it. I accepted the verdict. But I requested that the judge watch my memories first. The judge looked stunned. "Memory extraction means drilling into your brain. The pain is unbearable. Are you sure?" I nodded without hesitation. But Ophelia suddenly panicked. "I don't agree!"

My daughter, Jillian Hamilton, viewed me as a love rival since she was a kid. Every time my husband, Kelvin Hamilton, and I attempted to engage in bedroom activities, she'd rush into our room to split us up. "You slut of a mom! Stop seducing my dad!" When Kelvin placed some food on my plate, Jillian wept loudly while climbing up the rooftop. "I'll jump off the building right now unless you stay away from Mom, Dad!" Even when I was putting on makeup, Jillian would mock me incessantly. "No matter how much you doll yourself up, an old hag like you can never compete against me." Later on, Kelvin got caught cheating on me with another woman. I was worried that Jillian might get bullied by her new stepmother, Maisie Ferrera, so I did everything I could to fight for her custody. But Jillian splashed me with sulphuric acid hysterically. "You can forget about separating me and Dad! Dad can only be mine!" Noting how pitiful I was, the omnipotent being decided to give me a chance to get reborn. This time, I give up on Jillian's custody without hesitation. "From now on, I just want to stay as far as I can from Jillian!"

Every Alpha has a destiny. His is written in the moonlight. Jason never asked to be Alpha. Bound by duty and haunted by loss, he leads the Moon Swept Pack with unwavering strength, but a quiet loneliness stalks his every step. When Aroura, a fierce warrior from the Midnight Pack, arrives unannounced, her presence is both disruptive and magnetic. She’s not just his fated mate; she’s his match. As tensions rise and enemies stir, Jason must fight not only for his pack but for a love he never believed he’d find. In a world of loyalty and betrayal, wolves and war, can love truly conquer all?