Southern Artinya

“Apa yang bisa saya lakukan supaya nilai saya bagus, Pak?” Diana bersandar di kursinya, menatap penuh arti pada pria yang dikenal sebagai dosen killer itu. Dosen dengan reputasi dingin bernama Damar Setyawan itu menaikkan satu alis. Senyum tipis melintas di wajahnya yang lebih mirip ejekan daripada keramahan. “Kamu sudah gagal empat kali, Diana. Kamu tahu artinya? Gelar sarjanamu bisa lenyap. Masa depanmu habis.” Diana pura-pura menggigit bibir bawahnya, lalu mencondongkan tubuhnya pada pria itu. “Kalau begitu … saya harus cari jalan lain, ‘kan?” suaranya terdengar manja, sengaja dibuat lirih. “Saya tahu Bapak bisa bantu. Saya bisa … membalas dengan cara lain.” Diana berhenti sebentar, menahan senyum nakal di bibir. “Saya bisa kok jadi sugar baby Bapak,” lanjutnya, pelan tapi jelas. “Anggap saja … kompensasi tutup mulut atas malam itu.” Tatapan Damar mengeras, seakan menimbang keseriusannya. Tapi Diana tidak bergeming. Ia justru semakin berani, bibirnya mendekat ke telinga pria itu. “Saya serius, Pak,” bisiknya dengan mata berkilat menantang. “Kapan kita mulai?”

Eli Michealson owns Las Vegas. The casinos, the power, the fear that follows his name everywhere he goes. Known as the Ghost, he is ruthless, untouchable, and completely uninterested in anything that does not bend to his will. Brigail Havens is just trying to survive. A broke Southern girl with a sharp tongue, a painful past, and debts that refuse to stay buried. She did not come to Vegas to gamble with her life. She came to work, to pay what her family owes, and to keep her head down. Their worlds collide over a poker table where nothing is as simple as it seems. Eli is convinced Brigail is hiding something, tied to a man who once tried to destroy him. Brigail wants nothing to do with a powerful billionaire who thinks he can intimidate his way into the truth. But defiance sparks obsession, and curiosity turns dangerous when Eli decides the only way to control the game is to own every piece of it, including her job, her freedom, and maybe her heart. She does not trust him. He does not know how to let her go. In a city built on lies, money, and temptation, one wrong move could cost everything. And falling for the one person you should never want might be the most dangerous bet of all.

I’d been Albert’s Luna for ten years. Everyone said we were the perfect fated pair. That day, he held me close and said softly, “Grace, I’ve planned a seven-day trip for you down south. You need to relax.” I found it strange. Albert was fiercely possessive; I’d never been away from him for more than three days. It wasn't until I overheard our pup, Leo, asking him, “Dad, are you and Auntie Maria going to be mates? What about Mom?” Maria. Albert’s childhood sweetheart. Albert just chuckled. “It’s just for show. Auntie Maria lost her mate. As her Alpha, I have a duty to look after her.” Then his voice dropped. “Be a good boy, Leo, and keep this a secret. Don’t tell your mom, and I’ll buy you that toy you wanted.” I heard everything, but I didn’t confront him. Instead, I called my former mentor, the Director of the Institute for Ancient Lycan Bloodlines. “About your earlier offer… I’m accepting it. I’ll be at the Southern Pack in three days.” Then, I sent a message to the pack’s Head Elder: “I'm formally rejecting our mate bond.”

Everyone envied me — an orphan who'd become the Luna of the most powerful Alpha in the Southern Territory: Cain. For three years of our mating, he treated me like I was the center of his world. Then Serena — his childhood sweetheart — severed her bond with her former mate and came back to our pack. Cain started patrolling the territory every night. Coming home later and later. He didn't even ask me before moving Serena into our pack house. "Her ex-mate has been stalking her. She and I grew up together — how could I just stand by and let someone threaten her?" Serena spent every day in lingerie, draped over Cain. The two of them flipping through old photos, reminiscing about the time Cain got into a brawl because some guy had been hitting on her. I didn't say a word. I quietly tucked away the pregnancy test and brought Cain a bowl of "calming tonic." He drank it without hesitation. What he didn't know was that it was a witch's potion — one that could forcibly sever a mate bond. It would take effect on the next full moon. When it was done, I made a phone call. "Alpha Ethan, I'm ready to come to the Northern Territory. Come get me."

When I was reborn, returning back to the day of filling out the mate registration form, I decided to write my sister Sophia Harrington's name on the form. I would help her achieve her dreams with Adrian Northgate in this lifetime. Without waiting for Adrian to ask, I gave the wedding dress to my sister ahead of time and placed the ring that symbolized our mate bond into her hands. I did not argue or make a fuss. Instead, I facilitated every opportunity for them to spend time together. When he took my sister to fight in the southern territories, I quietly packed everything up and went to university in the northern grasslands. This was because, in my previous life, I devoted myself to caring for our family. Yet, after Adrian was promoted to the pack's first warrior, he and our son knelt before me, begging me to dissolve our mate bond so that he could fulfill his love for Sophia. Living this life again, I decided not to become mates with Adrian. I wanted to pursue my dreams — to study at the Northern Grassland Werewolf University, become a medical doctor, and live the free life I had always desired!

I've never been lucky. I lost my parents at a young age to false treason claims against the Redwood Pack. My cruel uncle Storm assumed my father's role of Alpha in the Pack, and ever since he became Alpha, my life has been a living hell. When he brings news of the Northern Alpha King hosting a ball to pick his Luna of the North, I know my chances are slim and didn't want to go. But my uncle Storm charges me to act as a spy for him. Gather Intel on the runnings of the Northern Pack and bring to him. Failure to do so? He'll have my head. When I meet Alpha King Elijah Lahiz, King of the North under weird circumstances, the mate bond snaps into place, and we're bonded to each other. However, after a night of passion, Elijah acts like I don't exist and picks my best friend, Raya as his Luna. Distraught and feeling betrayed, I run away to the South and into the patient arms of the Southern King Jeremiah, to escape my uncle's wrath. Jeremiah propositions an alliance to take down both my uncle and Elijah. But there's a problem. A huge one, really. I'm carrying Alpha Elijah's child.

Everyone in southern Italy knew that Lorenzo Moretti loved me like a madman. And yet he had been keeping a much younger woman in Naples. They said she looked just like I had years ago. He told people she was only a reminder of the woman he had once loved most. He also gave strict orders that no one was to let me hear about her. Until the day I found out I was pregnant. I went to his office to tell him the news myself, only to stop outside the door when I heard a young woman’s voice from inside. “Lorenzo… am I only here because I remind you of her?” The door was slightly ajar. Through the gap, I saw a young woman who looked too much like me, wrapped in his jacket and holding his glass. I stood there, barely breathing. Then I heard him answer. “Don’t compare yourself to her.” “She could never be what you are.” I turned and walked away without making a sound. That night, I called my mother. “Mother, I’ve made up my mind.” She was silent for a moment. “I want a fire,” I said. “Something no one survives. By the time it’s over, Sophia Moretti needs to be dead to the world.”

“My body betrays me every time you come near. Stop making my wolf feel like you're her entire world, while my heart screams that you are nothing but my destruction!” – Rhea Valleria. “This bond pulls me toward you like a curse. I hate you, yet my instincts won't rest until I’ve claimed you." – Leon Vareth. RHEA VALLERIA lost everything overnight. Her family, her home, and the entire Valerian Pack were wiped out by the terrible Moon Rot plague. As the only helpless survivor, Rhea was forced into captivity by the Targarion Pack under the dictatorial rule of Alpha Leon Vareth after witnessing something she should not have seen. LEON VARETH is the definition of ambition and cruelty. As CEO of Vareth Corp and Alpha of the strongest pack in the Southern region, he allows no one to stand in his way to eternal glory, even if it means performing the cursed Eternal Blood Ritual. To him, weakness is a sin. And when he discovers a lowly girl from a dying clan spying on his darkest secret, there is only one solution: eliminate her. However, as his hands grip her neck to take her last breath, fate surprises them with an inescapable Mate bond.

Anastasia Morbelle's life has been a series of hardships and betrayals. Sold as a slave by her own family, she finds herself at the mercy of the ruthless Alpha Sirius of the Nightshade pack. But when a fleeting moment of passion leads her to believe she has found her mate in Sirius, her world is shattered when he chooses another as his mate. Heartbroken and pregnant with Sirius's child, Anastasia flees into the treacherous Southern forest, only to be rescued by the enigmatic Alpha king, Alpha Marthias Martinez of the Cloudfall pack. As she begins to find solace and love in Marthias' arms, she must also navigate the dangerous situation when Sirius's mate leaves him and he comes looking for Anastasia. "I will make sure to find her and make her mine once again. Even if it's the last thing I do." Caught in a web of love, betrayal, and danger, Anastasia must find the strength to protect herself and her unborn child while facing the relentless pursuit of Alpha Sirius. "Don't worry mi'lady, from now, every atom of my body will be dedicated to your protection and that of your baby." Will she find true love and happiness with Marthias, or will the shadows of her past continue to haunt her?

Everyone in the Rossi family knows that their Don, Giovanni Rossi, loves me, Rebecca Costa, more than anyone else. Ever since we got together, he has stopped attending any social events that involve other women. We promised to marry once he returns from negotiating a dangerous arms deal in Aelfana. He was supposed to come back a week before the wedding, but instead, he returned on the eve of the wedding with Rosa Bianchi, his stepsister, in his arms. Rosa was unconscious, and traces of intimacy were visible on her skin. Giovanni kneeled before me, his expression remorseful. "Rebecca… I was drugged. I never meant to betray you. When Rosa threw herself at me, I thought she was you." And I believed him. At least, I did until I overheard a conversation in the changing room backstage at our wedding. One of his men asks, in disbelief, "Did you really mistake her for Rebecca?" "I did for the first night. But for the rest of the week… well, a man ought to have his bit of freedom before getting married." My fingers clench around my phone. In my inbox sits an unopened message—a marriage invitation from Angelo Calavaro, the most enigmatic Don in southern Ilya's underworld. I know what I have to do.