Stars Align Novels & Stories

At the werewolf nation’s annual gala, I stood in front of dozens of reporters and said it straight to the cameras: tonight, I was going to sleep with the Alpha King. They thought I was just running my mouth. Nobody took me seriously. Nobody guessed I’d actually do it. The Alpha King had just come back from the front lines, wounded and weak, and I dragged him into a hotel room before anyone could stop me. When his guards and the Werewolf Authority finally broke through the door, I didn’t run. I walked up to them and held out my wrists. “That’s right. I’m the one who took the Alpha King. Cuff me.” Everyone thought I’d lost my mind. They had no idea this was exactly what I wanted. In my previous life, my boyfriend’s childhood sweetheart Lyra killed the Greenmoor Pack Alpha’s daughter, and I took the fall. Every piece of evidence pointed at me. I couldn’t talk my way out of it. I was exiled. I was tortured to death in the wastelands. My father wasted away after losing me, slipped into depression, and our pack was swallowed up. My parents were dragged to the executioner’s block. My soul stayed with them through all of it. I watched, and I couldn’t do a thing. Just when I thought I’d break, a light flashed, and when I opened my eyes I was back — the day before Lyra committed the murder. This time, I was going to prove my innocence to the whole pack.

On my way home, I saved a witch from a rogue attack. She thanked me with a small vial of potion, which would let me hear other people’s thoughts. That night, at the pack banquet, I heard my mate’s thoughts. ‘Serena just bought the sexiest lingerie. I need to find some excuse to ditch Aurora tonight.’ A second voice cut in, a woman’s. ‘She has no idea every time Lucian says he’s working late, he’s with me. We’ve slept together so many times now.’ ‘Once I’m pregnant with Lucian’s child, he’ll have every reason to break the mate bond with her. And when he becomes Alpha, I’ll be the Luna.’ I almost laughed out loud. What Serena didn’t know was that Lucian was the Alpha’s illegitimate son. He’d never inherit anything. I was already running through how to make them pay when another voice broke through. It came from the man standing next to Serena, the shabby boyfriend everyone in this pack looked down on. ‘How am I supposed to tell her I’m the heir to the Alpha King?’ My eyes went wide. I kept my face blank and walked straight up to him. “Hey. Mind if I get your number?”

On the day of my mating ceremony with the Alpha, everyone said the only reason I got to marry Adrian Hawthorne and become Luna was because my face looked so much like my sister's. At the ceremony, the ring engraved with her name and the slip when Adrian instinctively spoke her name during his vows. Every detail was a reminder that I was nothing more than a stand-in. But I had loved Adrian in secret for seven years. Even being his stand-in was enough for me. I told myself that was enough. Twenty years later, I happened to see him standing beneath the Moonlight Tree, praying to the Moon Goddess. "If only Vanessa hadn't died back then." His voice trailed off. A sharp pain shot through my chest. The world went black. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the beginning. Back to when I had just met Adrian for the first time. This had to be a gift from the Moon Goddess. A second chance. This time, I swore I'd never love Adrian Hawthorne again.

I time-jumped five years into the future, and my ex-boyfriend, the former Alpha’s bastard son, is now the Alpha. We've had our mating ceremony. I'm carrying his child. But he seems to hate me. When I tried to talk to him, he shoved me away. "If you're here to discuss dissolving the mate bond, we have nothing to say to each other." When I cooked him dinner, he accused me of poisoning his food. I put on my sexiest outfit and paraded around the house trying to thaw him out. He just sneered. "Are you trying to seduce me and then plant another woman in my bed?" I was running out of ideas, so I tried the last card I had. "Can't we at least try to make this work? For the baby's sake?" It was as if the words struck a nerve. "You expect me to raise your lover's child?" I stood there, stunned. What the hell happened in the last five years? And why isn't this baby his?

On the eve of his Alpha succession ceremony, my fiancé Hunter prepared lavish gifts for all the distinguished guests and had Freya distribute them. Freya obliged with a smile. Then, when she reached me, her gaze swept over me with nothing but contempt. “Move aside. This isn’t for you.” She tossed an exile notice at my face. “You’re just a she-wolf who likes to seduce. Think you deserve an Alpha’s gift? Dream on. You’re not welcome here. Get out of our pack!” At that moment, the guests opened the gift boxes Freya handed out. Inside, alongside a rare blue moonstone, were photos of me in intimate moments with other Alpha males from different packs. In an instant, I became the pack’s traitorous, unfaithful woman. My face darkened as I stared at Hunter. “You’re really going to exile me from the pack?”

I stared at the photos attached to an email. My Alpha mate, Marcus Hale, was supposed to be negotiating a partnership with another pack. But the photo showed him standing in Firefly Woods, a famous dating spot. Across from him were his long-lost first love and my two children. The four of them looked happy and complete, like a perfect family frozen in time. My heart jolted painfully. At the same moment, I realized that what I had with Marcus was over.

An accident leaves Preston Brown unable to have children. The fight over his family's fortune is heating up. Desperate for an heir, Preston arranges for me to sleep with his best friend, Rowan Kerr. I quietly dump the sleeping pills Preston gave me and pretend to be clueless. Then, I lose myself in a night of passion with Rowan. … The next morning, right in front of Preston, I smile sweetly and say, "Honey, you were incredible last night. I've never felt so good." His expression darkens. "Do you prefer the man I am by day, or the one who takes you at night?" I act bashful, tugging on his sleeve. "Both. But I especially love the one who knows how to satisfy me at night."

I was ditched by my father, Alpha of Northcrest Pack. Dumped in the borderlands for a whole decade. "Danae's still young. Once she hits eighteen, we'll bring you back. She's always been insecure 'cause she's adopted. When she's stronger, we'll come for you." Yeah, right. I didn't even look at that delusional she-wolf. Just kept watering my orchard. Even my so-called brother backed Danae. "Danae's the sister I grew up with. Disrespect her when you return, and we're done." Their voices? Just white noise. I shut it down cold. "Wrong wolf. I don't know you." They had the nerve to call themselves family. Joke's on them—I've had real parents for the last eight years.

At my own engagement ceremony, the spot reserved for the future Luna was claimed by another she-wolf. And my Alpha mate Xavier didn't stop her. He told me to hand over my gown and my ring, too. "Claire, you know Yvette's family can't afford this kind of thing. Be generous. Give them to her. It's not like you can't spare one dress." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Fine. She took my place, now she wants my dress. Why don't I just give her the Luna title while I'm at it? Make it easier for you two to sneak around." His face went dark. "Claire. Watch your mouth." "If the dress and the ring aren't ready for her tomorrow, I'm calling off the alliance. Your choice." He stormed off with Yvette on his arm. The second they were out of earshot, I opened a mind-link to my father. "Dad. Cancel the alliance. And pull every investment you have in Xavier's pack while you're at it." He wants to be Alpha? He'd better hope I agree.

Dean Russo's gaming mate breaks up with him. In his foul mood, he forces everyone to work overtime. "Hey Kylie, you're his Beta, right? Go talk to Alpha Dean. We all want to get out of here on time." "Are you serious? Just seeing his gloomy face freaks me out." Everyone keeps urging me to go and calm Dean down, but what no one realizes is that the gaming mate he can't move on from is actually me. Just when everything seems fine in our online relationship, he unexpectedly asks to meet face-to-face. But if he ever learns that his beloved gaming mate is none other than his Beta, he's bound to be furious. For my own safety, I decide to end things before they can spiral out of control. But who would expect the breakup to hit him so hard? Yet, if I want to avoid working overtime, it seems like I have no choice but to get back together with him.