Stars Flame

My husband, Matthew Glover, fabricates a scandal to help his childhood sweetheart, reporter Melanie Reed, boost her numbers. "Mrs. Glover Sleeps Around—Multiple Affairs Lead to Repeated Miscarriages." He uses it as a gimmick to grab attention. Next thing I know, my name's in the mud and the internet's tearing me to pieces. When I bring up divorce, Matthew says I'm blowing things out of proportion. "Melanie just started at the TV station. If she doesn't deliver, her coworkers will laugh at her. You're just doing her a favor. It's not like you're actually losing anything." I don't even bother arguing with him. I simply push the divorce agreement toward him. "If you want to help her, go ahead. But we're getting divorced!"

A week before my bonding ceremony, my younger sister traveled from a distant pack to be my maid of honor. While she was trying on her dress, the phone she had left outside suddenly rang. “Florence, can you answer that for me? I can’t get it right now.” I picked it up, and a male werewolf’s voice came through the line. “Baby, I bought you a gorgeous lingerie set. Tonight is going to be amazing.” I didn’t make a sound. A cold chill sliced straight through me. That voice belonged to none other than my mate-to-be, Dylan Conner.

When I inherited the title of Alpha Female, the Witch prophesied that my pack would fall within eight years. Only finding my fated mate could avert the coming disaster. I searched for eight long years. With just seven days left before the prophecy's deadline, I received word that our sacred altar had been bombed. The one responsible was Lucian Grey — the same man who had tried to poison me. When I confronted him, he had only one thing to say: "I'm from the real world. I'm here to save you." In that moment, I knew — my fated mate had finally found me.

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."

Le troisième mois après la disparition mystérieuse de mon compagnon Alpha lors d'une patrouille, je l'ai retrouvé, par hasard, dans un bar à la frontière. Il éclatait de rire, son bras enlacé autour de son premier amour : « J'ai toujours voulu me débarrasser de l'emprise de Béatrice. Merci pour ton idée, enfin, je respire la liberté ! » Mélodie se blottissait contre lui, lui tendant un verre avec des gestes doucereux. « Quand comptes-tu rentrer ? » a-t-elle murmuré. Il a haussé les épaules, indifférent : « Encore une semaine. Je laisserai Béatrice devenir folle d'inquiétude avant de réapparaître. Une bonne leçon pour qu'elle arrête de se mêler de ma vie. » Ses amis l'ont approuvé avec admiration : « Génial ! Après ça, Béatrice t'obéira au doigt et à l'œil. » « La potion de métamorphose est vraiment efficace. Personne ne t'a reconnu depuis tout ce temps. » Mais ils ignoraient une chose : cachée dans l'ombre, je venais de voir son petit jeu. Sans hésiter, j'ai sorti mon téléphone et ai appelé le Conseil des affaires de notre meute. En tant que leur Luna, j'ai déclaré officiellement la mort de l'Alpha… et ai annoncé l'élection de son successeur !

No meu aniversário, meu noivo usou os pontos do supermercado para me dar um par de luvas de lavar louça. Mas num leilão, ele comprou uma joia de cinco milhões de dólares para o primeiro amor dele. Fiquei furiosa e o confrontei, mas ele me chamou de interesseira. — Eu sempre te dei dinheiro pra gastar. Não é mais que justo você cuidar de mim? Isso era pra ser meu teste final pra você. Se passasse, a gente ia casar. Você me decepcionou demais. Terminei com ele. Ele se virou e pediu a ex em casamento. Cinco anos depois, a gente se esbarrou numa ilha privada de férias. Alex Thompson me viu de uniforme de funcionária catando lixo na praia. Na mesma hora, ele zombou de mim. — Você torceu o nariz pras luvas que eu te dei, e agora tá aqui catando lixo. Hoje em dia, mesmo se você implorasse, eu não te daria a mínima. Ignorei ele. O projeto de estudos sociais do meu filho era limpar o quintal com um dos pais. O pai dele tinha expandido o quintal até chegar na praia. Limpar aquilo era de matar.

On the third day of kneeling before the statue of the Moon Goddess and praying for Ryan Summers, a sudden row of glowing text appeared right in front of my eyes. [Ryan really is a piece of trash. His little childhood sweetheart, Rowena Blake, ran off the moment she learned he was going to hold a bonding ceremony, so he actually faked his own death just to chase her.] [Ryan and Rowena are out there whispering sweet nothings to each other under the flowers and moonlight, while Jenna Cuttridge cried her eyes nearly blind over that scumbag.] [Too bad Jenna never finds out that Ryan tricked her. When he comes back from playing dead, she even happily marries him.] So this was the miracle the Moon Goddess had bestowed upon me. Thunderstruck, I grabbed my phone and called my Alpha father, Jake Cuttridge. "Dad, remember that alliance bonding you mentioned last time? I agree to it." Half a month later, the news that I would be entering an alliance bonding with an Alpha from the Northridge Pack spread throughout the entire wolf kingdom. Ryan's friend, Luke Carter, who had been in on his plan, rushed over and demanded, "Ryan just died not long ago, and you're already so eager to find the next guy?" "He's dead. I can't possibly stay single for him my whole life."

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.

Four years ago, Alpha Matteo Donovan was drugged. On that crazy night, I became his cure. From that moment on, I was his most trusted Beta by day and his lover by night, tangled up in his sheets until dawn. Just when I started drowning in the heat of his gaze, his first love, Sabrina Monroe, came back. To please her, Matteo threw me to the pack’s borderlands, where it was rogue-infested. He even tore up Mom's keepsakes right in front of me. When I finally gave up and applied to leave the pack, Matteo suddenly began to look for me like he had gone mad.

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.