The Lottery Shirley Jackson Pdf

I was once the cherished princess of the Silver Moon Pack, adored by all. Back then, I fell for Kael, one of the pack's rogues. But when I grew bored of our little fling, I cast him aside without a second thought. Years later, my pack was destroyed and my parents were killed. Kael, however, had risen to become the Alpha of a powerful new pack. He claimed me, forcing me to become his Luna. Everyone said I was lucky, but they didn't know the truth. They didn't know that he brought different she-wolves back to our territory every night. And through our mate bond, every moment of their intimacy seared my soul like a blazing fire. I never cried, never protested, simply enduring it all in silence. But my silence only made Kael more volatile. This time, he went a step further. He got his Beta, Chole, pregnant. Still, I remained calm. Enraged, Kael slammed me against a rough stone wall. "Elara, do you love me or not?" I had thought his outbursts were a twisted sign of his love, that he was waiting for me to break. But then, Chole and I went into labor at the same time. I begged him to take me to the pack hospital first, and wanted to tell him that I had no choice when I rejected him back then. He pulled me into a tight embrace, only to shove me away moments later. "See? I knew you would break." "Drop the act. Do you really think you're still that high and mighty princess?" He ignored my pleas, ignored the life of his own pup inside me. He swept Chole into his arms and left without a backward glance. His cold voice echoed through our mind-link. "Don't worry, I'm not abandoning you." "You deserve to feel a fraction of the pain I felt when you cast me aside. Savor it."

Fui la compañera secreta de Kade, el Alfa de la manada durante cuatro años. La noche que me llamó, en un arrebato de pasión, me miró fijamente a los ojos durante mucho, mucho tiempo. Su voz sonaba ronca. —¿Sabes, Anya? Lo que más me fascina de ti son tus ojos preciosos. Para proteger su derecho al título de Alfa, acepté quedarme a su lado, haciéndome pasar por una guerrera Beta. Hasta que, radiante de orgullo, lo vi abrazar a mi media hermana por la cintura frente a todos. Solo cuando los rumores crecieron y todos empezaron a decir que la hermosa loba que el Alfa había llevado a casa tenía mis mismos ojos, comprendí la devastadora verdad. Nunca me amó a mí en realidad. Encaré a Kade y le exigí una explicación. Su expresión era de desprecio. —¿Que te dé una explicación? ¿Pues qué te imaginabas? Solo fue una marca temporal, nada más. Para mí, nunca has sido más que una amiga. No lloré. No hice una escena. Abrí un enlace mental con mi amigo de la infancia. —Acepto la invitación para convertirme en la jefa guerrera de la manada Silver Crest. Más tarde, cuando Kade descubrió que yo había captado la atención de su mayor rival, enloqueció.

When I was three months pregnant, Stella Falcone, the principessa of an allied family, was also carrying another man's child. To preserve the alliance, my Mafia lover, Matteo Gallo, had to marry her. "Stella is Don Falcone's only daughter. In our world, alliances are worth more than sentiment." "Ava will understand." What Matteo forgot was that I had no one but him, and that the child I carried was the true Gallo heir. Later, as everyone mocked my unborn child, calling him a bastard who would taint the bloodline, Matteo stood by with his new bride and did nothing. That was when I learned that in this world of blood and secrets, love was the most worthless currency of all.

On the night of her daughter’s fourth birthday, Luna Kelly loses everything, her husband, her title, and the fragile illusion of peace she’s fought to protect. Betrayed by her mate and her own sister, branded a traitor, and imprisoned beneath the pack she once led, Kelly discovers that the curse that once stole her wolf might be the only thing that can save her child and burn her enemies to ash. But when an exiled prince returns from the shadows with a deal bound in blood and promises, Kelly must decide: stay broken under her husband’s rule, or rise as something the Moon Goddess never intended, a Luna reborn in fury and fire.

What are you going to do if you can’t afford all of your bills? You will probably opt for using your body to get what you want, as Rose was a stripper who worked in the Blueborn night bar. She got sacked by her female boss in the bar, but she got her prayer answered as she dated a billionaire sugar daddy whom she married after seven good months of courtship. He proposed while they were in a plane to Ibiza, right in the plane, and her life took another turn before there were twirls and whirls in her marriage and took another surprising twist along the way too.

Without Kaelen's knowledge, I had his little plaything sent out of North America. That same night, he cast a blood-vine curse on my parents, banishing them to the wilds—a wasteland prowled by rogues. He was going to trade my parents' lives for the whereabouts of his plaything. Kaelen pushed a communication crystal in front of me. Inside it, my parents were ensnared by blood-red vines, the thorns digging deep into their flesh. Drops of dark crimson blood fell, one by one, onto the barren earth. A countdown timer pulsed in stark red digits on their chests. 23:59:59 23:59:58 He sat across from me, a black suit tailored to perfection molded to his lean, powerful frame. His long fingers tapped a light, steady rhythm on the solid wood table, as if he were waiting for a trivial business deal to close. "Estelle, you have twenty-four hours." His voice was low and calm, laced with a venomous tenderness. "Tell me, where did you send Cassandra?"

La noche antes de que mi prometido, Soren, y yo partiéramos hacia el Norte de Europa para comenzar nuestra nueva vida, los sonidos de una animada discusión se filtraron desde su club privado. —Dios mío, jefe, ¿estás loco? ¿Por qué esta alianza matrimonial repentina con la familia Rosetti para hacer una jugada por Italia? ¿No dijiste que dejarías esta vida con Abby y te dirigirías al norte? Soren se reclinó en un sofá de cuero, su voz fue de indiferencia y amortiguada por una nube de humo. —Los planes cambian. Además, recuerda, yo soy el que la hizo quien es. Una vez que vea el nuevo imperio que estoy construyendo, ese pequeño canario volverá volando a mi jaula. Esa mujer no puede vivir sin mí. Me quedé en las sombras del club, con una copa de vino en la mano, y un dolor fuerte floreciendo en mi pecho. El regalo de aniversario que había elegido con tanto cuidado para Soren todavía estaba en mi bolso, esperando a que se lo diera. Salí del club lleno de humo, tiré el regalo al cubo de basura más cercano y reservé un billete de ida al Norte de Europa. Pero lo que él no sabía era que, justo como él podía traicionar nuestro futuro por Mónica, yo podía abandonarlo por el mío. Todos esos años que pasamos bailando con la muerte nunca fueron sólo por ella.

During a battle between packs, both my adopted sister Chloe and I were injured. A Rogue tore me apart, leaving me a mangled heap of flesh and blood. My wolf was already fading from my spirit. But my Alpha mate, Damon, ran straight to Chloe. She had nothing more than a scratch on her face. He refused to use his Alpha power to save me, blaming me for the entire disaster. "Elena, if you hadn't slowed us down, none of this would have happened! How could Chloe have gotten hurt?" "You're not worth wasting the pack's resources on." In the end, I was left for dead in the forest, unclaimed and forgotten. And when the truth came out that I had died to save him? That cold-blooded Alpha who rejected me so viciously went insane.

On the night of the Blood Moon Pack's grand ceremony, my Alpha fiancé Ethan solemnly announced before all pack members that we would soon complete our lifelong marking. The pack's blessings surged toward us like a tide. My face flushed red as I pressed against his strong chest, which carried the scent of pine. Suddenly, a figure blocked the moonlight at the temple entrance. Ivy, my friend who had vanished five years ago, stepped inside, accompanied by a pup with eyes like stars. Ignoring everyone's gaze, she walked straight toward us. Her collar slowly slipped down, revealing a deep Alpha bite mark on her neck. Under the moonlight, that mark was as shocking as a brand. "Lucas, come to meet your father."

On the night of our mating ceremony, my Alpha, Damian, and I were ambushed by a rival pack. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the past, before we had marked each other. In my previous life, we were true mates, chosen by the moon goddess, and had been together for seven years. I sacrificed everything to help him become the most powerful Alpha, yet he refused to even give me a pup. Only later did I learn that Damian's heart had always belonged to another—Aria, a she-wolf from a powerful bloodline. Reborn, I decided to let him chase his ambition. I severed our mate bond with my own hands and chose a completely different path. Seven years later, he became the most powerful Alpha in the alliance. At the annual summit, he and his beloved Aria announced their mating. When he saw me standing alone, he sneered. "Selene, I know you're still in love with me. You've loved me across two lifetimes. I'm the most exceptional Alpha you'll ever know." "But you need to stop destroying yourself over me." I ignored him, pulling my son into my arms. Damian's eyes flared crimson, his wolf's control slipping. "You told me you would only ever bear my pups!"