The Marking

I dated Jacob, my Alpha, for five years. Yet on the day of our marking ceremony, he marked another she-wolf behind my back. “Molly is pregnant with my pup, your new heir!” Jacob proudly announced the news. Everyone cheered for them. I stood in the crowd and ignored the challenging look Molly gave me. When the ceremony was about to end, I turned around numbly. I knew that I was unnecessary here, so I went back to the house I shared with Jacob and packed up to leave. I had joined Jacob’s pack because I loved him. Since he no longer felt the same, it was time for me to leave.

One week before our marking ceremony, my Alpha Mate, Corey Black, looks me straight in the eye and says something unbelievable, "I want to have a pup with my long-time friend Willow." At first, I assume it's a terrible joke, but I see determination in his serious expression. I suppress the churning feeling in my stomach and ask him why. He sighs, his gaze gentle as if he's soothing an unreasonable child. "Willow's old Beta father is dying. His only dying wish is to see Willow have a pup. We're doing it through IVF, so it won't hurt our relationship. "Her father devoted his entire life to the pack. You wouldn't refuse to fulfill even his dying wish, would you? You wouldn't be that cruel, right?" I don't know how to respond. He speaks as if not letting my fated mate have a pup with another woman is selfish. Later, when I go to visit the gravely ill old Beta, Corey is holding Willow Lester in his arms. His hand gently strokes her hair as he lets her sob against his chest. The moment our eyes meet, pain strikes my very soul. My wolf lets out a desperate howl of anguish. I stumble away, only to receive a text from him on the day of our marking ceremony. "Honey, Willow and I are undergoing the IVF procedure. Let's postpone the ceremony for now." I stare blankly at those words, my hand unconsciously moving to my still-flat stomach. Since he wants so badly to have a pup with another woman, I will grant his wish and disappear with my pup.

During our marking ceremony, the patrol leader of my arranged mate, Alpha Cassian Locke, asks me to swear in the name of the Moon Goddess before all the other werewolves. First, I shall not enter the Alpha's room without permission. Second, I shall not kiss the Alpha on any part of his body without permission. Third, I shall not do anything that may cause the Alpha to feel uneasy. The list goes on. Suppressing my anger, I listen as he recites all 188 vows in the oath. Then, I turn to the werewolf sitting on the side with an upright posture. "Alpha Cassian, could you please explain the 99th vow? What do you mean, I must raise your heir no matter whose pup they are?"

In my previous life, Leon, the Alpha who was supposed to complete the marking ceremony with me, suddenly changed his chosen mate to my younger sister, Rose, on the very day of the ritual. Watching the two of them act intimately together, a wave of humiliation swept over me. Just as I was about to step forward and demand an explanation, the pack was suddenly attacked. All three of us died in the riot. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day of the marking ceremony. This time, I chose to fulfill their wish. After leading the members to suppress the riot that would have happened in my previous life, I left the pack and entered human society. I thought I would never cross paths with them again in this lifetime. However, three years later, on the day of a birthday banquet, I unexpectedly met Rose and Leon again. Rose was leaning shyly into Leon’s arms, greeting me with a look of feigned surprise. “Claire! Why are you at such a grand banquet? “Didn’t you go to live in human society?” When I stayed silent, Rose mocked me with a laugh. “Could it be that you couldn’t survive in human society and now want to return to the pack?” Leon looked at me from the side, his expression filled with unconcealed disgust. “I would never agree to let you return to the pack even if you kneeled and begged me. “However, as my slave, you’d still be qualified. We could go back to how things were before.” I smiled faintly. I was here because my mate was the new Ultima of the wolf packs’ Alliance. And this exquisite birthday banquet was specially prepared for me.

It is known since time immemorial that werewolves mark their mates with a bite. But...what if that was not the complete truth? What if not all bites were a marking process? What if some bites were for sadistic purposes? Some bites from a rare kind of werewolves contain a special toxin that can break even the will of the most obstinate and corrupt the body with pure lust.' Ellie Cortex is an omega of the Red Oak pack and is mostly shunned because of that status. She works as a waitress by day and a stripper by night to take care of herself and her only surviving family member, her younger brother, Eric. But when a certain night brings Theo, the Alpha of the pack, to her club, the stubborn and independent Ellie has her fate tied to his as payback for her defiance. Her destiny is rewritten. And it all starts with a bite...

Sheer fate was what turned our bittersweet love into a happy ever after. Fate? I myself erased and rewrote our love story to give it the happy ending we deserved. I was promised to Matteo Giuseppe, the youngest son of the most powerful family in the Chicago Outfit but I was given away to Salvatore Berlusconi, the Capo dei Capi of the New York Famiglia. I was sold to him as an object marking the end of the Great War, or rather, it was me atoning for the sins of my father. A wedding solely about duty, honour and atonement. ••••••••••••••• “ If you told me about the darkness inside of you, I'd still look at you like you are the sun.” Book one of A Mafia's Love Chronicles.

In my third year of covert work along the border for Alpha Cole Grayson, the chairman of the Alliance, I was urgently summoned back to my pack by my mother. Apparently, my mom has used the pack's benefits as leverage to pick out a powerful mate for me. All the she-wolves envy me. After all, my mate is Alpha Leo Wagner of the Moon pack. He's the most outstanding werewolf among his peers, be it his identity, social standing, or capabilities. When Alpha Cole receives the news, he has a tiara custom-made before having it delivered to the venue where the marking ceremony will be held. "Thank you for your contributions to the Alliance over the past three years. I hope you'll live a happy life from now on." These are the words Alpha Cole left me with before leaving. But when I arrive at the Moon pack, I find out that Leo's secretary, Aria Thornwell, has worn the tiara. I berate her angrily, "That's the tiara representing the Luna's status! Give it back to me!" But Aria merely polishes the tiara on her head. She shows no intention of wanting to remove it. "What do you mean 'yours'? This is my tiara! Leo has already ordered me to attend the marking ceremony as your representative! "You're just a lowly she-wolf from a backwater pack, after all! You'll only humiliate everyone by attending such a grand ceremony!" I huff coldly before tearing the tiara off Aria's head. With her screams serving as the background ambience, I use my mind-link to contact Leo on the spot. "You'd better give me a reasonable explanation right now. Otherwise, I don't mind stripping the Alpha title off you."

Reagan is the youngest in this generation of Guardians. Because she is much younger than the others, she was never as close to the Guardians as her siblings. Thankfully, when her older brother found his mate, she had a younger sister, Meadow, who was Reagan’s age. The two have become best friends and they have the same close friendship that her siblings share with the other Guardians. Kieran is an Alpha who lives in the western part of the country. He has been waiting a long time to find his mate. He’s refused to take a chosen mate, but at twenty-six, he’s becoming feral, and time is running out. He must either find his fated mate, take a chosen mate, or be put down by his pack. Because she is the last of the Guardians, Reagan’s eighteenth birthday has been opened to all eligible males throughout the country. Her birthday is considered the event of the century, with Alpha werewolves, royal elves, royal vampires, and even warlocks attending. As Kieran's last chance, he attends. The moment he smells his mate, his wolf pushes forward, marking her without consent. Amid the fury of the Guardians and others in attendance, Reagan decides to give Kieran a chance to prove himself before marking him and completing their bond. She leaves the only home she’s ever known to travel across the country, with Meadow insisting that she come. When they arrive at Kieran's home, Reagan finds a pack in chaos. Bullying, manipulation, and subterfuge have been used to run the pack while Kieran has been fighting his demons. Can Reagan, with Meadow’s help, turn the pack around, or will she decide that Kieran isn’t worth the effort, rejecting him and returning home, leaving him to go feral?

Philip was rescued from rogue wolves by Nick, who died protecting him. After that, Philip took in Nick's mate, Laila, and their pup, Ray, took care of them like they were his own. For the sake of Laila and Ray, he kept asking me to compromise—again and again. Philip left me alone on our wedding anniversary to celebrate Ray's birthday. He gave Ray my Marking ring to play with, like it was a toy. Even at the annual family gathering, he insisted on bringing them along. The final straw came when he asked me to give something up—again. He wanted me to switch my first-class cruise ship ticket with Laila's economy seat. I felt exhausted. I was done. I was ready to walk away from this five-year marriage.

Omegas are born weak. Hermosa was born to survive. When Hermosa discovers her secret lover—Raphael, future Alpha—betraying her in the worst way, she runs. Bleeding, terrified, she crashes into the private suite of Ragal, the cold Lycan King who should have killed her… but doesn’t. Then Raphael finds her. Jealous. Unhinged. Deadly. He bites her—marking her by force only to be burned and weakened by her blood. And just as he tries to finish her, Ragal tears through the night to save her again. Hermosa wakes in the King’s arms with no memory… only a dangerous pull toward him. Between a murderous Alpha and a possessive Lycan King, Hermosa must uncover the truth: She isn’t just an Omega. She’s something powerful and both men will fight to claim her.