The Mistress

I was Alpha Damian Jones' fated mate. At the mating ceremony, he had made a Blood Moon vow in front of my pack. He had claimed that I, Eva Lopez, would be his one and only Luna in this lifetime. It had been the happiest moment in my life. Seven years had passed since then, and yet I was still a virgin—an untouched Luna who had yet to be marked by her Alpha. Still, I was willing to live my life like this. But not long ago, Damian returned from the battlefield with a she-wolf by his side. She was Chloe Lane, the daughter of the Bloodfang pack's Alpha. He told me that she was here as a guest and that I should take good care of her. I treated Chloe like a little sister of mine and took great care of her. That was, until I decided to visit her with a glass of warm milk one night. When I reached her room, I heard suppressed, breathless moans coming from inside the room. Next, I heard Damian's husky voice. "Why are you crying?" he asked. "Isn't this what you've always wanted?"

Everyone knew that the mafia family's second son, Luca Romano, loved Serena Vitale to his very bones. Five years ago, Serena climbed into bed with the Romano family's eldest son, Adriano Romano. Photos from that night spread everywhere, but Luca quietly suppressed them all. Four years ago, Serena gave birth to Adriano's child, but Luca raised the baby as his own. He could forgive Serena for anything she did, as long as she loved him. The underworld whispered that Serena stayed with Luca not out of love but to grab at the mafia's power and influence. Luca did not care. He poured every ounce of his strength into treating Serena and the child well, but it was not enough. Serena became Adriano's caged canary instead. The night they broke up, she threw his illegitimate birth in his face to humiliate him. Yet she willingly, even gladly, let herself be imprisoned by Adriano, enduring the wax and the whips. Everyone cursed Serena for being shameless and desperate, but she was the only one who knew the bitterness she endured.

I am Ayna Radolf, the only White Wolf in Moonshadow Pack. Everyone says I grew up cherished by Carlson Moonclaw, the Alpha. When I was three, my father died in battle. Carlson held me in a pool of blood and swore to protect me for life. When I was five, I was bullied in the pack because of my unusual fur color. He announced to the entire pack that anyone who touched me was his enemy. For 15 years, I have lived under his protection, offering him my heart and my life without reservation. At 18, Carlson falls under the vampires' death curse. I willingly sacrifice half of my lifespan and beg a witch to use a forbidden spell to transfer the curse onto me. With that, I take on his certain death. On that same day, as I watch his unconscious form and tightly furrowed brows, I cannot help but kiss the corner of his lips. He wakes up. Unexpectedly, there isn't any tenderness or any trace of emotion—only overwhelming rage and disgust. He grips my chin with horror in his eyes, as if he is looking at a filthy maggot. "Ayna, I am your brother! How dare you have such disgusting thoughts?" From that day on, Carlson has avoided me like the plague. This goes on until Selena Fang, his so-called fated mate, returns. She cries and tells him that she is abused and abandoned by her former mate. Now, she is blind and covered in injuries. The healer declares that only my White Wolf's eyes are a perfect match for her. So my Alpha, the brother I loved for 15 years, comes to me. Carlson stands in front of me and says solemnly, "Ayna, I know this is unfair to you. But if Selena doesn't have eyes, she will live in darkness for the rest of her life. As long as you give her your eyes, I will do anything you ask—except give you my love." I snap back to reality and dig my fingers hard into my palm. The sharp pain clears my mind instantly. I am not dreaming. I am reborn and back to the day Carlson forces me to give up my eyes. In my previous life, I refused to the end. During the struggle, Serena "accidentally" fell off a cliff, and her body was never found. Carlson blamed me for everything. On my birthday, he gouged out my eyes and threw me into the dungeon where rogue wolves were imprisoned. There, I was assaulted endlessly. In the end, I died in the cold, damp darkness like a piece of discarded trash. The despair and pain from before my death still linger in my bones. I look at the man in front of me. The love that once filled my chest completely fizzles out into nothingness. I will give him these eyes as repayment for the 15 years he has protected and raised me. From now on, we will go our own ways, and we owe each other nothing.

I was the girl Ian Sutherland, the underworld boss himself, personally picked to be a shield for his beloved. By the third year of our marriage, I'd been kidnapped by his enemies for the eighth time. When Ian came with his men to rescue me, the negotiation hadn't even lasted five minutes before the girl called him. "Ian, I lost a dare and have to kiss one of the guys here. But I want my first kiss to be yours. Can you come get me?" … The moment Ian left without a second thought, a knife plunged into my abdomen, and blood gushed out. His men handled it the same way they had the last seven times—paying off whoever they had to, then sending me to the hospital. In the ambulance, I heard someone wondering if I'd live long enough to see the day that girl could stand on her own. They burst out laughing, while I was the only one crying. My mission to save the underworld boss had failed, and I was about to be erased by the system. Ian, I wouldn't live to see that day.

During a battle with the vampires, I get injured by a silver dagger in order to protect my mate, Evan Stormhowl. Not only am I incapable of giving birth since then, but my wolf also sinks into an eternal slumber. Because of those reasons, I lose my status as the strongest warrior in the pack and become a laughingstock. For seven years, I grit my teeth and endure the mocking comments from others while doing my best to carry out my duties as the Luna, just so I can preserve Evan's dignity as the Alpha. But he can be seen with an arm wrapped around Lilian Wolfhart's waist at the hunting rite that's only hosted once per five years. When the celebratory banquet is in full swing, an elder named Lucas Nightshade clinks his wine glass while guffawing loudly. "Alpha Evan, I know you've been yearning for Lilian this whole time. Why don't you let her have your pup tonight?" The bonfire illuminates Lilian's bright red cheeks, making her look delicate and beautiful. I let out a cold chuckle before dumping a glass of red wine onto Lilian, who's still fantasizing about having Evan's pups. "I reject that suggestion! I, Erin Bloodmoon, will never share my mate with other she-wolves!" Since seven years have already passed, everyone else must have already forgotten that I'd rather have a dead mate than a disloyal one.

I'm Alpha Felix Axeford's most loyal warrior as well as the mate he has stubbornly chosen, even if it means defying the Moon Goddess' will. Five years ago, he had personally cast out Portia Smith, his fated mate. He even went as far as to break one of her legs. At that time, he had told me, "I don't trust the Moon Goddess at all, Selena. You're the only one I trust." But five years later, when Felix saw Portia, who's limping with one bad leg, at the border, he breaks down in tears on the spot. He whisks Portia back to the pack and arranges for her to stay in the master suite. As Felix looks at me, he says, "You're a warrior, Selena, which means you're very strong. But Portia only has me to rely on." In order to make amends to Portia, Felix starts stripping me of everything I have. I end up losing my title, my pride, as well as the unborn pup in my womb. When Portia and I get poisoned at the same time, I can only watch as Felix chooses to let Portia take the only antidote. It's then I finally understand that Felix, the Alpha who once had zero trust in fate, still yields to it in the end. "This time, I'm the one who no longer wants to be with you, Felix."

On my thirtieth birthday, Gideon Salton told me to meet him at city hall. He made sure I wore a wedding dress and brought my papers, hyping it up as a huge birthday surprise. But when I showed up, all dressed up, he turned to his trashy crew and laughed. "No way—she actually did it. Dress, docs, the whole thing. Pay up, fifty bucks each." Then he looked at me. "Come on, Madison. You didn't seriously fall for that?" I didn't answer. He smirked. "If you're that thirsty to get hitched, go inside and grab some rando to register with." His friends cracked up. They called me Gideon's loyal simp, his forever backup plan. Said I'd never end up with anyone else. But when I came out with my husband and a legit marriage certificate, Gideon just froze—pale, silent, wrecked.

My wife, Chelsea Sloane, has always been an avid user of computers when it comes to work. But one day, she suddenly falls in love with the idea of using pen and paper. In fact, she loves one particular black pen to the point that she refuses to let anyone touch it. Unable to endure her twisted obsession over that pen, I decide to bring up divorce before her on our wedding anniversary. Enraged, Chelsea points at me and yells, "Are you seriously getting a divorce over a pen?" I reply coolly, "Yup. It's precisely that."

I went to visit the set where my chaste fiancee, the award-winning actress Whitney Lockwood, was shooting her new movie. When I heard she was shooting a bed scene, I frowned but still agreed. However, her scene partner, a young actor named Yarden Stein, could not get into character. Whitney grew impatient. She said they should do it for real. I stopped her and said they could use a body double instead. She slapped me across the face and glared at me with teary eyes. “Yale, this movie is very important to me! I have to make sure it’s perfect! Or do you think my first time matters more than the career I love most?” In the next second, she tore off all her garments and climbed onto the young actor without hesitation. She turned to look at me. Her eyes were full of sorrow. “I’ll imagine Yarden is you. Then, it will be no different from being with you.” I watched them slowly prepare for the scene. I heard the clapboard snap as filming began. My face stayed blank as I made a phone call. “Blacklist Whitney and Yarden. Anyone who still hires them will be making an enemy of the Foster family.”

I was a soldier's wife. Less than two years into our marriage, I asked Lucian Summers for a divorce because I found a little handmade bracelet at home. It was not mine, and Lucian had never bought me cute little trinkets like this before. Lucian scoffed and said, "All because of that little thing?" I could not be bothered to explain this time, so I replied coldly, "Yeah. It's exactly because of that little thing."