The Smile Has Left

I was the happiest woman alive until my husband and my maid betrayed me in one night. Now I am no longer the good, perfect Luna they once expected me to be, but a wounded woman burning with vengeance. I am willing to give anything, do anything, even if it means striking a dangerous bargain with Valtor North, the handsome yet cruel Rogue King whose reputation makes every Alpha tremble in fear. But fate made its twist again. Adapting to the brutal rogue life, an unexpected mad attraction rose between me and the man I should hate… the sworn enemy of my kind. The Rogue King. Torn between duty and desire, I face the ultimate battle. Can I survive the storm or will it consume me whole?

Love? No, rather a game of convenience. Sophia Whyte is the victim of a cruel hoax, forced into becoming the contract wife of famous billionaire, Noah Milton. She can’t escape, overwhelmed by her crippling debt and her mother’s debilitating condition. After being bullied by Noah’s girlfriend and entire family, she is humiliated and kicked out of the Milton mansion as they no longer have use for her. Five years later, she returns, now a mother of the sole heirs to the Milton wealth. All she feels is hate and a need for revenge. All Noah feels is love, he starts to creep into her heart, one gift at a time. What will she do once she start to feel the same?

At the yacht party, everyone watches as Sophia Montgomery falls overboard by accident, whereas I dive in after her to save her. When I reach her, she clings to me, dragging us both under. Jack Harrison doesn't hesitate to jump in. He pushes me away before pulling her into his arms. Up on deck, the crowd erupts in cheers, applauding the hero for saving the damsel in distress. Camera flashes go off endlessly. Meanwhile, I struggle alone in the freezing ocean to reach the ladder. No one notices me. The next morning, still burning with fever, I place a document in front of him. "I want a divorce," I demand, my voice hoarse from swallowing seawater. Jack frowns. "Just because of last night? Sophia can't swim, and it was an emergency. Since you can, you could make it back yourself." A laugh escapes my lips. Of course. I can only rely on myself. I've been doing it for the past five years. He only has eyes for Sophia, so, of course, he doesn't care whether I live or die.

After four years of marriage, her Alpha mate betrayed their vows. He obsessively pursued his long-lost love, desperate to make up for what he missed in his youth. Aurora loved him deeply and tried desperately to save their marriage. Yet her mate cruelly dismissed her while embracing his newfound love: "Aurora, you don't have an ounce of femininity! Looking at your cold face, I can't feel any desire as a man." Aurora's heart finally shattered. She stopped clinging to false hope and left with dignity. When they met again, Alexander didn't recognize his ex-mate. Countless powerful men pursued her relentlessly. Even the most powerful Alpha only ever smiled for his "dear Aurora." Alexander was driven mad! Every night he waited outside his ex-wife's door, offering territory and jewelry, willing to give everything he had.

“I, Leila the wolfless, reject you, Alpha Tatum as my mate and I denounce you as my Alpha! You are free to be with her.” “Leila….I just thought—” “Don’t! Where were you when I got the news of our child? With her! Where were you when I was kidnapped? With her! And today? You took her to the hospital, leaving me to bleed out on the street, and now you ask me, why didn’t I tell you that when you left today, you were taking the life of our child?” All the years of sour jealousy, bitterness, pain and vain waiting burst out of Leila. In front of her is her Alpha, her husband, her first and only love, her saviour...and also the man who pushed her into hell with his own hands.

Nina became friend with Dewey at 13, they got really close over the years and she fell in love with him. At 18, she found out he was his mate, her joy knew no bound but the joy didn't last a day as he rejected her heartlessly. Broken and dejected, she ran into the woods to cry out her sorrow, it was such a painful experience but she didn't expect to meet an handsome man in the wood, she jumped on the man and seduced him to make love with her and he in turn satisfied her to the brim. Ten months later, Nina stood as a slave with her two handsome children by her arms before the most ruthless and aloof alpha king, Roland, who was popularly known for killing his late wife for cheating on him with a slave. His hatred for slaves knew no height, infact, it made him gave an order that slaves are not permitted to give birth to children nor have children lesser than three years old with them. Nina wouldn't allow her babies to be separated from her. About to sentence Nina to a lifetime in the Deungeon for disobeying his order, Nina confessed to him that her twin boys were his. In a world where DNA test doesn't exist, how will Nina prove to him that her twins were for him? Will he let go of his deep rooted hatred for slaves and accept the mother of his children or will he destroy her for disobeying his command?

"Let's end this. It can't go on any longer." Those words left my lips just as my heart caved in. Tears dropped from her eyes. She pleaded with me. But my mind was made up. More like 'I had no choice.' She might be my mate. But there are a lot of things keeping us from being together. First, she's an Omega. And I'm an Alpha. A union between an Alpha and an Omega was forbidden. My family will never accept her either. Second, she's from Blueberry Pack. And my pack has been at war with her pack for decades. It's like a vendetta. So I can never be with a girl from her pack. But I loved her so much that I was willing to give it a try. See as long as it goes. Too bad our love story was very short-lived. I rejected her on the spot and we never saw each other again. Four years later, our paths crossed. This time, she looks more radiant than ever and has a son. And I never got over my feelings for her. Being away from her put me through hell. I drowned in regrets and missed her terribly. Now I'm ready to risk it all for her, but how do I make her fall in love with me again? How do I convince her that I can be a great mate to her and a great father to our son and that I'm ready to fight for our love? How do I convince her not to fall in love with another? How do I stop her from falling for the CEO Alpha trying relentlessly to win her heart?

The Vale family was the most powerful mafia syndicate in the New York City. And I—along with a few other carefully chosen girls—had been handpicked to join their ranks, trained from the ground up so that the next head of the family could choose his wife from among us. Wife. That was the kinder word for it. The truth was whoever got picked would become his shield, his weapon, his most loyal protector. Someone who would kill for him. Die for him. Years passed. One by one, the others fell away. In the end, only Elara Quinn and I remained. And then, Elara died—killed on a secret mission. After that, there were no more choices left. I became Adrian Vale’s wife by default. I had given everything to Adrian. And I loved him. I thought he loved me too until I took a bullet to the chest—meant for him. As I lay there, barely breathing, I heard Adrian talking to his assistant, “Don’t bury her in the Vale cemetery. My half is reserved for Elara.” That was it. Elara—who had never even lived long enough to marry him—still had a space carved beside him in death. I? I had taken the hit that should have ended him… and yet I wasn’t even good enough to be buried near him. I slowly closed my eyes. And when I opened them again, I was back on the day the Vale family formally announced Adrian as their new head. The day everything began.

My mate Derek, Alpha of the SilverCrest Pack, secretly marked me two years ago. But he still hasn't held our mating ceremony to publicly announce my position. I've been working as his "assistant," helping him manage pack affairs all this time. Every time Derek cheats with his childhood sweetheart, Vivian, he promises to finally hold our mating ceremony. Two years. Ten promised ceremonies. Ten broken promises. The first time, he said Vivian's dog had died. "I can't hold a celebration while she's grieving," he told me, his eyes not quite meeting mine. "It wouldn't be right." The second time, Vivian had a stomach ache. He left the ceremony venue minutes before it was supposed to start, rushing off to cook soup for his precious childhood friend. After that, each scheduled mating ceremony fell through because his childhood sweetheart always had some kind of emergency. I've cried. I've screamed. I've begged. Derek always gives me the same answer: "Viv and I are just friends. You're my true mate. Taking care of pack members is your responsibility too. Don't be so jealous." After the tenth canceled ceremony, I finally gave up. I slid the mate bond dissolution papers across his desk. "The Alpha Council has approved our request to break the mate bond," I said, my voice steadier than I expected. "You and I are no longer connected." That’s when the powerful Alpha went crazy...

I married Rafe Maretti—the man who owned the Maretti Casino empire. Sophisticated, ruthless, but sinfully charming. By year three of our marriage, I introduced my little sister to his nephew, Adam Moretti—twenty-five, all sharp smiles and sharper ambition. He ran the dirtier side of the family’s business—arms, drugs, the kind of trade that dripped blood and money in equal parts. I married the powerful, irresistible uncle. She married the young, dangerous nephew. It was supposed to be our fairytale. Then one day, I got kidnapped in Rafe’s casino. Snatched by a rival mafia family desperate to force Rafe to sign over one of his biggest, most profitable casinos. Except Rafe didn’t answer the phone or even notice I was gone. The kidnappers grew impatient. First, it was slaps. Then punches. Then they shattered my leg and buried a knife in my stomach. Still no word from my husband. Until finally, after what felt like a hundred unanswered calls, a single message came through. "I’m with Bianca. She’s having a stomach. Stop calling." Once the kidnappers realized I had no value, they dumped me in a rotting warehouse like discarded luggage. It was Isla, my sister, who found me. She got me out. And then the brakes failed. The car spun out. Isla went unconscious beside me. I tried calling Adam. Isla’s husband. But as soon the call went through, all I could hear was. “Leave me along. Isla, I am in the middle of something here.” When I clearly heard a woman’s voice in the back. If not for a passing stranger, Isla and me wouldn’t have made it to the hospital, let along have survived. So when I opened my eyes again, the first thing I thought was: I’m divorcing that sorry bastard. The Maretti can go to hell.