Two Steps Forward And Three Steps Back Novels & Stories

MATED is book #2 in a new paranormal romance series by bestselling author Bella Lore, whose series MY TRUE MATE and THE ALPHA’S MATE have over 500 five-star reviews.

“I couldn’t stop reading.”

--Reader review (My True Mate)

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When her father suddenly dies, Winter Grace, 17, is forced to fly across the country and attend a mysterious prep school, an ancient castle in a fog-covered island on the coast of Maine. Nothing here is what it seems, and it isn’t long before Winter, feeling a surging power for the first time, realizes that she is not who—or what—she thinks she is.

But when Winter feels an inexplicable crush for an elusive and dangerous boy at the school, she realizes a greater destiny is at play. She knows the relationship might destroy them both—yet she also knows that they can never be apart.

In MATED, Winter and her crush embark on a dangerous quest to retrieve the magic relic and save their friends their school.

Yet they have no idea of the fate awaiting them—or what they will need to do for each other to survive.

Creating an unforgettable world of vampires, werewolves, shifters and magic of all sorts, a world of fantasy, love and sacrifice, MORTAL will take you to another place, rife with shocking twists and turns. Fans of books such as Vampire Academy and Twilight and Crush are sure to fall in love!

Future books in the series are also available.

"The story was very well written and was unique as compared to other shifter stories.”

--Reader review (The Alpha’s Mate)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Excellent from start to finish and leaves you wanting more.”

--Reader review (My True Mate)

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She was just trying to escape her life. One fall into the river changed everything. Lina Hale wakes up in a world she doesn’t understand… in a body that isn’t hers. Now trapped in the role of a werewolf Luna, she is forced to marry an Alpha who has never loved her, surrounded by enemies who want her dead. But Lina is not the woman they remember. As she struggles to survive palace politics, hidden assassins, and a dangerous love she never asked for, the truth behind her arrival begins to unfold. And when the real Luna returns, nothing stays simple. Two souls. One body. One throne. In a world ruled by instinct and power, who truly deserves the life they’re living?

Ruby, a beauty with a fragile heart, the only daughter of the Cole family, loved and protected by her family and her two best friends, but not being able to shift caused her to be mocked and insulted. her mate,the Alpha of her pack Rejects her. Feeling depressed, she decides to leave her pack. She returns 5 years later to attend her brother's birthday,as a well-known medical doctor, with her wolf and her a new man, he was Alpha Logan. Logan: an Alpha, very intelligent, calm, and loving. He was invited by his friend and business partner Mason Cole to his birthday party, he met ruby. Dancing with her he found out about her past but that didn't stop him from loving her and asking her out. Alpha_discovering he was mated to a nerd who doesn't have a wolf, he rejected her. 5 years later he saw her again but this time she doesn't look like the Ruby he rejected,she looked beautiful and seductive in the red gown and when he saw her dancing with another man he felt his heart going gags. their newfound connection faces a formidable adversary—when Ruby's mate comes back into the picture. Face with Ruby's cunning mate whose thirst for his mate threatens to shatter the fragile love blossoming between Ruby and Alpha Logan. "The Alphas want me" is an enthralling werewolf romance that delves into the complexities of the human heart. Will, Ruby and Alpha Logan's love continue to blossom when Ruby's mate who rejected her comes back for her, Will Ruby's hidden powers be enough to withstand the storm coming. Prepare to be captivated by a tale of rejection, regrets, redemption, and the resilience of love war between two great Alphas over a lady they both love.

With her eighteenth birthday quickly approaching, Selene Lockwood is eager to meet her mate. At the arrival of their Light Moon Pack's annual Mating Ball, she becomes enamored with a man whose familiar presence and charm convinces her he's her childhood sweetheart, Nathaniel Wulfric, who always looked out for her. Thinking he's the mate the Goddess Lupa has given her, Selene surrenders herself to him on the night of the mating ritual. However, when Selene learns that the man she has spent the night with isn't Nathan but his scheming and mysterious twin brother, she feels devastated. Left heartbroken and confused, Selene then questions everything she knows about Nathan and his family. As she digs into the hidden past of the Wulfric twins, she discovers the truth that's buried deep in history. Torn with her feelings, Selene's caught up in a dilemma between her love for Nathan and her forged bond with his evil twin brother. As the tension escalates, Selene must confront the devastating consequences that her choice may bring, not only for herself but for the entire werewolf population. Will she choose destiny's path for her or the love for which she's willing to pay the price?

Harry DuBois is the name everyone knows. At 6'4", sharply dressed, with silver at his temples and a velvet voice, he commands attention the moment he enters a room. Owner of DuBois Fine Arts & Jazz Lounge, the town’s cultural heartbeat, he offers a haven for music, poetry, and taste. Women adore him, men envy him, and all assume he’s living the dream. But Harry is haunted. Beneath success lies a past that won’t let him go, a tragedy he never speaks of. For Harry, love isn’t just risky, it’s dangerous. He’s a single father to Naomi, his teenage daughter, the only light he’s allowed to stay. Yet even with her, there are walls. When new art curator Elena Rivera arrives from New York to partner with his lounge on a revival series, a celebration of Black art, music, and history. Harry is drawn to someone he hasn’t been with in decades. But Elena has secrets, and she’s starting to notice cracks in Harry’s perfect image. As past and present collide, Harry is forced to confront the pain he has buried for over 25 years. A love lost, a betrayal unforgiving, and a night that changed everything. The question is: can Harry finally allow himself to feel again, or will the past claim him once and for all?

She is caught between three powerful Alphas in a web of deadly plans. Vexia must decide who she truly stands beside. She discovers her marriage is nothing more than a calculated sacrifice, and something inside her awakens. And when she becomes pregnant, her dormant bloodline ignites in a storm of power revealing a wolf unlike any kingdom has ever seen. But power comes at a cost. She is surrounded by ruthless enemies, a dangerous former lover, and a throne built on secrets. Vexia must find her strength in a kingdom that sees her as weak. But when her hidden bloodline awakes she will become far more than a pawn in a political game. In a world ruled by Alphas, love is power—and Vexia is about to claim both.

Diana is just a young omega wolf; a visiting pack, lead by two Alphas were on their way to sign a treaty with her pack. She had lost hope to find her mate, but what she didn't expect was to be mated to an Alpha, let alone two. Will she be able to live up to the standards of a Luna, or will she crumble at the challenge? Will the three of them have a bond that is unbreakable or will it be too much to handle?

My younger brother, Sean, and I were both critically ill and needed kidney transplants. When the hospital finally found two matching donors, my mother didn't hesitate for a second and gave both kidneys to Sean. She said to me, "Ivan, Sean has been frail since he was little. Having two kidneys will make him healthier. He isn't like you. You've gone through dialysis so many times. I'm sure you're used to it." In the end, I didn't receive the kidney transplant. Tormented by illness, I suffered unbearably until I finally closed my eyes forever. Yet, she couldn't accept it. Her eyes turned red from crying.

Bound to a loveless marriage with the wrong brother, Nadira struggles to be seen or heard by him. But then, she receives betrayal in the worst way— Divorce papers in her face as the ex lover of her husband returns. Left with three months to sever all ties with Sage Reynolds, she rekindles her true love in the arms of his older brother, Asher Reynolds. But then Sage returns— desperate for a second chance. Asher swears never to let her go again, and Sage isn’t ready to give up without a fight. Buried secrets are revealed, and past traumas are revisited. But at what cost? A life? Or love? *warning* This story contains dark romance, forced sex, rape, mature themes, explicit language. Readers discretion is advised.

Our grandfather had always been a strange man, but what he did before his death shook my brother’s and my world to its core. Stas had already come to terms with the fact that the entire inheritance would go to me as the older one. But the will changed everything—our lives, our bond, our closeness as brothers. The family business and property would go to the one of us who married the granddaughter of our grandfather’s best friend—the small, awkward, unattractive girl who had been pushed on us our entire lives. The old men had long dreamed of becoming family, and when they failed to earn our sympathy, they chose a far more twisted solution. Back then, we couldn’t even imagine that the ugly duckling would one day turn into a swan… or that our rivalry for the business would fade into the background.