What Does Bastian Name The Empress Novels & Stories

“I never betrayed you!” Cassandra’s voice trembled as she spoke. “Not once—not ever—” “Then whose child did you give birth to?” The Alpha, Alaric Drayden, cut in coldly, each word heavy with condemnation. The woman lying weak on the hospital bed flinched at the cruelty in his tone. “Enough. I don’t need your excuses, Cassandra.” Tears streamed down her cheeks, unstoppable. “No, my Alpha. I swear—I never betrayed you—” “I, Alaric Drayden, Alpha of the SilverFang Pack, hereby sever the bond between us. From this moment forward, no tie of fate binds us, Cassandra. I reject you as my Luna for the treachery you’ve committed.” Cassandra shook her head in disbelief, her voice breaking. “No! No! You can’t do this to me, my Alpha!” *** Betrayed by her husband. Stolen from by her own half-sister. Cast out by her pack. That was the fate everyone had wished upon Cassandra Vale, the fallen Luna of SilverFang. But a true wolf never truly dies. Five years later, Cassandra returned—stronger, sharper, her elder blood awakened and ready to shake the entire werewolf world. With the Alpha who once saved her—Orion Caldrex—at her side, she would face the conspiracies of her family, the battle for the Luna throne, and a war between packs that threatened to shatter the balance of power. Betrayal had remade her. Fate demanded her rise. And this time… nothing would stop Cassandra Vale. Not even destroying those who once cast her aside—including Alaric Drayden, her former Alpha. But when every truth finally comes to light…would Alaric still be standing at her side?

as soon as I stepped out of the villa, it felt like I’d walked straight into a nightmare. Hector, the man I’d missed so much, was surrounded by soldiers, passionately kissing some woman I’d never seen before. The cheers and whistles around them felt like knives stabbing into my heart. I froze, my happiness turning into icy disappointment and rage. I forced myself to walk closer, even though every step felt like I was wading through quicksand. As more people noticed me, the noise died down, like someone had hit the mute button. Hector and his mystery woman were still in their own world until they finally sensed the eerie silence and pulled apart. When Hector’s eyes met mine, panic flashed across his face, but he quickly masked it. Holding the woman’s hand, he approached me. “Elena, this is Vanessa, she’s—” Before he could finish, Vanessa flashed a confident smile and offered her hand to me. “Hi, I’m Vanessa, Hector’s partner. We fell in love on the battlefield.”

A short and sweet story just nice for bedtime. Guaranteed that no brain cells will be used. Might be illogical but.... Sypnopsis: Luo Jingli was brought up in a single parent family and his mother earns enough only to make ends meet. He was just searching for a job to feed himself and pay for his mother’s eye surgery, but life is not always as easy as you think, especially for Luo Jingli... However, he unexpectedly found more than just a job... Scum top Li Zheng that turned over a new leaf x thin and weak bottom Luo Jingli that fell in love at first sight.

Being the daughter of a mafia boss and an assassin has led to an interesting life for Dasha Hatzis. The blood and knowledge of the women who came before her, taught her that if she’s going to be the only woman in a room full of men, to make sure she's the deadliest thing in that room. After finishing up a contract that ended with surprising results, she thinks that's the end of the matter. But what happens when her prey suddenly becomes her ally? Dasha finds herself teaming up with an unlikely partner as they attempt to stop a plot that has assassins unknowingly targeting other assassins . Tension and attractions rise, friends become enemies, and everything will be put on the line as Dasha fights to stay alive and secure her legacy as the infamous assassin known as Aconite. Codename: Aconite is the second book in the Codename trilogy and acts as a prequel to book 1. It can be read as a standalone book.

For one year, I believed Matteo De Luca had truly fallen in love with me. Our marriage began as an alliance, but he held me every night, kissed me before council meetings, and fastened the De Luca Donna brooch at my throat as if I already belonged beside him. Then his first love, Vanessa Ashford, came back. Within days, our official ceremony was postponed, her access was added to the Donna wing, and Matteo stopped wearing the family signet he once used to claim me in public. He said it was council business. But council business did not leave amber perfume on his skin. It did not sit beside him on a private jet to Palm Beach. And it certainly did not smile from the Donna’s chair while his friends watched me lose my place. The final humiliation came at a private dinner, when someone asked whether I was Matteo’s wife. He looked at me, then said calmly, “Elena and I have an arrangement.” That night, I stopped waiting to be chosen. Matteo could keep his first love, his title, and the home he let her enter. I packed my passport, my Florence contract, and the prenatal report he had never seen. Then I left New York with his child.

Melissa Hartford is a 25 year old woman who recently took over from her father as CEO of Hartford Industries, navigating the business in Indiana comes with its own problems, that is until she meets identical twins Brock and Blake Milligan, who both want her, as she tries to navigate love and business, there’s a dark side to both. Can she come out the other side relatively unscathed? Who is the person who is stalking her and where do they fit in to this?

In school, she is the brightest, most cheerful girl you'll ever meet. The one who was lucky enough to be one of the boys. But Ari has held secrets her entire life; the darkness of her home life, and the fact that she has been in love with her best friend David for years. Those were hidden within her heart, locked even from her closest friends...until she lost a diary. One by one, her treasured secrets started spilling out, and her other best friend Sebastian, the one who keeps asking to marry her, seems to be in on it.

For ten years, Kim Danielson loved Nathan Pearce. But when she finally became his wife, he made one thing clear—he could never love her back. She spent two years chasing an emotionless man and fighting for his attention, which left her heartbroken and exhausted, turning her love into bitter resentment. Determined to reclaim her happiness, Kim demands a divorce. But Nathan refuses to let her go. Just as Nathan starts to soften toward her, his first love returns, ready to take her rightful place by his side. At the same time, Kim’s old friend, Giovanni Ferraro, steps in, offering her the love and devotion Nathan couldn't give her. Caught between a man who will never love her and one who’s ready to give her the world, Kim faces an impossible choice—fight for the marriage she built on pain or embrace a future filled with passion with Giovanni Ferraro.

Olivia Penn was the only daughter of the Penn family. She was born into privilege and status. People often called her the holy maiden of high society. She was untouchable and devout. The system gave me a mission to win her heart, but I ended up losing mine to her. After we got married, the mission was successfully completed. I should have left this world immediately, but I chose to stay for her. The cost was constant, bone-deep pain every single day. One day, I saw her being intimate with my younger brother in a church. The rosary she never took off was teasingly caught between his lips, then removed and tossed aside. Even our son wanted my brother to be his father. So, I gave them what they wanted. However, if this was what they wanted, why did they regret it after I died?

Everything is ready on the day of my wedding. But the bride, Adella Marlowe, is nowhere to be seen. That's when she texts me on my phone. Apparently, as a national shooting champion, there's a last-minute competition that she has to attend right away, all consequences be damned. But the next day, I see a social media post uploaded by Raiden Chase, the newest recruit in Adella's team. In the photo, I see Adella with one foot on a dead wild boar while propping her gun with a proud smile on her face. The caption goes, "I'm so glad to have a wife who's also a national shooting champion! Now, Grandma won't have to worry about her corn fields getting attacked by wildlife!" As I stare at the post, I just smile and leave a comment. "As expected of the champion whose heart goes out to the normal folk!" Adella quickly calls me the next moment. "Delete your comment right now! Also, stop being all passive-aggressive around me! It's just a missed wedding; must you be so snide about it?" This isn't Adella's first time leaving me at the altar. It's been two years, and every time she ditches me at the altar, she always has an excuse to do so. I just hang up on Adella without saying a word. She's right, though. This is just a wedding, isn't it? I might as well call it off once and for all.