She took every opportunity to remind me of my fall from grace. I was forced to serve her during meals, pouring her wine and bringing her dishes as she laughed and flirted with Kaden.
She would drape herself over him, whispering in his ear, her eyes gleaming with victory as she watched my every reaction. I learned to school my face into a mask of indifference, hiding the pain that tore through me each time I saw them together.
But inside, my heart shattered over and over again. One morning, I was cleaning the grand staircase when Lila appeared, her voice ringing through the hall.
"Ella!" I jumped, my heart racing as I hurried to her side.
"Yes, Luna?" Her eyes narrowed, and she slapped me across the face, the sting burning my cheek.
"Did I give you permission to speak?" I bowed my head, fighting back tears.
"No, Luna." She smirked, satisfied with my submission.
"Good. Remember your place, slave." She dropped her handkerchief on the floor, her lips curling in disgust.
"Clean that up." I knelt down, my fingers trembling as I picked up the delicate lace. It was spotless, but I knew better than to point that out. I reached for my rag, but Lila's foot shot out, knocking the bucket over. Dirty water spilled across the floor, soaking my dress. I bit my lip, refusing to react as she laughed, her voice dripping with false concern.
"Oh dear, how clumsy of me. Clean that up, too."
"Yes, Luna," I whispered, dropping to my knees to scrub the floor. My fingers ached, my knees bruised from the hard marble, but I kept my head down, scrubbing until the floor gleamed once more.
Lila watched me with satisfaction, her eyes gleaming with cruel delight.
"You're lucky I let you live," she said coldly. "You should be grateful to serve me." I kept my eyes on the floor, my hands trembling as anger surged through me.
But I couldn't speak. I couldn't defend myself. One wrong word, one act of defiance, and I would be back in the dungeons-or worse.
After she left, I sank back on my heels, my body trembling with exhaustion and rage. I wanted to fight back, to scream the truth for all to hear. But no one would believe me. Not when she had Kaden wrapped around her finger. Kaden... .
His name was a curse on my lips, a wound that refused to heal. Every day, I served him and his guests, forced to watch him smile and laugh with Lila, his arm wrapped around her waist as if she were his everything. I was nothing to him now.
A slave. A shadow. A ghost of the girl he once knew. One evening, I was ordered to serve during a banquet. The hall was filled with pack members, their laughter and voices echoing off the walls. I moved through the crowd, keeping my head down as I refilled drinks and cleared plates.
Lila's voice rang out, sickeningly sweet. "Ella, more wine!" I hurried to her side, the bottle trembling in my hands as I poured her drink.
She watched me with that familiar smirk, her fingers brushing against Kaden's arm as she leaned into him.
"Careful, Ella," she cooed. "You wouldn't want to spill anything on my dress." My hand shook, the bottle tipping dangerously. I steadied myself, focusing on keeping my movements calm and steady.
But Lila's foot shot out, kicking my ankle just as I finished pouring. I stumbled, the wine spilling across her lap. Gasps echoed through the hall. Lila stood, her face twisted in fury.
"You clumsy little fool!" She slapped me hard, the force knocking me to the ground.....
I tasted blood, my vision spinning as she loomed over me, her eyes blazing with anger.
"You ruined my dress!" She turned to Kaden, her voice breaking with false tears.
"She did it on purpose, Kaden. She's trying to humiliate me." Kaden's eyes flashed with anger as he stood, his towering presence suffocating me.
"You dare to insult your Luna?"
"No," I whispered, my voice trembling.
"I didn't... I would never..." But my words meant nothing. He grabbed my arm, dragging me to my feet, his grip bruising.
"You've crossed the line, Ella. You'll pay for this." I opened my mouth to plead, but he backhanded me, his strength sending me crashing to the floor once more. Pain exploded in my head, and I tasted blood again. Lila's laughter rang out, sweet and mocking.
"Take her to the dungeons. Let her rot there until she learns respect." The guards seized me, dragging me away as the crowd jeered and laughed.
My vision blurred, pain radiating through my body, but I refused to cry. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. As the darkness closed in around me, one thought echoed through my mind. One day, they would pay for this. I would survive. And I would make them all pay...
Life as a slave in the pack house was hell. It wasn't just the cruelty of Lila and Kaden's cold indifference that tormented me. It was the constant abuse from everyone around me.
The other servants despised me. They saw me as a traitor, a cursed wolf who had tried to trick the Alpha with dark magic.
Lila had spread her lies well, poisoning their minds against me. Mira, the head maid, was the worst. She took pleasure in making my life miserable. She was tall and strong, her wolf fierce and dominant. I was nothing compared to her-a weak wolf, a slave with no power or protection.
Every morning, she would burst into my room, kicking the door open and yanking me out of bed.
"Get up, lazy rat! You think you get special treatment just because you used to be part of the pack?" She would slap me across the face, her nails digging into my skin.
"You're nothing now. Less than nothing." I learned to wake up before dawn, washing quickly and hurrying to the kitchen before she could find another excuse to punish me. But no matter how hard I worked, it was never enough....
THE ALPHA WHO HATED ME
She came to survive. He was born to rule. Fate made them mates. And that's where the nightmare began. Evangeline has spent her whole life on the edge, unwanted, unclaimed, and surviving in the shadows of Crescent Moon Pack. A omega by blood and an outcast by choice, she's learned to keep her head down and her scars hidden. But when her dying uncle asks her to enroll at Blackclaw Academy, a school built on bloodlines, brutality, and unforgiving rules..... she agrees. For him, not for herself. She expected whispers. Glares. Even cruelty. What she didn't expect was Ronan Nightbane. The future Alpha. Cold. Untouchable. Worshipped. Feared. And the one the Moon Goddess bound her soul to. Being his mate should've meant protection. Belonging. Destiny. But Ronan wants none of it. He rejects her in front of the entire academy. Mocks her. Marks her as nothing more than a mistake. A threat. A girl born of nothing, who means even less. But Evangeline? She doesn't break. Not for him. Not for anyone. Because the power buried inside her was never meant to be found. The truth behind her blood could burn the entire pack system to the ground. And Ronan, no matter how hard he fights it.... can't stay away. Their bond is poisonous. Addictive. Dangerous. And when war creeps closer and secrets claw their way into the light, he'll have to make a brutal choice: Reject her... or ruin them both.
CROWNED BY BLOOD
I, Marcus Steele, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, reject you, Luna Blackwood, as my mate and Luna. Luna Blackwood's wedding day becomes her nightmare when her Alpha publicly rejects her, declaring her too weak to bear his children. As her former best friend steps forward as his chosen replacement, Luna's world crumbles. But what Marcus doesn't know could destroy them all. Luna carries the last royal werewolf bloodline, a secret that makes her the most powerful supernatural being alive. Hidden from those who hunted her kind to extinction, she possesses abilities that could reshape their world forever. When mysterious Alpha Kai Nightshade reveals the conspiracy behind her rejection, Luna faces an impossible choice: remain broken and hidden, or embrace her destiny as the prophesied Lycan Queen who will unite all supernatural beings. From public humiliation to ultimate power, Luna's transformation will prove that being rejected was the best thing that ever happened to her. But first, she has a war to win.
BRIDE OF WRATH
Bride of Wrath (Wolves of Wrath series #1) "You could have chosen anyone. Women throw themselves at you, I'm certain of it. Women who would die to be your chosen... your mate. Why take me, someone unwilling?" "I did not choose you," he said, with a shrug. "Alexandros and Nikolaos did." "Then what's stopping you from setting me free? From choosing another?" I challenged. "I don't want another." ***** Becoming the bride of the most desired and dangerous Alpha is no fairytale, but a bloody nightmare. Lyla Gray, a young human woman, is taken from a life of poverty and dumped into a world of wealth and Lycans... sold into an arranged union with a man she neither trusts nor desires. Her marriage to Zephyrus Wrath, the fearsome and filthy-rich Alpha of a dominant Lycan pack, is not born out of love, but forced by his pack's traditions. He never wanted a mate. But when duty calls, he bends to take a bride. What he doesn't expect is to want her. Uncontrollably. Madly. Yet even as the desire is evident between them, he refuses to force the bond. He wants Lyla to choose him willingly. But Lyla is no calm, submissive woman. She challenges him at every turn, determined to frustrate him enough to make him back down and send her away. Yet in doing so, she draws dangerous attention to herself. Eyes that see her as ungrateful, as someone who should feel honored to be Zephyr's 'Chosen'.
The Dirty Blood Mate Of The Lycan Alpha
Being half human was something Lyra could never accept to make matters worse. Your mate is the werewolf rumored to be a beast, what if her blood is the only thing that could keep him in check?. Or her birth to Change the course of time for all hybrids like her?. ... You can't desire me Ethan, I am not good for you. Are you denying the burning desire and radiation from both our bodies? I want you and you want me, our Wolves want each other. I may have hated your kind but that doesn't stop me from claiming you right here and now. Strip he commanded. As the nights prolonged and the silver moon shone brightly on them, Ethan's fangs were out as he claimed his mate and that was the beginning of a heated battle.
When The Moon Hides Her Crown
She was meant to be a Luna. So swore she'd become an Alpha instead. Born into a powerful Alpha bloodline, Seraphina "Sera" Nightbane spent her life preparing to lead. But in a world where only male Alphas rule, her fate was sealed-an arranged marriage to the ruthless Alpha King. Rather than live out her life in a cage, Sera vanished on the eve of her wedding, disguising herself as a boy to enter Lupine Academy, a brutal training ground for future Alphas. She's determined to prove herself. That's when Ronan Volkstane enters the scene. Cold, dominant, and dangerously perceptive, Ronan is a born predator. He sees Seth Blackthorn as a challenge, a rival... even though something about him feels off. He's determined to uncover the truth, no matter the cost. As tensions ignite and secrets unravel, Sera must fight for her place, her freedom... against the one Alpha who might destroy everything she's built or claim her completely.
The Alpha's bride
"I could kill you right here," Eziekel says quietly. "Just like you killed my friend?" His lips curl into a dark, mocking smile. "Seems like you're ready to join her... wherever she is." My glare sharpens. I can't stand the sight of the monster who hurt Natalie. "I think it's time to send you to hell where you belong," I whisper. Then I charge forward, fast as lightning, and drive my knife into his chest. ********** Daphne never wanted a crown, a pack, or an Alpha husband. But when a fragile truce demands her hand in marriage to Ezekiel Hawthorne, the cold, cursed leader of the werewolves, she walks down the aisle with poison in her heart and a knife beneath her gown. Her mission is simple: gain his trust, find her missing friend, and kill the monster who calls himself husband. But the deeper she goes, the more twisted the game becomes. Ezekiel and Daphne have secrets of their own. Dangerous ones. Ones that could get them both killed in this war of witches and wolves but love? Love is the deadliest curse of all.