"Light up my darkness," he murmured against her bare flesh. His fingers trailed up her arm, leaving a blazing fire beneath them. His lips pressed softly against her shoulder and her eyes fluttered closed, accepting his touch. "Let go and I'll take away all of the pain." She desperately wanted to free herself from the torture of the heat, of the shift, of the sadness, but she pushed his firm chest away from her. She yearned to finally fulfill her place among the divine. She desired to guide and protect the species. She wished to eliminate the Challengers. The longer she endured the pain, the more power she would attain to help her fulfill her responsibilities. To the men who watched her ascend, it looked as if she was interacting with thin air, but she knew he was there with her. She smiled softly at him, caressing his cheek. "My Darkness, let the pain fester within me. I crave it." * The Betrayal is a part of The Marking Trilogy and cannot be read as a stand-alone book. The Marking must be read first.* Cover by @Finding_Bria

I stepped towards him, the Mate that was to be mine for all eternity. But before I could leap into his arms, he put his hands up, as if to tell me not to do what was an instinct. I held myself back, it confused me that he wasn't standing in front of me with open arms, and he was closed off. Before I could truly grasp what was happening, he said in a low sexy voice that travelled through my body sending tiny shock waves throughout, "I don't want you."

(Complete) Rae East has always cast herself off as a girl not worthy of a Mate. With a past of self-doubt and expectations of a hopeless future, her theory crumbles when she discovers she is mated to an Alpha. Not expecting anything from it, Rae finds herself in a confusing situation. Giving no clarity, her Alpha Mate brings her back to his pack with no purpose. She sinks into herself, lost, alone, and in pain. With a Mate who has no interest in her whatsoever, Rae struggles to find her purpose in the pack and in her own world. Not knowing if she has a future with the Alpha she can't help but want, Rae must search elsewhere for happiness like she had once planned. But with a taste of the bond she can't help but share, it becomes difficult to move on from the Alpha who holds her heart captive. PG 16+ (but you know yourself better than I do)

"Little Star," the king said, his red eyes shining down as he greedily took in my whole body and the repressors upon it, "it will be my pleasure to corrupt your soul." ▫▫▫ Darkness laid the Kingdom to waste since the rulers of the land long ago fell into its temptation. The red eyes shine out into the night. But among the darkness, light still can be seen- and those who follow it. These followers of the light, have a religion of their own. A religion to prevail against the darkness. And the highest of their leaders is Arishia. One who has been bathed and blessed within the Moon's light. But even the darkness reaches out to touch the followers of light. And Arishia has a purpose she must fill. A purpose given to her by the Moon. Taken from the safety of her Temple, Arishia is pushed into the King's Reaping. A tradition long ago set- where 20 maidens are selected and sent to the King's Palace of nightmares. Their goal? Survive the next 5 years, from the monster who thirsts for their blood. The winner of the reaping not only survives- she becomes the Queen of darkness- set to rule next to the King in his reign of shadows. And Arishia will try everything in her power, to keep her soul. Thank you for reading Highest rank #3 in Vampire Copyright: ©Joy (world_joy_) All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission

"Yes." I heard myself say. I did not even think twice about what he meant with 'it'. In my heart I knew he was talking about the pull I felt towards him. He hesitated for a second, but finally crossed back through the room, standing closer to me than any werewolf had before. He placed one of his hands on my cheek, and the other on the door beside me. A happy feeling started to rise up in the pit of my stomach. "Mate." He eventually whispered, looking into my eyes. With my back pressed against the door I took his words slowly in. Mate. To a werewolf. To the king of the werewolves. The guys that murdered my friends. The people that separated me from my family. Those assholes.

Out of seven Alpha mates, six are dead. Do I trust that the mate I've known for 10+ years, or the eighth that just kidnapped me? God, I wish I knew.