ceremony silko novel

I once believed alpha Fernando was the true mate the Moon Goddess had chosen for me. He held me tightly during the Blood Moon riots. He stoked the fire as I brewed purification potions. He even declared before the entire Blackthorn Pack, “Thalia is my light.” Until the night before our engagement banquet, when the soulstone in my palm leapt from the gilded invitation— He was bonding with his cousin Bianca. That Beta girl who always sneered at me, saying, “A Gamma, touching an Alpha? Laughable.” Her spirit mark was etched into the corner of the card. Like a silver blade carved into my heart. Then alpha Fernando’s voice bled through the soulstone, laced with frost I’d never heard before: “She? Just a warm body in my bed.” “She really thought I sent her to the Highland Summit because I valued her? I just needed space for Bianca.” His laughter, mingled with clinking wineglasses in the background, pierced me like a dagger dipped in silver poison. “Once the bond’s sealed, I’ll toss her aside with any excuse— She loves me so much, she’d drink silver and call it moonlight.” my wolf Leona whispered in my mind, “The girl who dares tear down the illusion… is the one who will hold true moonlight in her hands.” I unbound the sealed Guardian sigil on my wrist and tuned the soulstone to the Silverclaw Pack’s private frequency. “Alpha Ross,” I said, licking away the tears from the corner of my eye, my voice colder than moonlight, “I’m ready now— To be your Luna.”

I'm Evan Rivers, a werewolf planning my binding ceremony with Isla Dewitt, my childhood love, in a world of sacred bonds. But when I uncover her betrayal with Nathaniel Wade, my heart shatters. Determined to make her face the truth, I orchestrate a shocking twist, replacing myself with Nathaniel at the ceremony. As Isla scrambles with guilt, desperately searching for me, I start anew with Aurora in Favalon. Though I move on, Isla, haunted by her mistakes, rebuilds her empire while watching me from afar, forever marked by our broken bond.

I had an agreement with Caspian Shawn, the Alpha of the Shawn Pack. He promised he would attend the 99th bonding ceremony I’d prepared. But he didn't come. That day, he appeared at the Full Moon Gala with his lover, Seraphine Dubois. An image of them kissing under the moonlight spread like wildfire across the pack networks. Meanwhile, I became a lonely spectacle at the Altar of the Moon Goddess. Speculation about the ceremony ran rampant. Every wolf wanted to know when I would hold the 100th ceremony. Out of guilt, Caspian assured me he would be there next time. But when he finally made his way to the Altar of the Moon Goddess, all he received was a cold message through our mind-link. "There won't be a 100th time. We're over."

My husband, Julian Thorne, is the head of the Chicago Outfit. After our secret marriage, he promised a grand ceremony to officially name me his Donna. He only ever made that promise when he needed to appease his mistress, Cassandra Vance. Over three years, he canceled this crucial ceremony three times, using excuses that always seemed to circle back to Cassandra. He left me to face the whispers and scorn of his inner circle alone. Whenever my heart broke and I protested, Julian would wave away my concerns. He’d claim Cassandra was just a “tool” and that I was the one he truly loved, telling me not to get hung up on titles. After the third public humiliation, I finally went numb. I decided to end it. I slid a power of attorney for all his assets—disguised as a design contract for a new casino—in front of him. "Sign this," I told him, "and we can start over."

My bonding ceremony with Rhys Valerius was supposed to be the event of the season, with all eyes on us. But when the great ceremonial doors swung open, Rhys didn't walk toward me. Instead, he turned to his childhood friend, Cassia Thorne—the witness for our bonding—and pulled her into his arms. Then, in front of the entire pack, he gave her a deep, passionate kiss that lasted for a full, agonizing minute. His Beta and Gammas howled and cheered, as if this were a common sight. After the kiss finally ended, Rhys offered a dismissive explanation, calling it a reward to "thank her for her years of loyalty." His childhood friend, Cassia, even had the audacity to smirk at me. "A future Luna shouldn't be so petty," she purred. I smiled, lifting the laurel wreath from my hair and placing it on her head. "Of course not," I replied, my own smile razor-sharp. "May your bond be unbreakable."

My fated mate Kaelan wanted to please his mistress Briar, so he planned to let her act as Luna for a while. He pretended our bond was broken, refusing to even acknowledge me as his Luna. As I passed the gym, I heard Briar’s syrupy voice. "Darling, if I get to be Luna, will you mark me every night? But… won’t Selene be suspicious? You’ve been mates for seven years, after all." "What can she do?" Kaelan sneered. "She can’t leave the pack, and she certainly can’t leave me." "Selene? That poor thing. I told her our bond broke naturally, and she actually believed it." "Even if she finds out the truth, she’ll just suffer in silence. The only Luna in my heart is you, baby." I didn’t confront him right then and there. The lie of our weakening bond sent a sharp, agonizing pain through me. I turned and walked away. Let them think their plan is flawless. They would soon find out what a nasty surprise this "poor thing" had in store for them.

A month before my bonding ceremony with Alpha Jedediah Thorne, he exiled my father, Forrest Caldwell, to the Barrens. The reason? A single accusation from his childhood friend, Gina. She claimed our pack's most sacred manuscript, the Moon Ritual, had been leaked, and a copy was conveniently discovered on my father's tablet. Jedediah offered me no real explanation. "Gina told me someone leaked the manuscript. We found a copy on your father's tablet, Raina. Who else could it have been?" My father had traveled here for my bonding ceremony, but one word from Gina Valerius was all it took for Jedediah to cast him out. "Unless you give me a 'reasonable explanation,' he'll be torn apart by the rogues out there," he warned. "I'm not going to abandon you over what your father did. Our bonding ceremony is still on for next month." The thought of my father suffering in the Barrens while the man who was supposed to be my fated mate acted so cold-heartedly—it was enough to rip my own heart in two. If this was how he was going to treat my family—how he was going to treat me—then I'd sever the mate bond myself.

Xie Heng traveled through parallel worlds, entered the show business circle and quickly became popular, becoming a top actor. When the fresh meat Xiaohua and the big stars who are keen to pack gorgeous characters are all committed to drawing a clear line from the Common people, Xie Heng, who is mixed in the circle, seems out of place because he is too real. Even attending a party can get a lot of hot searches because of it. #Grand Award Certificate, Xie Heng put melon seeds in his suit pocket, spent the whole night! #拍拍Xie Heng pouted backstage and smoked, because he was afraid that the rented suit was too expensive, and if a hole was burned, it would be a Xiali? #On the stage to accept the award, and the audience to feel the pulse of the actress? ... A set of operations made the audience laugh like crazy. 【He even gave Zhiling a handful of melon seeds, I cried to death! 】 [The main feature is a truth! As expected of an actor, he lived so transparently! 】 [Haha... who remembers hahaha... Brother Heng's scarf is named 'Northeast Native Specialty Purchasing Agent'! 】 [This brother is somewhat impatient about being a celebrity! 】

I am Calvert Caruso, the head of the Caruso family of Chicago. And now, I was organizing a baptism for a child. A child my husband—the family's Underboss—had with his mistress. My political marriage to Jarren Valachi had lasted for five years. In those five years, I had elevated him from a nobody to the feared Underboss of the family, and I had borne him an heir, Luca. Yet, he would never grant me the ceremony that would officially make me Donna at the Lake Geneva estate my father left me—our family's most sacred ground. It was always, "Next time, Calvert." Until I received an invitation from Jarren's mother for a "family matter." Also present was a young woman named Cassie. With a shy smile, she was basking in the delusion of becoming the next Mrs. Valachi. "Jarren chose this place himself," she said softly. "He insisted on holding the baptism for our child here." I flipped open the agenda in front of me, my gaze fixing on the name of the estate. It was the sacred ground of the Caruso family. The place I had mentioned to Jarren countless times for my own induction ceremony. Just as I was about to sneer at her audacity, another line on the agenda struck me like a physical blow. Jarren Valachi would announce Cassie as his "true partner" at this ceremony. My fingers stilled on the smooth paper. The girl across from me was basking in her bliss. She added gently, "We've only been together for a few months, but he said he wants to give me and our child the grandest ceremony imaginable, to make a statement." A faint, cold smile touched my lips as my eyes locked onto the handsome face I once thought I knew. After all this time, the day Jarren dreamed of replacing me had finally arrived. Unfortunately for him, he had picked the wrong opponent.

Fu Xiaoxiao transmigrates into a book and immediately faces the crisis of being sent to the countryside. As the unloved middle child, her younger sister is the one meant to go — but her mother transfers her job to the sister instead. A disaster of a start. To avoid being sent away, she has to marry within seven days. She meets a few ordinary men and decides she'd rather go to the countryside. Then she runs into a neighbor who's also looking for a spouse — and his conditions are surprisingly good. A dowry of three hundred? Bicycles and a radio? Just take care of the kids, and separate rooms are fine? The others may pass, but she won't. Every day is a battle of wits with the two kids. Life is eventful, she gets a salary every month, and the boss is never home. Absolutely perfect. Except... wasn't this big shot supposed to be infertile? Then why does he keep strutting around naked in front of her? She has professional ethics. She won't be seduced by a good body. Hmph. Men only slow down her sword swing. Lu Feng grits his teeth at Fu Xiaoxiao, who remains completely unmoved by his countless attempts to seduce her, and traps her in his arms. "Boss, let's talk this through. I know forty a month is a bit much — how about... five less?" Trapped in his embrace, Fu Xiaoxiao thinks he's unhappy with her high salary and starts bargaining. "I'm giving myself to you for free." Lu Feng grinds out through clenched teeth. This woman has no heart. "...Can I say no?" Fu Xiaoxiao swallows, staring at the washboard abs so close. "Such a good deal — are you sure you don't want it?" Lu Feng squints, tempting her. "Fine." A fool turns down a bargain.