I never imagined my heart could fall into a million pieces until tonight. Watching my boyfriend cup the face of his fated mate, staring deeply into her eyes, the ache in my chest becomes unbearable, as if every breath pulls me further apart. “I, Graham Scott, accept you, Lizzy Harris, as my mate.” *** Ruby Hale’s heart shatters when her first love, Graham, announces his mate bond with her bully, Lizzy, in front of the entire school. Already reeling from her mother’s death and the loss of her scholarship, Ruby faces the possibility of being forced out of Kingston Academy. But when the cold, enigmatic Sebastian Kings—the school’s star hockey player and future Alpha—proposes a shocking deal, her life takes a turn she never saw coming. Sebastian is battling his own demons: his wolf is mysteriously blocked, preventing him from finding his fated mate. Desperate to buy time and avoid the crushing expectations of his father, Sebastian offers Ruby a fake mating contract that will keep her in school and give him the time he needs to solve his problem. It seems like the perfect solution—until their fake relationship starts feeling dangerously real. As they claimed they were mate, Sebastian’s childhood friend Annalisa, who has her own claim on his heart, stirs up jealousy and betrayal. With Ruby’s dark past threatening to come to light and the truth about Sebastian’s blocked wolf slowly unraveling, they must confront a web of secrets that could destroy everything they’ve built. And when Ruby discovers her own shocking connection to the pack, the stakes rise even higher. Caught between love, lies, and the pressure of destiny, Ruby and Sebastian must decide: will their contract save them, or break them apart forever?
Lihat lebih banyakCHAPTER 1
RUBY I never imagined my heart could shatter into a million pieces until tonight. Watching my boyfriend cupped the face of his fated mate, staring deeply into her eyes, the ache in my chest became unbearable, as if every breath pulled me further apart. “I, Graham Scott, accept you, Lizzy Harris, as my mate.” Graham's words echoed in my mind, ripping through me like a storm. Everything slowed. The room, the people, the lights. It all faded as the truth settled in. Two years. Two years of love, trust, and promises gone in an instant. Every smile, every shared moment, now felt like a cruel joke. He had always told me I was enough, that nothing would ever come between us. A month ago, when I turned eighteen and didn’t feel the pull of a mate, Graham convinced me it didn’t matter. He said the bond didn’t define us, that we were destined to be together regardless. I believed him. I trusted him. I held onto his words like they were my lifeline, like they were the only truth in a world where everything else was uncertain. But they were nothing. Lies. He had found his fated mate. And now... I was nothing. Frozen in place, I watched as Graham pulled Lizzy into his arms, her radiant smile illuminating her perfect face. Lizzy Harris, the daughter of Whispering Crystals Pack and the leader of the girls' dance group at Kingston College was now mated to my boyfriend, the son of MoonRise Pack's doctor. The whispers started almost immediately. A chorus of pity and judgment buzzed in my ears like static, but I heard them all the same. “Poor Ruby.” “How could she have thought she’d keep him?” “I knew the goddess would never mate Graham to such a lowly omega.” I needed to get out. Now. Pushing through the crowd, I kept my head down, my vision blurring with tears. The sharp night air hit me as I stumbled outside, but it did nothing to stop the ache in my chest. I moved forward, each step heavier than the last. I wasn’t sure where I was going, just away. Away from Graham. Away from Lizzy. Away from the pity, the stares, and the reminders of how worthless I truly was. I wandered into the dimly lit backyard, far from the party lights. My breath came in ragged gasps, my chest tight and aching as if my heart were being ripped apart. I pressed a hand to my chest, as if that could hold the pieces together, but it was useless. Everything was shattering. And then I collided with someone. The force of it knocked me back a step, and I muttered a half-hearted apology, barely glancing up. “Watch where you’re going, little wolf.” That voice. Cold, deep, laced with familiar arrogance. My eyes snapped up, blinking through the haze of my tears. Of course, it had to be him. Sebastian Kings. The future Alpha of the MoonRise Pack. The star hockey player and the notorious playboy who every girl in Kingston College wanted to be with— except me, maybe. He’d always looked at me with nothing but cold indifference. His dark, piercing eyes never softened, not even on the day a group of students pelted me with eggs in the middle of campus. He stood there, watched, and acted like it wasn’t happening. Like I didn’t exist. Like he also didn't want omega like me to attend their so-called Kingson College. Sebastian had always acted as if I was beneath his notice. Until I found out his secret. Ever since then, he’d tried, in his own way, to be nice to me. Not because he cared. No, it was to make sure I kept my mouth shut. To protect himself. And now, here he was, smirking as if my heartbreak were some kind of amusement. “Not now, Sebastian,” I muttered, wiping angrily at my tears. I could feel my makeup smudging under my fingers, but I didn’t care. “I don’t have the energy for you.” “You look like a wreck, Ruby.” He said, the smell of alcohol radiating from him. I let out a bitter laugh. “Thanks for the reminder.” I walked to lean against the wall, the cold brick biting into my back. There was nothing to sit on around here, and my legs were barely holding me up. “So… Graham dumped you for Lizzy,” he said, his voice a mix of sarcasm and something else I couldn’t quite place. “Fated mates, huh? Real romantic.” The words stabbed at my already wounded heart, but I couldn’t bring myself to deny it. The whole school had witnessed it. The humiliation was public, as if my suffering were entertainment. “Yeah,” I whispered. “He found his mate.” Sebastian’s gaze darkened, and for a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes. Pain? Anger? I couldn’t be sure. “Fated mates,” he muttered, his voice dripping with disdain. “It’s all bullshit.” I blinked, surprised by the venom in his tone. “Easy for you to say,” I replied, barely keeping my voice steady. “You have plenty of girls at your reach. You’re going to be Alpha. You have everything.” Something about the way Sebastian stood there, chuckling made me pause. He took a sip from his drink, then met my gaze with an intensity that made my breath catch. “Not everything, Ruby,” he said, his voice lower now, rougher. “You, of all people, know that.” I froze, my heart racing as the meaning behind his words sank in. Of course, I knew. The secret. The one I’d stumbled upon months ago how his connection to his inner wolf, the part that could sense his fated mate, had been blocked. No one else knew, not even his parents. But I did. The memory of that day flashed through my mind. I hadn’t meant to overhear him, nor had I sought to uncover the cracks beneath his perfect façade. But once I did, it was impossible to forget. Just as it was impossible to forget my own past— how my mother had sacrificed everything for me. She gave up her dignity, comfort, and happiness to secure my scholarship at Kingston College, all while concealing the deadly mistake my wolf had caused when I first shifted at thirteen. She had been my rock, my only family, and now she was gone. The weight of that loss, compounded by Graham’s betrayal, felt as if it were crushing me from every angle. “You’re right, Sebastian,” I said, my voice shaking slightly. “We all have our problems. But some of us can’t afford to hide behind a great title, or money, or fancy things. Some of us have to live with the consequences we never asked for.” His gaze sharpened, and he took steps closer, his drink dangling loosely from his fingers. I noticed for the first time that he wasn’t just angry, he was drunk. The smell of whiskey was strong, and the haze in his eyes told me he’d had more than just one drink. “I won’t have anything to hide behind if my dad finds out what I’ve been keeping from him,” he muttered, his voice slurred but still holding that familiar edge. “He’s only seeing the surface of me, just like everyone else. And that’s fine by me.” His eyes, usually so cold, were filled with something I hadn’t seen before. Something raw. And in that moment, I saw just how broken he really was. “I’m not as lucky as you think,” he said, his voice low and rough. “I’ll never find my fated mate. I’ll never know what it’s like… to be mated.” Before I could respond, Sebastian leaned in closer, our faces inches apart. My heart raced; here was the star hockey player, the playboy who could have any girl he wanted, standing before me. The same guy who’d always looked at me with cold indifference was about to kiss me. “Sebastian…” I whispered, but my words fell away as he closed the distance. His lips brushed against mine. Soft at first, then urgent. It ignited a fire inside me, blurring the memory of Graham’s betrayal. The pain of being discarded by the one I thought I could trust faded as Sebastian pulled me in, stealing my breath. I tasted the whiskey on his lips, a mix of confusion and longing flooding my senses. But just as quickly, he hesitated. I saw uncertainty flicker in his eyes, and my mind screamed to pull away. “Wait—” Before I could finish, he pressed in again, the kiss deepening, the heat between us growing. I was drawn to him, lost in the moment, forgetting that just moments ago, Graham had shattered my heart. Finally, I mustered the courage to push him back, breaking the kiss. “Sebastian, no… we can’t do this.” He stepped away, and his eyes shifted, losing that moment of warmth. “I was wrong to think you could be the one,” he said, regret heavy in his voice. Just then, a male voice shouted from a distant. “Sebastian, where are you?” He hesitated, looking at me as if searching for something he couldn’t find. “Forget it,” he muttered, running his fingers through hair. “Just… forget it.” With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there in the dark, my heart still racing. The weight of the night pressed down on me, heavier than before. Graham had broken my heart, but Sebastian had just added another layer of confusion to my already shattered world.LIZZYThe moment my phone buzzed, I hesitated before walking to the bed and checking the message. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face the consequences of what I had done. But when I read the texts on my screen, a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding escaped my lips."Alpha Maximus has ordered that you should stay in school. Thanks to Dr. Sam, you will not be expelled. But the school head wants to see you in his office tomorrow morning."I reread the message Mrs. Whitewoods had just sent to me again, my fingers gripping my phone tightly. I should have felt grateful that I wasn’t going back to my pack.That I wasn’t going to face my parents’ disappointment. Sure, two of them would look at me like another problem added to their already miserable lives.I wasn’t ready to see them, or hear whatever lecture my father had prepared about what it meant to be the daughter of an Alpha, the expectations I had failed to meet.Maybe a part of me was grateful for all that, but it was buried beneat
ANNALISA "Why did you save her?" My voice was thick with anger as I stepped into the dimly lit room, the air heavy with the stench of alcohol and cigarette smoke.Even though my skin burned with rage, a cold sweat ran down my back the moment the door closed behind me.Warren sat on a stool, his back to me, lazily exhaling a cloud of smoke as he stared at his reflection in the grimy mirror. The wall beside it was covered in brutal red notes and pinned-up pictures of people, the knives securing them gleaming under the flickering light.A chill ran down my spine.I didn't coming here to meet Warren but after I tried calling him countless times and he ignored every call. I had no choice. My body boiled with anger at the memory of that damn video I watched earlier. The way Warren had jumped in to save Ruby from the pool. Warren didn't respond, but I heard the sound of his throat as he swallowed his drink, the glass settling onto the table with a dull thud.I growled, stepping forward, d
SEBASTIANMy blood was already boiling when I pulled into the driveway. The moment I saw Graham standing at the entrance with Ruby, I let out a low growl, my wolf stirring inside me.What was he fucking doing here?I was already fucking furious. The second Kiara called me earlier, telling me that my father had ordered Lizzy to stay in school, I knew something—or someone—had gotten to him. And when I arrived at the packhouse, I saw Doctor Sam just getting into his car.I didn’t know what the hell Doctor Sam had said, but whatever it was, it made my father refuse to hear a damn word from me.Not even my mother could sway him, and that pissed her off badly. I had never seen my father dismiss her like that before. It surprised me, making me wonder what kind of deal Doctor Sam had made with him.He hadn't even let me speak before shutting his office door in my face.I had stormed out of there in a rage. And now, coming home to find Doctor Sam’s son in my house?With Ruby?What was he fucki
RUBY"Are you not okay with this?" Sebastian said softly as he studied my face."Of course... I'm okay. Lizzy got what she deserved," I flashed a small smile. From the corner of my eye, I could see Cassie staring at us before she focused back on her phone.I wasn’t sure if I was truly okay with Lizzy leaving the school, considering her mother’s situation. I didn't know the specifics of her health condition, but from what I’d heard, she had been suffering for a long time.Maybe a different punishment would have been better than expulsion."She will serve as a lesson to anyone else who dares to treat you like shit. And if she tries anything after this, I'll do worse than what she got now," Sebastian cupped my face in his hands. His jaw clenched, and I could tell he wasn’t just punishing Lizzy for what she did to me, he had his own reasons for wanting her gone.But could Lizzy really hate Sebastian for no reason? He had told me to be careful around her but...Could it be that Sebastian
RUBY After soaking in the warm bath for a while, I finally stepped out, wrapping myself in a thick towel. The heat had eased the ache in my muscles, but my thoughts remained tangled. I dried myself off, walked into the bedroom, and picked up the cup of tea Noelle had left on the nightstand. It was still warm, and I took slow sips, letting the herbal scent soothe me. Dropping the cup down, I walked into the closet, and grabbed the thickest sweater I could find, along with some sweatpants. As I pulled them on, my mind drifted to Aiden and Cassie. They must have been worried sick about me. I wanted to call and tell them I was fine when I remembered my phone was inside my bag… which was still in my locker at school. I sighed, pulling the sweater over my head. As I tied my hair into a loose ponytail and stepped out of the closet, the door to my room swung open. “Ruby!” Cassie rushed in and hugged me tightly, nearly knocking the air out of my lungs. “I’m fine, Cass,” I said, patting h
RUBY "You okay?" Sebastian glanced over at me. It wasn’t the first time he had asked. In fact, I had lost count of how many times he had checked on me. I had a headache, but I forced a smile. "Yea." When his eyes diverted to Warren’s jacket beside me, his lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he refocused on the road. I sighed. The warmth of the car’s heater eased the cold from my skin, but it did nothing to dull the pounding in my head. When I smelled another scent mixed with Sebastian's as he carried me out of the pool area, I knew instantly that it belonged to Warren. Even though it was faint, I could tell it irritated Sebastian. Sebastian had never given me cold glares before until today. That's why I didn't hesitate to shrug off warren's jacket. He was jealous. And I didn’t think it was just an act anymore. For a while, I had convinced myself that everything was part of the contract. That he was just playing his role, pretending to be pos
SEBASTIAN I tightened my grip around Ruby, my arms securing her close to my chest as I stepped out of the exit. The whispers of the students faded into the background, but my mind kept replaying that moment I walked in and saw fucking Warren crouched in front of her.That bastard had his hand in her hair, pulling it back from her face. Worse, he was looking from her eyes to her lips like he wanted her. Like he was tempted to do something he had no fucking right to. My wolf growled as anger boiled inside me. He had the fucking guts to touch what was mine and then smirk at me, opening his damn mouth to say, "It’s not like I kissed her. Though, she does have soft lips."Hearing that, I nearly lost it. My wolf snarled in my head, ready to rip him apart. Ruby may not have been my fated mate, but as long as the contract between us hadn’t expired, she was mine.How dare he?How dare he speak to me like that?How dare he talk about my Ruby like she was some casual prize he could toy with
RUBY I couldn’t breathe.The water swallowed me whole.The pool’s icy grip tightened around my body as I thrashed, my limbs burning with exhaustion. Panic clawed at my chest as I fought to surface, but I didn’t know how to swim. I couldn’t swim.My lungs screamed for air. My vision blurred. Was this how it would end?Sebastian...I reached for him through the mind-link, my silent plea laced with desperation."Ruby! What's happening? Where are you? Answer me!" His voice was sharp with fear, but I couldn’t respond. My body was growing weaker. The darkness at the edges of my vision stretched, consuming me.Then, just as I was slipping away, strong arms wrapped around me.A force yanked me upward, breaking through the suffocating depths. Cold air rushed against my skin as my body was hauled onto solid ground, laid on the cold tiles, but I barely noticed. My chest convulsed, and water spilled from my mouth as I coughed violently, my entire body trembling.My eyes were still closed but I w
RUBYIt had been three weeks since the night I told Sebastian about my past. Sometimes, the nightmares still came, but they didn’t choke me with the same kind of fear anymore.I didn't know if it was because of Sebastian, all I knew was that whenever he fell asleep beside me, I slept like a baby. But he didn’t always stay.Sometimes, when the dreams became too much, I mindlinked him to come over.Other times, I wouldn’t even have to call him. I’d wake from the terror only to find him beside me, wrapping himself around me as if he just knew I needed him.I always wished Sebastian could sleep in my room every night, but he wouldn’t.He told me he couldn’t trust himself to be in the same bed with me every night. And I believed him because I felt the same. I wasn’t sure I could be around him without something happening between us.There were moments when we caught ourselves making out, satisfying our desires with nothing but our hands, as if we couldn’t help it. And when reality hit, we’d
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