"There's a problem with your theory," he murmurs, the touch of his fingers down my jawline, down my neck, a silent warning. I'm in the midst of a cold, calculated predator. "One side of me wants to preserve that precious innocence of yours, while the other, well, wants to absolutely destroy it." Not much is known about Alpha Ren. Simply that he lives in a small island in a big estate away from everyone. His secrets remain hidden within the shadows of his distance. He's untouchable. Homeless, Brielle stumbles upon a job at the docks. Whispers speak of better jobs upon Ren's island. And when his ship sails in, Brielle gets a chance, and takes it. Smuggling herself on, she finds herself as a servant within his endless estate, working to keep herself alive. However, as curiosity increases with the elusiveness of the Alpha, Brielle finds herself finding out Ren's terrible secret. Perhaps the Alpha everyone sees on the surface has another side to him. A side, so dangerous, there's only one person who can keep it at bay.
Brielle
"I tried."
I swallow, eyeing the tips of her fingers that plaster the response letter of my last employment attempt to the surface of the oak table. Her eyes - silver as mercury - glare at me, piercing straight through my calm facade. She's clearly not happy. Her blonde hair was clipped back from her face, allowing for her high cheekbones and sharp jawline to appear more prominent. She's poised and sophisticated; more prepared for a life as a socialite than a maternal figure.
She's never been too kind, always strict and exacting, wanting the best and nothing but. I made a decision this year not to go off to university to study a course mother would be proud of. It didn't make sense to me. But now I've stepped across a line I was avoiding.
"Trying, isn't enough in this family," she says pointedly, "no one is going to hire a useless girl with no higher education to her name."
Her words hit me straight where it hurts. She's right, though. This Pack offers free education past high school, and I failed to take it. Many have snubbed their noses at me, refusing to accept my work. I'm to the point of giving up, all my friends having left for school, and my mother ready to push me away because I'm a failure.
"I think you should leave," mother says, smoothly standing from the table. She makes a scene of scrunching the paper up into a ball, tossing into the bin beside her.
"When you're employed, and have something to your name, you can come back to this family. Right now, associating with you is not in your father and I's best interest. Pack your things and leave by dawn." I watch her leave.
No remorse, no regret. She watched my older brother go to university and become a successful surgeon. A daughter who's only skill is pulling a paintbrush too across a canvas is easy to disregard. I don't stick around. I shove as much as I can into one duffle bag, and slink out without having to see my mother again. Giving her anymore satisfaction is not on my agenda.
The Loyalty Pack is a safe Pack, kept in good condition. It's built around a beautiful lake, and right in the centre of that lake, is our Alpha's estate. People gossip that he can see all from there, and watches over everyone's mistakes. Despite the advertisement that everyone in this Pack is loyal to each other, it's all a lie. In evidence of this. My father built this home upon a hill, among with other estates to look over the view. As I emerge outside, I see the moonlight upon the glassy surface of it. I would marvel in its beauty were I not suddenly homeless. My plan is to get out of this Pack.
Soon. I've been conspiring to do so for awhile, but with no money and way out of here, it's hopeless. I need a job. But who will hire me, without any further schooling? Trotting down the cobblestone path toward the village at the foot of the hill, I curse my parents. If my mother thinks I'm coming back, she's crazy. And I know my father will never ask about me. Where I'm going to get my money from, I'm unsure. The lakeside village my parents became so wealthy in is so popular, as it seems to be the only place Ren is ever seen to visit. The docks his marvellous ships glide into every now-and-again are huge, a hub for wealth and prosperity. It's where everyone aspires to visit, to catch a glimpse of those who step off that elusive island in the middle of the lake.
I avoid it. It reminds me of those years father would take myself and my brother down to the docks to watch Ren arrive for a visit to the mainland. It was always a big spectacle I would often look forward to. Instead of walking by the lakefront, avoiding gushing couples and giggling friend groups, I wander down the streets at the foot of the hill. No where to stay. No friends. My bag is as heavy on my arm, as the gazes of passers by is heavy on my shoulders. On my dignity.
Many know me, and many will be questioning my parents about it in these next weeks. Many will wonder what I'm doing out so late, straying from my home. No one will expect that I've been cast out from shame. Mother never allowed the public to get a single glimpse of what actually went on within our home. Behind closed doors. I find an alleyway, sheltered against the wind, and also hopefully, the rain. If it were to come to that. Pushing my bag against the wall, I sit on it. Luckily, city cleaners keep these alleyways immaculate.
I'll move on tomorrow though, try find a job and hopefully from there, a place to stay. Then I'll leave this Pack, forget my parents. I'm not one for revenge, so hoping tonight was the last time I'll see their faces is good enough for me. My head leans against the concrete.
I saw this coming. Ren's 'perfect society' is a lie. He covers most people's first expenses, however, since I come from a wealthy family, I'm not entitled to want of it. Little does he know, my family never wanted me anyway. Not when they got their perfect child. He knows nothing of a perfect society. Not when he keeps himself hidden away on that stupid island of his. God I hate him. So much. Tears sting in my eyes. Is this really my fate? I never planned for any of this...Tomorrow I'll call Ethan, my brother. Maybe he will find space for me. If he loves me.
"This doesn't look like a place for a girl like you," someone whispers. I startle, so involved in my own thoughts I hadn't even seen someone approach. A man, in a decaying suit jackets and loose trousers stares down at me. He has a shock of untrimmed black hair. I bring my knees up to my chest defensively.
"Go away. You don't know anything about me." "I'm not going anywhere." I eye him suspiciously. He's clearly homeless, or every eccentric. Either way, when someone approaches you in the street with unknown intentions, it's always safe to be cautious.
And I would be, were I not so close to giving up. I have nothing left for me, not here. "If you want to take my stuff, go ahead," I say, motioning to the duffle bag under my backside. The man narrows a dark pair of eyes at me.
"A bit hard on your luck are you?" Sighing through my nose, I push my head back against the wall again. Hard on my luck? I wouldn't say it was much of my fault. However, there is no use wallowing in my sorrows to this uninterested man.
"You could say that much," I say, hoping he wouldn't take any further interest in my sob story. It's no ones business but my own. He shoves his hands in his pockets.
"If you're looking for a job, the docks are always open for a lady. Might just be cleaning up, but they will surely offer you a place to stay if you desperately need it." We stare at each other. Assuming I wasn't about to say much more, he continued walking back down the alleyway, his gait casual.
"Wait," I say quickly, before he disappeared around the corner. He turns to look at me again.
"What was that?" I unfurl my legs from my sitting position. "Thank you."
Sienna has been in love with her Alpha since she could remember. He's rough, dangerous and the epitome of raw sex appeal. The problem is, he is her best friend, and strictly off limits. Tradition mandates he marry a woman of noble birth, and that is not her. She knows this is for the best, until she becomes his mistress, and things start to change. As she falls for her best friend, she must reconcile a deadly secret she has been keeping from him for years, that could change everything. Onyx has sacrificed everything to become Alpha. So, not marrying for love shouldn't be such an issue. His entire life he has denied his feelings for his best friend, until he is forced to take her as his mistress to grant her protection. With threats growing against them, and when his prospective wife candidates start showing up murdered, he make some difficult decisions.
On a quiet Spring morning, Avila awoke, six months after her death. By some miracle, she was suddenly alive, with no memory of her life. Confused, Avila is thrust into a world of where she is a Princess with a secretive family who battles a vicious rebellion. And, she is engaged to a wealthy, handsome Prince who couldn't stand who she was before she died. Avila is forced to piece together her previous life while making sense of her current one, but with a rebellion member who is in love with her, and the attraction growing between her and the Prince, things are only getting more complicated.
"I can't tell what is real and what is a dream," I murmur, looking up to his silver eyes, glistening mist swirling within his irises. "But I know I can't hold myself back from you any longer. Luella has been having the same dreams every night involving two silver eyed men, who remain elusive during the day, but come alive from the shadows by night. After visiting a therapist who tips Luella off on what could be the cause of these dreams, the start to become more frequent, to the point she can no long tell the difference between dream and reality. Who are these silver eyed men? One wants her desperately until he doesn't, while the other is always there when she needs him, until he is not. That is, until she swears she is seeing them in her waking life. And suddenly, her dreams might just be coming to life.
Having survived the River, Akara wakes alone, and with a decision to make. Find Marek, the mysterious hunter who saved her life through deception and lies? Or find Taius, the King, who's lies are coming to the surface. And through the decision on who to trust, Akara must battle through her emerging powers, and her torn feelings between Marek and Tai. And her decision will reveal a connection far deeper than what she ever thought she was capable of.
“I...I’ve never had an orgasm before!” I blurt out, backing away a few steps. He sits up, dark hair ruffled and messy from the fingers I ran through it. His eyes, once wide, slowly darken. “You what?” He breathes. *** Running from a dark past, a girl stumbles into a territory ran by a notorious Alpha. He's cold, dangerous and poisons her, forcing her into his proximity. But she harbours a dark secret, which when revealed to the wrong people, causes her to become tied to the Alpha in an arranged marriage that reveals more about them than anticipated... Including the bond they share when they touch. And the Alpha too has a secret, an obsession. For her. __ Themes: Fated Mates, Forced Proximity, Arranaged Marriage, Werewolf (Alpha), Romance, Smut, Dominance. (18+)
"So you're a virgin, then." He says it so blatantly it rattles me to the core. "No! I mean, would it matter if I were?" "I suppose not," he muses, his gaze shifting back to me. "But when I look at you, I want to violently fuck you until you cannot move for days." ---- On a hiking trip with a friend, Meara accidently breaks an ancient curse, releasing a powerful Alpha from another time. He wants revenge from who imprisoned him as much as he wants her, and Meara may be the only one who can stop him. But she has a life she isn't ready to give up. And yet, there is no escaping a seductive Alpha and a deadly curse that has been unleashed across her Pack that threatens her life.
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"