Abby King is living a simple life for three years after the horrific incident. When her mother passed away, Abby is left no choice but to agree to the terms is the will. And one thing she's not prepared for is to marry the extremely handsome Hughes Industries CEO Seb Hughes, but he has a reputation over women. Seb Hughes is a rich, handsome, and has everything in a snap of his fingers. A relationship is the last thing he wants, but just one look on a mysterious Abby, his cold heart flutters, and he starts fantasizing her even if he knows it's not right. There's something about Seb Hughes that Abby can't shake it away-he's not just a playboy that she should stay away from, he also has a huge heart and with an overprotective tendency. After what she'd been through, maybe Seb is the right person for her-who can protect, accept, and maybe love her despite her dark past.
MACKENZIE
As I expected, the party of Trey Hamilton at the lake house is in full swing. Song of Nicki Minaj is blaring from inside. The lawn is full of teenagers playing football despite the empty beer bottles, red cups, and empty soda cans littering all over.
I shouldn't be here. I mentally berate myself, but Rebecca was so adamant, and I couldn't just say no. She's the closest to a sister that I never had. We walk through the crowded dance floor that is already wet and sticky. The smell of boozes, sweat, and cigarettes are wafting in the air.
The mini bar full of drinks, cans of sodas, beer bottles, pink punch, and a bowl chips that could cause you salmonella. Rebecca reminded me not to take any drinks from anyone who offers, so I grab a can of soda instead.
Her boyfriend James arrived earlier than us since he came directly from the game. He approaches us with a huge grin on his face.
"Babe, you made it! Thought you were joking," James says happily after giving her peck on her lips and a peck on my cheek. "Hey, Mack. Good to see you here and not a boring party your parents you usually threw."
I roll my eyes. He's right, but that's my parent's party, so I had to be there and play a good daughter role, which I'm actually a good daughter.
"I said we were coming, so here we are," Becca retorts, seemingly annoyed.
"Good, babe. Let's dance later, okay?" James doesn't seem to care about Rebecca's expression.
"C'mere, Mack. I'd like you to meet someone!" James yells when the new song starts to play. He grabs Rebecca's hand, and I grab her hand as I follow them.
Rebecca pulls her hand back from James' grip and yells. "Not a chance, babe! I promised her mom that I'll take care of Mack. It means no meeting with horny football players."
I shrug when I see them start whispering. Rebecca looks more annoyed, but we keep walking throughout the crowd upstairs to the second floor.
"He's not a horny, Mack. Just meet him, and if you don't like him, just say excuses like going to the bathroom, or you have a stomach bug."
I laugh at his lame excuses.
"Jeez, babe. You're so annoying." Becca rolls her eyes.
"Babe, trust me, okay? I'm not gonna just let Mack meet a jock because she's my friend too." James winks at me. "Relax."
"Fine. Whatever!" Rebecca is forced to agree.
"Who's he, James?" I ask.
"You'll find out soon," he answers. My brows meet together.
We stop in front of the group of guys that I recognize most of them as his teammates. He introduces me to them since they knew Rebecca.
"Guys, this is Becca's friend Mack. Mack, meet my teammates," James says. Everyone waves and says hi, and I wave back and smile shyly.
I feel out of place when everyone talks about winning their game. I know how the game works, but I've never watched them play.
Rebecca is already sitting on James' lap on the couch while I'm still standing at their back, fidgeting.
I tap Rebecca's shoulder, excuse myself before I leave. I walk down to the living room where everyone is still dancing, swaying, and jumping like there's no tomorrow. Everyone looks enjoying the party while I look lost.
"Leaving already?" A husky voice asks from behind that makes me stop to halt.
I turn around, and my eyes land to the broad chest. I move my gaze up to the one and only, a six-foot and two inches Trevor "Trey" Hamilton standing in front of me. His short blond hair is disheveled in a stylish way. He has bright blue eyes that glimmers with high cheekbones, straight nose, full lips curved into a smile, and chiseled jaw.
Jeez. I'm checking him out, and the only reason why I'm here. When Becca told me that Trey is throwing a party, I was beyond excited and told my parents that I'm going to a party.
I clear my throat. "Um, yeah. Just getting some fresh air." I look away. Lame excuse, I know because I saw him flirting with Lorrie "Bitch" Morgan slash the cheerleader when I was introduced to his teammates earlier.
"Let's go then, for some fresh air," he says with excitement in his voice, and my heart flutters.
I look up and meet his gaze. "Shouldn't you be with Lorrie?"
"She's a bitch. I don't like talking to someone while she's bitching all night telling me about the cheerleading like everyone doesn't know about already," he explains while looking at me in the eyes.
"Um, sure."
He smiles. "Follow me."
We scan the crowd to where fewer guys dancing that leads our way out of the house. I can't just avoid not to bump into the couples making out in the hallway-horny teenagers. We keep walking for a couple more steps until we get out of the house, and the night is getting cold, and the breeze makes me shiver.
"So, you're Becca's friend? I saw you with her at school. You don't like football, do you? I've never seen you with her during the games."
We follow the stone paths that lead us to the lake. I can still see a few students sitting on the deck.
"Yeah. Becca's my best friend. I'm not really a fan. It's hard to watch them as if they're in a wrestling match. The only differences are running and throwing a football," I tell him honestly.
"Yeah, too violent for you, so what is your plan for college?"
"I agree. Too violent for you. So what's your plan for college?" He keeps looking at me, then he drops his gaze to my lips, making me a little bit self-conscious.
"I'm planning on staying here for college. My parents won't let me attend college away since I'm still not legally an adult.
"Wait. How old are you, Mack?" he quickly asks.
"Seventeen. I know I'm a freak," I answer as I look at him to see his reaction.
He chuckles. "You're not a freak Mack. You just excel, and you should be proud of yourself. Not like other girls who are busy putting makeup on their faces." Wow, Trey is not bad, after all.
I give him a tight smile. "Well, thanks. How about you, any plan for college?"
"Yeah. Got scholarship, and I'm not going anywhere far too." He smiles, and I want to giggle so badly because he's cute. No, he's hot.
"Congratulations! You deserved it." I tap his arm playfully.
"Thanks. I'll get us a drink. Stay here, okay? Be right back."
I nod and watch him walk away. I check my phone from the pocket of my jacket I wear over the red dress that Rebecca chose for me.
"Wear the red one, Mack. Red is your color. Boys like a girl in red."
"Are you sure? I have blue, green, and white. I'm not allowed to date yet, so I don't care if boys like a girl in red. I just want to see Trey." I check the dresses on my hands.
"Trust me. Red is great on you. Wear it now, and I still have to fix your hair. Then don't tell Catie." Her eyes glimmer.
"Mom will know, trust me. Ask from down to bring us something to drink. Press 3." I take the red dress and hurry up to change.
***
I stay for a while and wait for Trey to come back. The evening is so peaceful even if a little bit chilly. I can still hear the music from inside the house. The tree leaves rustle as the wind blows. The smell of fresh air and the moon reflecting on the lake look magnificent.
Not bad, after all. I'll thank Rebecca later. I hear footsteps coming closer to me, and I turn my head in excitement to think that must be Trey, but I don't see anyone.
I feel goosebumps on my skin. The hair on my nape stands as I wrap my arms around me.
I stare at the moon before I close my eyes slowly to take a deep breath. Before I can start dreaming, hands grab my waist from behind, causing me to yelp in surprise.
I grab the hands and try to lose them, but they were so strong. I shout for help. My mouth and my nose instantly cover with a cloth. I struggle, but I can't breathe, and I can't hold any longer. I inhale something like a chemical that burns my nostrils and my throat. I can't fight anymore, and my eyelids start to feel heavy, and my body starts getting weak, and my eyes flutter closed.
***
I open my eyes, but I can't see anything. Something is covering my eyes. I can't move either. Then I remember what happened, and I start to panic. I try shouting, but my mouth is sealed with adhesive, or duct tape? I try to free my hands, but it looks like I'm being chained. I can feel the cold metal around my wrists and the clinking sound when I struggle to move is terrifying. For how long I've been in this position?
I feel cold-so cold, and I can even feel the cold floor on my skin. My ankles are shackled too. I've never been afraid in my entire life until tonight, or is it a day? I try moving, but as soon as I struggle, my wrists are burning, and so as my ankles. I burst into a cry, and that's when I remember my parents. They must be worried.
I cry until I feel exhausted, and I abruptly stop when I hear a sound unlocking the door opens then closes. I hear footsteps-heavy footsteps. I am trembling with fear and from the cold.
I've never felt so helpless like this. I don't know what will happen to me here. My throat hurts, and my stomach just grumbles.
A lot of horrible scenarios pop in my head, and at that thought, my body starts to shake from frustrations, anger, hunger, and hopelessness.
Please, God. Please, don't let me die like this.
***
The high-pitched sounds irritate my ears.
Beep
Beep
Beep.
Heartbroken, Charleigh Wrylee, a charming and driven associate architect, dedicates her life to her career. She grabs the opportunity when a new project promises her a promotion. Bryce Chase is a tough daddy and a great baker with only two goals in life-raising his child and managing his cake shop. But things change when he runs into a new girl. Even though their interests don't align, it turns the heat between them, pulling them together like magnets. Will they be able to set their issues aside and follow their hearts instead? Or will they rather stick to what they're fighting for; his shop and her promotion? *** Sometimes hiding the truth comes with a great price. That's what the quiet and preserved Arizona Sky realizes after meeting Tripp Wrylee- a hardworking overconfident CEO of a top architectural firm. She finds herself doing things she never thought she'd do- marrying a man she barely knows and leaving her the next day. Three years later, he comes back, asking for a second chance, filling the husband's role he left empty, bringing out the other side of him that Ari never knew he had. Things between them become surreal until his job is at risk, their relationship is in hot water, and the people she loves are against their relationship, but something between them is maybe worth saving.
"Why did you bend over, Maverick?" Â "Because you told me to, assh*le." Â "I'm so tempted to f*ck you right now. You're the most exquisite woman I've ever been with, the only beautiful thing I see and have." Â "Then what are you waiting for? Just punish me already!" *** MAVERICK As a working college student, I struggle to make ends meet until a stranger approaches me with a proposal-- to be his employer's wife for an enormous sum of money. Knowing the cash will help me pay my grandmother's medical bills, I accept the offer with a demand-- just a marriage of convenience, no intimacy. It's too late to realize I'm marrying the charming and gorgeous to a fault, young Mr. Winston. And there's this instant fire between us despite my inhibitions. Things get more complicated when our sham marriage is put to the test by his father, who threatens to expose my dirty little secret. *** LAKE Being a Braddson-Winston heir is sometimes a curse. My father is a real SOB and a pain in my ass. He makes one outrageous demand for me to secure the CEO seat in the company-- marriage. So I found a perfect bride- Maverick Bates II, who is beautiful but in a dire financial situation. I only ask two things. We stay MBA and keep things purely business until the contract ends. As simple as that. It was meant to be a straightforward deal, but each day I get to know her, my position is not the only thing at stake but also my heart. I realize I can't let her go even if I have to make a dangerous bargain with her father, who happens to be a ruthless crime boss.
Without warning, he grabbed me by my ankles and dragged me to the edge of the bed. “Take your panties off,” he ordered me as he unbuckled his belt and worked on his pants, letting them fall on his ankles. Then he grabbed his dick out of his boxers. He was already hard and began stroking it. When I was too shocked to move, he growled at me, his green eyes searing against mine. “Panties. Off. Now, Nirvana.” I did as he said, scrambling to remove my shorts and underwear. My chest started heaving. My lips went dry as I watched him enjoy stroking himself. “Open your mouth, suck me, and take me all in.” His order woke up something inside me. Lust fired up through my veins, and my clit ached for him. I opened my mouth, and he shoved his shaft inside. “That’s it, sweetheart. Good girl.” *** All her life, Nirvana Thorne thought she was just human, at least not until a mysterious guy rejected her for no reason. When she finally uncovers her family secrets, Knight reclaims her as his fated mate and forces her to dig deep into the unimaginable danger of the underworld to undo the curse. Fighting her attraction towards him is hard enough. Every time they get close, their chemistry sizzles, and the heat between them becomes irresistible. When the pack is under siege, she must learn to gain control of the newfound power within her while the alpha intends to show her where she belongs. *** All Knight Blackwell ever wanted was to run his pack while getting rich. What he didn’t need was a woman demanding his attention, let alone a human mate like Nirvana. So he rejects her. What he never sees coming is his mate possesses an ancient secret— she’s a creature bound in magic intertwined with an ancient dark prophecy and the key to something bigger than anything they’ve ever imagined. With his primal urges getting harder to resist and the powerful being wreaking havoc in his wake, Knight has to sate his dark cravings for his mate before they go to war that Nirvana might have to sacrifice a piece of herself.
“Do it again.” “Be more specific, baby.” I heard a smile in his words. He was enjoying this and wanted me to beg. “Fuck you. You know what I mean.” I grunted in frustration. “I actually don’t.” He stopped again. His rough hand remained between my thighs. “Stop playing games, or I will stroke myself until I come.” I wiggled my ass, seeking a quick relief from the throbbing in my core. Breathing raggedly, he said, “No one is playing games here, baby. I just want to know what you want.” “You really make me do this, don’t you?” My voice was a combination of frustration and irritation. He was enjoying this too much, probably punishing me for giving him blue balls twice. “You were complaining earlier, so, yes. I don’t want another broken nose.” “Spank my ass, Califf. Then touch me and fuck me with your finger. I wanna come. Do you think you can do that?” *** All Shadow ever wanted is to live in peace with their pack, but as a royal Lycan and the daughter of a witch, it comes at a price. When a faceless enemy targeted her, she did not only lose her wolf but also her healing gift, leaving her powerless and vulnerable. Now that the bond is gone and her happy ending is not guaranteed, she has nothing left to offer. She doubts whether she’s still worthy of her mate and Luna of their pack. Alpha Califf becomes a formidable Alpha after defeating a sinister enemy. He should be invincible with allied packs everywhere and witches at his disposal, but Shadow becomes a liability. Despite what happened to his mate, he’s willing to leave the pack and live with her away from threats, but their enemy is two steps ahead of them, and Shadow becomes cold and distant, leaving him nothing but agony he’d never felt before. Will Shadow get her revenge and find a way to get her wolf and gift back? Will they uncover the ugly truth behind their enemy? Or their foe is just right under their noses all along.
“I can smell you’re wet for me, my little mate.” My nose flared. My chest heaved. My rage boiled inside my body, making me want to explode. “Well, take this, Alpha. I, Shadow Raven Hawks, omega of Night Stalker Pack—” “Shadow, what the fuck are you doing?” He was fast to cup my face as his eyes began brewing the pain. “Rejecting—” I wasn’t finished when he slammed his mouth against mine, stopping me. *** She’s a lone wolf— a rogue. Shadow Hawks learns to keep her head down. That’s how she survives until she wakes up in a pack run by a control freak hot-as-sin ruthless Alpha. With one single sniff of him, she feels an intense connection with irresistible heat. Now she’s got her old pack on her heels. The only one who can protect her is Alpha Califf. She will do everything, even if she has to bow down and reveal herself. Califf Stone doesn’t have time for a relationship but to protect his pack from a sinister, vicious Alpha killing the neighboring packs. Until he meets a mysterious rogue who enjoys defying his orders, he finds himself craving for her, losing control— And he knows she’s the one. When their common enemy threatens her, he’s ready to break his defenses to protect his mate. What surprises him, she’s not only half-Lycan, half-witch. She’s also a Lycan Princess.
Estelle Bladwyn has a certain type— a little older with a little less demanding job and knows his way in bed. When she bumps into a hot thirty-ish man on her not-so-romantic-getaway on an island, he does check two on her checklist, and exactly what she wants for that moment. One thing that doesn’t set right— their growing attraction is overwhelming, and her life is already complicated. But who can deny someone like Linden, who held you captive with his eyes, caged you in his arms, and still promised you a good time? Gabe Linden is getting old and still single and done with hookups and doing favors. When some big guns like Moses Braddson, a man he looks up to, he just can’t say no to. The only problem is he hasn’t taken the job yet— he knows he’s already failing it. Looking into her celadon blue eyes, he sees right into her soul. There’s no way he’s letting her go, even by means of breaking his number one rule— The beautiful billionaire is his to keep.
RIEKA She was a naive, chubby, wolfless werewolf, maltreated by her mate to the point where she loses her sanity and womb, her crime was being chubby and less attractive than her peers. GABRIEL He was a handsome, strong willed womanizer, who happens to a hybrid ALPHA prince, the person he loves the most is his kid brother RALPH. He has searched high and low for a mate he could never find. What will happen when he finds out that his beloved brother's ex wife, happens to be his long awaited mate, who was maltreated and is currently mentally unstable? Will he forgive his brother for hurting his mate? or will blood flow?
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.
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
Life was perfect until she met her boyfriend's big brother. There was a forbidden law in the Night Shade Pack that if the head Alpha rejected his mate, he would be stripped of his position. Sophia's life would get connected with the law. She was an Omega who was dating the head Alpha's younger brother. Bryan Morrison, the head Alpha, was not only a cold-blooded man but also a charming business tycoon. His name was enough to cause other packs to tremble. He was known as a ruthless man. What if, by some twist of destiny, Sophia's path were to intertwine with his?