🥀 1st book in 'The Alpha's Hated Mate' series 🥀 All her life, Gisella Odette has been running from an unknown force her father feared with their lives. Until one atrocious night she's taken. Lost and troubled, she finds herself in the arms of a daunting man who hates her with his guts and won't stop until she has known pain. Hades Desmond Vilkas is a man of vengeance. Scarred by his agonizing past, he is set out to inflict torment into the ones' soul that wrecked havoc in his perfect childhood. However, fate plays a cruel joke on them when they turn out to be mates. Will Hades be able to leash his inner beast and recognize his one true soulmate before fate carries him through the same deprivation again, or will he fall prey to his own demons?
A loud pounding on the door woke me up in the middle of the night.
Squinting my eyes open, I turned on the lamp on my bedside table and glanced at the clock.
It was 2:45 in the morning.
Who could that be at this late?
The pounding increased, sending a shiver crawling down my back. My heartbeat raised, and fear gripped my soul as I got out of the bed. In cautious steps, I approached the front door and grabbed the baseball bat.
"Wh-Who's that?" I asked.
No reply came.
"If you don't speak, I'm not opening the door," I threatened.
The banging stopped suddenly, making me frown.
I waited for a few more seconds, but nothing happened.
Maybe they were bored and gone.
Putting down the bat, I let out a sigh of relief, my hand habitually going to the necklace in my neck.
What the hell? Did someone prank? Could be those idiotic neighboring teens. Perhaps avenging their lost dignity for being bullies which I revealed to their parents.
Looked like they preferred another round of lesson teaching.
Shaking my head, I turned around when a jingling sound perked my ears. Whipping around, I glanced at the door lock to see it moving.
A chilling sensation ran through my heart as my eyes widened. With shaky hands I raised the bat in my hands again and stood there.
If I died tonight, I'd make sure to go down with a fight.
The lock clicked, and my grip tightened around my weapon. Just as the door opened, I charged forward with a battle cry.
"Ella!" My father's voice stopped me in my tracks, right before the bat hit his shiny bald head.
What the...
"Papa?" I squealed, shocked. "What is this? Why were you-" I stopped mid-sentence, finally noticing the worried look on his face. His bushy brows were drawn together while his brown eyes seemed to hold the pressure of the whole universe. "Papa, what's wrong? Is everything okay?"
Putting down the bat, I rushed towards him, only for him to push past me inside. "Pack everything you need. We're leaving," he said, rushing to my room.
"What?" I blinked. I thought I didn't hear him right.
"There's no time, Elle. Bag only the things we need. We're moving right now."
"Again? At this hour?"
I couldn't believe this was happening again. All my life since I could remember, we had been running from some invisible threat that my father refused to disclose to me. No matter how hard I tried to find out, he'd try even harder to block the opportunities.
There was even one time when I eavesdropped to his and uncle Ryan's conversation, but somehow that memory disappeared from my mind like it never happened. Everytime I tried to remember, I came out blank. I couldn't remember even a word from that moment.
"No," I uttered. "I'm not moving a muscle until I know what we are running from. You have to answer me this time."
"Ella, this is not the time."
"It is, Papa! I'm tired, okay? I'm tired of running from one place to another like I got no roots."
He stopped doing what he was doing and stared at me for a second. My expression must have been concerning because he let out a sigh and walked to me. Holding my cheeks in his warm palms, he looked me in the eye.
"Okay. Ok, I'll tell you this time. But not right now. We've to hurry up, darling. Please."
The pleading look of my father and the intense fear behind it, melted my heart, and I nodded.
Rushing to my bedroom, I pulled out two bags from the drawers and handed one to him. While he bagged foods and necessary items from the kitchen, I packed my clothes and sanitary necessities. Padding to the south wall of my small bedroom, I took the photoframe of my mother and stuffed it inside as well.
Unintentionally, a tear rolled down my eyes. It's been nineteen years since she died in that treacherous night. It was the last day I slept sound like a baby. That was the last day of our lives being normal.
Everything changed since then. I saw my father breaking little by little without his beloved before my very eyes. He even picked up drinking habits, gradually developing kidney diseases.
"Are you done?" Papa hurried inside with a loaded bag and began dragging me out with him. Stopping, he grabbed our jackets and gave mine to me. "Here. Put this on. This is going to be a long cold night."
Exiting the house, the first thing that caught my eyes were the white fluffiness that landed on my coat, melting gradually. A thin blanket of whiteness covered the whole neighborhood.
I didn't even notice when it snowed. It was a rare thing in the month of May to snow in Chicago, considering it began to feel the heat of summer already.
As Papa halted the car before me, I took one last look at the house and its surroundings. The peng that set its paws on my heart since the word move out left Papa's mouth, moderately spread throughout my veins to my stomach. I suddenly felt sick.
How many more times would I have to settle into a place only to get up and leave everything behind the next moment? How many more people would I have to befriend only to forget them the next day?
I was tired, no, downright exhausted.
"Come on, Elle. Hurry up."
With a heavy sigh, I climbed into the car and let the tear drop.
When would my life ever be normal?
The next half an hour I stayed silent while papa drove through the dark forest-road, yelling at his phone from time to time. Whatever it was that kept my father at his toes all the time, it must be something terrifying, something that haunted even a grown man in his nightmares.
Even me.
I always imagined it was a monster. An ugly monster with red eyes, long, sharp teeth and two horns, that could impale your soul at its slightest glare.
But then it was merely my teenage assumption. Monsters weren't real. They only existed in books and nightmares.
Right?
"It'll be okay, my darling. I promise you."
Papa's comforting voice snatched my attention towards him. He had placed a hand over my shaking ones, sending me a look of pity and apology. The sense of helplessness behind those emotions didn't manage to escape my attention. I could see just how upset he was as well to repeat the same process again and again.
Sighing, I sent him a tiny smile of understanding through the sadness. "I trust you, Papa."
His smile resembled mine. He opened his mouth to say something when from the corner of our vision, something dark and enormous flashed right across the road.
Both our heads whipped forward, and I think I saw the color from my father's face receding.
"What was that?" I asked, my eyes widened.
"N-Nothing," he said, before accelerating the car.
"P-Papa?" I sank into my seat, clutching the fabric tight, my heartbeat raising. "Papa, slow down. What are you doing? The road is slippery."
He didn't reply, nor did he slow down. His knuckles were turning white from how tight he was holding the wheel as though he was frightened out of his skull.
But why?
It could just be a wild animal.
'Or the Monster,' the voice at the back of my head spoke.
No. No, it couldn't be. It wasn't real.
Over the sound of the roaring engine, something else caught my ears, something bone-chilling.
A ferocious growl.
It was such high-pitched, it managed to pierce through the other sounds, dominating those.
What animal could that be?
A lion? A jaguar even?
But there lived none of those in these woods in the first place.
I turned to my father. "Papa, what is it?"
Again, no reply.
"You know what this is, don't you? Tell me."
This time, he gazed at me, his eyes strained with fear. "Darling, know that no matter what happens, papa will always protect y-"
He didn't even get to finish his words, before something hit our car in the back, forcing it off the track.
I watched with horror as my body swept to the window. The tires screeched against the asphalt as the car swiveled round and round.
Everything seemed to slow down as I saw my death and possibly my father's, dangling before my very eyes.
Then I saw it.
The reddish-gold eyes.
Like two saprkling rubies on fire, glaring from the cracks of the woods.
I didn't even hear my scream, nor my father's as everything around suddenly lost the touch of gravity, flipping in the air before me.
They crashed.
Flipped.
Crashed.
Flipped.
Finally coming to a cease.
I felt something warm trickling down my skull as a ringing sound buzzed through my ears. My hands proceeded to move, feeling no valor in them. The smell of gasoline mixed with burnt rubber almost sent me in the verge of choking.
"Papa," I whispered.
I tried to open my eyes, my vision too blurred to make out the upside down world outside.
"Papa?" I wanted to scream, but all that came out was a rush of air.
I was afraid something happened to him, yet I couldn't help.
I coerced my eyes to open wider, but black dots began to appear in my vision as I felt myself fading.
No, no, no...
Right before everything went dark, the blood-curdling scream of my father echoed throughout the air.
"Gisella!"
Followed by a gun shot.
Hazel Green's late mother's business of housing seniors is now in control of her wicked stepfather. With her loved ones under his hostile care, she is eager to obey his demands to keep them safe. Including acting as a spy in the Kingston Corporation for intel that will dismantle his rival's empire. But, entangling herself with the infamous billionaire, Dimitri Kingston, throws a wrench in her plan. Intrigued by his ruthless desire for her, she runs the risk of her stepfather following through on his threat to murder her beloved seniors one by one. With Hazel deeply involved with Dimitri, she risks far more than she had expected. Love. Loyalty. And lives.
Ember Collins is on the lookout for jobs when a marriage proposition arises with NY's renowned billionaire Hunter William King. While she is kind, brave and quirky, he is heartless, cold and dangerous. She is like water calming souls when touches, and he is like a tornado destroying everything on his way when passes. They are like the opposite sides of a knife; one is harmless and another cuts. What happens when they're bound in an unholy matrimony? What happens when the secret behind the marriage is revealed? Will love bloom in the most unexpected place or will it wither away in the labyrinthine of lies and deception? Join Ember's journey through love and hate, danger and despair to see what happens.
COALESCENCE OF THE FIVE SERIES BOOK ONE: THE 5-TIME REJECTED GAMMA & THE LYCAN KING BOOK TWO: THE ROGUES WHO WENT ROGUE BOOK THREE: THE INDOMITABLE HUNTRESS & THE HARDENED DUKE *** BOOK ONE: After being rejected by 5 mates, Gamma Lucianne pleaded with the Moon Goddess to spare her from any further mate-bonds. To her dismay, she is being bonded for the sixth time. What’s worse is that her sixth-chance mate is the most powerful creature ruling over all werewolves and Lycans - the Lycan King himself. She is certain, dead certain, that a rejection would come sooner or later, though she hopes for it to be sooner. King Alexandar was ecstatic to meet his bonded mate, and couldn’t thank their Goddess enough for gifting him someone so perfect. However, he soon realizes that this gift is reluctant to accept him, and more than willing to sever their bond. He tries to connect with her but she seems so far away. He is desperate to get intimate with her but she seems reluctant to open up to him. He tries to tell her that he is willing to commit to her for the rest of his life but she doesn’t seem to believe him. He is pleading for a chance: a chance to get to know her; a chance to show her that he’s different; and a chance to love her. But when not-so-subtle crushes, jealous suitors, self-entitled Queen-wannabes, an old flame, a silent protector and a past wedding engagement threaten to jeopardize their relationship, will Lucianne and Xandar still choose to be together? Is their love strong enough to overcome everything and everyone? Or will Lucianne resort to enduring a sixth rejection from the one person she thought she could entrust her heart with?
For the sake of their company, Atasha Rae was forced to marry the known heartless billionaire, Lorcan Amadeus. But it only took her a week as his wife because later on, he suddenly wants a divorce immediately. So as he wished, she signed the divorce paper even after admitting to herself that she was somehow starting to fall inlove with him. Heart badly wounded, she ran away from his life. Until she discovers that she's pregnant with his child and as a result, she ends up with no choice but to keep it a secret. Out of Lorcan's awareness, she's keeping a secret that would lead him to an overflowing regret. Because for a week of their fallen marriage beyond repair, she's carrying the billionaire's heir.
This is a story about two damaged people who came together because of one's desire and the other's fear. Cassandra She was young, innocent, loving, and pretty with big eyes that showed her soul. She was stunningly beautiful but broken and alone, trapped in a world of monsters. Then he appeared. People say he is the worst monster of all, someone you pray never to meet. Will she escape him, or will he become her whole world? Dominic He was ruthless, aggressive, and merciless. Everyone feared him, and he was proud to be the king of his world. But he was also broken. Then she appeared. She was like a fragile doll, his doll. Will he take what he wants and move on, or will she become his life? "Let me go, please," she begged. He buried his face in her neck and tightened his grip around her arms. "Shhhh... breathe, love," he whispered. She cringed at his nickname for her, and he continued, "You are mine, and I am never letting you go. I will give you everything, my love, except your freedom from me."
Loraine was a dutiful wife to Marco since they got married three years ago. However, he treated her like trash. Nothing she did softened his heart. One day, Loraine got fed up with it all. She asked him for a divorce and left him to enjoy with his mistress. The elites looked at her like she was deranged. "Are you out of your mind? Why are you so willing to divorce him?" "It's because I need to return home to get a billion-dollar fortune. Besides, I don't love him anymore," Loraine replied with a smile. They all laughed at her. Some believed that the divorce affected her mentally. It wasn't until the next day that they realized she wasn't fibbing. A woman was suddenly declared the world's youngest female billionaire. It turned out to be Loraine! Marco was shocked to the bone. When he met his ex-wife again, she was a changed person. A group of handsome young men surrounded her. She was smiling at them all. The sight made Marco's heart ache severely. Putting his pride aside, he tried to win her back. "Hello, love. I see that you are a billionaire now. You shouldn't be with suckers who just want your money. How about you come back to me? I'm a billionaire too. Together, we can build a strong empire. What do you say?" Loraine squinted at her ex-husband with her lips curled in disgust.
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.