Like any other human, Aria has lived all her life dispelling the aged-long stories of werewolves-just bedtime stories told to scare little children. And nothing more. With nothing to her name, her only hope is to one day find herself in the arms of her true love. Well, her wish came true during an auction ceremony when she bumped into a man known for his name and reputation. Years passed, and Aria seemed to be living the happy life she had dreamt of. But her world is thrown into chaos when her dream husband turned out to be the most unlikely creature. A werewolf. **** Years of not finding a mate left Damien's wolf dormant. With decreasing strength and the legitimacy of his Alpha title in question, his only hope is to one day find his mate if he must survive the numerous enemies waiting to take his place. And years of waiting have diminished every hope. But when he bumps into a waitress during an auction event, his carefully constructed world is thrown off balance. His mate...but a human. An unfair card dealt by the moon goddess to a man of his status. And right now, he must protect his true identity as he navigates the uncharted waters. What happens when she finds out who he truly is?.
Aria's P.O.V
"Seriously! You want to do this right now?"
His touch, the taste of his lips, was all I thought of. I guess being away for too long would make a lonely girl feel that way, even though I was never alone.
"Not really. I thought maybe we could talk... about 'US!" His warm arms still did not let go of mine.
There were two things Ethan was good at. One was that he was completely handsome; those dark eyes could sweep any girl off their feet. And second: he was a master of words. And for some inexplicable reason, he had managed to have a way over my heart, even though I knew the consequence of such love.
"You know how this thing is. We must avoid suspicions," he said with a voice above a whisper. He glanced back and forth in the lobby before placing a gentle kiss on my lips. I relished its taste.
Of course it would have been hotter if the situation were different. A guy like him could not afford to be seen with me. Least of all kissing.
He glanced back and forth and sighed. "Look, I know this is-"
"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you."
Ethan let go of my arms the moment the words came forth. He made a smile that I thought to be fake, and turned.
"I was just showing Aria where to find the wine for the auction," he lied. The grim face, now beamed with smiles.
My gaze fell to the floor in her presence. Mrs Redwood, my adoptive mother. The woman who found pleasure in my torture. Even though my feet did not move an inch, I knew I was going to get her usual remark.
"That's so thoughtful. But you know you don't have to," she smiled back.
"Ahh, I'm happy to do it. The pleasure is mine. Besides, Aria is quite cooperative," his gaze met mine for a few seconds before turning back to her. What a lair!
"Come. We have a lot to discuss. We are only a few hours away," said Mrs Redwood, placing an arm on his shoulder in an attempt to lead him away. Just then, the 'witch' shot back her venom eyes; eyes so wide that I thought she would eat me there and then.
"Have you no better use of your time?" she barked.
Of course I knew that was surely to come. It was only a matter of 'when'. I had a lot to do so I scurried in the opposite direction where I almost bumped into another maid.
"Watch it, dumbass!" she cursed.
Sorry, I forgot to tell you that I wasn't in the good books of all the maids. And Suzanne was one of them. And I never blamed her for once. How could she ever forgive me for stealing her crush?
She released an elongated hiss before swaying away. Not a word did I say to her. I wasn't afraid. No. Exchanging words with her would be futile. So I braced up and hurried downstairs.
Everything was perfect and set to host the crème de la crème of the entire city. The vast space is more than splendid and in a few hours, the whole place would be bubbling with people who had too much cash to spend. I moved around, making sure all was well displayed from the show glass. The price tags were intact. The spot where the hosts, Mr and Mrs Redwood, would be seated, was good to go. I double-checked my directory to make sure nothing would go wrong. The auction would surely be a success.
Satisfied with the sight before me, I found my way back upstairs and shut the door behind me. Only then did it occur to me that today was my eighteenth birthday. Ten years of being a human, and eight miserable years of being confined to these walls. I slumped onto the bed, only to have memories of my tenth birthday flooding back. A tenth birthday I didn't celebrate. A doomed Wednesday I will forever remember. And this was because my parents had deemed it fit to die the day before. Thanks to the car accident. The police concluded that the car had drifted off the road to avoid a collision with an animal. But I satisfied myself with the thought that fate had deemed it so. Perhaps, I was never meant to be happy. Neither would Ethan ever get to marry me.
Minutes later, I decided to try on the blue gown, the only thing I got for a birthday present. Well, it wasn't a birthday present even though Mr Redwood had made it seem like one. Perhaps the man figured that I might put the family's reputation to shame. The elite were coming to spend their money, so it was only fair and wise that his adopted daughter was made presentable.
The dress was a good fit for my malnourished posture, even though the reflection in the mirror said otherwise. My ponytailed dark hair complimented my green eyes. But my heart thundered when the door barged open. Whoever it was didn't deem it fit to knock. Besides, how could she have knocked with the stare she gave?
"Search everywhere!" she ordered.
The maids fanned out in all directions, with Suzanne leading the way. Seconds later, the cage I called a room turned upside down. The rags in the closet were thrown out. The mini-sized bed turned upside down. I watched but my heart thundered a second time at the Venom eyes she gave. Freya. My stepsister. The 'witch' who had vowed to make my life a living hell. Just like her mother.
"Pray I don't find it," she threatened, shifting her entire weight to her left foot. My heart raced faster at the things being thrown and turned. I watched, completely oblivious of what was being looked for, but silently praying that whatever it was, it should never be found.
But the odds were slim. For the record, I have not been in the room for the last couple of hours. Neither did I know who its visitors were.
Suzanne, the leader of the team, satisfied herself and said, " It's clear."
"I think I found something. This is it!" Pamela, one of the maids, held up a glistening object I figured to be a necklace. She swayed and handed it over to the boss, who in turn, curled an upper lip.
With the delight on their faces, I figured they were happy not because the necklace had been found, but because it was discovered in this room. My room. Which obviously would be too bad for a girl like me. And with a devilish smile on her face, Freya remarked, "Aha, here comes the thief."
Sofia Deluca's life took a dark turn when she fled her orphanage at 19, seeking refuge in the glittering yet seedy world of a strip club. Deceived into signing a contract binding her to the club's owner, Luca DeSantis, she finds herself trapped in a life of servitude and exploitation. But when she witnesses her boss being violently harassed, her path collides with Giovanni, a dangerous figure with a proposition that changes everything. Forced into a dangerous game of loyalty and survival, Sofia navigates a treacherous world of betrayal and violence, all while wrestling with her growing feelings for Giovanni. As their tumultuous journey unfolds, secrets are revealed, alliances are tested, and love blossoms in unexpected places. Will Sofia find the strength to break free from the chains of her past and embrace a future filled with hope and love?
"I, Riccardo Saviano, future Alpha of the Grey Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Artemisia Guerrieri, Daughter of Alpha Franco of the Blood Moon Pack, as my mate and future Luna." One single sentence. One stupid single sentence was all it took to disintegrate my life. And the day of my birthday, on which this sentence was audaciously uttered to me, I lost the love of my life, my future mate, and my wolf, all at once. As I'm still assembling the pieces of my shattered heart years later, there they come. Like lightning out of a crystal blue sky. My Mates. But wait... If I am mated to triplets, how come I'm about to be mated to 5 gorgeous men? *** TW: explicit and foul language; spicy content; explicit sex scenes ***
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"
After three years of loveless marriage, Kira was slapped with divorce papers. She has shown him her unrequited love throughout her entire marriage with him, but he decided to turn blind eyes all because of his lover. Distraught and heartbroken, Kira choose to sign the divorce papers with bitter heart. But then and there, she promised herself that when she's back, he will come crawling to her, but she will make him pay for hurting her. Join Kira as she transform to a wealthy heiress and soared as the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar empire, a remarkable healer and make her ex-husband pay!
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
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.
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”