(ADULT CONTENT) Lucia - I had gotten to the point in my life where I could totally understand why people felt the need to take their own life. It was a need a lot of people thought they understood but in reality didn't even know the half of it. I would know because it was a need I constantly battled with. My life was complete shit. I'd lost my parents at a young age, been tossed from one abusive chaotic home to the other until I'd finally decided I couldn't take it anymore and had run away. Only running away had made it worse. Way worse. Because living on the streets I witnessed a lot of things no young girl should ever witness. Then for a moment it seemed like I'd found love. He was kind, caring and sweet. But even that didn't last. I told myself then that I was completely done. At first I didn't want to live at all. Later on, I just wanted to live long enough to get my revenge on everyone who had dared to make my life miserable. I never expected I would want to live for him. Bruno - Inheriting a ruthless top mafia gang at a very young age did a lot of damage to someone. It certainly did a whole lot of damage to me. Fucked me up so bad I could no longer tell what was right from what was wrong. I could no longer separate what I needed to do from what I wanted to do. And it was fine, really. I didn't give a flying fuck what anyone thought about it. It was who I was now and there was no going back. At least that was what I'd thought. Until I'd met Lucia. I still couldn't explain it but seeing her up there, hands tied above her head as she waited for whatever asshole was going to buy her at the auction caused some kind of reaction in me. It was enough to tell me that I should probably let someone else buy her so she could be their problem. Unfortunately I'd never been one to stop myself from making a wrong decision. So I bought her anyway. And who would have guessed? She turned out to be the best decision I'd ever made.
*Lucia*
Shame.
Despair.
Pain.
They were all emotions that had become so familiar to me it was almost like I couldn't do without them. I wish I could say that I felt nothing, standing in a room full of ruthless and arrogant mafia lords, waiting to be bought by one of them at this disheartening auction but the truth was that I felt something. I actually felt a lot of things. And the leading emotion happened to be an intense sense of betrayal.
It was funny how I didn't ever learn from my mistakes. Once again, I thought my life was finally getting better. That despite my unfortunate destiny as an orphan which just happened to be one of the most pitiful rankings in the entire world, I was finally getting to a better place. It had all been a dream though.
An extremely far fetched dream.
I grunted in pain as the asshole behind me tugged on my rope. I muttered a curse under my breath, instantly regretting it the second a dirty slap landed loudly on my cheek. I bit down on my lower lip, trying to endure the painful sting that itched my face. I barely contained my disgusted shudder when mocking laughs boomed from every corner of the dimly lit room.
My eyes scanned the room in search of the devil I had foolishly trusted with my life but he was nowhere to be found. He didn't even have the decency to be in the crowd while I got sold to one of these pathetic beasts. I felt a spike of irritation when my eyes began to sting with unshed tears.
Dear God, I felt so betrayed.
How could Jason have done this to me?
I had trusted him with everything that I had. I had been in love with him for crying out loud. He would have asked me to give up my life for him and I would have done it in a heartbeat without thinking twice. I had thought the feeling was mutual because he'd said on several occasions that he loved me but clearly I'd been wrong. Everything he'd said, everything he'd done had been a clever act. It had all been a lie.
Fucking bastard.
I turned my face, until my cheek was flush with the inside of my upper arm. Once again, I tried to tug against the rope tied around my wrists, making me dangle like some punching bag. I closed my eyes as drops of sweat entered into them, causing them to sting. Opening them a second later, my eyes landed on the other semi naked captives, waiting to be sold after me.
At least they had more clothes on than I did.
I'd been stripped to almost nothing because of my stubborness. My upper body was left uncovered and my breasts were on display, though that was the least of my problems. I'd tried to escape so they were having a little bit of fun with me. I'd heard rumors that I was one the most sought after slaves, different mafia lords wanting to be the one to punish me.
"Ten thousand dollars!" Someone screamed from the crowd, turning my attention to what was going on. I let out an irritated exhale, picturing the bastard on his knees as I drove a knife through his fucking heart. I would smile while his blood splattered around the room, letting the pain sink in before I drove the knife into his chest one last time. Thankfully none of these assholes could read my mind.
I had an idea of where I would've been if they could.
"Twenty thousand dollars!" Someone else screamed from the crowd, making me flinch. I thought of all the things I could do with that money. Did their families and friends know that this was what they did with such huge amounts of money? Did they know that their husbands and brothers and uncles were also heartless mafia lords and traffickers? Did they even have families?
A tear escaped my eyes then and I watched it fall down to my chest and slide down my exposed breast. I turned to wipe my face with my arm but it barely worked. I was hot and sweaty. My eyes went back to the crowd and my gaze fell on someone sitting at the back. For a second, I forgot how my lungs worked.
After everything I had been through talking to these beasts, I had been extremely sure that none of them could scare me any longer. I'd been wrong. I felt shivers coarse through my spine as I held the unknown man's eyes, my breath locked in my throat. He was looking at me steadily, no expression whatsoever on his face but I had the distinct impression that a lot was going on in his head.
The only thing I registered before looking away was sadness. Sadness at the fact that a man as good looking as him could be involved in all of this mess. Sometimes I wondered if God was trying to make up for their disgusting personalities by making them look like Greek gods.
I kept my head down, praying that he forgot about me. There was just something about him that made me believe he was even more dangerous than anyone else in the room. Maybe it was the way he was sitting so calm, acting like he had all the time and power in the world. There had also been something in the way he had been staring at me.
"One million dollars." A voice announced calmly. My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when my brain registered the words I'd just heard. The recurring gasps around the room informed me that I wasn't the only one who found the amount ridiculous and outrageous. I raised my head and somehow my eyes instantly landed on him.
The man I'd been staring at earlier.
I didn't need anyone to tell me from the intense way he was looking at me and from the wild stares he was getting that he'd been the one to announce the offer. My heart thudded loudly in my ears and began to slow down even as someone asked if there were any higher bidders. The last thing I remember hearing was the firm "Gone."
And then everything faded to black.
Andrea Deciding that I was going to skip a day at work so I could have first time sex with my boyfriend seemed like the most absurd decision I could ever make. Or at least that was what I'd thought. Until I'd walked in on my said boyfriend cheating on me with some redhead and decided to get my revenge by losing my virginity to his wealthy billionaire father instead. Crazy, right? Trust me, I know. Like that's not enough, things take a drastic turn for the worst after I realized I was in love with him and pregnant with his child. Before I could get the chance to come clean about every including my feelings formhim and the pregnancy, he finds out about my trickery. Alejandro's not one to condone being lied to and deceived so he immediately tells me he doesn't want to see me again. So what do I do? I pack up and leave the country. But it seems like the universe isn't done with us just yet. . . Alejandro I should have known better than to get involved with someone way younger than me. It was something I've never done before. But like the saying goes, there's a first time for everything. The first time I met Andrea I was captivated by her beauty. More than that there was this innocence in her that called out to me like a moth to a flame. I ignored all the warnings in my head and went after what I wanted. And what I wanted was her. Unfortunately what she wanted was revenge against my son. I told myself that it had to be some kind of mistake. There was no way she had been playing with my feelings and planning some silly revenge this whole time. But she had. It had taken a surprise visit from my son for me to find out her true intentions. Even then it had been hard to believe it. But I couldn't deny that she'd fooled me real good alright. So naturally I cut ties with her. And that's supposed to be the end, right? Wrong. Turns out that our story was never destined to end just there. . .
"Leave," I ordered, proud that my voice didn't sound half as shaky as I felt. "Is that what you really want, Keera?" He asked in a whisper. Before I could muster a response, his hand raised mine, slowly bringing my fingers to his nose. The same fingers that had been moving inside of me only minutes ago. My heart thudded. He kept his eyes locked with mine as he inhaled the scent of my release before bringing my fingers to his mouth and dragging his tongue over the fingers, licking them clean. ---- Keera - They shouldn't exist. It was impossible. They were freaks of nature. That had been my initial thoughts about werewolves. And for years I believed I was right to think that because all the werewolves I met did nothing but hurt me. Especially him. I'd been drawn to him from the very first day that I saw him. Before I realized he hated me. I didn't want to admit it but he was the one who reinforced my hatred for werewolves. I didn't need to help them out. But I did. And I watched my life spiral out of control. From crossing every boundary I ever built by getting into a relationship with him to finding out I was his mate. Grayson - I despised her before I even got the chance to meet her in person. Our relationship was forbidden. Werewolves weren't allowed to mate with humans. I didn't think I could ever even be considering the possibility. But that was before her. I found out she was my mate. There was no way I was letting her go then. I didn't mind stepping down as Alpha if it meant I could be with her. Because whether she liked it or not she felt the same about me.
While Sienna reached the pinnacle of her success, Julian remained the forgotten son of his family, the one who had secretly stolen her first kiss in the shadows of the night. As Sienna hit her darkest moment, Julian returned home, leaving his life behind, only to witness her tears glistening in the moonlight as she reluctantly accepted another man's proposal. When Sienna needed Julian more than ever, he had risen to a position of power and had become her most steadfast pillar of support. "Please marry me." There was no one else in the world who could love Sienna as deeply as Julian did.
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
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.
"Who is she?" I asked, feeling tears well up in my eyes. "He met her at the Alpha training camp," he said. "She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice." My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks. Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna. **** Emily never shifted on her 18th birthday and became the laughingstock of the pack. When her old crush, Alexander Black, returns from Alpha Training, she never expected him to be her mate. After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that young Alpha Alexander has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, Emily runs off and disappears from the pack. Now, five years later, Emily is a high-ranking warrior in King Alpha's army, specializing in sensitive matters. When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate, Alexander. Will Alexander figure out it is Emily? Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.