When I left the Silverveil Pack, I thought I had buried my past for good. The night I spent in the arms of a mysterious rogue, Cassian, had left me with more than just memories-it left me with my son, Eryx, a secret I vowed to protect at all costs. The human world became my refuge, where pack politics and blood feuds couldn't reach us. But now, duty calls me back to Silverveil. My mother's dream of me becoming the first female council leader hangs heavy over my head, and I owe it to her to try. Stepping back into pack life is like walking into a den of wolves. Alliances are fragile, the tension with the Bloodclaw Pack is simmering, and every gaze feels like it could pierce through my carefully guarded secret. And then I see him. Cassian. The rogue from that night is no longer a shadow in the woods-he's the Alpha of Bloodclaw, commanding, dangerous, and impossible to ignore. His eyes, as sharp and knowing as I remember, hold questions I'm not ready to answer. I came back to heal old wounds and honor my mother's legacy, but with Cassian here, old flames ignite and long-buried truths threaten to rise. Because Cassian isn't just the man I can't forget. He's Eryx's father. And now he's staring at me, a sly smile on his lips, and he says the one thing I never expected: "Why does your son have my eyes?"
"Mom, did you see it?" Despite my attention being on the cutting board, I couldn't help but listen to Eryx's excited voice as it carried into the kitchen. My thoughts were elsewhere, but my hands were moving automatically as they cut through the vegetables.
I glanced at him, but my focus remained fixed on my work. "See what, sweetheart?" I asked, sounding more informal than I felt. I had developed the habit of distraction throughout the years.
I sensed a change in the air as he emerged in the doorway, his footsteps getting closer. I always knew to brace myself when I heard the faint thud of his trainers on the hardwood floor.
He said, "The moon," in a softer tone. "It's... different tonight."
I stopped, the blade dangling in mid-air. His words made my stomach knot, even though I had heard the same thing-felt the difference.
Eryx had always been observant and insightful in ways that frequently alarmed me. I put down the knife and used the dish towel to wipe my hands. I answered, "Go on, look at the moon if you want," thinking that my informal demeanor would conceal the uneasiness I was feeling. "Just stay inside, okay?"
It wasn't like him to respond right away. He was standing there, staring at me with an expression I couldn't place as if he were holding something back when I looked up from where I was at the counter.
"You're worried," he addressed them. "I can feel it."
I mustered a smile as my breath caught. Concerned? Not. Just the typical motherly fare.
Eryx narrowed his eyes as if he could see right through my mask. "This is how you've been all week. What's happening?
I took a swallow. I had not been preparing for this conversation. "Nothin', my love. It's simply..." In my throat, the words grew softer. How could I describe the sensation, the mounting fear that had been eating away at me for days?
It was nighttime. The recollections were constantly evoked by the nights.
I cleared my throat, trying to seem less like a woman afraid of what was about to happen and more like a mother. "How about you go finish your homework? Inside, you'll feel more at ease.
He frowned even deeply, but then he nodded. "All right, Mom, but I'm being serious. You are not deceiving me. With a hollow sound as his body lightly brushed the doorframe, he turned and left.
As I watched him leave, there was a tension in the air that I couldn't get rid of. Halfheartedly, I returned my attention to the counter and finished the meal. The minutes passed between my thoughts as the clock on the wall ticked louder. I detested how quiet the home felt. I wanted to think I was in charge of everything. However, I wasn't.
I had been away from the pack for five years. Because I had abandoned the life I was meant to live.
However, I was aware that some things were unavoidable even in the protection of the human world.
---
After supper, Eryx was already engrossed in his studies when I quietly kissed his forehead. The chamber was filled with the soft hum of streetlights outside, which kept the night company.
I watched him for a long time at his door. My son-my handsome, intelligent son. However, there was something there that I was unable to identify yet.
I could feel the chill come in through the glass, a brisk wind that always preceded a significant event.
I noticed, but he didn't.
That night, the one I couldn't forget and the one I'd worked so hard to bury, came back into my mind for the hundredth time that night. Although it had only been a few short years, it felt like a very long time ago. It had all altered in a single night spent with him.
---
My fingertips lightly touched the ancient locket around my neck. Since the birth of Eryx, I have worn it. It was a souvenir from my past that had belonged to my mother. A reminder that I couldn't hide my true self.
I couldn't help but wonder now whether that past was returning to haunt me and us.
Eryx's voice shocked me as I was about to snuggle into bed after a long night.
He said, "Mom," from the other end of the corridor.
His footsteps approached before I could react, and I could hear him hesitating outside my door. He was never uncertain like this. Eryx was powerful, sturdy, and self-assured.
He was standing there with his hand on the door frame when I opened it just in time.
"What is it, sweetheart?" With my heart racing, I asked, already anticipating the answer.
"There's something out there, Mom. I observed it.
My breath caught. "What do you mean, something?"
His face was pale in the dark hallway light as he entered my room, his eyes wide. "I felt it, but I'm not sure. It feels a bit like a pull. I can't get rid of the feeling that something is off.
The anxiety that only arises when you know something is off but are unable to identify it made the air feel heavy to me.
It was occurring once more.
A tremendous boom reverberated from the back of the house before I could respond. A harsh snarl was heard after something-someone-slammed into the window.
"Eryx, get back!" I grabbed his arm and dragged him into the hallway while I yelled.
However, he resisted. "We must see," Mom said. We are no longer able to ignore it. He tightened his hold, and his expression was unmistakable. Willpower. Fear.
And another thing. A darker one.
I realized then that I couldn't keep him from knowing the truth indefinitely.
I uttered the frantic words, "Stay close," hardly realizing the anxiety in my voice. I suppressed the panic that was rising in my chest. Not quite yet. Not when I needed strength.
However, the lights flickered before I could respond.
In the corner of my eye, a black, flowing shadow moved. When I turned, I saw a person I knew too well standing in the doorway.
My heart stopped beating.
Cassian.
---
The figure in front of me was real. It was not possible.
His familiar presence filled the room like a wave, and his wide frame filled the doorway. The weight of him-of everything that had preceded him-was heavy in the air.
"Eryx," Cassian whispered in a low, menacing voice. "It's time."
What is the time for?
Before I could even comprehend what he had said, I heard a low growl outside, closer now, as if it were surrounding us. It wasn't by itself, either.
"Eryx, run!" It was too late when I let out a scream.
He was already a victim of the night.
I never imagined my father's vineyard would be the one thing standing between me and losing everything. The debts are crushing, and I'm desperate. That's when Cole Montgomery walks in-a billionaire with the power to either save or destroy me. He offers me a deal I can't refuse: pretend to be his fiancée, and he'll clear the debts. I'm furious, but I have no choice. I can't let go of the only thing left of my family. But as the days pass, our fake engagement begins to feel real, and so does the attraction I've been fighting. The man who is supposed to be my enemy becomes someone I don't fully understand... and maybe even someone I could care for. But when I discover the shocking truth behind my father's downfall, everything changes. Cole's company had a hand in ruining us. He's the reason we're here. Betrayed, heartbroken, and trapped, I'm faced with a decision: Can I trust him to make things right-or has everything between us been a lie from the start? Just when I think I know the truth, Cole offers me an impossible choice. Will I walk away, or risk everything to fight for a love built on lies?
I thought my life was mine to control; my choices were my own. But everything crumbled when my father's desperate secrets unraveled, leaving me with one shocking truth-I was the price to pay for his mistakes. The name Kensington Creed echoed power and danger. A billionaire with a shattered past and eyes as cold as a winter night, he was as untouchable as he was feared. But behind the marble walls of his mansion, I saw the cracks in his armor-the man beneath the shadow of his tragedy. Now, I'm bound to him by a contract I didn't sign, in a marriage neither of us wants. Every step I take in his world pulls me deeper into his secrets. The life he's built is full of whispers, pain, and something else I can't quite grasp. He doesn't trust me, and I'm not sure I trust myself around him. But as I dig for answers, I realize the cost of understanding him may be higher than I ever imagined. Because in Kensington's world, love isn't a promise-it's a weapon. And I've just handed him the sharpest blade. What happens when the truth we both fear becomes the one thing that could destroy us?
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
When Grace wakes up back in the past after a terrible betrayal from her best friend, there is only one thing on her mind. Revenge! And she would do whatever it takes to make her enemies crawl. Proudly rocking her 'Men are Scum' crown, Grace is mortified when she has no choice but to take Xander Hastings – one of the top billionaires in the world - offered hand. Only because of one thing. He can help her with her revenge. As time goes on, sparks fly and it's obvious that Xander offers to help with more than just revenge. From the quirks to the stolen kisses and comfortable silences, will their ship brave the storms or will Grace revenge be more important than their love?
Kara Martin was known as Miss Perfect. She was a beauty with good personality and successful career. Unfortunately, her life changed at one night. She was accused of adultery, losing her job, and abandoned by her fiance. The arrogant man who slept with her did not want to take responsibility. He even threatened to kill her if they met again. What's worse, Kara was pregnant with twins and she chose to give birth to them. Four and a half years later, Kara returned to work at a large company. As the secretary, she would frequently face their notorious CEO. Kara thought it wouldn't be a problem, but as it turned out ... the CEO was the father of the twins!
"Miss Brown, I am the butler here at your service," the butler replied. "My master wants to buy the baby in your belly." "What?!" Does that mean the abortion didn't take place? Did they kidnap her from the operating table just to buy the baby? But why her? "You..." Alice was about to ask a question, but the man in front of her calmly continued, as if he had expected her question, "You're pregnant with his child, and he needs a child. That's all I can tell you." Alice was forced to sign a surrogacy contract and eight months later gave birth to two healthy babies. Fortunately, the man was unaware of her daughter's existence. It wasn't until five years later that fate brought them together again...
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.
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"