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Marrying Zeath Lupin was a blessing until he ditched Mellow at a family dinner for his pregnant girlfriend. But the actions she took only led to a deadly situation. Something that would end her alongside the life growing within her-a child Zeath doesn't deserve. She ran for dear life after faking her death. But she was bound to return as Zeath's only means to an end in disguise. Would he recognize her? Would she accept his apology if he ever gave one? And what happened when the threat she once fled from rekindled, endangering her and her child's lives once more? ~ "Do you know how much I wished you wouldn't come near me, even... touch me?" Zeath drones on. "All those cuddles, kisses, and affection? They all made my skin crawl-like a troll embracing its victim before gobbling them. One can only imagine how much it stinks. You're no different. You merely caught my attention because you were a self-absorbed twonk, and we needed to test if you even had the heart to love another." "We?" I croak out. Then Zeath's fingers trail gently along my face, his eyes glinting with pure poison, and his voice no better. "Poor Mellow, it's all a dare, a gratifying one. Divorce or not, it's your choice."
MELLOW.
"We're eleven weeks pregnant!" the bitch squeals, exalted by cheers from everyone.
Zeath showing up at the Lupin family's fucking dinner with his ex-girlfriend is insulting. And I can't believe my eyes as I gaze at them standing at the table's head.
He doesn't explain himself. Nobody does. But they know what the heck's going on and are hell-bent to leave me in the dark.
A thought knocks on my head, urging me to remove myself from this situation. Yet, I don't listen.
Instead, I blurt out, "Zeath, babe, what's going on?"
Zeath ignores me. Now I'm just sat where I am, eyes stuck on him as he pulls out a seat for his ex before sitting beside her.
She softly bumps her shoulder on his then watches as he dishes food for her.
I want to believe it's a prank. And I'm waiting for someone to say, 'Got ya!'
Like, can someone please tell me what is going on? I can't be the only one who's curious, right?
Except, I am. No one seems to mind. They're all absorbed in the moment, acting like it's normal.
And the more their silence stretches, the more it feels like I could choke on my food.
Mama Tia, Zeath's grandma, has been watching me for some time now. She was always the best comfort: soft-spoken, never hesitated to mention her love for me.
But her next words drive a spike through my heart.
"Whoever feels uncomfortable should leave."
No one else feels uncomfortable, at least not the way I see it, which means those words are for me.
If only she knew I'm not leaving until I'm done with my dinner.
Zeath's brother raises a champagne glass. "A toast to my brother, Yolie, and their blessed unborn."
Everyone raises their glasses with a cheer. I do too, but I'm rather quiet. I only now observe the toaster, East, from beneath my lashes while sipping my wine.
He meets my gaze and smirks, then relaxes in his seat.
"Sorry, I forgot you, Melon," he says. He's mocking me. "Shall we toast to your twenty-six years of abstinence, then?"
I scoff.
Fuck East and his rotten toast. I could squash his glass on his head and force the pieces into his mouth. Pray that it cuts the bloody fucker's tongue.
"I'm sorry, East, but... to hell with you," I snap, right before Zeath gets up noisily and heads toward the restroom. And despite the eyes on me, I follow him.
Male toilet or not, I stand behind him as he relieves himself. He doesn't even act like I'm there, going as far as trying to leave when he's done.
Only I'm faster.
I push myself to his front before resting against the door to block his way out.
"This is about the child, isn't it?" I rap, taking a breath and a moment of silence before adding, "Or sex."
Zeath chose not to reply. He slowly walks to stand near the sink, resting his hands on it while looking himself in the mirror.
His side face is what I get-a fucking smoking beauty, but mostly the center of enthrallment that flaunts a crown in the wake of its glory.
I want to hold him like I always did: jump on his massive form and stick my arms and legs around him like a koala while reveling in the feel of his bulging crotch against me.
He's way past six feet, while I'm just some inch over half of him. The courage to measure my height hasn't really found me yet.
What's the use, anyway? It's better seeing than counting feet, after all.
"Zeath," I sigh before ripping my backside from the door to approach my husband with a whisper tearing through my lungs. "We were fine... yesterday. This morning too. Fuck, even an hour ago. What went wrong? Where did I go wrong?"
I stop about two paces from him, just enough to view him fully. "Answer me, Zeath, please. We've never quarreled, we've never argued, we've never disagreed or misunderstood each other, so this is just... weird."
The man tries to walk away again. This time, I push myself on him, nudging him backward with my chest, making sure he doesn't get an inch near the fucking door.
Every action he takes is bound to siphon the happy memories we've had together. And he seems to know that, to want that.
"Is this how you wanna do this? Be weird?" I bark, pissed to the core. "I never thought I'd ever have to do this, but maybe I should!"
Fingers curled and secured, each fist pound repeatedly into Zeath's chest. "You embarrassed me in front of your fucking family, Zeath! Stop being a coward! You can't just ghost me, can you? This is not what we are! This is not what we dreamed of becoming, so tell me, babe, tell me why you're doing this!"
I'm left in a puff and pant state when I'm done, while he merely stands in my front, staring down at me with eyes colder than the Eastern Antarctic.
"Are you being threatened?" I mutter amidst deep breaths, unable to stop my heart from beating very fast. Then I nod as if realizing something. "You're being threatened, right?"
There's so much that I know about Zeath. And it's that he has so many enemies they're nearly uncountable.
Ones he got from high school and college that grew into adulthood are well-breathing. Not to mention that as Chairman of Lupin Group, it's either the masses against him or competing Groups.
Hell, even his brother's a damn villain. And maybe Mama Tia should start shredding her peels of goodwill as well.
Who knew what they made him do? Seeing as I haven't given him a child or consummated our marriage yet, he must have been pressured into feeling the need for one.
Maybe this is all my fault for keeping to my family's damn law! What does it provide, anyway, aside from a broken marriage?
"Jealousy doesn't look good on you, Mellow," Zeath says flatly, "envy either."
Those words roll right into my brain. They give me the shits even more.
"You think I'm jealous and envious?" I yell, throwing my hands where I see fit. "Thirty-something fucking months together, and that's what you reduce me to? I don't even know if I'm mad at you. Maybe it's disappointment. I expected so much more, and this shit from you is lower than the ocean's depths!"
I smack his chest with that last word, then I turn around to open the door, stepping out before facing the motherfucker again. "But, oh, you will tell me the reason. I give you today as a pass. I won't be so compliant next time."
The sound of the slamming door is thrilling, satisfying, yet not enough to quench the pain gurging in my chest.
I never knew agony could drive so deep.
How would I, though? I'm the Fanning princess.
Even as my sister would take over my mom's factories, I got freedom.
And I was satisfied.
How many can say they married the man they loved, attended the school they wanted, and could have whatever in the damn world pleases them?
I'm Mellow Fanning Lupin, the second daughter of Country Zee's president.
But fairy tales are mere delusions. They're colorful... even blinding. Until the sheaths come off and worms writhe in the distaste of a painful reality.
Zeath Lupin and I have been married for two years. We are the perfect model couple. Always trending for the right reasons. And we do lovey-dovey shit without minding spectators.
I thought we were in love.
But maybe not.
The pretense only had a quick run under a storm we couldn't catch its prints-I couldn't catch its prints.
Now that I'm caught up with it, I'm stepping into its deep footmarks. Squelchy ones that trap my legs in the mud like a sinkhole.
My knees are feeble and threatening to fail in the discomfort of my heels. Still, I keep them going.
I can't be caught slacking off even as tears claw at my glands, stinging my eyes, an antagonist to my desire to stay strong.
It started with a dare. Marrying Zeath Lupin was a blessing until he showed up with a pregnant woman at a family gathering. Now fighting for my marriage would be easier if he didn't make divorce my choice. Yet, as much as he and his family force my hand to forsake our union, I do all that's within my power to have Zeath's respect, at least. But the choices I make only lead to a gnarly situation. Something that could end me, probably even the entity that would soon be the bridge between Zeath and me; a child he doesn't deserve. He took one risky dare to trade my dignity for his pleasure. Now he has to beg! I don't care how he does it; whether he dips his forehead into the fire he set my heart on or licks the remnant of his shite under my boots. I'm Mellow fucking Fanning. And Zeath Lupin knew that before messing with me.
I'd never known a man like Hunter. Dreaded at his calmest, a calm before the storm, Death and Enigma are his sustenance. He unleashes turbulence upon me, snuffing the life out of everyone I know. And now he's coming for me; to ruin me. As I taste the bitterness of guilt at the tip of my tongue, I'm bent on grasping the very thing causing my misery by the neck. If only I wouldn't have to deal with these emotions-old feelings clashing with new ones; love and hate-that make me want to squash Hunter's heart one moment, then piece it up the next. But I know I can't hang between these feelings forever. First, I need to escape Hunter's web. Then I have to choose, and quickly. ~ A Blood Oath-kill the girl. She's supposedly dangerous, a being forbidden from existence. Yet, I find myself gravitating to her. I shouldn't, but I am. Then I realize she isn't the threat. Where danger lies is with my Desire-a longing to have her squirming beneath me. And as the Prophecy hanging over us proves adamant, an animosity lingers between us. Even nature has signed a Fate and will see to its vow that one of us is destroyed. Now all that's left of me is to crawl out of laid traps with my head intact. Because only then can Heidi truly live.
When Eryevir found herself skating on thin Ice, she made her escape from her Mate and his enemies. Eight years later, the fame of the Ice King and his Viesix had dwindled, left in the past and displaced by a new age. A new lord only meant a new terror. Sir Axel Lane, he was called—a dreaded terminator taken to the taste of blood and gore. After a one-night stand with him, Eryevir discovered that she was pregnant. She was thrown into anguish and turmoil, as her disguise was uncovered by the last person she wanted to see; the very person she hid from eight years ago. From Axel Lane’s mouth, she heard the term ‘Fiery Magpie’, a name only A’xelaan called her. And now she was left to imagine different ways her world would crumble, again. Because, this time, he was no longer the witty traveler, he was the brass-gloved archfiend with the desire to slay and burn—a darkness risen to diminish her light. ERYEVIR: Like they say, the Ice King is coming. But they need to get the irony of it. The Ice King isn't coming to save the world, he is coming for me—to destroy me. And this cursed bond that isn't meant to exist might as well be my end. A'XELAAN: As she shrouds in her pathetic efforts to conquer, I am determined to make her mine, only she won't give in without a fight. She'd risk it all just to be hidden and far, far away from me. Now I have to do all I can to penetrate her hardened heart—even if it takes me torching the world to ashes.
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
Sheila had her back against the wall when her family tried to force her to marry an awful old man. In a fit of rage, she hired a gigolo to act as her husband. She thought the gigolo needed money and did this for a living. Little did she know that he was nothing like that. One day, he pulled off his mask and revealed himself to be the world's top magnate. This marked the beginning of their love. He showered her with everything she could ever want. They were happy. However, unexpected circumstances soon posed a threat to their love. Would Sheila and her husband make it through the storm? Find out!
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?
He hates her so much but she feels so safe with him... Orla Sullivan is the seventh and last daughter of Arnold Sullivan. She is a young girl who is loathed and rejected by every member of her family. Though a Sullivan, Orla lived a solitary life until she met Callan Barlowe at an uninvited dinner in her home. Callan Barlowe is a ruthless billionaire, a man whose aura exudes dominance and agitation. He believes in working hard to make money and when he needs to relax; sleeping with high-class hoes is not an option, but a must-do for him. Marriage is not included in the list of things he has to do in life, but his mother wants him to get married at all costs. Callan's and Orla's worlds collided and now, Orla's life is about to completely veer around from worse to something more inimical because she's about to get married to Callan Barlowe; the ruthless billionaire boss who doesn't give a shit about anyone.
It took only a second for a person's world to come crashing down. This was what happened in Hannah's case. For four years, she gave her husband her all, but one day, he said emotionlessly, "Let's get divorced." Hannah's heart broke into a million pieces as she signed the divorce papers, marking the end of her role as a devoted wife. Within Hannah, a strong woman awakened, vowing never to be beholden to any man again. Embracing her new life, she embarked on a journey to find herself and command her own destiny. By the time she returned, she had experienced so much growth and was now completely different from the docile wife everyone once knew. "Is this your latest trick to get my attention?" Hannah's ever-so-arrogant husband asked. Before she could retort, a handsome and domineering CEO pulled her into his embrace. He smiled down at her and said boldly to her ex, "Just a little heads-up, mister. This is my beloved wife. Keep off!"
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?