When Cynthia Brown, a struggling artist, finds herself stranded in a small coastal town after a car breakdown, the last thing she expects is to cross paths with the town's most elusive resident- Arnaut Peterson, a reclusive billionaire with a past he refuses to face. Arnaut, once a celebrated architect, has buried himself in solitude after a devastating betrayal. But Cynthia's fiery spirit and stubborn optimism chip away at the walls he's built around his heart. As she paints murals on the town's forgotten buildings, she unknowingly brings color back into Arnaut's world. With each passing day, their connection deepens, but ghosts of their pasts threaten to pull them apart. Cynthia is running from a love that nearly destroyed her, and Arnaut fears letting someone in again. When the past finally catches up, they must decide- are they willing to risk everything for a love they never saw coming?
Cynthia's POV
Rain lashed against the windshield, blurring the already darkened road. The fuel gauge blinked dangerously close to empty, but that wasn't even the worst of my problems. The check engine light had been taunting me for the past twenty miles, and now, with an ominous sputter, my car gave its final, wheezing breath before rolling to a stop.
"Seriously?" I groaned, gripping the steering wheel as if my frustration alone could bring the engine back to life. Turning the key did nothing. Not even a flicker of false hope.
Leaning back, I exhaled sharply and reached for my phone. No signal. Of course. Because life wasn't difficult enough already.
The storm intensified, fat droplets of rain hammering against the roof, turning the quiet highway into an endless stretch of isolation. My fingers tightened around my useless phone. Maybe if I waited a little, another car would pass by, but given how deserted this road had been for the last half hour, I wasn't holding my breath.
A set of headlights pierced through the rain in the distance. Relief surged through me as the dark SUV slowed, pulling up beside my stranded car. The window rolled down, revealing a man with sharp blue eyes and a gaze that immediately unsettled me.
"You need a ride?" His voice was deep, laced with something unreadable.
I hesitated. Taking rides from strangers wasn't exactly at the top of my "good life choices" list. But standing out in the middle of nowhere with a dead car wasn't any safer.
"I-yeah. My car just died, and I have no signal," I admitted, wiping my damp palms against my jeans.
He studied me for a moment, then jerked his chin toward the passenger seat. "Get in."
The hesitation lingered, but the rain was relentless, soaking through my already damp hoodie. With a deep breath, I grabbed my bag and slid into his SUV, the blast of warm air instantly wrapping around me.
The man didn't say much as he pulled back onto the road, his hands steady on the wheel.
"Thanks for this," I offered after a moment, glancing at him.
A slow nod. No words.
Not a talker, then.
"I'm Cynthia," I tried again, hoping to chip away at the awkwardness.
Another small pause before he finally spoke. "Arnaut."
The name was unexpected. Strong. Fitting for someone with a presence as intense as his.
"Well, Arnaut, you might've just saved me from becoming a ghost story," I joked lightly, attempting to ease the tension.
His lips twitched, almost like he wanted to smile but had forgotten how. "This road isn't haunted. Yet."
A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold traveled down my spine. There was something about him-something restrained, as if he was holding back the weight of an entire past he refused to share.
Silence stretched between us, filled only by the hum of the engine and the rhythmic thud of the windshield wipers. The town's lights finally appeared in the distance, offering a glimmer of relief.
He pulled up in front of a small inn, its warm lights spilling onto the wet pavement. "Lily's Place," he said. "She'll have a room for you."
I turned to thank him, but before I could say anything, he was already looking straight ahead, fingers flexing slightly against the steering wheel.
"Thank you, Arnaut," I said softly.
Another nod. No lingering goodbyes.
The moment I stepped out, he drove away, leaving me standing in the rain with more questions than answers.
Arnaut's POV
Cynthia Brown.
The name echoed in my mind long after I pulled away from the inn.
She was trouble. Not in the reckless, dangerous sense, but in the way that unsettled the quiet life I had built.
Her eyes held too many secrets. Her smile, though forced, carried an edge of something fractured. I knew the look well. I saw it every time I glanced in the mirror.
The rain softened as I reached the long gravel driveway leading to my home-a sleek, modern house that stood in stark contrast to the small-town charm surrounding it. I had designed it myself, back when I still allowed myself to create things beyond the walls I hid behind.
Stepping inside, I shrugged off my jacket, the scent of rain clinging to me. The silence was immediate, the kind that usually brought comfort. Tonight, it felt different.
Pouring myself a glass of whiskey, I stared out at the darkened horizon. Cynthia was nothing more than a stranded traveler, a fleeting presence in a town she didn't belong to. She would leave soon, and life would return to normal. At least, that's what I told myself. But deep down, I knew better.
On the night of the Blood Moon, Nikky Lumpo thought she'd finally find her place-bound by fate to the Alpha she had always loved. But when Alpha Tobias Mattheus rejects her in front of the entire pack, branding her as weak and unworthy, her world shatters. Left broken and cast out, Nikky flees into the forbidden woods, where an ancient, cursed power stirs. There, she encounters Julio Irving, a monstrous, exiled Lycan who has spent centuries in the shadows. But instead of killing her, he does the unthinkable-he claims her as his mate. Bound by a force stronger than fate itself, Nikky finds herself torn between the mate who cast her aside and the beast who sees her true worth. As war looms between packs and long-buried secrets come to light, Nikky must make a choice-embrace the darkness and claim her power, or risk losing herself to a love that was never meant to be.
For years, Adele Kenneth has been a ghost in her own pack-an omega orphan with no place, no power, and no future. But everything changes the night she shifts for the first time... and her wolf calls to the most feared Alpha in the realm. Drake Anders is known as the Shadow Alpha, a ruthless leader with a past stained in blood. He doesn't believe in fated mates-until the moment he lays eyes on Adele. But claiming her would ignite a war, for she belongs to the very pack that slaughtered his family. Torn between vengeance and an undeniable bond, Drake must decide: will he defy fate and let Adele go, or will he risk everything to keep her by his side? With enemies lurking in the shadows and secrets threatening to destroy them both, their love may be the only thing powerful enough to rewrite destiny-or doom them forever.
Raine Carter has spent her life on the run, hiding a deadly secret-she is the last descendant of a bloodline powerful enough to challenge the rule of the ruthless Alpha King, Kade Voss. When fate forces her back into the heart of the Shadowfang Pack, she comes face-to-face with the one wolf she never expected-her fated mate. Kade has ruled with an iron fist, never expecting the Moon Goddess to grant him a mate. Yet, when he scents Raine, everything changes. She is his, and nothing will stop him from claiming her. But Raine refuses to bow, carrying secrets that could shatter his world. As passion ignites and dark forces rise, Raine must decide-surrender to the mate bond or fight for her freedom. But when an ancient enemy emerges, threatening to destroy them both, Kade and Raine must unite or risk losing everything, including their hearts.
Self-made businesswoman Aria Lawson unexpectedly lands a high-profile job as the personal assistant to the reclusive billionaire Nicolas Vaughn, she quickly learns that nothing about him is as it seems. Behind his cold demeanor and untouchable reputation lies a man struggling with his past and a deep, dark secret. As Aria and Nicolas's professional relationship turns personal, their undeniable chemistry leads them down a dangerous path of forbidden desire. But with the shadows of his secrets threatening to tear them apart, will Aria be able to forgive Nicolas's past in exchange for a future together, or will his lies destroy everything they've built?
Lena, a girl with a troubled past, lands a servant job in a foreign country, hoping to escape her hardships. Her life takes an unexpected twist when she loses her virginity to a wealthy, heartbroken man, Max Kingston, who recently discovered his girlfriend's betrayal. Max falls deeply for Lena, but his world shatters when she narrowly escapes a murder attempt, and he vows to track down the one responsible for hurting the woman he loves. Lena's life spirals further when she finds out she's pregnant with Max's child, but a dangerous shootout leaves Max with partial memory loss, and he forgets everything about her. As Lena faces wrongful accusations and a potential jail sentence for a crime framed by the Baxter brothers back home, she feels crushed. Will Max remember the woman he loves in time to save her from this nightmare? Or will Lena be deported and imprisoned for a crime she never committed?
Ivy's world shatters when she uncovers her mate's betrayal. But when he is accused of a horrific crime and abandons her to face the consequences, Ivy takes the ultimate step to protect her pack-she turns herself in to the infamous Lycan King. King Cassian is a ruler known for his unforgiving nature and ruthless rule. Yet when their paths cross, Ivy feels an undeniable pull toward him, only to discover that he is her fated mate. Can she find compassion in the heart of the merciless king, or will she be condemned by his unrelenting judgment?
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!”
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.
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
Warning! Mature Contents! ***Excerpt*** "You belong to me, Sheila. I alone am capable of making you feel this way. Your moans and body belong to me. Your soul and your body are all mine!" *** Alpha Killian Reid, the most dreaded Alpha in all of the North, wealthy, powerful and widely feared in the supernatural world, was the envy of all other packs. He was thought to have it all... power, fame, wealth and favour from the moon goddess, little was it known to his rivals that he has been under a curse, which has been kept a secret for so many years, and only the one with the gift of the moon goddess can lift the curse. Sheila, the daughter of Alpha Lucius who was an arch enemy to Killian, had grown up with so much hatred, detest and maltreatment from her father. She was the fated mate to Alpha Killian. He refused to reject her, yet he loathed her and treated her poorly, because he was in love with another woman, Thea. But one of these two women was the cure to his curse, while the other was an enemy within. How would he find out? Let's find out in this heart racing piece, filled with suspense, steamy romance and betrayal.
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
Madison had always believed that she would marry Colten. She spent her youth admiring him from afar, dreaming of their future life together. But Colten was always indifferent to her, and when he abandoned her at a time when she needed him most, she finally realized that he never loved her. With renewed resolve and a thirst for revenge, Madison left. Endless possibilities lay ahead, but Colten was no longer part of her plans. Colten rushed to her place in a panic. "Madison, please come back to me. I’ll give you everything!" It was his powerful uncle who answered the door. "She's my woman now."