Novels by Gwen hywfar

~∆~ Rain's POV ~∆~I'm cursing out a box of kitchen supplies that apparently has a personal vendetta against me when someone knocks on my door. Not the soft, tentative knock from last night, but a firm, confident rap that says whoever's on the other side isn't going anywhere.I glance at the clock. 9:47 AM. Too early for maintenance, and I don't know anyone in Chicago well enough for casual visits."Coming," I call, stepping over the carnage of my kitchen. Note to self: hire professional movers next time instead of trying to do everything myself.I open the door expecting to see a neighbor with a noise complaint, but instead I'm faced with Mariah Rivera and a guy who looks like he stepped off the cover of Men's Health magazine.My wolf immediately goes on high alert.The guy is tall, not as tall as me, but close, with dark hair, blue eyes, and the effortlessly perfect features that probably make women walk into traffic. He's also standing close enough to Mariah to make his claim obvi

~∆~ Mariah's POV ~∆~I wake up to the smell of bacon and the sound of Ethan humming off-key in my kitchen. For a split second, I forget about last night's hallway encounter and just feel grateful that my boyfriend is the type of guy who makes breakfast without being asked.Then I remember green eyes and a rough voice saying "sweet dreams," and the guilt comes flooding back."Morning, beautiful," Ethan calls when he hears me padding toward the kitchen. "I made your favorite."He's standing at my stove in nothing but his boxer briefs, and objectively, I know he looks good. Ethan works out religiously, has to, to keep up with his werewolf metabolism, and it shows. Lean muscle, perfect abs, the kind of ass that would make most women weep with gratitude.So why do I find myself comparing him to broad shoulders and a black t-shirt stretched across a chest that looked like it could stop a fast-moving train?"You didn't have to do that," I say, accepting the plate he hands me. Eggs Benedict

∆~∆ Rain's POV ∆~∆I close my apartment door and lean against it, my heart hammering in my chest like I just went fifteen rounds with the meanest enforcer in the league.What the fuck was that?I've been around thousands of women in my eight-year NHL career. Models, actresses, puck bunnies, reporters, all of them gorgeous, all of them available, all of them completely forgettable.But five minutes with my neighbor in her bathrobe, and I'm standing here like a teenager who just got his first glimpse of cleavage.It's her scent that's messing with my head. It's clean and sweet, like vanilla and strawberries, that scent wafted to me the second she opened her door. Something that made my wolf sit up and take notice in a way that has never happened before.Not even with Natasha.The thought of my ex-fiancée sends a familiar stab of pain through my chest, but it's calmer now. It doesn't hurt before.For months after everything went to shit, thinking about Natasha felt like shit. But now it'

~∆~ Mariah's POV ∆~∆ The apartment next to mine has been silent for three months. No late-night TV blaring through paper-thin walls, no shower running at ungodly hours, no mysterious bumps in the night that make me wonder if my neighbor is either having incredible sex or getting murdered. It's been blissfully quiet. Which is why the sound of footsteps in the hallway at 2 AM makes me bolt upright in bed. My heart kept beating fast wondering if I would be meeting my maker soon. The footsteps stop right outside 4B, the apartment that shares a wall with my bedroom. Perfect. Just what I need when I have a client presentation tomorrow that could make or break my freelance graphic design career. I press my ear to the wall, listening for signs of life. Nothing. Maybe whoever it is just dropped dead from exhaustion. A girl can hope right. My phone buzzes on the nightstand, and Ethan's name lights up the screen. My stomach immediately ties itself into the familiar knot that's become my c

~Sebastian's POV~"What kind of evidence?" I asked Detective Morrison, gripping the phone tighter. I have put up with my family for so long. I can't believe they truly Ellana. And they are targeting Lilith, I will never allow them to hurt her. No matter what, I will destroy them first before they even dare." Detective Morrison?" I called out."It's the kind I can't discuss over the phone," he finally said. "Especially not from a hospital line. Your family has too many connections." Which is true. My heart sank. He was right. The Lockharts owned half the people in this city."Can you come see me?" I asked."That's too dangerous. Your family will be watching. But Sebastian... there's something else you should know.""What?""Jessica Williams, Jelly, she contacted me two days before she died. She said she had evidence about your wife's murder."I felt cold all over. "What evidence?""Photos. Documents. Recordings of conversations between your mother and Alfonso. She was scared, Sebast

~Sebastian's POV~My eyes opened slowly. The bright hospital lights hurt. Everything was white and clean and smelled like medicine.I tried to move but my body felt heavy. Like I was made of stone. How long have I been sleeping for me to be this weak?"Sebastian?" I heard my mother's voice. "Sebastian, can you hear me?"I turned my head toward her voice. Hellena was sitting next to my bed. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying."Mom?" My voice came out almost like a whisper."Oh, thank God," she said, grabbing my hand. "You're awake. You're finally awake. I thought my eyes were deceiving me. You are finally awake."I looked around the room. Alfonso was there too, standing by the window. Even Lucy was in the corner, which surprised me. We had never been close."How long?" I asked."Three weeks," Hellena said. "You've been unconscious for three weeks. We thought... we thought we might lose you."My head felt foggy. I remembered bits and pieces. The hospital. The pain. But everyth

~Lilith's POV~I was lying on the hard bed when some women came for me.They were three in number. The biggest one was called Big Martha. She had been staring at me since I arrived and now, she has a mean look on her face."Get up, rich girl," she said.I sat up slowly. "What do you want?" I asked trying to hide my fear."Someone wants to send you a message," another woman said.Before I could ask what message, Big Martha grabbed my hair and pulled me off the bed."No!" I screamed. "Help! Somebody help me!"But no one came. The guards were nowhere to be seen.Big Martha punched me in the face. Pain exploded across my cheek. I tasted blood in my mouth.The other women held my arms while Big Martha hit me again and again. In my stomach. On my back. On my legs.I screamed until my throat was raw. But no one came to help me.They pushed me to the ground and kicked me. I curled up in a ball, trying to protect myself."Please stop," I begged. "Please."But they didn't stop. They kept hittin

~Beatrice's POV~I was drinking my morning coffee when Thomas ran into the kitchen. I was already reaching for a knife he hugged me."Beatrice," he said, his eyes bright with excitement. "Sebastian is awake."I nearly dropped my cup. "What? Are you sure?""The hospital just called. He woke up an hour ago. He's asking for Lilith."My heart jumped. This was the first good news we had gotten in days. If Sebastian was awake, he could tell everyone that Lilith is innocent. That would go a long way in helping Lilith's case."We have to go see him," I said, dropping my cup."Are you sure that's a good idea?" Thomas asked. "The media is watching everything we do.""I don't care about the media," I said. "If Sebastian can help Lilith, we must talk to him."Thomas nodded. "Okay. Let's go."We drove to the hospital in Thomas's car. I was so nervous I couldn't sit still. What would Sebastian say when he saw me? Would he blame me for what happened to Lilith? I have not seen him in years.When we g

~Lilith's POV~The jail cell was cold and smelly. The bed was hard. I had I never slept on anything so hard. I have been trying my best not to throw up, but it has been so difficult because of the old sock smell the room has.I had been here for two days now. Two days of hell. I still can't actually believe I was in prison. I try my best to wrap my head around it but I just can't understand how I got roped in all this mess.There were other women in the cell that looked at me like I was some kind of freak. They whispered about me when they thought I couldn't hear or when they think I am sleeping."That's the politician's daughter," one of them said. "The one who killed that maid.""Rich girl thinks she can get away with murder," another one laughed.I wanted to scream at them that I was innocent. But what was the point? No one would believe me.The food was horrible. Gray soup that tasted like rotten water with a piece of hard bread that smelled spoilt fish. I could barely eat anythi

~Beatrice's POV~I was sitting in the lawyer's office when my phone started ringing non-stop. The first call was from my assistant."Madam, you need to see the news," she said, her voice shaking. "It's about Lilith."My blood went cold. Those bastards! "What about her?""Turn on Channel 7. Right now."I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV in the lawyer's office. What I saw made me feel sick.There was a picture of my daughter on the screen. The headline read: "POLITICIAN'S DAUGHTER ARRESTED FOR MURDER."The news reporter was talking fast. "Twenty- two-year-old Lilith Morrell, daughter of politician Beatrice Romano, has been arrested for the murder of Jessica Williams. The victim was a maid who worked for the wealthy Lockhart family."I felt like I couldn't breathe. This was happening too fast."The murder took place at the old pier last night. Police found strong evidence linking Miss Morrell to the crime," the reporter continued.Then they showed a picture of me. "Her mother, Be