13 The Haunted

Emily Parker has lived her entire life in the shadow of Marcus Kane — the man who stole her mother, tortured her, and claimed her as his own. Escaping him cost her everything. Surviving him left scars too deep to count. When fate ties her to Rhett Maddox, ruthless president of the Vipers MC, Emily finds something she thought she'd lost forever: safety. Love. A chance at a family. But safety is a fragile thing, and Marcus Kane has returned to take back what he believes is his. As war ignites between the Serpents and the Vipers, Emily is forced to confront every nightmare she's tried to bury. Rhett will bleed to protect her. Ghost — the Vipers' most haunted enforcer — will uncover truths that change everything Emily thought she knew about her past. And when the dust clears, Emily will stand face-to-face with Marcus Kane one last time. But vengeance is never simple. It costs blood, brothers, and more than Emily ever thought she had left to give. This is a story of survival and scars. Of love found in the ashes. Of family forged in fire. And of one woman who refuses to belong to anyone but herself. By the time the final bullet falls, Emily Parker will no longer be the girl Marcus Kane broke. She'll be the woman who ends him.

~~~ "How many punishments do you have pending, Lucienne?” Immediately the word punishment left his ears, I turned hot, my tongue went numb, my throat became dry, my hands trembled and very became sweaty. "Answer me!" He demanded and I flinched, my gaze now directed to the ground. "S-seventeen," I stammered, my tears and liquid from the different things hurdled at me mixing and landing on the soil. "So this makes it eighteen?” he asked and I forced myself to nod. He dished out some orders to the pack members before turning to me. "Then let's get this started. Your kneels must not leave the ground till we get to our destination. And no, it's not part of your eighteen punishments. Let's go!" ~~~~ Haunted by a past filled with pain and betrayal, Lucienne bears the scars of a life marred by tragedy. Tangled in the clutches of a possessive mate, who constantly makes sure happiness is far from her, she battles not only the physical wounds but the emotional turmoil from years ago. As she tries to escape this painful life, will Lucienne find the strength to embrace love and happiness, or will the echoes of her history shatter the remnants of the once-happy girl she used to be and make her a lone wolf for life?

After the death of his wife, Roberto moved away to another country with his daughter Gabriella, preventing her from meeting an unmerited fate from 23 years ago, an unforgettable night that almost cost him his life, love, and happiness. Gabriella isn't happy about the relocation and struggles to fit into her new life. But then she meets Nicola, a mysterious guy who keeps secrets about his life and is hardly associated with anyone in school. She tried to beat whatever she was feeling for him because she didn't want to be involved with anyone who didn't have regard for people. But the more she had trouble in school, the more he rescued her, and the more her feelings kept growing. Gabriella finds out about Nicolas's secret one night and tries to stay away from him for her safety. But he tells her all about the mystery of his birth and they become close. Friendship becomes a desire, a desire which brings a revisitation of the past as Gabriella's dad finds out who Nicolas is and how his existence is connected to the scene of twenty-three years ago. The hunt becomes haunted as Gabriella's dad tries to save his daughter from becoming what he had most dreaded.

Billionaire heir Alexander Sterling is tired of his mother’s relentless matchmaking with spoiled socialites. In a desperate move to escape, he proposes a contract marriage to Elena Carter, a struggling waitress he met on a drunken night at a restaurant. She sees it as a golden ticket to cover her mom's medical bills, unaware she’s stepping into a life of cold indifference and relentless torment. Bound for three years, their marriage is filled with icy glares and unspoken pain. But in their second year, a mistake leads to an unexpected pregnancy. Fearful of his wrath and threats of Eleanor, Elena hides the truth, enduring his cruelty in silence. As time passes, Alexander begins to feel something he never expected. But pride keeps him from showing it. On the verge of the third year, unable to bear the suffering any longer, Elena disappears, presumed dead. Devastated, Alexander is haunted by regret, not knowing she has survived and given birth to their twins. Years later, fate brings them back together this time, as equals. Wealthy. Independent. A mother of two. Elena is no longer the fragile woman he once controlled. But their reunion is complicated by the arrival of Matteo De Luca, a ruthless Italian billionaire with a vendetta against Alexander and an interest in Elena. With enemies on all sides and unresolved emotions between them, will love conquer all? Or will the past destroy any chance of redemption?

When Dr. Ella Harper uncovers her billionaire husband Marcus’s affair with a glamorous model, the perfect marriage she believed in shatters. Betrayed by the man who vowed eternal love, Ella is forced to confront the ghosts of her past—her mother’s heartbreak and her own vow to never forgive a cheater. Determined to reclaim her strength, she seizes a life-changing opportunity to study abroad and secretly signs divorce papers, leaving Marcus a parting gift he’ll never forget: the truth, delivered when she’s already halfway across the world. “You’ll only know I’m gone when it’s too late, Marcus. Then you’ll see I’m not a woman to be played with.” Devastated by his mistake, Marcus spirals into desperation, chasing after Ella and pleading for forgiveness. But Ella, now thriving in her new life, has moved on—her heart guarded, her future bright, and a new suitor vying for her affection. Years later, Marcus is still haunted by his betrayal, refusing to give up on the woman he loves. Yet a shocking secret—a hidden child born from their fractured love—threatens to unravel everything. Will Ella ever open her heart to Marcus again, or will the pain of his betrayal and the weight of their shared secret keep them apart forever?

The Awaited Lycan Queen by pemeemee Aliyah was never meant to survive the night her pack fell. Captured and gifted like property to Leo, the future Alpha of the powerful Blood Moon Pack, she endured five long years in silence, humiliated, feared and hated. Except him. Leo was her only light in a world that wished she didn’t exist. Through small kindnesses and fleeting glances, a quiet bond began to form—something that made her believe she wasn’t truly alone. But love was never enough. Driven by hatred unknown to her, Leo’s mother forced Aliyah out of the pack with a forged goodbye. Heartbroken and unaware of the truth, Aliyah vanished. She never expected the ambush that followed or the power that awakened under the full moon. She didn’t just become a wolf. She became something rarer. A Lycan. Eleven years later, Leo is a grown Alpha, hardened by grief and still haunted by her memory. When he steps into her new world, the past crashes back into them both, along with secrets about her bloodline and the role only she can play. Now secrets are unraveling. Old wounds are reopening. And destiny is calling her home. But after everything that tore them apart, can they survive what’s still to come? Will they choose love or power?

Sage Whitmore’s world is turned upside down when her beloved Bluebird Café—her late mother’s legacy and the heart of her hometown—falls into financial ruin. Desperate to save it, Sage finds herself making a dangerous deal with billionaire Damian Cross, a man as ruthless as he is enigmatic. The terms: work as his personal assistant for one year, and she’ll earn the chance to reclaim her café. Damian is a master strategist, a man who rules New York’s corporate empire with unrelenting control. To him, Sage is a puzzle—unpolished, stubborn, and brimming with passion. As Sage steps into his high-stakes world, she discovers that behind Damian’s cold, calculating exterior lies a man haunted by secrets and driven by more than just power. Their undeniable attraction sparks a battle of wills as Sage refuses to be a pawn in Damian’s games. But with each passing day, the line between business and desire begins to blur. When betrayal and long-buried truths come to light, Sage is forced to decide: trust the man who could ruin her, or walk away from the one thing she can’t deny—her heart. Beneath the Steel and Silk is a story of ambition, redemption, and a love powerful enough to shatter walls—or build something unbreakable.

Separated by fate, haunted by the past– that's how they live. Until they met again; they built hatred, showed agony, betrayed friends, wanted to be loved, and learned how to sacrifice one's happiness. Remember those nights that I've been disturbing you, it's because I can't say what I need to say. Remember the time that I didn't disturb you; I'd been holding on so much, hoping that you'd be the one to call me first– and you did. Every time I hurt your feelings, I'm hurting too. I– I just don't know how to tell you the exact words, so I keep on annoying you. I'm sorry for all the troubles that I have caused– "I know," I said, and I hugged him. I can sense the same pain as what he is in my dream. Confessing is not bad. I'm just overwhelmed because I feel the same way. "I like you too, Alex. I don't know how, I don't know why but that's how I felt. I hate you harassing and annoying me but I missed it when you don't!" I smiled. Their fate is twisted.

Blurb: When Elena Carter’s world begins to crumble, she’s forced to make an impossible choice—marry a man she doesn’t love to save the only family she has left. With her brother’s life hanging in the balance, she agrees to a one-year marriage contract with Damian Kingstone, a powerful billionaire whose heart is as cold as the empire he controls. To Damian, marriage is a business transaction—a convenient solution to fulfill the terms of his late father’s will. To Elena, it’s a lifeline. Their rules are simple: one year, no love, no strings attached. But as their worlds collide, the line between obligation and desire begins to blur. Beneath Damian’s ruthless exterior, Elena discovers a man haunted by loss and betrayal, while Damian finds himself drawn to the warmth he thought he’d forgotten how to feel. What begins as a contract soon becomes something dangerously real. But when buried secrets from Damian’s past threaten to destroy the fragile bond between them, Elena must decide whether to walk away with the money she desperately needs—or risk everything for the man who was never supposed to have her heart. In a marriage built on lies, what happens when love becomes the most dangerous truth of all?

"I'm not the jealous type. But what's mine is mine. I could kill for what's mine. No one has the right to kiss you, touch you, or care for you. That's what I was born to do." His words echoed in the depths of my soul. "I'm leaving, and you can't stop me!" I tried to put up a fight, but it was all futile against his dominating form. "The only way you can leave me is through death. And even after you die, even the devil will make sure you serve me in hell because I am his master," A sinister smile spread across his face. That was the moment I knew I was doomed. *** Lance and Viella have been married for four years without conception. Enduring the persistent nagging from Lance's mother was becoming hell on earth for Viella, and the only way she could live a happy life was to get pregnant by any means possible to produce an heir for the Rollins family. The perfect plan was set in motion, and Viella brought in a surrogate to bear a child for them while she pretended to be pregnant. This was the biggest secret they were to guard with their lives. But what happens when this secret not only spills but Viella loses her husband to the surrogate? What happens when Viella finally finds a man who is ready to burn the world for her, only to be haunted by the demons of her past? Let's find out in this toe-curling romance story of love, betrayal, and lust.