2nd-glance

Tullah Richard, a young woman, left her family to be with Saul, her beloved boyfriend who, unfortunately, turned out to be a drunkard and abusive. Despite enduring his violent behavior, she remained committed to him. However, as time passed, the relationship took a darker turn. Despite the challenges, Tullah, determined to break free from Saul's toxicity, found herself facing a complicated situation when she discovered she was pregnant. Now torn between her desire to leave and the responsibility of impending motherhood, Tullah must navigate a difficult choice. Will she choose to leave despite the pregnancy, or will the impending arrival of their child tie her to Saul? If she decides to break free, will Saul ever find a way to reconnect with Tullah? The story unfolds with questions about whether Tullah can forge a new and happier life without Saul. --- "Saul, please let go of me!" she whispered, her plea audible in the tense air. "Never," Saul's fury was palpable, evident with just a glance at him. "I can't continue this way. I need to leave your life. Please, let go of me," she pleaded, attempting to free herself from Saul's grip. "You are stuck with me, Tullah. All of you is mine," he forcefully pushed her into the basement room, locked the door, and left. Tullah, no longer able to cry, lay quietly on the cold floor. This wasn't the first time she found herself confined, but she was determined it would be the last. Wiping away her tears, she wished for the morning to arrive swiftly, bringing with it the promise of a new beginning for her and her unborn child. ***** Diva_Unsual. nnenneuche84@gmail.com.

I was Alpha Adrian's secret for eight years. It took his grandfather’s centennial birthday for him to finally bring our son, Gale, and me home to the pack. He swore the pack Elders had finally given us their blessing. Our son, buzzing with excitement, bounced on the bed, clutching the champion’s medal from his junior fighting tournament. He’d fought tooth and nail to win it, just to make his father proud. But the moment we set foot on the Blackwood Manor grounds, we saw him. Adrian, with his arms wrapped around a blonde she-wolf, kissing her deeply. Adrian introduced her with a smile. "My mate, Sophia" Our son, Gale, rushed forward to confront him, stabbing a finger toward the seemingly perfect bite mark on my neck. "That's the mark Dad gave Mom! You all see it!" But the pack’s Head Elder stepped forward. After a cursory glance, he let out a cold sneer. "A clever trick of blood magic," he said with contempt. "It can mimic a scent, but it lacks the soul-deep connection of a true mate bond. Any experienced wolf can see through it." I turned to Adrian, my body frozen stiff. He turned away from me, gently stroking the real mark on Sophia's neck, which glowed with a silvery, moonlit light. "The Blackwood pack will not accept a half-blood who can’t even shift" he said. "The only one fit to stand by my side is Sophia." I looked at him, and a bitter laugh escaped me. To think I had suppressed my own Royal Alpha blood for a man like this.

Jane took a glance at his height and just like her he had a pair of beautiful straight long legs, just his was rather manly and firm in those nicely polished dark leather shoes. He was wearing sunglasses, she walked closer to him and just as she suspected, he was the CEO of Brights Entertainment Damon Miles. She had met him once but wasn’t sure if he still remembered her. “Was he also getting married today?” she asked particularly no one. Her thoughts are distracted by the arrival of his secretary. “President, Ms Grey has not arrived” the assistant behind him reported. Damon Miles shook his head in disappointment, “If she can’t make it on time for the marriage, I doubt she will make it in time as my wife” his voice was cold and firm. “No need to come” his assistant panicked as they were working on a condition. He had to get a married bride or no bride. “President, the old man said, you must marry today, even if it has to be nobody” This statement alone made Damon weak. He hearted the fact his life had been dictated at the moment by the old man. Not to mention he hates being powerless. “Pick a random girl from a reputed family, anyone is okay,” Damon Miles ordered. This gave Jane an idea. So he was faced with the same situation as her, Jane smiled. She knew it wasn’t going to be easy, and it was a rather bold step from her end. This was not just any regular man but the king of bright. He could get whosoever he wanted, but she felt the need to walk up to him. “I will be your bride”

I thought I knew who I was. I thought I knew what love felt like. Turns out, I didn’t know anything at all. Marvy was supposed to be my forever—until the night he went down on one knee and a stranger’s panties fell out of his pocket. In that moment, the illusion shattered. The man I loved, the life I dreamed of... it all turned to ash. I told myself I’d never fall again. I’d never let anyone close enough to hurt me. But then there was him—Darren Coldridge. Marvy’s older brother. The one they say has ice in his veins and no heart left to break. He scared me from the start. But when his eyes found mine, everything inside me changed. My pulse skipped. My breath caught. My body remembered something my mind refused to admit—I wanted him. I needed him. Now I’m caught between two brothers: one who betrayed me, and one who burns through every wall I’ve built. Marvy says he still loves me. Darren doesn’t say anything at all—but every glance, every touch feels like a promise he’s too proud to speak. And just when I think it’s only about love and lies, I learn the Coldridge family hides secrets far older—and darker—than either of them. Secrets that tie me to them in ways I never imagined. Because some bonds aren’t chosen. They’re written in blood, in moonlight… and in destiny.

Today was supposed to be my sister's wedding day. Instead, I'm the one walking down the aisle. The man waiting for me is a billionaire tycoon, cold, untouchable, and infamous for crushing anyone who stands in his way. Power bends to his will, money erases his mistakes, and emotions are a weakness he never allows himself to feel. I was never meant to marry him. I'm only here because my sister ran away… and if he discovers I'm a substitute bride, my family will be ruined overnight. So when the officiant asks if I accept him, my lips tremble as I whisper, "I do." His gaze locks onto mine, dark and possessive. "You're mine now, kitten," he murmurs, as if sealing my fate. The nightmare begins that moment. I manage to escape his bed on our wedding night, hiding behind excuses and fragile lies. But the days that follow terrify me more. The walk-in closet is filled with clothes in my sister's favorite colors. The dining table overflows with dishes she loved. He researched her. Memorized her. Or so I thought. Then he slides a peanut butter bagel toward me, my sister's favorite. I'm allergic. I glance up, my pulse roaring in my ears, only to find his expression unreadable. Calculating. Watching. Has he already realized I'm not the woman he married? And if this ruthless billionaire uncovers the truth… will he destroy me? Because marrying him was never part of my future, and falling for him might be the most dangerous mistake of all.

Three years after Alpha King Damien Caldwell marks me, Drake Whitaker finally remembers I exist. Turns out he really believes I'll "wait for him forever." Twenty black SUVs clog the private road into Ridgefield pack territory, trunks crammed with moonstone jewelry, old talismans, and rare herbs. Drake steps out of the tricked-out Hummer, wearing a smug smile and clutching a stack of parchment contracts. "Aria," he calls up, like some medieval knight, "I told you once the Silvermoon Coalition was official and Kenneth's supply lines were stable, I'd bring you to my pack. "The High Council finalized five packs yesterday. I came first thing this morning to show you I mean it." I sit in the upstairs study, watching a video Damien just sent of him playing with our son, then glance through the blinds at the ridiculous scene unfolding below. Drake lifts his face toward the second floor. "I know you're upset, but Kenneth controls the biggest timber in the Eastvale region. I had to mark Isabella. It was politics. You get that. Feelings don't need a mark anyway. I'll treat you better than a Luna." His words made my skin crawl. I pressed the intercom button on the desk. "Clear the drive. Tell security someone's trespassing." What a day! I've just taken my son to the medical center for his one-month checkup. Damien sends me back to Ridgefield pack for a week to rest. Instead, I get this mess on my doorstep.

King Lucien Draven rules the United Packs with cold iron strength. He has crushed every rebellion and refused every mating alliance. Lycan law demands a king produce heirs with a royal female or face challenge to his throne. Male omegas are disposable tributes, never equals. Then Caelan Ashford arrives as tribute from a fading noble pack. The quiet, scarred omega expects death in the royal palace. Instead, his scent ignites the ancient mate bond the instant their eyes meet. The pull is raw, immediate, and utterly forbidden. Lucien fights the bond with ruthless control. He confines Caelan to the lower halls, assigns him to brutal training, and buries desire beneath duty. But every stolen glance and accidental brush erodes his restraint. The bond grows stronger, darker, impossible to ignore. Caelan hides a deadly secret: royal blood from the dynasty Lucien’s ancestors destroyed. His silver collar dulls his true scent, yet it cannot hide him from the king or from Prince Rowan Draven, Lucien’s charismatic and dangerous younger brother. Rowan sees Caelan as both prize and weapon. He offers protection and power in exchange for loyalty, circling like a predator while court intrigue thickens with assassination plots and rising rebellion. Torn between throne and heart, Lucien must decide how much he will risk for his forbidden mate. Caelan, trapped between two lethal alphas, navigates betrayal, awakening power, and a bond that could destroy the kingdom or remake it. In a slow-burning dance of denial and surrender, where every touch courts war and every refusal cuts deeper, one forbidden connection threatens an empire and two wounded souls who were never meant to find each other.

At my three-year anniversary dinner with Vincent Hartwell, his secretary deliberately poured red wine over my head. I finally reached my breaking point and slapped her in front of all the guests. That very night, the incident spread like wildfire through high society circles. When my mother saw the leaked bedroom photographs of the two of them, the shock triggered a heart attack. She collapsed and died on the spot. When I learned the news, I sank to the floor and cried all night. Meanwhile, Vincent stayed by his secretary's side, comforting her. When he came home, he brushed past my disheveled state without a glance, loosened his tie, and spoke in that careless tone of his. "I've already buried the story. Don't let it happen again. "I have a meeting tonight. Pull yourself together and get to the villa within thirty minutes. Madison needs you." As he walked toward the door, he added over his shoulder, "She's fragile right now because of the pregnancy. If you do anything to harm my only child, I won't forgive you." I listened without crying or arguing. However, after he left, I pulled the divorce agreement from my drawer that I had prepared weeks ago. Beneath it lay my own positive pregnancy test. 'Vincent, I'll leave to find my biological father in three days.' This time, I was really leaving. I would make sure my father paid for every grievance I had endured over the last few years.

‎ ‎ ‎Roxanne Ally McBeal never imagined her life would fall apart so quickly. After a year of marriage to Archiver Mathew Montenegro—the enigmatic CEO of Montenegro Inc.—she suddenly found herself signing divorce papers without a single explanation. Heartbroken and blindsided, she ran away, desperate to heal the wounds he left behind. ‎ ‎But fate has a cruel sense of humor. ‎ ‎Years later, Roxanne returns to the Philippines for a major project assigned by her boss. She thought she was finally ready—stronger, steadier, over him. ‎ ‎Until she saw Arch again. ‎ ‎The man she tried so hard to forget now stands in front of her with a request she never expected: pretend to be his wife. His grandmother, whom Roxanne deeply cares for, never knew about their separation—and with her worsening condition, Arch is determined to keep the truth from her. ‎ ‎Roxanne wants to say no. She should say no. But for his grandmother, she can’t walk away. ‎ ‎Now she’s back in the very place where her heart first shattered, living under the same roof as the man who broke it. Every stolen glance, every accidental touch, every unspoken memory threatens to pull her back to a love she’s terrified to feel again. ‎ ‎How long can Roxanne play the role of Arch’s wife before the act becomes real? ‎What happens when old feelings return stronger than before? ‎And if she falls for him again—can she survive another heartbreak? ‎ ‎One thing is certain: pretending has never been this dangerous.

Candice Harper’s world shatters when her mother remarries billionaire Sanna d’Agostino just weeks after divorcing her beloved father. Uprooted from New York to a glittering Los Angeles mansion, the 17-year-old senior vows to endure one year of this gilded cage before escaping to college—and freedom. But freedom becomes a distant dream the moment she locks eyes with her new stepbrother: Mantovani d’Agostino, the infamous mafia underboss hiding behind a polished facade of wealth. Mantovani is a storm wrapped in control—ruthless, volatile, and haunted by a darkness he refuses to name. Ordered by his father to play English teacher at Candice’s elite academy while hunting the sheriff dismantling their empire, he plans to despise the innocent girl invading his world. One glance at her fragile beauty among the lilies, however, ignites a forbidden fire he can’t extinguish. She’s off-limits. She’s, his stepsister. Yet every shared breath in their opulent prison tightens the noose of desire around his throat. As Candice navigates a life of bodyguards, paparazzi, and a mother obsessed with status, she’s drawn to the brooding enigma who fleas from her presence yet watches her like she’s prey. Strange midnight visits, heated glances, and whispered commands blur the line between protection and possession. Mantovani fights to bury his hunger, but the mafia’s shadows creep closer—enemies circle, secrets unravel, and a single misstep could destroy them both. In a world where loyalty is blood and love is a death sentence, Candice and Mantovani must choose to surrender to the inferno threatening to consume them… or burn the empire down trying to resist.