2nd-glance

"You wanted me to fail," she yelled, her voice shaking with rage and desperation. "You wanted me to prove you right." "No." My voice was a low, feral growl. "I wanted to know if you'd stand your ground. And you did." You stood your ground, held my life in your hand, and chose to keep it breathing. That was all I needed to see. Her defiance was a thin wall, her trembling betraying her. "This doesn't make me yours." I leaned in, my lips a hair's breadth from hers. The scent of her… of wood smoke and sweat, and something wild and unmistakably Lyra… filled my senses. "You already are," I whispered against her lips. "Even in your hate." *************************************** Lyra, the last warrior-heir of Ravengarde, detests Kael, the cruel enemy alpha who murdered her family, burned her castle, and claimed her as his ruthless spoils. Imprisoned in his domineering Shadowfen Keep, her rage is a burning blaze, battling the forbidden, wild linkage that brings her closer with each bitter glance and each jealous touch. She promises to kill him, break free from his shadow magic, even as his control ignites a deadly, forbidden desire in her. But when Lyra learns the horrible truth… that the betrayal that had destroyed her clan was not schemed by Kael, but by her own ruthless bloodline in a lust for power… her world shatters. Every sadistic phrase, every brutal touch she endured under Kael's command now bears an abject truth: the enemy that she had sworn to kill was, in reality, protecting her, and is now very likely the only one who can save her from a much darker fate than his claim.

When twenty-five-year-old Solyn Fairchild survives a brutal attack outside her apartment, the police call it a random mugging. Solyn knows better. The man who tried to strangle her whispered her full name, as if he had been waiting for her. Terrified and running out of places to hide, she reluctantly agrees to move into the safest home her father can think of. The home of Dr. Calian Winslow. Her father’s most trusted friend. A man Solyn barely remembers, yet cannot forget. Calian is everything her father swears by: brilliant, elegant, composed to the point of being unreadable. But behind the calm exterior lies a darkness Solyn senses before she even steps through his door. Calian feels nothing and fears nothing. A rare condition has kept his emotions frozen since childhood. Until Solyn moves in. She is the one thing his careful control cannot contain, the only person who makes his pulse rise and his cold veneer crack. As the stalker escalates, leaving messages that echo Calian’s own research, Solyn is pulled deeper into the shadows of his past. Every step she takes toward safety draws her closer to Calian’s dangerous orbit. Every stolen glance, every forbidden moment, every slip in his voice makes it harder to remember the rules that should keep them apart. Her father trusts him. Her attacker fears him. And Solyn is falling for the one man who could ruin everything. Because loving Calian Winslow might save her life or cost her everything she has left.

He offered her a contract. She sold her freedom to save her family. When Elara Reine Vera signs a contract with the cold, ruthless billionaire Sebastian Zen Montecarlos, she thinks she's found a solution to her problems. But stepping into his world is stepping into a life she doesn't belong in—a world ruled by money, secrets, and an ironclad control that leaves no room for mistakes. Every day under his roof is a test of obedience, and every glance from him reminds her of the invisible chains tightening around her. Sebastian doesn't believe in love. Only rules. Only control. He expects perfection, submission, and silence—but Elara refuses to be owned. Not by anyone, and certainly not by a man like him. Her defiance frustrates him, excites him, and awakens desires she's never allowed herself to feel. The tension between them escalates with every shared moment, turning into temptation, turning resentment into something dangerously addictive. But behind Sebastian's cold exterior lies a past riddled with betrayal, secrets, and pain—a past that could shatter them both if exposed. As boundaries blur, Elara finds herself drawn into a game she doesn't fully understand, where power decides everything, and love is the greatest risk of all. Every choice she makes could cost her more than she bargained for—her independence, her dignity, even her heart. In a world where control is currency and desire is a weapon, will Elara survive the billionaire's world intact? Or will falling for Sebastian Zen Montecarlos trap her beneath a control she can't escape, no matter how fiercely she fights?

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.

For five years, Jessie Moore suppressed her personality, wore clothes she hated, and hid her staggering wealth. She did it all for one reason: to prove to her mother that true love could exist without a billion-dollar price tag. But on the day they were supposed to register their marriage, her boyfriend, Allen Walker, didn't show up. When Jessie went to find him, she didn't find an apology. She found a celebration. Allen was toasted by his friends for finally escaping "the fat girl" to get engaged to a "proper" socialite. “Take this million-dollar cheque and get out of my sight," Allen sneered, tossing the paper at her feet. Jessie didn't cry. She threw wine in his face, tore the cheque to pieces, and walked out—straight into the arms of the city’s most powerful, icy, and untouchable man: Stephen Harrington. Stephen is her best friend’s brother and a CEO who has never spared a second glance for any woman. He needs a wife to stop his family’s meddling; Jessie needs a husband to satisfy her mother’s inheritance demands. It was supposed to be a cold business deal. No feelings. No mess. But as Jessie returns to the Moore Empire to reclaim her throne, she realises the "Icy CEO" is anything but cold behind closed doors. And when Allen discovers the "penniless" girl he dumped is the very heiress he’s desperate to sign a contract with, he comes crawling back on his knees. He’s too late. “You had your chance, Allen.” Jessie smiles, leaning into Stephen's possessive embrace. “Now, I’m the one calling the shots.” Now Jessie is reclaiming everything that belonged to her…including the heart of the icy CEO.

I'm Alex. I'm twenty-one years old, and soon to take over my father's position in the pack, the Alpha of Silver Crescent Moon. And, I'm a girl! Yes, that's my secret. In fact, it's my whole Alpha family's secret. People at first glance take me as a girl. Short hairs, sharp jawline, muscular body, rough nails and my name that's enough to verify me as man in their eyes. When my mom was pregnant, my father was under Elder's pressure. Only having a male offspring as his heir could save his Alpha's position in the pack. He did everything in his possession, prayers to the Moon Goddess, offering sacrifices, doing witchcrafts. All that to have a son. However, the Goddess didn't seem to be impressed by his practices and delivered him me instead, a girl, the last thing he ever wanted. Though devastated by the news, he did not give up. He lied the world that his wife had birthed a boy, forced the witch to make me appear masculine, ruined my female scent and did everything he could to make the world believe his lie. But, his audacity... He asked me to attend the Kingdoms' Mating Festival to choose my mate! I thought navigating a ballroom full of eligible she-wolves was my biggest threat. But, I was wrong. Something worse was waiting for me. Rosemary Thorne, the daughter of high ranking Alpha, was found disheveled and screaming in the forest. She pointed a trembling finger at me and suddenly I became the physical assaulter. If I remain silent on this, I'll get excuted for the crime I could never commit.

“I, Neolani Griffin accept you as my mate,” I beamed, waiting for him excitedly to accept me too. There was a long pause. “Who gave you the right to call me by my name?” He snapped, anger dripping from every word he spoke.“Answer me” He barked, eyes locked on mine. “How do you know my name? It must have been the maidservants right?, I'll have them stripped off their post” He stepped away from me. “I, Ragnar Gray, reject you Noelani Griffin as my mate” Neolani never asked to be a rogue. Once an Alpha, once a daughter, her world was in shambles the night her family was murdered and her pack taken hostage by her half-uncle. Now, she’s nothing but a rogue, fighting to survive where wolves like her are despised. On the run for survival she unkowingly crosses the borders of Alpha Ragnar pack who is known for his cruelty, powerful, merciless, and loyalty to a pack that sees rogues as the enemy. Alpha Ragnar prepares to end her without a second thought, but then he feels it. The bond, she’s his mate. The one thing he swore he would never want. Worse, his heart already belongs to someone else: his beautiful childhood friend who was mated to his beta, Kendrick. He rejected the bond the moment it burned through him. But desire doesn’t wait for permission. With every stolen glance, and every reckless touch, the line between hatred begins to blur. Together, they could ignite a powerful love that is if pride and betrayal don’t destroy them first.

In a city where ambition shines brighter than honesty, Ethan Blackwood has built his life on control. A rising executive with a flawless image, Ethan keeps his emotions tightly guarded, believing that vulnerability is a weakness he cannot afford. Love, if it exists at all, is something distant—something meant for other people. Kai Rivera lives by an entirely different rulebook. A bold, intuitive photographer, Kai sees the world through shadows and light, capturing truths others work hard to conceal. Unafraid of emotion or connection, he moves through life with fearless curiosity—until a chance encounter at a rain-soaked art gallery collides him with Ethan. What begins as a charged glance turns into an undeniable pull. As Kai’s uninvited lens follows Ethan into quiet cafés, crowded elevators, and hidden rooftops, tension grows into something neither of them can escape. Ethan’s carefully built walls begin to crack under Kai’s relentless honesty, while Kai finds himself drawn deeper into a man who refuses to admit how much he wants to be seen. But desire is never simple. Jealousy, misunderstandings, and the pressure of expectations threaten to tear them apart. Forced into moments of uncomfortable proximity, both men are pushed to confront the truths they’ve been avoiding—about fear, identity, and the cost of loving openly. When emotions finally collide, Ethan must decide whether protecting his image is worth losing the one person who sees him completely. Shadows Between Us is a slow-burn BL romance about longing, restraint, and the courage it takes to step out of the shadows. It is a story of two men learning that love does not demand perfection—only honesty.

It was only on our first wedding anniversary that I realized the rubbers I bought before our wedding had long expired. No one would believe that my mafia husband, Andre Garcia, and I had never consummated our marriage. That night, I gathered my courage and bought a suggestive nightgown. After downing three glasses of whisky, I hugged Andre tightly and whispered in his ear, "Darling, let's do it today. I want you..." However, Andre shook my hand off indifferently as if he were handling a gun. "Danielle Lawson, do you have no shame? You've done such shameless things time and time again. If you're really that lonely, I'll order you some toys so you can play with them to your heart's content." My face turned deathly pale as I stood there, stunned. I could not understand why a wife begging for her husband's affection was considered 'shameless' behavior. I curled up on the couch, unable to help but ask on social media. Danielle: [My husband has no dysfunction. Why won't he touch me after marriage?] Someone replied: [Perhaps your husband has someone else.] Like a dagger, that comment pierced me awake. I suddenly realized—maybe the problem was not that I was unattractive but rather that he was never mine. The moment I deleted my account, I also made the decision to leave. Who could have imagined that Andre, who would usually not even glance at me, would frantically search for me after I disappeared? "Danielle, I can't get a hard-on after you left!"

I was supposed to die. Five years ago, my life ended. My husband betrayed me. My child was stolen. My wolf went silent. I was left alone, broken, and terrified. Everyone thought I’d stay that way. They were wrong. I came back to a home that wasn’t mine anymore. My husband had moved on, marrying the cousin who once coveted him… the woman who stole everything I loved. Everything had moved on without me. And then he appeared. Hayes Whitmore— dangerous, strong, impossible to ignore. The bastard prince. He saved me from the monsters that hunted me, but there’s something in him darker than anything I’ve ever faced. Even worse, he’s a Lycan, and I was raised to believe Lycans are enemies. He doesn’t ask me to trust him. He doesn’t beg for my heart. And yet… every time his hand brushes mine, every word he speaks, every heated look he gives me, I feel something I shouldn’t. What I feel for him is forbidden. And yet… I ache for him. I crave him. I need him. Every touch, every glance, every dangerous moment makes me question everything I thought I knew about loyalty, love, and myself. Bound by lies, lust, and anger, I’ll awaken a wolf forged from pain — a wolf that will take back everything stolen from me. And maybe, if I let him, he’ll claim me fully… body, heart, and soul. This isn’t a love story. It’s survival. Obsession. Lust. Revenge. And a desire so dangerous it could destroy us both.