48 Hours

He left me there, naked and clamped my body exposed and vulnerable. The cold, dimly lit room terrified me; when I struggled against restraints, the metal biting into my wrists. The minutes stretched into hours, each passing moment filled with a mix of fear and anticipation. Where I was now? Where was my savior, my father? I did all this for him, I deceived Aris, let him suffer but now I was suffering. After what felt like an eternity, the heavy door creaked open once again, revealing his imposing figure. He entered the room, his eyes fixed on me, a mix of dominance and control emanating from his every move. His presence alone sent shivers down my spine, a reminder of my helpless state. He approached me slowly, a wicked smile playing on his lips. His intention was clear - to punish me and assert his authority. With each step, he exuded power, his confidence unwavering. He strode forward and grabbed me by the face, his grip like iron. “Don’t you know when master enters what should a slave to do?” He demanded an answer. I could see the rage in his eyes and I felt my own anger rising. As he tightened his grip, I spat in his face. This was sudden and unintentionally. His color changed in rage. I knew I did a mistake, a horrible mistake. - Lord Aris, a ruthless and cruel Mafia king, he just want one thing in his life, that was revenge. Emma William, a beautiful girl, is sold by her fiancé to cruel Mafia king ‘Aris Johnson’, who actually wants to take revenge on her by enslaving her. But what will happen when his revenge turns into his obsession? Will he fall for her? Will he able to keep her?

The things we want are so very rarely the things we need. Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful. But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen. Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new... Until night falls once more. Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

At Manatee high, where wealth whispers through the marble halls and last names open doors, Emma Carter stands out for all the wrong reasons. She’s there on a scholarship — smart, quiet, and completely out of place among the designer uniforms and polished smiles. Her father works long hours as a construction worker, and her mother’s absence still echoes through every choice she makes. All Emma wants is to survive senior year unnoticed. Connor Hayes Charming, confident, and born into old money, he moves through school like he owns it — because, in a way, he does. But behind the perfect image lies someone quietly restless, bored of the shallow routines and expectations his family forces on him. When a class project throws Emma and Connor together, their worlds collide. What starts as polite conversation turns into stolen glances, late-night talks, and moments that make Emma question everything she’s been taught about people like him. For the first time, Connor finds someone who doesn’t care about his last name — someone who sees him. But no everyone is happy about it ,The whispers start. And soon, Emma isn’t sure if she’s part of Connor’s world — or just an experiment in rebellion. As emotions deepen, the line between love and heartbreak blurs. Emma learns that privilege comes with its own cages, and Connor realizes that sincerity can’t be bought. Together, they must decide whether what they have can survive the pressure of judgment, jealousy, and fear — or if love alone isn’t enough to bridge two very different worlds. “Emma and Connor” is a coming-of-age romance about class, courage, and finding where you belong — even when the world tells you that you don’t.

My name is Mia, and I am the middle child of Don and Donna Costa. I am also the black sheep of the family. Or the ugly duckling, as my mother would call me. My shift ended a few hours ago, but it takes me long to get home as I do not have a car like my brother, Leonardo, the oldest, or my sister, Amara, the beautiful one and youngest in the family. As you may gather from my story so far, my parents do not care about me. I walk into the house with a sigh. I have seen the cars in front of our home, and I know my family has friends over. "You have nothing I want! You stole from us, and today I will kill your whole family," I hear an angry voice. I wonder what my father has done this time to piss someone off. "Godfather, give me another chance. You can have my beautiful daughter as your wife," My father begs. Holy shit! My father stole from the godfather? I know the godfather is about thirty, and his name is Riccardo Marina. The Marina family is the most powerful in the American mafia. "I do not like blond blue-eyed sluts. I prefer women with dark hair. Besides, Everyone in town knows Amara Costa! She has been around the block," Riccardo says with disgust. I do not know what to do. Shall I hide? Not many people know my parents have another daughter. I am never invited to their parties as my family is ashamed of me. I do not care for my family, and they can die for all I care. "I have another daughter with dark hair. Maybe you will fancy her," My father begs again. I sigh. Typical!

A girl jumped into the river, cursing her fate and God. She was sinking in water and a pair of huge arms saved her. Someone, who came to save her is her Saviour. He carries her in her arms and puts her in his car. He reached the hospital in a few minutes with the unconscious body of that girl. All the way, he was looking at her thinking about the girl. She became conscious after treatment of a few hours given by doctors. She asked first of all, as she woke up, "Who saved me?" A sound like a roar is colliding in her ears, "I saved you." "You...... What the hell ?" She yelled. "Don't shout Ms Aradhya Kashyap. Now I gave you a new life so you have to pay for this." Samarth said conditionally. "What should I pay? And why should I pay?" She asked back and added angrily, "Did I ask you to save me?" The disgust for this man was shown on her face. He was just giving a winning smirk to her. "You have to marry me." He bored her orbs sharply. "Marry you, my foot. I will choose to die... Go to hell, Mr Goenka." She replied with disgust in her tone. "Really" He saw her photos when he saved her, she was in torn clothes and it was visible that she was raped. She was startled. He is blackmailing her without hearing her. "If you will not marry me, I will publish it in the newspaper. The choice is yours." He smirked again. A tear spilt over her cheeks, she replied, "Yes, I will marry you. But...." "What but..??" "I'm only 17. How can you marry a minor girl?" "Let me remind you, Ms Aradhya Kashyap, you turned 18. Today is your birthday, 21st February."

I stepped out of the shower with just a towel wrapping my body and was startled. It was my first wedding night, and instead of my husband, the ruthless Alpha, Silas, I found a handsome man sitting on the bed shirtless, smirking at me! “Who are you?” “I am your husband!” A few hours ago, I heard that cold voice at the altar. I had expected my husband to be unattractive, but he turned out to be incredibly handsome. So, why did he wear that dreadful mask during our wedding? What shocked me more was when he got up from the bed and walked over to me! Wait, he’s not crippled?! “You couldn’t even recognize your husband! He growled. Seeing him growing ferocious, I walked backward frantically. Just as the towel threatened to slide down, leaving me exposed and naked, he swiftly pulled me into his strong, muscular arms, his hands quickly catching my towel! His face was reigning with lust as he gaped down at me. “Someone is desperate to have her first night!” He inclined his lips to my ear and whispered, “Beware, lady, it wouldn’t be pleasure but pain!” He dropped the towel, and there I stood naked in his arms. He looked at me with lust as if I were his prey. “I will be so hard on you that you won’t forget your husband for eternity!” My heart thumped! I have heard that he is the most ruthless and ferocious Alpha history has ever had! What will he do to me on our first wedding night? ------- I am Bruna Walters, an illegitimate daughter who married my sister’s fiance to save my grandmother. I was scared. What if Silas, my ruthless husband, discovered that I am not Regina but a substitute?

Alpha Kai's Son. My father's shadow still dominates the BloodCrest Pack I'm trying to lead; even becoming Alpha didn't change a damn thing. So I take my anger out on any poor bastard put in the steel ring with me. It calms me, but only for a few hours; because blood-red rage follows me everywhere I go. It follows me into the cage the night I'm pitted against an opponent half my size. An opponent with a bigger chest than your average gym buff. A woman... I think I'm doing the right thing by refusing the fight because I know this woman will meet Death at my hands. That is, until my wolf growls the word I never expected to hear in the middle of a fight. MATE. With a name as sweet as her scent and a right hook to match, I know I can't accept Cherie as my mate. Not with the beast I inherited from my tainted bloodline - a Lycan with a thirst for blood… So do I reject sweet Cherie to protect her, or do I indulge in the whims of my beast and claim her? * Cherie I didn't expect to meet my mate when I decided to step into that ring that night. But the second my wolf recognized its mate, I knew it wouldn't be over. Creed Volkov is every bit as terrifying as they say, but I won't allow myself to be bullied by another man. I've come here to win; I NEED to win in order to protect those close to me. Running away from Creed seems like the logical choice, I find myself in that ring with him again. Why can't I bring myself to say the Rejection Vow? And why am I suddenly having dreams about a red-haired woman?

(Reverse Harem) (Book 2 of Her Wolves series) (Can read as Stand Alone) Orphaned at the age of 17, Nerezza had no one to rely on and nowhere to go. Down on her luck, one day she ventures the streets of Makatza, the werewolf capital, in search of food when something else entirely finds her. Her mate. Through their ups and downs, the two conceive a child but were thrown a loop when he is stolen away just hours after his birth. Her mate sets out to find him but leaves her behind as the price. Alone in the world again, Nerezza doesn't know what to expect. Surely, there was no way things could get better. Until she becomes the concubine of the werewolf king and finds out, love has no limits. Especially not with six mates surrounding her. *** “I'll have you know that if you were to want me. Or come with me, even, you will have to toss that possessive Alpha male bullshit to the side.” I sneered. I could feel the bond slip into place. Enough that it took me off guard. Slightly. “What, can't handle a challenge?" Cocky, arrogant bastard. Of all the men in the world, I was stuck with him. If I wanted to have him. Pawns were disposable and I rarely came upon them. His fighting could prove useful, although I doubt his abilities in bed would suffice. “Look, whatever your name is, you might be my mate but you aren't the first one this week. Okay? So if you retain your possessive nature, you and the other guys might not get along very well,” I turned on my heels and headed back out the alley. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw his confused look. “And I much prefer not cleaning blood from my carpets.”

To the world, I’m just Macey Carter. Mason’s little sister. Samantha’s best friend. The girl who somehow landed her dream job as lead designer at Seams & Touch. But inside? I’m someone else entirely. Someone who aches to be broken down and put back together by a man who knows exactly how to use me. Someone who craves submission so badly, it’s like a sickness. My ex never understood. David was too soft, too careful. He wanted to hold hands and make promises, while I wanted to kneel and beg. When he left me, I didn’t fight it. Two years later, I’m twenty-four, single, untouched, and suffocating under the weight of everything I can’t admit out loud. And then there’s Damien Blackwell. My boss’s older brother. Ten years older, sharper, and rougher, with a reputation that makes people whisper when he walks by. I shouldn’t want him. But I do. God, I do. He’s the finest thing I’ve ever seen. I know because I’ve seen all of him—one reckless afternoon when I walked into his office and caught him taking a woman apart on his desk. She looked like she wanted to disappear, like she hated every second of it. And I hated her. Because I would have begged for more. Damien promised his sister he’d stay away from me. He told himself I was too young, too close, and too dangerous. For a while, he believed it. But that ended the night he caught me touching myself in my office, late after hours, knowing he was watching. That’s when everything changed.

"Holy Shit. When did you get in here? Ben stepped out hours ago." the shock on his face when he sees my wide eyes staring down at his cock. "Do you walk all naked when no one is at home but you?" My thighs clenched together; I didn't know how I suddenly said that out. "Little girl, are you not afraid to take your eyes off? This can ruin you." His dominance wraps around his voice, my eyes trail off his cock, and I view his entire body. The masculinity got my thighs drooling and gave me the fastest shock I had ever felt in my stomach. It's the first time I've taken note of how perfect his body curves are. "Then I want to be ruined only by your cock." My eyes grow in size at my own words. Anastasia visited to resolve the issues revolving around her toxic relationship with Ben, her 21-year-old boyfriend. She happened not to meet him at home after he lied about being home. She was frustrated and pained because it looks like she has been putting more effort into the relationship than he has, and it was killing her. It was killing her that she always had to be the one getting hurt all the time. Even when he is wrong, she takes the blame for it and apologizes for no fucking reason. But everything changed when she saw his father's big cock that night at his place. She's never seen a cock as huge and dominating as his. A voice in her head screamed for her to run, but no, she was so curious to know how it would feel in her mouth and in her damn wet core.