A Scar In The Bone

“Don’t you ever resist me again,” he breathed, his words brushing my skin like fire. One hand held my wrists captive above my head; the other traced the line of my throat, caging me against the wall. I looked up at him. My tormentor, my weakness, and the man I craved like sin itself. --- A fire stole her childhood. A contract stole her freedom. Now, a man dressed in a suit that costs more than her life is about to steal her heart. And possibly destroy what’s left of her soul. Evie remembers nothing before the fire, only the smell of smoke, the sound of screams, and a name she can’t forget. Years later, her life is a cycle of debt, slavery, and forced silence. She works herself to the bone while living in the shadow of her perfect cousin, never realizing she was born into a secret far darker than her life. Until the night she’s traded — like property to repay an old family debt — to a man no one dares to speak about. A man whose reputation bleeds power, cruelty, and blood. But instead of chains, he offers her a deal. Marry him, obey him. And never ask questions. Just business. But every time he touches her, the line between fear and longing blurs. His presence unearths flashes of her past, and memories that burn her alive. Because her husband is not who he seems. And the fire that destroyed her life didn’t happen by accident. As their marriage turns into a war of control and desire, Evie finds herself caught between the man who owns her and the truth that could set her free. But freedom comes with a great price. And love is the priciest thing she's ever had.

Luke moved then. Fast. Too fast. One second he was across the room, the next he was in front of her, towering over her like a wall of heat and fury. His hands came up, gripping her arms not gently, not cruelly, but with a force that said he was one second from shattering. “You think I don’t fight for you every damn day?” His voice was low, dangerous, vibrating with something raw. “You think I don’t take bullets for you behind the scenes? Every single move I make is to keep you breathing, Abigail. So don’t you dare stand there and act like I’m doing nothing.” Her breath hitched, but the anger didn’t stop burning. “Then say it to her. Say it to their faces instead of hiding behind silence like a coward!” Something snapped in his eyes then something sharp and blazing. And before Abigail could blink, his mouth was on hers. The kiss wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t sweet. It was a collision hard, punishing, desperate. All the rage, the fear, the need that had been coiling between them exploded like fire. Abigail gasped against him, her hands going up to his chest, meaning to push him away except she didn’t. Just couldn’t. Because the second his tongue slid against hers, the second his body pressed flush against hers, every bone in her body melted. Luke growled low in his throat, a sound that made heat curl deep in her belly. He spun her, slamming her gently but firmly against the wall, his hands framing her face as he devoured her mouth like he’d been starving for years.

“I can feel your fear. Your heat. The way your sweet little cunt clenches before I even touch it. You’re not afraid of the beast, Kaerith… You’re starving for him.” He forces her legs wide, claws digging into her hips, pinning her down like prey. The head of his cock—thick, ridged, inhuman—presses against her dripping entrance, teasing her folds, soaking in her slick. “Now spread wider,” he hisses. “And let the beast feed.” — Kaerith—an omega, daughter of the last great Lycan Alpha—was born with the rarest curse of all. She was meant to be ransomed, not enslaved. Now, she’s chained inside Murnokh—a kingdom made of bone and nightmare. A slave. A plaything. A feeding source for Gorvane. Gorvane doesn’t make love. He fucks angrily. He devours. And no one survives it. King Gorvane, a Dreadborn, of the Kingdom of Murnokh, who died as a result of betrayal, rose from a battlefield soaked in centuries of rage. And now, he owns her. He touches her thoughts. Her fear. Her pain. Her buried rage. And he drinks it. But something in Kaerith cracks his hunger. It weakens him. It entices him. And when he finally takes her, it’s not just to feed—it’s to claim. She was never meant to survive his touch. Now, she’s the only thing keeping him sane. He doesn’t understand her softness. Her silence. Her refusal to scream. He’s built to feed on the wreckage of the human heart. But she is making him forget how to starve, how to rage, how to hate. Real love is poison to his kind. Their love is forbidden and if she discovers his True Name—the very grief that birthed him—she will have the power to destroy him… Or to set him free.

After the death of her family in an accident that left her scarred, and wolfless, Nora Howard was constantly at the mercy of her fated mate who was disgusted at the very sight of her. On the day of her anniversary her husband, Alpha Aiden broke the bond between them. And casually tossed a divorce paper at her face. Alpha Aiden gave a diamond ring to her best friend. Nora was shattered, and too weak from betrayal. Only this time, she was done. She might be ugly with a scar on her face. Wolfless, and carrying the guilt of losing her family. It was time for a change. In her quest for escape, Nora strayed into the Blackcrest pack. A powerful pack ruled by the Virelli twins. Halil and Kai Virelli. Lycan kings who ruled their pack with iron fist, and were ruthless with enemies. However, beneath the cold devastatingly handsome faces of the Virelli twins was a spine chilling curse. One only a mate can break. They wanted to exert instant judgement on Nora Howard. But fate shifted when the moon goddess linked them as a second chance mate to Nora. They vowed to make her regret every minute of her life, and break her bit by bit. Until, they caught themselves staring at her a minute longer. An incident happened, that changed everything. Nora ran away from the Blackcrest pack, seeking revenge. Unknown to her, their seeds were growing in her. In that moment, The Lycan twins realized Nora was the woman they truly yearned for. Dark secrets resurfaces linking her to them. Would she go through with her revenge? even if she had the powers to take down the most powerful Alphas. Or had she fallen in love with the Virelli twins, and somehow hadn’t noticed?

Fern Vale was never meant to be chosen. She was supposed to be the son Alpha Leo Vale wanted, the heir who would secure the pack’s future. When she was born a girl and never received a wolf, Fern was cast aside and raised among the Omegas, treated as little more than a servant in her own pack. So when her father trades her in a political marriage to secure an alliance, Fern understands exactly what she is: expendable. Her contracted mate is Alpha Gaven of Blackmoor, the most feared Alpha on the continent. Ruthless, dominant, and infamous for killing his own father to claim leadership, Gaven commands the largest pack in existence. To Fern, he is a monster forged in blood and power. What Fern doesn’t know is that Gaven recognizes her as his true mate the moment he scents her. And he refuses her. Without a wolf, Fern cannot feel the mate bond that binds them. To Gaven, the bond is violent and undeniable, a cruel twist of fate he refuses to accept. Bound by contract and forced into close proximity, they clash at every turn as resentment, obsession, and forbidden desire begin to blur the line between hatred and need. As Fern struggles to survive in Blackmoor, the strange crescent-shaped scar on her thigh begins to burn with every full moon. The truth is far more dangerous than she ever imagined, her wolf was never missing, only sealed, and the mark she bears is the Moon Goddess’s claim. With rival packs closing in and fate demanding its due, Fern must decide whether she will remain the spare daughter who was traded away, or rise as the Luna she was always meant to be.

Danice left the divorce papers on the bedside table. Ten years. She endured and stayed silent—all for the sake of love. Despite the opposition from those around her, she clung tightly to her position as Julian’s wife, believing that he cared for her. But it was all just her delusion. It had been ten years of a loveless marriage. Danice touched the burn scar on her face. This disfigured face had become both her shame… and her proof of love for him. But what she didn’t realize was that it had also become the chain that bound him to this lifeless marriage. He had married her… out of pity. That realization hurt more than any insult others hurled at her because of her appearance. She had held him back for ten years. And she had suffered enough. It was time to let go. Danice finally realized that her ten-year marriage had been a shackle—for both of them. Just as she found the strength to let go of the love that had never been returned… death came for her. When she thought she had stepped into the afterlife, she opened her eyes— Eleven years in the past. Unmarried. She hadn’t even met Julian yet. Danice believed that a merciful God had taken pity on her and granted her a second chance— A chance to live for herself, to love herself. And so, that’s exactly what she did. She avoided meeting Julian at all costs, and even found a way to escape the accident that had once disfigured her face. Everything seemed to be going smoothly— But... Why was the man who had never once looked her way… suddenly appearing everywhere she went? This… this wasn’t like the past at all!

Evangeline Grace Meadow. Everything about her life was going so perfectly—almost exactly as she had planned in her notebook—and she was proud of all the achievements she had gained in her 27 years of life. Getting a job as a full-time doctor at Seattle's largest hospital, living in the luxury apartment that every person in Seattle dreams of, having a handsome fiancé who loves her—at least that's what she believes. However, her perfect life turns into the most painful misfortune when she finds out her fiancé is cheating on her in front of her eyes. Until one night, when she was trying to release all her pain, she met a mysterious man with a sharp smile and eyes as blue as the Caribbean sea. A brief encounter. A brief conversation. That man—Exel… his touch... his gaze... his fingers that gripped tightly in the most perfect spot Eve could imagine. All of it burned Eve to the bone—making her willingly beg for the next touch. Unfortunately, both Eve and Exel know that their brief encounter on that one hot night will never happen again—and there shouldn't be. Yet again, one short night managed to change her life. She meets Exel again under... very different situation that makes them bond because of her pregnancy that happened without them knowing it. So what happens when Eve finds out that Exel's life isn't as beautiful as his smile? Not as bright as the light of his eyes. Instead, Exel lives in the darkest underground life—a life full of danger and real horror. But what if Eve was curious about those dangers? What if she was tempted by the sweet sin Exel's offered? * * * When Everyone called her Eve because her name was Evangeline, but he called her Angel because she is his real angel.

{SUPPORT = MOTIVATION = MORE UPDATES} Valery Hale ~ All I ever wanted was a comfortable life for me and my brother, Derek. With no parents, I had to work hard to put food on our table. Derek needs to go to school, and I need money for the never-ending bills. Just when life starts getting good, fate decides to throw in a box of scorpions. I can barely make ends meet every month, as if that isn’t hell enough. How am I supposed to make the CEO of a multibillion-dollar company fall in love with me? Did I mention he’s also an Alpha Lycan?   Nathaniel Kress ~ For generations, KressCo. has met the needs of The BloodFlame Pack. Being the next Alpha, I am to also take over as the CEO of the company, but my father won’t let me until I claim someone to replace my deceased Mate. I don’t believe in second-chance mates and even if I did, not Valery. Making her my secretary was me being merciful, but now I can’t seem to get her out of my head. If only I knew she wasn’t the innocent lamb she was so good at pretending to be... -- Jaden points the loaded gun at me. “You have three months to get the bastard to marry you. Succeed, and you’ll get your brother back in one piece. Fail.” My heart skips a beat at the click sound the gun makes in his hands. “Fail, and I’ll break every bone in his body, then feed him to my sharks.” He threatens with his hand outstretched to me. “It’s simple enough, so do we have a deal?” The Mafia Lord asks, his lips curving to form an evil grin. Like I have a choice. “Yes.” --

He asked me to take everything. Every kiss. Every fight. Every quiet morning he ever let himself be soft with me. Every single memory of the five years we spent loving each other in secret. He said it was the only way to keep me safe. That if he walked into the enemy’s camp knowing he had a mate, they would use me to destroy him. So he asked me to hold his memories inside me, like I was a box he could trust, and he promised he would come back for them in six months. That was five years ago. Caius is home now. But he doesn’t remember me. He doesn’t remember any of it. And the worst part? He is falling in love with me all over again, slowly, the way he did the first time, and I am standing here with all of him inside my head, watching him meet me like a stranger. I know every single thing about him. His nightmares. The way he takes his coffee. The scar on his ribcage from the night he almost died protecting me. The exact words he said when he first told me he loved me. He knows nothing about me. And now the people he spent five years hunting are closing in, the mission is falling apart, and the only way to save him is to give him back everything he asked me to take. But if I do that, he will remember everything they did to me while he was gone. And the Caius who remembers is not the kind of man who lets things go.

I had been married to Derek for six years, and we had a three-year-old son. He was poor, earning only $2,000 a month, but I had no complaints; I took care of everything at home for him. After getting dinner on the table for the whole family, I finally had a minute to check my phone. A video popped up on my feed: a twenty-two-year-old girl from a rural area whose hands, roughened by years of hard labor, looked like they belonged to a sixty-two-year-old woman. I looked down at my own hands, just as worn and scarred, and stared at them blankly before tapping into the comments. I expected people to feel bad for her. However, to my surprise, the comments section was flooded with a single sentiment: "Why would anyone marry a penniless loser?" One of the top-liked comments came from a couple; in their photo, they were pictured holding hands—fingers tightly intertwined—with the girl sporting a massive diamond ring. The accompanying caption read: "A man who truly loves you would never bear to let you suffer." I felt a pang of envy. Given the choice, who wouldn't want a glamorous life? As I was about to close the app, I accidentally tapped on the couple's photo, enlarging it. In the background, previously too blurry to make out, was a face I recognized. It looked exactly like my husband, Derek Sterling. I froze, and almost against my will, I tapped into the account's profile. Post after post of lavish photos of them together flooded my screen. And then I saw him clearly. The scar above his brow, the one he got when a shelf fell on him while protecting me, was still plainly visible. It was my husband. It was Derek.