Adult Ash Ketchum

She loved him. He humiliated her. Now she’s walking away—for good! Lily gave up everything for her husband, William Aldridge—the man she believed was her forever. But on their anniversary, the night she planned to share the news of her long-awaited pregnancy, she walked in on him tangled in the arms of her best friend. With betrayal cutting deeper than any knife and humiliation turning her heart to ash, Lily makes a choice. No more tears. No more waiting to be loved. If not for her shattered dignity, then for the sake of her unborn child, she will return to her true self—Lilian Arkwright, the hidden heiress of the powerful Arkwright Conglomerate. But just as she begins to rebuild her shattered world, she catches the attention of Aaron Aldridge—the devilishly handsome, younger tycoon brother of William, with secrets of his own and a desire to win her heart, no matter the cost. Now torn between the father of her unborn child, the man who broke her... and the man who would do anything to love her, Lilian must decide: Forgiveness or freedom? Past or future? ~•~•~ Pa! Lily threw the stack of documents on the table in front of him. Without waiting for him to question, she said. "Divorce papers, sign them." William stared at the documents like they were a foreign language. “Divorce papers? You’re not serious,” he said, his voice low, disbelieving. Lily remained seated across from him, her expression unreadable. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.” Leaning forward, she slid the pen across the table toward him and repeated. “Sign it.”

A dangerous and forbidden love triangle ensues when Ruby Lakewood finds herself stuck between the famous Riverstone twins. . . Ruby Lakewood's life is going smoothly until her father suffers a heart attack because he's at the brink of losing all that he has worked for. In other to save her father and his company, she accepts an arranged marriage with one of the brothers. Ethan Riverstone suffers from a sin committed in his past and for this reason, his mental health is unstable. When he sees Ruby, he clings to her instantly as he believes she's the only one who can save him. Ash Riverstone holds a grudge against his brother and has sworn to do nothing but destroy him in the most painful way for the sin that he committed. When he sees his brother's bride, a wicked game plays in his mind on how to destroy Ethan. On the night of Ruby's wedding, Ash makes love to her instead of his twin brother and she's unable to realize this until it's too late. Feelings begin to ignite between all three hearts and enemies as well as sins of the past come together to destroy all three of them. Will Ethan's past get the better of him and destroy him first or will Ash's wicked game do the trick? And most especially, who will get the girl in the end?

A rogue attack shattered my wolf, costing me my birthright as the pack's heir. But my mate, Alpha Kael, seemed devoted to me. For three years, he injected me with a "Lunar Essence" he claimed would help me heal. I thought he was the only wolf who truly loved me. I never imagined he was poisoning me with Silver Dust, a suppressant designed to crush my wolf's spirit. All to ensure my wolf would never reawaken, securing my adopted sister Selene's claim as the pack's Alpha heir. My hands shook, my world turning to ash, as I opened his safe. Inside was the proof. From the rogue attack to the loss of my wolf, it was all a conspiracy orchestrated by Kael and Selene. That night, I pulled the burner phone from my drawer and dialed a number I'd sworn I'd never call. "Grandfather, I'm coming home. I'll be there in seven days. Please send someone for me."

Samantha Collins is a wild and rebellous rodeo girl, the daughter of Kevin Collins, the famous bronc and bull rider. She has spent her entire adult life traveling from Rodeo to Rodeo with her best friend and team mate Danielle Morgan, banking their earnings so that they can buy out her Father and take over the family's horse training and breeding facility. When she decides to attend the Red River Cattle Company's three day rodeo weekend, her father worries but sends her on her way.Alexander Bennett is the eldest of the four Bennett brothers, and the future Alpha of the Red River pack. He is in charge of the security and safety of the packs and, for only the second year in a row, the humans allowed to attend the rodeo. When his father, Alpha Michael, receives a registration for a Samantha Collins, he becomes increasingly anxious about her arrival. He places Alex in charge of her safety, and increases the patrols. He refuses to explain why, and simply attributes it to having humans at the rodeo.After running into the Bennett brothers, and having an accident at the camping site when she first arrives, Sam and Dani are into a world of werewolves, and secrets. Will Alex be able to keep her safe when she herself doesn't even know exactly what is going on? When a stranger appears at the rodeo, and Sam's past is revealed, can the pack's future be saved?

Elena had once believed that silence could mean safety. That a gentle hand and a warm cup of tea placed quietly on her desk every morning could be a form of love. Lucien was never cruel—not in the obvious ways. He remembered how she liked her eggs, noticed when she swapped her perfume, and sent flowers on days he knew she wouldn’t expect them. He raised her like one would raise a pet—softly, without question. And Elena, foolish in the way only the very lonely can be, mistook his quiet affection for devotion. She told herself he was reserved. Mysterious. That love didn’t always wear its heart on its sleeve. But when the old flame returned—the one who spoke his language without needing to try—Elena saw it. The difference. He looked at her like a man who had found his lost religion. And Elena? She had simply been convenient. No tears, no scene. Just papers on the breakfast table, beside the eggs he cooked perfectly. She didn’t accuse or beg. She only asked for freedom. He didn’t sign. He chuckled. A soft, dismissive sound. “A cat raised indoors doesn’t know how to survive on the street, Elena. You’ll come back." But she didn’t. She disappeared, like smoke—except she didn’t vanish, not really. She lived. She wore colour again. Laughed at bad jokes. Let strange men hand her coffee and ask for her number. Lucien? He watched. He watched her become someone without him. And it drove him mad. The night he cornered her outside the gallery, rain in his hair and desperation in his eyes, he looked like a man undone. "Elena," he breathed, "please. Look at me. Just once." She did. Calm as ever, and her love already gone.

Pierre Paul Abutu gives a humorous, fascinating and dispassionate narration of the unique intimate and romantic events of his life from teenage to adolescence, and into the early stages of his adult life. This narration revolves around the lives, and relationships of sixteen ladies with whom he shared happy, intimate, eventful and evergreen moments of his life with. These love affairs occur in Pierre Abutu’s life, at his university, the Augustine Nnamani Campus, Agbani, in Enugu Campus of the Nigerian Law School, Akwa Ibom State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Due to his religious beliefs, personal convictions, personal principles, metaphysical and supernatural predictions and postulations, the media, intellectual and literary effects in his life, most of these affairs either ended abruptly or amicably. These love affairs also reveal the negative attitudes, traits and deceptive machinations of these girls and ladies. Even though certain unpleasant and resultant effects were never intended at any particular stage, or with any of these girls and ladies, one thing was very clear: each love affair was and would always be evergreen to Pierre Abutu.

Claire Sanchez will apply as Zekiel Gray's secretary for two reasons.** First, she wants to reclaim her late mother's company, and second, she hopes to see one of her twin sons. Back then, she had no choice but to leave the eldest boy at Zekiel's gate, as raising twins was too difficult, and since the child looked exactly like him—except for the eyes, which he inherited from her—Zekiel took him in and raised him. The twins were the result of a night they never expected—a one-night stand. What will happen when Zekiel finds out that his secretary is the woman he’s been searching for all this time? Especially since he’s certain that the mother of his son, Zayn, is the same woman he was with five years ago?

Aldreda Katriel Josson just turned 21. At that time, it was her greatest blunder to believe that she would live a life where she would make her own decisions once she entered the adult stage of life. Being known as a playgirl during her teenage years, her parents have had enough of her numerous scandalous issues with men. Without her knowing, her parents arranged her to Kadmiel Candelon, a 24-year-old young business magnate who is one of the wealthiest bachelors in the country. Feeling heated up in anger with her parents’ decision, Katriel thought of resorting to it with a level up kind of rebellion. Going to different bars every night, making out with several men that were captured by cameras and even accidentally lost her v-card at a one night stand with a man she has no idea who. But then waking up the next morning, meeting her soon-to-be-husband, her world crumbled up seeing the man she’s about to marry is the same man she accidentally lost her v-card to.

Bianca’s childhood was marked by loss and hardship. After her father’s sudden death when she was young, she was forced to live with her cruel aunt, enduring years of mistreatment and neglect. Despite the darkness surrounding her, Bianca’s resilience and strength carried her through the years. In high school, Bianca found solace and love in Ethan, a kind and caring boy who saw her for who she truly was. Their deep connection blossomed into a passionate relationship, but just as things seemed to be falling into place, Ethan disappeared without warning. His abrupt departure was driven by a secret threat that he believed could destroy Bianca’s life. Heartbroken and confused, Bianca never knew the real reason for his departure, and worse, she was left with a life-altering secret—she was pregnant with Ethan’s child. Years later, as an adult, Bianca applies for a job at a prestigious company, unaware that it belongs to none other than Ethan. Their reunion is charged with unresolved emotions and painful memories, and neither is sure how to navigate the stormy waters of their past. As they are forced to work together, they begin to confront the hurt, secrets, and love that never truly faded. Slowly, they rebuild their trust, facing the painful truths that kept them apart. Together, they fight for their second chance at happiness, but Bianca must decide if she can truly forgive Ethan and embrace the love they once shared. In the end, *Depth of Pain* is a story of healing, redemption, and the power of love to overcome even the deepest wounds. Bianca and Ethan’s journey is one of rediscovery, where they learn that the only way to move forward is to face the past head-on.

I am a vampire, and that is the truth. But the modern meaning of the word vampire, the stories that have been told about creatures such as I, are not precisely true. I do not turn to ash in the sun, nor do I cringe when I see a crucifix. I wear a tiny gold cross now around my neck, but only because I like it. I cannot command a pack of wolves to attack or fly through the air. Nor can I make another of my kind simply by having him drink my blood. Wolves do like me, though, as do most predators, and I can jump so high that one might imagine I can fly. As to blood--ah, blood, the whole subject fascinates me. I do like that as well, warm and dripping, when I am thirsty. And I am often thirsty.