An Imperial Affliction By Peter Van Houten

“I don’t want to be here.”I let out, weakly and tugged my face away from his hand. God! Where had all the oxygen gone to? I was finding it hard to breathe and he kept pressing his body against mine. “You look adorable when you lie.” He held my chin, forcing me to stare at him. “I am sure if I were to wrap your legs around my waist and fuck you against this door, you’d take my cock like a good girl.” He drawled, his cold eyes spearing into my soul. Heat pooled between my legs and I shook my head. **** Forced to marry Alora Ramos, Gael Torres vowed to remain in a loveless marriage with her. He gave her his rules. She wasn’t allowed to feel jealousy or any other possessive feelings towards him. They were in an open marriage where they could do whatever they wanted. But Gael never imagined Alora truly having extra marital affairs. And he definitely never imagined her getting involved with his cousin, the ruthless Don Lorenzo Armani. She had always been the docile little girl who followed him around. And then he realized that he might just end up breaking his own rules. Was it too late to get her back?

Eureka was forced into a marriage with Raymond Blackwood, the CEO who never wanted her. Lies, betrayal, and a broken heart sent her running.   Years later, she returns successful, with a teenage boy Raymond doesn’t even know exist, and the quest to find her daughter because she gave birth to twins, but one was stolen. When fate brings them together again, the truth behind their broken marriage starts to surface.   Can Raymond fix the damage he caused, or is it too late for forgiveness and love?

Lily was the little sister of my fiancé’s best friend. She was a mistress to a mafia Don—a sugar daddy—until his wife found out, and the clip of Lily getting beaten up ended up on the local news. Yet, somehow, everyone thought the woman getting dragged on TV was me. People at work who never liked me jumped at the chance to pile on. One of them even pointed right at my face and called me shameless. I tried to explain, “My fiancé is Sam Johnson, the CEO of Johnson Group. He’s handsome and ranked third on the Forbes list. Why would I become a mistress to a sugar daddy?” However, no one believed me. If anything, they looked at me like I was even more pathetic. One coworker sneered and pointed to the TV. “You’re not just morally bankrupt; you’re a liar. The CEO’s fiancée? That’s not you.” The TV was playing a breaking news segment titled: First Appearance of Johnson Group CEO’s Fiancée. And there Sam was, arm in arm with Lily, officially announcing their relationship.

The stench of silver dust filled the air, and every breath seared my lungs. My broken body lay twisted among the jagged rocks of the abandoned silver mine, where even the strongest werewolf would feel their strength waning. Beside me, my mate’s first love, Sophia, whimpered softly. A shallow scrape marked her knee. The tunnel was collapsing. Only two people could pass through the exit at a time. Lucas did not hesitate to scoop Sophia in his arms and abandon me. His golden eyes, once filled with unwavering loyalty toward me, now burned with something colder—indifference. I reached out, my fingers trembling as they grasped the hem of his clothing. My voice was hoarse with despair. "Lucas… please… don't leave me here." “I am your mate. I’m carrying your pups.” He glanced at me with a clenched jaw and broke free, shoving me back onto the silver-laced ground. Agony burned through my veins, consuming my soul like fire. “Are you serious, Ava?! After pushing Sophia into this damn abyss and getting her injured, you still dare to compare with her.” “You know what?! You deserve to be left here and reflect on your mistakes!” With that, he vanished into the light, and the tunnel collapsed behind him. His words cut deeper than silver ever could, and the last thing I heard before darkness swallowed me was the sound of their retreating footsteps.

It was a small pull, that had her confused at first, but kept bothering her like a strand of hair attached to your arm that you can't find and remove. When she focused on it, the pull drove her to touch his chest lightly. She cleared her mind to make sense of the foreign sensation that spoke to her and when she did, it was strange and dark. He was calling for fire. ---- Brianna is a witch that tends to the needs of nature by controlling the four elements. Nathaniel is a phoenix assigned to her village by a mysterious and suspicious organization, the Council. He is a master of fire, unwaveringly dedicated to his life's work. She is an untamable force of nature. Can their unexpected encounter alter the path of fate?

Tessa is the picture perfect student with good grades, flawless attendance and a charming smile. With one year left to graduate high school and a bucket list imposed by her best friend, her goal is pretty much the same with an extra addition—tick off every item on the cursed bucket list. But trouble comes knocking in the form of blue eyes, muscled body and an ego the size of her head. What happens when the school's badboy, Benjamin notices her in a boxing ring?

"I hate you so much, even the wind that soothes your face, scars my existence." Victor rebuked his mate Katia as she tried to treat his bleeding scar. Six months hitherto, Victor's existence was only but a myth after he was taken from his Alpha mother at birth and used as an experiment by the US military to create a hybrid. He was rescued by doctor Ronald when he was eight years old following an incident that took the life of the man he considered his only family. Ten years later, Doctor Ronald had preened Victor into not only a wise young man but a brave and self-discipline hybrid. Victor was given an assignment, to interact and get to learn more about humans and how to be one. He was sent to Greenwood high school by Dr. Ronald with the hope of getting him to adapt to their nature, but unknown to Dr.Ronald, the military was ahead of him as they planted Katia who acted as a fellow student and a friend to Victor to lure him to her trap and have him surrendered to the military. Darkness is imminent when Victor learns about his true identity upon the death of Dr. Ron who was murdered by katia, his mysterious mate. Will Victor ever let go of the past and accept his enemy as his mate or will seek vengeance.

PART 2 - OWNED BY THE BULLY - IS OUT NOW! Alice only wanted to help her younger brother when she confronted his bully. She ends up agreeing to do whatever Adam wants in return for him leaving her brother alone. He goes one step further, befriending and protecting her brother, but only for as long as Alice agrees to follow his orders. Orders that become increasingly difficult for her to agree to.

The Empire rules on the wings of dragons. Riders are hand-selected for training from childhood, and Anzi is one of the rare few who wait to hatch theirs this year. Until she discovers the terrible truth that the dragon riders are not partners with their dragons: they're slavers. The dragons are bred in captivity and enslaved from within the egg, and they are nothing but mindless shadows of what their once-noble species used to be. After two hundred years, the surviving dragons in the wild are coming back to rescue their brethren. How they survived the Purge, no one knows, but they are angry and they are coming, in fire and in storm. And as she struggles to come to terms with the realization that the nation she loves so much that she would give her life for it may be nothing more than propaganda and illusion, she discovers something else: The dragons who survived the Purge are shifters, able to hide in human form. And Anzi has met one of them already. Her mate.

Gemini is special, a blessed wolf or so her Alpha keeps telling her. With the ability to take others pain and heal them since she was twelve she’s been stuck in this “blessed life” of pain and suffering. But it’s not until her brother is exiled that she realizes she’s not an asset to her pack— She’s a prisoner. And she wants out. Roscoe is cursed, the Lycan King forced to live outside his pack in order for it to thrive. For years he has suffered in silence searching for the key to release him from his own personal hell and for years he’s searched in vein. But when an offering goes awry he finds himself face to face with the twists of fate and he isn’t sure what to do with it—well, her. He thinks she is an offering, and she thinks she can escape him. But can one ever really escape fate?