An Unscented Trace

3 years after getting married, I am still a virgin. "Lucien, let's get a divorce," I said in a peremptory tone that was long overdue, the most decisive farewell to this absurd marriage. We had been married for exactly three years—three years that, for me, were filled with nothing but endless loneliness and torment. For three years, the husband who should have stood by my side through every storm, Lucien Sullivan, had completely disappeared from my life as if he had never existed. He vanished without a trace, leaving me alone to endure this empty, desolate marriage. Today, I finally received his message: "I'm back. Come pick me up at the airport." When I read his words, my heart leapt with joy, and I raced to the airport, thinking that he finally understood my love and was coming back to me. But his cruelty was far worse than I could have ever imagined—he was accompanied by a pregnant woman, and that woman was Carla, my closest and most trusted friend. In that moment, all of my previous excitement, all my hope, and all of our shared laughter and tears turned into the sharpest of daggers, stabbing into my heart and leaving me gasping for air. He should know that it was his own hand that trampled our love underfoot, that his coldness and betrayal created this irreparable situation. But when he heard those words, he desperately clung to this broken, crumbling marriage, unwilling to let it end—almost as though doing so could rewind time and return everything to how it used to be. "Aurora, come back. I regret everything!" Regret? Those simple words stirred no emotion in me—only endless sadness and fury. My heart let out a frantic, desperate scream: It's too late for any of this!

Four years ago, she meet a man in a place where high illegal people exist. A place where she saw those beautiful dark eyes that make her gape and awe at the same time. She was so enthralled with the man's aura na hindi niya na alam kong anong ipapangalan sa nararamdaman niya. And then unexpected things happened that made her choose to stayed with a guy who is a stranger to her yet give her an extraordinary feeling. The guy is really are an eye capture. And no matter how confuse she is of what she feels towards him. Still the fact remain that he can make her happy by just only his presence. And just when she thought that everything was perfect. Things happened so fast. He left and gone with no trace and even a hint where to find him. He left her hanging with her feelings that she didn't know what to name for. Left only nothing but the necklace and the unexplainable feeling he gave her. Until she lost track with him. Four years had passed still the unexplainable feelings remained. And when faith help her, she was beyond happy. But now, while watching the man who's kissing another girl. She cannot stop her heart by breaking into pieces. All the questions has now been answered. She's in love, yet it broke her heart knowing that the man she loved can't love her back. She saw how his eyes glow in happiness, and the reason behind that is not her. And no matter how it kills her she accepted defeat for the first time. Her name is Lorraine, a name that is too innocent yet hide a personality that anyone should fear of. She's lethal. A fighter. No one can defeat her. But LOVE does.

A prophecy forces alliances to form and secrets from the past to be revealed. War is on the horizon. The darkness is spreading, forcing the eldest prince of Pearl, Theodavian Sagedeluna, to return to the Tempest Elysium. His long lost best friend, Calyx, disappeared without a trace fifteen years prior after a night he can't remember with all her secrets. What happens when fate brings them back together and the secrets begin to unravel? Calyx has her secrets that she has sworn to keep. With Theodavian returning as her family legacy forces her to stay put, it is fate that they once again cross paths. The secrets she keeps are robbing her of immortality, but fate forces all secrets to be revealed. What if she can no longer protect Theodavian from the secrets she carries? What if he won't allow her to? * Seraphina is the palace healer of The Great Willow. When she was a child, her parents were murdered beyond recognition. Dante Elderys, supreme councilor of justice of The Great Willow Tree, is Lady Crystobelle's most trusted warrior and ambassador. After rescuing her that fateful night, he has watched her grow up and mature into a lady of integrity and pure heart. He has sworn to protect her always even from himself and his secret desires. Seraphina knows an elf of Dante's high status would never consider her to be someone worthy of forming a matebond with. In fact, she already knows the beautiful elf that has already captured his heart to her broken heart's dismay. With the war coming and Lilies Of Celeste needing to be harvested for Calyx's health tonics, her first adventure away from The Great Willow Tree reveals the truth of her identity and the secrets Seraphina and Dante both keep from one another.

"With all the heat coming from his eyes, I'm surprised the garage does not catch fire. I take long gulps of the cold night air when we finally reach the exits. For a moment there, Mr. Dark and Dangerous looked like he wanted to swallow me whole…" ********** Strong, powerful, filthy rich and ruthless are qualities that do not even begin to describe Luca Blackstone, Capo of the American crime syndicate. After suffering unimaginable torture in the hands of Romanov Anton, then Bratva Enforcer, during his time in prison, he has just one agenda. Eliminate the man that destroyed his life and killed off his parents then wipe out every trace of family he has left. Skylar Romanov is at the top of his kill-list. The twenty year old daughter of a Russian monster is fast becoming the object of a very dark obsession–his obsession. He vows to own her completely, body soul and mind. He plans to break her resolve. He craves her total surrender. The little Russian minx proves to be his most difficult conquest. But what belongs to Blackstone forever belongs to Blackstone and she belongs to him. She's mine. Checkmate, baby. Skylar Romanov has been sheltered and protected for all her life. Her entire life comes crashing down and she is forced to live with the one man responsible for the possible death of her father. He wishes to have her surrender but she vows to fight him every step of the way. She vows to make herself immune to the dark, alluring power that practically oozes from Luca Blackstone. Becoming Mrs. Blackstone spins a spellbinding tale of lies, deceit, secrets and passion – very illicit passion. When two arrogant souls collide, sparks are sure to fly. Will she finally give in to Mr. Dark and deadly?

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Kitten,” he warned, his eyes cold as he watched her hand slowly trace his exposed abs. The corner of her lips quirked up, and then she leaned forward, stuck out her tongue, and then lapped at his ear slowly and sensually. In a split second, she was flipped over and then pinned to the wall. “You asked for this, Kitten.” His emotionless face finally changed as he revealed a scorching gaze that surprised her. She wanted to protest, but it became a gasp when she realized his hand had crept beneath her gown. His hand began to move, and her gasp soon changed into moans. His other hand had never let her neck go as he squeezed tighter. “That’s right! That is what I want to hear. Since you asked for it, I’ll make you moan till your voice is no more and you have reached your limit. Even then, I won’t stop.” Jasmine was plus-sized, but she was happy because she had a fiance who she believed loved her, a step-sister who could die for her, and loved ones who treated her like a princess. Well, that all changes when her fiancee dumps her at the altar after body shaming and scamming her of all she had. To worsen things, she finds him in bed with her step-sister. Left with no one, as even those she believed to be her loved ones deserted her, she supposedly committed suicide. Three years later, she turns up at her step-sister’s and ex-fiance’s wedding, looking astonishingly different. As if that weren’t enough shock, she suddenly declares that she isn’t back for her ex-fiancee but his gorgeous hunk of a father. And to their utter disbelief, he accepts her proposal.

I run into my former sister-in-law, whom I haven't seen in ages, during a prenatal checkup at the hospital. Wynne Jenkins glances at my belly. And just like she always does, her face crinkles with disdain as she starts nagging me. "Look at you, wandering around with a pregnant belly at your age," she hollers. "What if something happens to my baby nephew? Can't you be a little more sensible and stop making Sean worry all the time?" She must have forgotten. A year ago, Mom was gravely ill. Her only wish was to see me married with children. I staked everything and proposed to Sean Jenkins. On our big day, I waited from dawn until nightfall—only to receive a 30-second voice message from him. "I won't show up at the ceremony, and I won't marry you. This is what you get for bullying Lav." Mom was so enraged by Sean's recklessness that she suffered a heart attack and passed away. After taking care of her funeral, I erased every trace of myself. With what little I had left, I fled Horton—while Sean was still abroad, skiing with Lavender Quinn. And yet now, Wynne says, "Sean spends more than two weeks every month flying around looking for you. He's lost nearly 20 pounds in less than a year. "He's been waiting for you, Janelle. Now that you're back, please stay and build a family with him." I smirk and raise my hand, flaunting the ring on my finger. "Sorry, I like to keep a low profile. I'm already married, but we kept the ceremony simple. That's why you didn't know."

Zesa Russo commands the boardroom with the same precision and confidence she brings to every aspect of her life. At 28, she’s the fierce CEO of Techya, a company she’s built from the ground up. Driven, unrelenting, and unapologetically bold, she’s never been one to wait for a prince charming to come sweep her off her feet—instead, she’s the force that shapes her own destiny. And her destiny has always involved him. The man who had once eluded her grasp, the one she had silently craved for years. But Zesa isn’t the kind to let love slip through her fingers. No. She's determined to make him hers, no matter what. Slowly, inevitably, she knows he’ll surrender his heart to her—just like everything else she’s ever set her sights on. ____ Levi’s mischievous gaze locks onto mine, daring, seductive, his lips curving into a slow smirk as he steps closer. “Should I stop?” His voice is velvet, deep and teasing, laced with danger. But I don’t flinch. “No,” I breathe, my pulse quickening, every nerve in my body on edge. His smirk deepens, a dark promise in his eyes as his fingers slowly trace the hem of my dress, lifting it with agonizing precision. The whisper of fabric against my skin sends shivers down my spine. His lips—warm, soft, and skilled—graze the sensitive skin of my inner thighs. Levi’s hand slips beneath the fabric, fingertips brushing against my desire, teasing, drawing out a soft gasp from me. The heat between us is suffocating, yet intoxicating. “Levi…” My voice trembles as he nips gently at my thigh, his breath hot against my skin. “You’ll be the one begging me to stop,” he murmurs, the promise in his words thick, dripping with need.

On the day of my bonding ceremony with Vincent Sawyer, the future Alpha, the moonstone ring meant for me, the future Luna, has mysteriously disappeared from the ringbox. In its place sits a can tab that has already gone black from oxidation. The guests' cheers die down immediately. They all turn to look at me after that. Amid the silence, Vincent's childhood sweetheart, Sharon Anderson, walks out from the crowd. She raises her left hand and waves, the moonstone ring perched on her ring finger. Then, she pulls out a matching ring before sliding it onto Vincent's finger. "You must be scared out of your wits, huh, Angelica? I'm actually wearing the ring right now. This can tab is no ordinary item, you know. Vincent had given it to me when we were still pups. It resembles everlasting love that will never fade away. Now, I'm giving it to you." Sharon's words strike me right in my heart. I tremble violently, feeling as if my heart is being cut into a million pieces. However, Vincent just chuckles. "Sharon always comes up with silly ideas. She's just joking around, Angelica. Don't take her actions to heart." "Oh, I won't." I toss the can tab into the bonfire, a dry chuckle escaping from my lips. "This bonding ceremony is canceled." Vincent grabs my hand before pulling me into his arms. "Stop messing around, Angelica! We found the ring, didn't we? This bonding alliance will affect the future of our packs! You're not the one calling the shots here!" I squirm out of Vincent's grasp, catching a trace of sickly sweet scent lingering around him—one that isn’t mine at all. "While it's true that the Moonlake pack is going to form a bonding alliance with the Brownstone pack, my future mate isn't necessarily you."

“You’re mine now,” Nero’s voice was low, rough velvet that sent chills down her spine. “No one touches what’s mine. No one even thinks about touching what he can't afford- his life.” A flicker of heat curled through Amara’s body despite herself. “Don’t kid yourself ” she shot back. “This marriage exists only because of our children.” He gave a short, dangerous laugh. “Is that what you tell yourself to sleep at night whenever I hear you orgasm at the thought of me every night?” ~~~~~~~~~` Two years earlier, Amara had spent a single reckless night with Nero De Santoro — the man whispered about as the most ruthless crime lord in Italy. That night left her with more than regret; it left her with his twins Determined to keep her children safe from his violent world, she vanished without a trace, raising her daughter in the shadows. But when her children fell dangerously ill, Amara’s desperate search for help forced her to face the one man she swore she’d never see again. Nero was stunned to learn he had a daughter — and cruelly clear about his terms. If Amara wanted his support, she would have to marry him. What began as a cold-blooded arrangement soon twisted into something neither could control. Amara expected to despise him, but behind the walls of his power, she glimpsed pieces of a man she didn’t recognize — protective, haunted, almost tender. Every argument, every stolen glance, every night they shared blurred the line between hate and hunger. Until Amara uncovered a devastating secret — a connection between Nero De Santoro, her husband, and the tragedy that had destroyed her family years ago. A tragedy that had made her turn her back on her Mafia bloodline..........

Every bonding anniversary, Shawn would bring home a new human girl from the outside—always under the lovely pretense of letting me mentor her on how to serve an Alpha. On our seventh anniversary, he brought back a nightclub girl dressed in a Princess Snow White outfit—cheap satin trembling under the chandelier's light. “She doesn’t have anything appropriate for an occasion like this,” he said casually. “Let her borrow your bonding dress. And the jewelry I gave you last time. As for shoes—what you're wearing now will do.” Then he added, with a trace of irony, “She’s just a young human girl, clueless. Teach her a few things about our world, will you? Especially the part about the bed.” Everyone was waiting for the spectacle—for me to break again, as I always had. And I didn’t disappoint them. I looked at Shawn, my voice steady, and said I wanted a bond-severance. He laughed—short and sharp—and leaned back like he was watching a comedy. “Clara, when are you going to stop with this bond-severance nonsense? I’ve heard it so many times. They’re just human girls, while you are my Luna. How could they ever compare to you?” Then, grinning as if doing me a favor, he added, “Fine. If you really want a bond-severance, I’ll gift you a territory in the south. Consider it a reward for doing your job as my Luna.” The room erupted in laughter. To them, I was ridiculous—greedy, jealous, hysterical. But what they didn’t know was that this was the 365th time I’d asked for a bond-severance. And the first time, I truly meant it. When he found out I wasn’t joking this time, he lost his composure. He searched for me across the world—only after he realized I was no longer where he thought I’d always be.