Animal Instincts

My mate, Andrew Claude, is the Alpha of the Celestial Pack, the sworn rival of my father’s Venus Pack. For three years, we have hidden our bond, knowing that our union could either bring peace between the packs or ignite war. On Lunar Year's Eve, beneath the full moon’s silver glow, we stand on the castle terrace, whispering promises of our future. Tonight, we finally agree to perform our bonding ritual, sealing our fates before revealing our love to our parents. My wolf stirs in anticipation, her instincts urging me toward him. But then, Andrew leaps down into the grand fire-dance festival, his powerful wolf form shifting mid-air before landing in a flourish. The scent of burning pine and roasted venison fills the air, warriors howling in celebration. The pack’s bonfire crackles with enchanted flames, casting shadows of prowling wolves against the towering stone walls. I watch from above, heart pounding with joy—until my smile fades. In the heart of the revelry, Carol Sinclair, an Omega maid, clutches a bundle of enchanted fireworks. Andrew strides to her, a warm, easy grin on his face. With a flick of his fingers, golden flames dance from his palms, sparking the firework in her hands. "A little fire magic to help you, Carol," he chuckles. She gasps in admiration, giggling as the firework ignites—only for it to spiral out of control. It veers wildly, the enchanted embers lashing through the air. Searing pain blooms across my arm. The stench of burning flesh fills my nose. I barely react before Carol bursts into tears and flees into the crowd. Before I can speak, Andrew turns on me, his golden eyes flashing with rage. The onlookers fall silent, ears twitching to catch their Alpha’s words. “Did you bully her, Bella?” His growl rumbles deep in his chest. “Just because you’re an Alpha’s heir doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want!” The warriors glance at each other, their tails stiff with tension. I stagger back, stunned. He doesn’t even ask if I’m hurt.

In the dangerous world of organised crime, few escape unscathed. For one woman, the promise of a better life away from her gangster husband was too tempting to ignore. But as she attempts to start over in a new town, she quickly learns that life on the run is just as dangerous as living with her husband. With her past catching up to her, she finds herself hunted by both the law and her husband's criminal associates. Desperate to protect herself and her children, she must rely on her wits and survival instincts to stay one step ahead of danger. As she struggles to keep her family safe, she begins to realise that the life she left behind may be the only one she truly knows. With her husband and his associates closing in, she must make a choice: continue running and risk everything, or confront her past and fight for a chance at a new beginning. In this heart-pounding tale of love, loss, and redemption, one woman's journey to escape her husband's criminal empire takes her to the edge of danger and back. Will she find the strength to break free and start a new life, or will her past catch up with her once and for all?

Alaric and I had been mates for five years, and I had believed with all my heart that I would become the first female Gamma of the pack by proving myself in the warrior’s trial. I had trained relentlessly, sharpening my claws and honing my instincts, ready to fight for my rightful place. But fate had other plans. Three days before the trial, I was ambushed by rogues. They didn't just attack me—they hunted me like prey. They tormented me with the silver knife so that my wolf was dead. The scent of death clung to me, my wolf howling in agony, desperately trying to heal, but the wounds ran too deep. As I lay barely conscious on the blood-stained sheets, I heard my husband's cold, indifferent voice. "Is she dead?" The witch doctor hesitated before answering, "No, but—" "It doesn’t matter," Alaric interrupted, Coat her wounds with wolfsbane and silver—make sure it seeps into her blood, burns through her veins, and poisons her wolf beyond repair. I want her body to reject her own nature, so she will never heal. There will only be one Gamma in this pack, and that's Serina." In that moment, the truth became clear—I had never truly stood a chance in the warrior’s trial I had dreamed of. The battle had been decided long before I ever stepped into the arena.

She doesn't belong to his world, where men like him rule and women are put up on auction blocks to be sold to the highest bidder. — When Sienna Williams meets Giovanni Adams, the Lord of the Italian Mafia, she has no idea that her life is about to change. Agreeing to his proposition of spending just one night in his bed as repayment for a debt, she's set her mind on what to expect from this ruthless, dangerous business man. But what she finds out is that there's more to Giovanni that meets the eye, and sadly, one night with him will simply not be enough. Giovanni Adams is cruel, vicious and mean. He always gets what he wants. And no one owes him. Ever. When Ciara Williams betrays him, he goes for the only treasure she has left in the world. Her sister, Sienna. Sienna's fierceness excites his primal instincts, and he was rest assured that one night in his bed would quench this sudden, burning passion.

Nothing can bring two people together like an adorable little pooch! Brady Rogers took the job as the new city planner for Holiday Hills expecting a town rich with Christmas spirit. What he finds is anything but. Due to budget cuts, many of the Christmas activities have been cancelled. When a cute little dog steals his scarf, he's led to a couple of people who want to help Holiday Hills regain the towns reputation for being the place to celebrate. Could it be that little dog has also led him to love? Noelle Snow loves her job running the animal shelter, but she needs more money to keep the no-kill shelter a float. When she meets Brady, thanks to a sweet pup named Pooch, she might just be able to save the shelter, help the town find their Christmas spirit, and fall in love. But when the town's mayor has different ideas about how the budget should be spent, Brady and Noelle's plans might just fall apart and tear a riff between them. Will Pooch be enough to bring them back together?

I was a mermaid from the deep sea. Out of curiosity and playfulness, I was caught by a fisherman and endured unbearable torment. Just when I was on the brink of death, Trevon Chapman happened to pass by and saved me. So, I gave up my identity as a mermaid princess, left the ocean behind, and followed him into the human world. For five years after our marriage, Trevon granted my every wish and showered me with affection. I truly believed I had found a safe harbor I could depend on for the rest of my life—until fate struck with its cruelest blow. Trevon's childhood sweetheart had fallen gravely ill, and only a mermaid’s tail could save her. I begged him desperately, but he responded with chilling indifference. "You're only losing your legs. Corinne is losing her life. Are you really that heartless? You're just going to watch her die?" "Besides, you can’t return to the sea anymore. That tail means nothing to you now. From now on, I’ll be your legs." After the surgery, I sat in a wheelchair, running my hand over the empty fabric where my legs should have been, and calmly demanded a divorce. Trevon pulled Corinne into his arms, sneering. "You're neither human nor fish now—a monster. Without me, the only road left for you is death." Yet in the end, when I transformed back into a mermaid and leapt into the sea, his cries and desperate sobs echoed across the waves.

After the war between humans and shifters, an alliance was formed to keep the peace. The price? Daughters of the human nobility had to choose a shifter as their mate. The first half-blood born from this union would become the new ruler, ensuring that peace would last. As the eldest daughter of the Morrison family, I was the first to be chosen. But right after I chose the wolf Alpha, Calvin, I saw a vision on our engagement day. Because I failed to conceive after six months, Calvin locked me in a cage, determined to use me as a vessel for his pure bloodline. After I finally gave birth to the prophesied hybrid, my sister, Trina, appeared, claiming she wanted to take care of me. But the truth was, she hated me for being able to bear the perfect bloodline, while her own mate, that beautiful Elven Chief, was making her life a living hell. Driven by jealousy, she seduced Calvin, and together, they had me brutally murdered. After my death, the world saw Trina as the new hope, as the one destined to bear the future ruler. Only one person fought for me: Caleb, the leader of the bear clan. He was the only one who demanded justice. A sharp pain lanced through my chest, and I snapped out of the vision. Before me, Trina begged me to give Calvin to her, revealing he had already marked her. I nodded. To everyone's shock, I walked past them all, my eyes fixed on the one person no one ever seemed to notice: Caleb, sitting in the corner. "Caleb Thorne, will you accept my proposal?"

England, 1876. Twenty-year-old Maraina Blackwood has always struggled to adhere to the restrictive standards of Victorian society, denying the courage and desire that burn within her soul. But after a terrifying supernatural encounter, Maraina's instincts compel her to action. Maraina soon discovers a plot to unleash a new world—one of demonic aristocrats, bloody rituals, and nightmarish monsters. Putting her upbringing aside, Maraina vows to fight the dark forces assuming control of England. But as her world transforms, Maraina finds that she too must transform...and what she becomes will bring out all that she once buried. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

I'm no longer a human, my life is over. I've left everyone I love. I've gone rogue from the CIA. My only hope is my handler. She is tough enough to face my monster. If I lose control, she won't hesitate to take me out. But I'm not the only predator out there. Someone's hunting her. She needs my protection. But if I don't get my animal under control, I may be her biggest threat yet.

Rose Angles was minding her business in the secret shifter town, Mayes Grove. Her father, Russell Angles, the town’s Peacekeeper, and the feared Alpha of the Hollow Wood Pack, lives by his reputation and his daughter was an enormous embarrassment to him. If he could he’d never had her. Rose plans to leave are going just fine, until rumours of a rogue pack coming to town and they were causing quite a stir with their plans to settle there. When she met their alpha, a wolf she suddenly wants to climb like a tree. He’s the one, and all her plans go out the window. Rose’s instincts are in overdrive as her father goes to war with her fated mate. Tyler Randell, Alpha of the Shadow Pack, just delisted from the military along with his pack. He’s back in the town where he was driven from as a pup. Where he watched his parents murdered for control of his pack. The Hollow Wood Pack is rightfully his and he’s returned to reclaim it. Ty’s got plans to steal the pack from Russell Angles with little to no bloodshed. Mayes Grove is in for a shake up, and Rose Angles is the linchpin. Can Rose find a better life? Will there be war between the Hollow Wood and Shadow Packs? Can the troubled town of Mayes Grove survive the violence? What are Ty’s plans for the enticing Rose? Welcome to Mayes Grove, hunker down and mind your manners at all times. The fur’s flying and claws are slashing. And that’s just in the bedroom.