Animal Spirit Zodiac

Ninety-nine lashes. That was the price of loving the Alpha’s son. Bettoni Williams gave everything to Ardon. Her heart. Her trust. Her dignity. In return, he accused her of witchcraft, stripped her of her rank, and watched as she was whipped ninety-nine times in the public square. Broken, disowned, and demoted to a Gamma, Bettoni swore she would never trust a royal again. She planned to rot in the slums, to remain invisible and forgotten. But fate, and a bored Alpha Commander, had other plans. When the kingdom's most feared war hero, Commander Zachery, returns home, Alpha Jaceon fills the grand hall with silk-dressed noblewomen and forces him to choose a wife before the blood moon or lose everything he has. Annoyed, Zachery slips out the back. Bettoni, hiding from the feast in a dark alley, stumbles upon him in a moment that would make any sensible woman run. She doesn't run, but calls him a wild animal to his face, and this only makes him immediately obsessed with her. He drags her into the feast by the wrist, declaring; "You're going to be my Commandress tonight." Now, Bettoni is trapped in a marriage with a brute who collects wives like trading cards. Zachery is uncouth, violent, and dangerously seductive. He treats the palace like a playground and his brother, the King, like a joke. Bettoni intends to use this monster to climb back to the top and destroy the family that ruined her. But Zachery is not a ladder. He is a cliff. And he has no intention of letting his new sweetheart go. Revenge is a dish best served cold. But the Commander likes his nights scorching hot. ~•~ ️ Mature Content Warning (18+): This story contains 18+ content including explicit erotica, detailed sexual scenes, and mentions of sexual violence including rape and assault. If such themes make you uncomfortable, please read with caution.

Viviana Bellini was a free spirit who loved unconditionally and thought she had found her prince charming who was a mafia until he slept with her supposed best friend and cast her away, now that she is betrayed she swears to return and get her revenge but on reaching her home, she finds out that she had been arranged to a cold mafia don. But instead of staying in the house like the good wife her father wanted her to be, Viviana decided to go into the wild. Raffaele Conte was a man who was cold, calm and a silent assassin who could get blood on his face without even batting an eyelash, he never smiled and he never cried, people called him the cold sculpture until he met Viviana who seemed to show him another color that is not black. But Viviana is not all that meets the eyes and Raffaele has his own secrets. Would these two people navigate into a love unquenchable when the secret is revealed? Or will their various quests tear them apart and make them enemies?

Kat Donovan is at the lowest point of her life: she didn't get her promotion, she's never dated a decent man ever, and she's pretty sure she just spent a few thousand bucks drowning her sorrows in a Vegas strip club.The cherry on top? It's also the last day of her life.Death's at her door, figuratively and literally. One of Hell's Punishers is coming to take her away, to an afterlife full of torture and torment. But of course, with the help of some miracles and her ever-steady fighting spirit, she manages to escape its sneaky clutches.And that's how Kat discovers that the Punisher is not anywhere close to what she thought it is.First off, the Punisher is actually the most drop-dead gorgeous guy Kat's ever seen. Two, the 'miracles' that saved her life are not miracles, but clues to the mystery of her origin, to which the Punisher holds the answers. Three, due to some unfortunate events, their paths are now intertwined—for better and (mostly) for worse. And four, their adventures might just open the mystery of life, the wonders of existence, and the endless possibilities of new love....

To the world, he's the enigmatic Capo of the Chicago Outfit, a man of power, control, and unwavering resolve. He's sculpted his life meticulously, sticking to a code that demands order. Yet, sometimes, even the most disciplined minds can be led astray. Claire “Cindy” Parker is the life of every party, a vivacious burst of sunshine that lights up any room. She's the dance-off initiator, karaoke microphone grabber, and the queen of themed costume parties. But beneath her party-loving spirit, Cindy hides a well of pain and dark memories, mastering the art of masking her inner pain with humor and charm. When these two collide, sparks don't fly; instead, it's like a showdown from an old Western, and shots are fired, both literally and metaphorically. Their personalities are oil and water, refusing to mix, igniting heated arguments that often lead to explosive situations. Yet, beneath the surface tension, an undeniable attraction simmers, their paths destined to intertwine. Slowly but surely, they begin to unravel each other's layers, exposing vulnerabilities they've long kept hidden.

Everything comes crashing down as my eyes widen into his. Both of our breathing labored but his hands not releasing me. “Grace.” He says breathlessly. That name is all it takes to wake me up. ‘Grace’ I’m not Grace. He thinks I’m someone I’m not. I shouldn’t be doing this when he doesn’t even know who he’s with. I scramble off of him and stand in the middle of the room panting. I can see him start to fumble, standing up and walking towards me. I look up at him, my eyes wide. “I’m so sorry. We shouldn’t… We shouldn’t have done that.” I stammer out and he looks at me shocked. Walking towards me like I’m a trapped animal he’s scared is going to run away. “Why, Grace? Why shouldn’t we have done that? Please, just talk to me.” I can hear the pleading in his voice, the fear that I didn’t want him to kiss me, but that’s not it. I don’t know why. Why I’m so scared to just tell them the truth, so I decide to lie. “I’m sorry, Gunner. I like all three of you. I’m not going to choose, so I’ve just decided I wouldn’t be with any of you. It’s not fair to you guys.” I don’t wait for him to respond, I run out the door and down the steps, landing face first in Dean’s chest. He pulls me up and wraps my legs around his waist causing me to gasp. “Who said we’d make you choose, Bambi?” And before I can respond his lips are on mine.

Betrayed by her mate. Hunted by her past. Bound to a power she doesn't understand. Nyra Moonfang has spent her life healing others—only to be shattered when the Alpha she loves uses her magic and casts her aside. Fleeing into the cursed woods, she awakens a darkness buried deep within her: the spirit of a long-dead witch whispering secrets of fire, vengeance, and fate. Captured by the blind and ruthless Alpha King Lucien Bloodmoon, Nyra becomes his prisoner... and his obsession. He sees what others miss—her untamed magic, her hidden strength, and a prophecy that could doom them all. But as dangerous passion ignites between captor and captive, Nyra uncovers a terrifying truth: the voice inside her belongs to Lucien’s greatest enemy—his own mother. Torn between the love that could save her and the darkness that could consume her, Nyra must face an impossible choice: surrender her soul to silence the past, or embrace her destiny and become the weapon the world fears. Her touch could heal—or ruin everything.

After my parents were killed in a territory war, I was taken in by Don Moretti, head of New York's most powerful crime family. I was the only civilian in a world of made men. For twenty years, I was raised alongside his twin heirs, Marco and Santino. Their protection and favor made me the envy of every aspiring mob wife in the city. But when I was finally ready to become a real part of the family, they both turned me down. Marco said, "I need to focus on expanding our territory first. I'm not ready for this kind of commitment." Santino said, "An outsider can't be trusted with family secrets." The next night, at my birthday celebration, they both proposed to the daughter of a low-level enforcer. To prove their loyalty to her, they let her force me to drink "The Don's Fire"—a 150-proof grappa laced with ghost peppers that would hospitalize anyone who wasn't raised on it since childhood. Broken in body and spirit, I made a call from my hospital bed. "I accept the proposal from the Luciano Syndicate."

Rosentine had spent her life yearning for love and warmth, so when her wedding day finally arrived, she believed her dreams were about to come true. But joy turned to despair as her fated mate arrived, not to claim her, but to wed her cousin instead, leaving her heart shattered. As if that betrayal wasn’t enough, her family and the entire pack cast her away to the northern territories, where she was to serve as Alpha Bastian’s breeder. The weight of this rejection crushed her spirit, solidifying her belief that true happiness was forever beyond her grasp. However, when the Alpha selected her, he painted a picture of a brighter future, promising a life of comfort in exchange for her role as a breeder through surrogacy for him and his mate, who was frail and unable to bear children. Despite being lost and uncertain, Rosentine accepted this new path. Yet, nothing could have prepared her for the shocking revelation that awaited her: the Alpha’s mate was none other than Rosalia, the sister she had mourned as lost for so long.

"That's okay baby. I won't be taking her away from you because you will be coming with us. Me, you, and Aria, together. A perfect family. What do you think about that?" Riccardo De Luca, popularly known for his ruthlessness and unforgiving spirit, has led the Italian Mafia for twelve good years now. He is feared and respected- either forcefully or willingly- by everyone including the Italian government. The title has been in his family line for...longer than he can even remember and all of a sudden his position is being threatened because he doesn't have an heir. Not under his watch though. He is going to keep this position no matter what it takes. with the mafia baby, Emilia Salvatore left Italy five years ago and vowed never to return again. She set up a life for she and her daughter in New York City. But what happens when Riccardo suddenly shows up at her door five years later demanding to be a part of not only his daughter’s life but also a part of Emilia’s life?

I thought Christmas had already broken me. Betrayal, loss, and a miscarriage that shattered everything I’d built. So I did the only reckless thing a heart in ruins could do: closed my eyes, jabbed a finger at a map, and bought a ticket to wherever it landed. No plan. No hope. Just a wounded heart running from the wreckage. I wanted quiet. Snow. A place to breathe and heal. I found him instead. A man who feels too wild for this world, all heat and muscle and dark, hungry eyes. He kisses like he’s claiming something. Touches like he’s learning every secret my body holds. His strength borders on impossible. His presence, addictive. He calls me his naughty little Christmas gift. And every time he drags his mouth down my throat, I forget every reason I had to stay guarded. But the deeper I fall, the stranger things become. The room around him feels alive. The night listens when he speaks. His eyes flash with an animal glow that shouldn’t exist, and the sound he makes when he’s holding back, low, guttural, trembling the air between us doesn’t belong to any man. I should run. Ask questions. Save myself. But I’m far too gone. Even willing to be ruined by whatever he is. So I ignore the question whether I’m losing my mind, or whether the fear curling beneath the heat is real. And let him keep unwrapping me like the gift he thinks I am. Because whatever lives inside him…it’s the first thing that’s made me feel alive again.